Life and the Little Things

If you have ever read a New Age book only to walk away thinking "what the hell were they talking about" then this is for you. If you have ever tried meditation only to be drowned in your own thoughts then this is for you. If you have ever watched Oprah and been left feeling that somewhere along the line you missed the New Age boat then this is for you. Why? Because this is a not another article trying to turn you into a mini me Wayne Dwyer or a clone of Eckhart Tolle, it respects the unique divine creation you are. Repeat after me "I am enough" or put another way "I am therefore I need be nothing more." I am not here to make you do anything or to make you feel guilty you are not something more because as far as I am concerned the moment you were born 'you were greatness'. Let's talk about an authentic life where there is acceptance of our humanity, where the fact you had a not so charitable thought because someone cut you off in traffic doesn't cancel your "I am good person" card. Let's have a conversation about what it is like to walk through this world with all of its challenges as a mere mortal rather then a superhuman. Like two old friends on the back porch on a Sunday afternoon, with no where to be and no where to go, we will talk about the life and the little things.

To touch the stars you must feel the ground beneath your feet

'Before enlightenment chop wood light fire after enlightenment chop wood light fire.'

You have to deal with realities, there is no bill fairy or clean my house fairy or make my family love me fairy. No such thing, no short cuts or magic wands or New Age pills I could make something up if you want and I am sure someone out there would buy it but reality is hard to hide from. The bottom line is you cannot do anything about something you refuse to acknowledge exists in the first place. Some people think they are very clever and make up an alternative reality, but like I say "you can bury your head in the sand but eventually someone will come and kick you in the butt."

This is the interesting part most of the time the things we fear are actually not that bad it is our own insecurity and inability to deal with them which creates within us a mindset of helplessness. We have the ability to walk through life's challenges it resides in all of us and can be accessed at anytime. So why does reality scare us so much we run from our truths?

Admitting you are human appears to be a difficult thing to do in a society filled with expectations, assumptions and judgment. Standing naked in your truth or your reality can be tough but rest assured the risk far outweighs the pressure of being someone you are not or living a lie for a lifetime. What are your realities what don't you want the world to know?

Dealing with reality

So you finally said out loud "I am in debt and don't know what to do about it" or "I don't know how to have healthy relationships" what next?

Give yourself a pat on the back, it takes courage to stand in truth and you deserve to be acknowledged for yours, "well done!" Try this; sit on a chair and have a friend stand in front of you doesn't that feel a little bit intimidating doesn't your friend look way bigger than normal? Then stand up and face them how much more empowered does this make you feel? Reality is no different when you are down and out everything looks bigger than it is and when you stand up and face it suddenly it is not nearly as overpowering.

What happens next is little mind monsters try and intimidate you into sitting down. You will know them when they come by the way they use their words;

"Don't rock the boat don't make waves if you look at your reality we have to look at ours and that just isn't going to happen!"

"Why are you trying to do this just give up its too hard?"

"You don't deserve anything better I never had a good life why should you!"

It is not uncommon at this stage to let doubt and fear in, sometimes shame also creeps in and guilt 'how stupid am I' or 'if I had done something sooner I would not be in this mess.' Hindsight is a wonderful thing to have and everyone one of us at some point in our lives wishes we could go back and make different choices but that is a pointless waste of energy. Rather than beating yourself up for not being perfect pat yourself on your back for being honest about your imperfections. You may have made some choices which didn't have the result you desired but maybe you didn't have the right tools or knowledge or maybe you were a little too arrogant, think of it this way a mistake is a lesson waiting to be learnt.

When a lightning strike starts a fire which burns out a forest we look at the blackness and think "oh my how could the anything recover from this there is nothing left?" But what we don't appreciate is the fire is nature's way of clearing away the rotting undergrowth and giving the seeds that lay dormant underneath the opportunity to grow. When you face your reality no matter how bleak it may look there is always a seed of hope underneath waiting to bring new life in. Sometimes you have to face the darkness of the night to appreciate the beauty of the light.

The 'P' word

Pride the most useless of all our emotions, it is the anchor which keeps you where you are and away from that which can get you where you want to be. So someone thinks you should be able to do everything your self and you should not ask for help because it is a sign of weakness, tell them to talk to the hand because the ears are not listening. Forget New Age theory think about it logically, out there somewhere are the resources you need to build the life you want and you would rather stand in your pride than go looking for them....why in Creators name would you do that for? By all means hold onto your pride wear like a badge keep it to show company but when no one else is around and your reality stares you in your face pride is going to be a very poor companion.

Change meets with resistance

'Every action causes and equal or greater reaction.'

No man is an island, I know this society has led us to believe we are not dependant on each other but again this is rubbish. Whatever you do or say will impact someone somewhere and in some way it is the six degrees of separation you are always hearing about go rent the movie. So here's the scoop when you start to look at your realities and acknowledge them chances are good someone somewhere who has a vested interest in keeping the reality just as it is, is going to try and push you back down in your seat. This happens a lot with families living with a pink elephant in the living room, which everyone sees but pretends not to see. No one wants to deal with reality when you start talking about the pink elephant you make people uncomfortable because now they have to deal with it too! And chances are they are not ready to do that.

Important point it is not about anybodies else's truth but your own, you have to honor another's truth's even if they are a denial of the reality. Their resistance should be considered a road block which can be navigated with the knowledge you are honoring your self and the life Creator gave you by dealing with the things which may be stopping you moving forward. It is one of those "I love you but...." moments. However if the situation is one involving others you might want to travel gently through the terrain rather than going full steam ahead like a steam train, a little give and take never hurt any conversation.

Excuse me but can you help me?

We can say those words at a hardware store or a grocery store, we quite happily admit I don't know how to build a birdhouse or what aisle the canned beans are on but heaven forbid if we should utter them when it really counts when life has overcome us and we don't know what to do next.

"Excuse me can you help me please?"

Use the resources available to you and if you do not know what or where they are then ask someone who does. And if anyone brings out the little mind monsters to make you feel less for wanting more then hold onto the fact they are trying to keep you from standing because they can only feel big by looking down at you. This is not about you not being enough but about you not having enough, knowledge, skills or resources. You are always enough in Creators eyes no matter what your life circumstances, he /she simply wants you to manifest your greatness. Some people at this point might go well then if Creator is such goodness he/she wouldn't let us struggle like this, which is a fair enough question and it can be answered in a few ways. Firstly if Creator didn't believe in our greatness we would not have been given free will and the ability to make our own choices. He is someone saying "I believe in you" and is still saying it. Secondly there are human Angels among us people who can help us if we would only ask. Remember a parable which went something like this;

A man was stranded on an island for many years, one day a fishing boat sailed past "Hop in" they said. "No came the reply I am waiting for God to save me". The next week an airplane flew past and yelled "we will land and take you home". "No thanks' the man replied "I am waiting for God to save me." The next week a helicopter went by and the same thing happened. Eventually the next week God looked down and said "why are you still here?" "Because I have been waiting for you to save me" the man replied. To which God said "I sent you an airplane, a boat and a helicopter what more could you have wanted?"

I am sure it lost something in translation but you get the message Creator has not deserted you the resources are there but sometimes we are so focused on that one window of opportunity we don't see all the possibilities. Or we are so caught up with the drama we miss the boat so to speak. Having been a single parent for 14 years I can relate to stubborn pride and feelings of inadequacy, plenty of times I turned my back on help being offered and even more times I struggled on just to prove I could. But if I had known then what I know now I would have been knocking on any door I could find to access the resources I needed. It is an enlightened soul who seeks what they need and a fool who doesn't realize our greatest weakness is often our strength.

Grant me serenity

'Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.'

Some things are never going to turn out the way you want them too no matter what you give to them, there is no point denying this truth. Sometimes you have to accept people for where they are in their own growth and decide whether you honor them and you by allowing the situation to stand as it is. Always remember nothing is set in stone tomorrow is a new day and new beginnings can begin at anytime anywhere.

Here is another thing to keep in your pocket change does not have to involve monumental leaps of faith or drastic measures. Things do not have to be done yesterday and when one thing does not work there will always be another to try. Maybe you will have to take a few survival jobs along the way to your dream position and maybe those jobs will give you little lessons which will make sure when you do get the job you want you have all the knowledge you need to do it well. Stepping into the dream without building the foundation is like building a house with no nails eventually it will all come falling down. Maybe you do not need to confront your Mother with all of your grievances in a single day perhaps a little bit at a time will promote greater trust and communication. Understand some people are simply not aware of how their actions are hurting others until told we all have had moments where we have gone "I didn't know sorry."

More importantly this is a time to be gentle with yourself what this means is to talk to yourself as you would a friend going through a tough time. You would not criticize them for their mistakes you would encourage, support and urge them to keep going. When you stand in your truth and start to deal with life realities there are going to be moments of fear and doubt and you are going to need to be your own best friend. But remember once you accept where you are and who you are warts and all then from the ashes the seed of healing, hope and peace can begin to grow. There is never a better time to start than now

A ~ Accept who you are and where you are
C ~ Commit to change
T ~ take the first step

Life is going to challenge you throughout your lifetime this is the nature of being human, there are going to be ups and downs and things to overcome. As humans our greatest tool in building the life we want is our ability to learn and grow through our mistakes. All the great inventors reached their destination by trying and failing but all of them took what they learnt from each fall and used it to create a foundation of knowledge onto which they could build and this my friend is what you need to do.

Spiritual renovation what to do if your house is falling down

So you are trying to deal with life's realities and are seeking the help you need but you don't seem to be making any progress nothing appears to be changing. Well maybe you need a little spiritual renovation not the hallelujah type but an in house inspection to make sure your foundation doesn't have any cracks. When was the last time you had a spring clean of your belief system? If the answer is never this is the first place to start. Keep it simple write down all of your beliefs no matter how small or big then ask yourself two questions;

1. Does this belong to me or someone else?
2. Does this still serve my highest good or do I need to let it go?

Sometimes without realizing it we hold onto outdated beliefs given to us by our parents or things we learnt from our siblings or through our peers. At 10 maybe you were not good at math's this doesn't mean at 40 you cannot learnt to manage your finances. It is unlikely you have inherited your Uncle John's inability to do anything well more than likely you got handed down a family role which you were then expected to live up to. We grow and as we grow the usefulness of our beliefs needs to be re-examined, what served us at 20 probably will not be relevant to us at 40. Not only do we change but the world changes for example the good old days of the gold watch after 50 years of service are gone, these days after 2 years you are considered a long term employee. This does not mean throwing away all you hold dear, my belief in the greatness of the human soul will always remain with me. You have to a spring clean of your mind and soul every now and then because things change and you change and some beliefs are not going to work for you anymore.

This is also the time to update your spiritual toolbox, to seek new knowledge, new skills new ways at looking at things. Maybe in order to deal effectively with the realities of a dysfunctional family you need to find out what a healthy one is meant to look like. If you know speaking your truth will create drama then perhaps a basic conflict resolution course would be a good idea. If you lack the self confidence to look for another job work at bringing in new beliefs about what you are capable of, do a self esteem workshop. If the reality you face is so overwhelming you do not know where to start seek professional help from someone who does have the knowledge to help you build the skills you will need. I ask this question all the time the resources are out there why would you not access them if you are truly serious about creating an authentic abundant life?

Spiritually I think we all need to believe there is something or someone bigger out there. We all need to take the time to connect with our source no matter what or who we see this as being. It is difficult to hear anything in chaos or when we are anxious about life and it is almost impossible to hear our soul voice. Take a moment out from the chaos of the world to reconnect with the core truth the inner voice of soul. Take a breathe.. let it out and say out loud "in this moment everything is okay."

Another important thing to do is to bring in the lightness. When we get caught up in the seriousness of life we often lose the ability to laugh at the little things, to find joy in the small moments for some reason we do not feel we can have fun or be lighthearted. Often we feel guilty abandoning our troubles or believe serious events require serious adult behavior. Often it is a child oblivious social etiquette who brings the laughter and lightness to a situation providing a way to release anxiety and stress. Dealing with realities such a loss of any kind is a tough call and you need a way to release your feelings and what better way than to step into the lightness.

As the sun sets

Like two old friends on the back porch on a Sunday afternoon, with no where to be and no where to go, we have talked about the life and the little things. I hope this will be one of many moments we spend together, but as Richard Bach wrote;

'Never be dismayed at goodbyes because meeting again after moments or lifetimes is certain for those who are friends.'

Robin Newman Psychic/Medium
Creating futures changing lives
http://www.robinjpsychic.com or http://guidetolifeblog.com

Healthy Lifestyle Tips

How to Polish Up Your English

If you want to improve your spoken and written English the best way to do this is to add a few decorative, flowery touches to you sentences. There are lots of ways of doing this. Don't try to use them all in one sentence or you will make your English sound 'silly'. For example, if I said:

The cuddly, curious, cute, little, fluffy kitten tore through our house like a wild, fierce, stormy, unannounced tornado and damaged our new, Italian leather, expensive sofa.

It would be much more effective to use fewer adjectives:

The cuddly bundle of fluff that was our new kitten, tore through the house like a tornado, damaging the sofa as it went.

Too many adjective over describes the scene and make the English sound clumsy and unpolished.

Another example of this is an email that I received from a student:

'You are patient, kind, good, excellent teacher who gives good mark. My homework is late, not finished, forgot, undone. I am bad, useless, sad, unhappy student.'

This actually sounds funny but I don't think the writer intended it to be.

Don't overdo the adjectives, or use strings of adverbs that mean the same thing. Using two different adjectives that mean the same thing can sometimes be very effective and gives impact to the sentence.For example:

It was black dark outside and I couldn't see a thing.

Acronym.

It is generally acceptable to use acronyms when speaking and writing English. You will sound better if you use these instead of using full titles.

Take the initial, or first letter, of a group of words and put them together, they form an acronym. An acronym is a word in its own right. There are many examples of this:

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

CAT Computer assisted testing.

WHO World health organisation.

However, you should only use established and accepted acronyms, don't make up your own.

Using Alliteration.

Using alliteration makes English language makes what you say more expressive but here again, don't over do it. It is the grouping together of words which start with the same letter.

Slowly sizzling sausages

Cool, calm and collected

Long, lanky legs

Using Analogy.

Using an analogy makes speech and writing much more effective. It is a way to show off the finer points of the language and to express yourself clearly. An analogy takes another situation that is similar to the one you are describing and uses it to illustrate. This is good to use in writing creative pieces and is especially useful when presenting at a seminar. Using analogy makes your English sound richer and more polished.

The arrival of the new kitten in my house had a similar effect to an unexpected tornado.

Copyright: Louie Jerome 2008

Louie Jerome is a UK writer, editor and publisher

Writer Soup is a monthly magazine which is available on the internet

http://www.writersoup.co.uk

'Word To The Wise' is a humorous blog about the English Language

http://noway2blog.blogspot.com

Tips for Scholarship Essay Writing

Scholarships that require essays offer you the opportunity to stand out from the pack and make an impact on the reader. If an essay is ever optional, always, always include it! By choosing to ignore a request for an essay, it shows the application-committee or reviewer you really did not want to put the work in. You are writing this essay for money; it's worth the time and effort you put into it. (It is unwise to write one essay and copy/paste it for all the scholarships you are applying for.)The essay section of a scholarship is your only chance to distinguish yourself from the rest of the applicants. You may be just as qualified, or perhaps even less qualified, than others, so this is your time to shine and let them know why YOU deserve this scholarships.What will distinguish yours from all the others? Perhaps you deserve this scholarship, but other students probably do too. What makes you different from the masses? Put some time into thinking about what you're going to write and always have someone else read it. A second opinion, third, or even fourth will likely bring you plenty of valuable feedback. Ask your teachers, coaches, managers at work, your friends. The more feedback you can get, the better off you are.The purpose of the essay, for the reviewers, is to learn about you. Your words reveal something about your personality and plans for the future, and a chance to get an in-depth look at the topic at hand. Clear writing ability and creativity do not go unnoticed in your essays. Before you begin writing
Create an outline of your paper. Regardless of the order in which you write each section, you should know prior to writing what topic or main points you should cover in each part of your paper. Basic outlines have an introduction, body, and conclusion. Intro
Typically it is a good idea to use some sort of "attention getting" aspect; make the reader want to continue reading. Do not begin every sentence with "I" or "my". Although this essay may be about you, it sounds redundant. Add some variety and spice by changing your language and sentence structure. For example: I am a senior in high school and I am going to college XYW after I graduate. I have participated in many great activities during the last four years. I think I deserve this scholarship because ..." The repetition within those sentences is boring and will not engage the reader.Body
The body of the essay should support the main topic of the essay; make sure to give examples and explain why you are qualified. Avoid repeating yourself using the same language. Personal and specific examples create a story that may draw in the reader and create a memorable impression. Using generalities is not convincing; they may be applied to most people and do not create a unique impression of you.Conclusion
To conclude your essay, restate your main point, although do not use the same language word for word. Using a future-tense may be appropriate. If you choose to use a quote or a poem in your essay, choose wisely and be selective; it may be perceived as clich or unoriginal, or even inapplicable.

For free scholarship information, check out http://www.squarehatmoney.com/scholarships

The Successful Freelance Writer

Back in the old days, it was quite easy to get freelance writing jobs. When our grandparents were still in their teens, they already had jobs at newspapers and magazines. Back then, they were also gutsier and were more resourceful. Perhaps it was because of the urgency during their time that they had no other choice but to excel and do their best.

These days, we have the comfort of technology. Writing does not require you to actually own a pen or a notebook (although other people find such practice more conducive to writing). Modern technologies like the Internet, television and even mobile phones have paved the way for more freelance writing jobs.

But how come only a few seem to have tapped into this new media (especially the internet)? After being in the business for quite some time now, I've come to realize that some people are just not aware. They think it's hard work looking for a gig online. I'm here to correct that notion.

It's not difficult to find writing assignments online and sustain it as long as you find your niche.

Freelance writing jobs start out with you looking for something you're comfortable writing about. At first, you might be given assignments you know next to nothing about. However, don't be dissuaded and give up.

Since you're already online anyway, why not try doing research? Research is a freelance writer's best friend. For example, I was once tasked to write about employee relations. Back then, I had no idea what I could write about. Instead of returning the assignment, I looked around for information and read other articles. Soon, I found myself understanding what it meant and I was able to come up with a great piece.

Freelance writing jobs will expose you to a wide range of topics. However, you will soon find yourself having a greater and easier time writing certain topics. At this stage, you have already found your niche and while you may still keep your old job, you can now begin looking for other opportunities that will focus on the topic of your interest.

There are plenty more tips for freelance writing jobs where this came from. Already unspoken rules, of course, include polishing your grammar and being responsible for your articles. Plagiarism is absolutely a no-no. The Internet might be an endless vast space but it's not that hard to bump into articles every now and then.

Want to earn a 5-figure monthly income through freelance writing jobs? Go to http://www.20daypersuasion.com/5figurewriter.htm and discover how to earn massive amounts of money by becoming a freelance writer

Increase Your Traffic by Writing Articles

If you want to increase you website traffic quickly there is only a few ways to it. One of the ways is by Writing good quality articles that people would want to read.

It is not easy to increase your website traffic without cutting corners and this is something you should never do. There are a few things that can increase you traffic that are legal as long as you have the time and skill to be able to write interesting articles.

So you've built your wonderful new website and submitted it to the search engines and directories. In your eyes you are so proud of all your hard work that Google and all the search engines will just fall over themselves to add you to the top page.

So you wait...and you wait...and nothing happens. It takes a very long time for a newly developed website to get any form of listing in search engines and directories and even longer to get any meaningful listing. So, what's the solution to speeding up the process?

The best way you can increase traffic to your website for a short period of time is to write and submit newsletter articles. The beauty of this method is that anyone can do it all you need is a good idea, the ability to write accurately and some spare time. I'm not talking here about working for a magazine or website but the wonderful world of free articles. If you are short on cash and can't afford to promote your business then this technique is especially suited to you.

There are many websites that require constant content on a daily basis and most Newsletter editors are always looking for well written content. This is more so if their newsletter or blog is updated daily or weekly. As you can imagine it would be very difficult to maintain that level of content and prohibitively expensive and so they turn to free articles to ensure their website is relevant and interesting to their visitors.

As with most things on the internet if a gap appears it's very quickly filled and so we have the wonderful world of free articles. The deal is that in exchange for allowing the authors content to be published for free, the author of the article is allowed to place a link or advert at the bottom of the article without any charge.

Just imagine that for a minute, if your article is interesting enough and good enough it could be included in hundreds of websites in a matter of days and what does that mean, one way in-links. This of course is great for your pr ranking and will no doubt increase your traffic for as long as the article is placed high on the publishers website pages. The thing to remember is that you are not giving the article away just given away the rights to use the article on other peoples websites...you still own the article.

These links or adverts are usually placed just below the article and are called "resource boxes". The resource box is your chance to sell yourself or your website or both. It usually contains information about the author and a link to his website.

It's important that you take some time over the content of the resource box because if it is well written then more people will be tempted to click through to your main website and let's face that's the main reason you're given this information away in the first place. Don't add a affiliate link or straight link to another persons site as most publishers are wise to this and would not add your article.

Once you have written your article you now need to find the write publishers and newsletters that will take your work of art. This can be a long and boring job but it is a very important one. I would suggest you find at least 20-30 newsletters of a decent size and don't give up until you have done so.

The main reason why taking a little time over this part of the process is simple: It does not take much longer to submit your article to 500 sites that only main difference is the amount of traffic you will receive.

It's hard to say how much this type of approach will increase your traffic because it's very dependent on how well your article is written and how well you market it. In the best case scenario your article could be accepted at several larger ezines that have 150,000+ subscribers each and could result in 1000+ visitors to your website.

On the other hand you could end up with nobody publishing your article and not single hit. My personal opinion and experience is that a reasonably well thought out and written article usually produces around 500+ unique visitors per article.

There is another way you can get help with the tiresome job of finding publishers and newsletters and that is to pay one of the many companies out there to submit your article for you. I have used several of these companies and the quality and cost of their work can vary enormously. Some of these companies charge per submission ad some charge a flat monthly fee. The most important thing is that you are getting your article to enough quality publishers.

Brian is the editor of Bee Ltd a domain acquisition and development company that has many years experience in the domain name and internet market. You will find many useful articles and advice on all manner of subjects associated with domains names at our site: Bee.eu.

20 Top Tips To Writing Effective Surveys

Writing surveys is easy; or is it? The truth is that writing surveys is easy but writing effective surveys is more difficult. The following are twenty tips that if followed will help you write more effective surveys.

1. What is the purpose of the survey?

Surveys are conducted for many reasons. By phrasing the questions and structuring the answers surveys can be used in a multitude of ways and for a variety of reasons. When compiling a survey dont loose sight of its purpose.

2. Title the survey

The survey title is a golden opportunity to instantly summarise a survey's objective and grab the attention of invited respondents. Respondents are going to invest time in completing the survey so make them feel that their investment is worthwhile.

3. Do not make the survey any longer than it needs to be

Every question that is asked should be asked for a reason. Focus on need to know questions and minimise nice to know information.

4. Use plain English, avoid jargon and acronyms, maintain consistency and dont ask questions that may result in ambiguous answers

Care must be taken in wording a question. If a question is not clear then there is every chance that respondents may interpret the question differently to that intended by the publisher making any analysis of the data meaningless or at the very least misleading.

5. Avoid long questions

Try to use short sentences wherever possible. Long questions tend to cause respondents discomfort and can lead to a higher level of incidents where respondents abandon a survey.

6. Ask one question at a time

Avoid confusing the respondent with a question like Do you like football and tennis?

7. Avoid influencing the answer

It is important not to load the question. Should irresponsible shop keepers who sell tobacco to children be prosecuted? is unlikely to have any value.

8. Ensure that the answer format used allows the respondent to answer the question being asked

Allow the respondent to answer how they really feel or they may be less inclined to complete the survey. As a last resort consider the benefit of including a Dont know, Cant say or similar response option.

9. At the same time that you compile the survey consider, when the survey is complete, how the compiled data is going be analysed

If a question is asked that allows a free text open ended response appreciate that such information is likely to be difficult to score and/or summarised. Consider grouping answers. For example How long have you worked here? - less than 1 year, between 1 and 3 years and more than 3.

10. Ensure that the questionnaire flows

When asking questions group the questions into clear categories as this makes the task of completing the survey easier for the participants.

11. Target your respondents

In some cases you will want to target a specific group, in others a cross section. If you cant easily control the respondents consider including questions/answers that will allow you to filter out respondents who dont fit your target profile.

12. Allow the respondent to expand or make comments

Allowing the respondent to make additional comments will increase their satisfaction level and will also give valuable feedback on the specific questions and/or the survey as a whole. Remember though for a large sample collection it may be difficult to analyse free text open ended responses.

13. If the survey you are conducting is to be confidential ensure that your pledge is upheld

If you have assured the respondents that the survey is confidential ensure that the individual data is not to be shared with anyone and the information is not going to be used for any other purpose. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times and any identifying information destroyed after the survey is complete.

14. Weigh up the benefits of allowing respondents to be anonymous or identifiable

If your respondents are to be anonymous then appreciate that you will be unable to follow up or match pre or post surveys. However in some cases allowing people to remain anonymous will allow people to respond without possible peer pressure.

15. Give careful consideration to the best response format

It is good practice to maintain a consistency in the format used for responses. Keep in mind that when analysing the data radio buttons are easier to analyse than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple responses. Do not use a check box if a radio response would do.

16. Give the respondent an idea of how much time the survey will take.

Respondent drop out can occur if the survey appears to be a stream of never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to how long the survey is likely to take so the respondents can choose the best time to complete the survey.

17. Inform the respondents of the survey end date

Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advice respondents as to the surveys end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.

18. Pilot the survey

Before publishing a live survey publish a small pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to ensure that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.

19. Before publishing the survey proof read the survey several times

Check and check again that the survey is grammatically correct and makes sense. If possible get someone else to proof read the survey before you publish, if no one else is available then take a break before checking again.

20. Remember to say thank you

To complete surveys respondents need to invest their time and should be thanked either in a covering letter, at the end of completing the survey or in a follow up letter. You may even want to consider incentives such as a prize draw or reward.

For more information please visit http://www.SurveyGalaxy.com

Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy. For more information please visit http://www.SurveyGalaxy.com

Thought Leaders - Using Article Marketing To Entrench Yourself and Your Personal Brand

A "Thought Leader" is someone recognized as an authority in their field of expertise...also known as a visionary. Few people set out to become a "thought leader" or "guru," but there is good reason to not only establish yourself as an expert, but as a higher-level expert or "thought leader" for your market.

How can you become a "thought leader" for your niche or industry?

Besides risk-taking, leading a company that leads an industry, being vocal in your own blog and posting comments on other blogs & top industry forums within your niche... the easy answer to saturate the market is via the use of syndicated articles!

Here's a mini-course on how to get started to build your own "thought leadership" following via submissions of EzineArticles:

QUANTITY: You'll need more than 100 articles to really do this right, and as you approach the 500-1,000 article level, you'll be closer to reaching a saturation point that builds a buzz around your name, your ideas, your articles and your expert opinions.

Could you influence a market with 1 or 2 articles? Nope. Can you do it with 10-50 articles? Perhaps 10 years ago you could. Today's market is very competitive and as such, you need to do more than 'what everyone else does' if you want to stand out and get to the top, especially if you're in a niche that is very popular already.

QUALITY: You want to use your articles to communicate your single-minded focus as the expert of your niche. This means quality articles, very little babble, and 1 or 2 links in the resource box that must reinforce your expertise and personal brand. This is not the time to be an affiliate marketer.

Example: If you want people to take your Digital Photography business seriously, you can't post a Geocities, Tripod, etc. junk URL in your article resource box...but rather, you must post a domain name that you own that further solidifies the unity of your message. Also, leave out domains that you own that have nothing to do with the purpose of the article you're writing.

Note: Quality does not mean high word-count quantity. Best if you keep your word-count in the 250-500 words per article so that you can achieve a high article count. A 500-word article performs the same as a 5,000-word article, so why give the marketplace more than they can absorb in an easy reading? Today's reader "scans" rather than deliberately reading every word of your articles.

CONTROVERSY: Unlike other article writing reasons, when you write to achieve market "thought leadership" status, you must stir up the market by taking some gray issues and make them black and white. This is a good opportunity to take current events and provide your expert analysis and support reasons why certain issues are good or bad for the market, economy, world, etc.

CONSISTENCY: Using article marketing or putting your hundreds of articles into distribution is not a one-shot Charlie routine, but rather it's a drum you begin beating and every week for a few years you pound your article submission drums louder and louder.

It pays to create a burst of submissions (50-250) when you initially start, and then taper off to 10-100 new submissions per month until you reach a market saturation point that you feel puts your voice, your brand, your articles at the front of the pack.

PROMOTION: Once you put your articles into distribution via the various article directories, ezine publishers, and specialty web directories of your niche - the next step is to promote them further by using them to establish credibility as you participate in forums, blog comments, your own blog/online journal, and your email newsletter.

"Thought Leadership" via Syndicated Articles Conclusion:

It is possible to take the net by storm to position yourself as a 'thought leader' via putting hundreds and thousands of your articles into distribution. Within 6-18 months, you can become known as a "thought leader" in your niche if you'll do what no one else is doing and in a volume/quality that no one else had done to date for your niche. There is time and you can do it. Go for it! :-)

About The Author:

Christopher M. Knight invites you to submit your best quality original articles for massive exposure to the high-traffic http://EzineArticles.com/ expert author community. When you submit your articles to EzineArticles.com, your articles will be picked up by ezine publishers who will reprint your articles with your content and links intact giving you traffic surges to help you increase your sales. To submit your article, setup a membership account today: http://EzineArticles.com/submit/

(c) Copyright - Christopher M. Knight. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

8 Steps to Writing a University Level Essay

Writing a university level essay can be a challenging process, but it doesnt have to be. With this paper I hope to bring insight and potentially enjoyment to this once feared task. Always remember, writing is supposed to be fun and easy. However, there needs to be some method to the madness and that is what you get from this article.

I have outlined 8 steps to follow from beginning to A+.

I. Research thoroughly begin the process of writing by reading. This part is made much easier if you have the luxury of choosing a topic that you find interesting. However, even if you are given a topic that you at first find boring by researching it you may have a change of heart. As much as one should approach a topic with an open mind it is also ok to have a well thought out and researched reason why you dislike that which you are studying. Also, dont be afraid to explore a new angle on a subject that seems beat to death.

II. Analyze compiled research once you have a solid knowledge base of information at your disposal it is important to find the arguments within a paper. It is also important to distinguish between the facts presented and the conclusions that the author makes about those facts. Try to expose the weaknesses in logic used to form opinions, but also note strengths you find. Always remember that you will seldom find a good writer who is not also a vivacious reader.

III. Discuss and Brainstorm your essay will require unique insight by you or your group. Try to answer questions that were surfaced during the analysis stage. During this stage it is important to give yourself time and space to let your ideas breathe. If this requires calling a friend not involved with the topic and explaining some of the ideas then do it. If it requires taking a walk because staring at another book will do nothing but stunt creative thought then so be it. The bottom line is, do whatever it is that you do to gain perspective and clarity.

IV. Thesis statement - during this part of the process the objective is to narrow down your ideas into a clear assertion that you can build the rest of your essay around. Remember the thesis of your paper is the main idea summed up in a sentence or two that gives the reader direction about where the paper is going. Often times readers are hooked or bored after the first paragraph so think of your thesis as your first opportunity to grab the reader while they have no preconceived ideas about the piece.

V. Outline a respected paper more as a method of practice it is important to understand the flow of thought and discourse throughout a paper. It can help to find a paper of interest and note how the initial argument is presented along with the proceeding facts or ideas that backup the authors point of view.

VI. Introduction paragraph we are now at the point of writing your essay. Keep your thesis statement out on a separate piece of paper along with your outline so that you can refer back to this original statement or argument when need be. Keep in mind that your first paragraph in combination with the thesis and title are the most important elements of your paper.

VII. Supporting Paragraphs when writing your supporting paragraphs focus on each individual paragraph working both independently and in conjunction with one another to support the overall theme of the paper. These paragraphs should introduce evidence to your claims and give you the appropriate amount of time to expound on your ideas. If you are struggling to write your supporting paragraphs perhaps you should go back to step 3, the discussion stage and try talking out your paragraphs.

VIII. Conclusion and Exit try to gracefully exit your essay in a brief and precise manner. It is however good to leave the reader with a memorable thought, perhaps a good quotation, or an interesting twist in logic that will allow for good dialog about your paper. Or even better, a sequel!

For a good source of essays written and posted by students check out this at =>http://www.freeonlineresearchpapers.com

For more information about the author please visit =>http://www.neoconnection.com

You Need to Be a Writer, Instead of Just Someone Who Writes

If you want to have a successful writing career, you need to prioritize your writing and make it the thing you do the most, rather than something you do in your spare time now and again. Anyone who is successful in their career is driven by their work. When you look at Stephen King, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, or any other successful person, you'll soon realize that they didn't get to where they are by working on their careers in their spare time.

They all started out by having to hold down a full-time job to put food on the table while they became established in what they wanted to do, but hey never lost their drive and determination and that's what kept them going. You'll also recognize that these people are different from those around them. They don't sit around every night watching Seinfeld and Jerry Springer on TV. Instead they use all their free time to work on their careers. So while their friends and family are still sat staring at the TV for several hours every night, they have reached the pinnacle of their success and are all multi-millionaires enjoying their lives.

They knew that if they did the same things as everyone else, they'd be the same as everyone else, and that's what they didn't want. So if you want to is a successful and wealthy writer, working your own hours, living wherever you want in the world and not being part of the 9-5 rat race any more, then you need to work on becoming the writer that you want to be. And the time to start is right now. So don't sit on the couch every night watching TV. Instead, sit down and write. Or if you don't know what to write or how to sell your work, invest in a book or course that will teach you how.

But stay away from the television, which is often called "the brain drain" or "the plug-in drug." Watching too much television can become a bad habit and while you're watching it, it is also sucking away your creativity and your dreams. And don't watch the news any more either. These programs don't give you a balanced view of what's happening in the world. They only show news that they think will shock, horrify and attract more viewers. Remember that they are in it for the money so it's in their best interests to attract as many viewers as they can.

And don't worry about missing out on any big news that happens. If it's something important, you'll find out anyway, one way or another. You just need to concentrate on your writing. And keep away from anyone who has a negative attitude about what you are trying to achieve. These kinds of people are toxic and you really don't need them. True friends will support you, or at the very least, ignore you if they don't agree with what you are trying to do. But they will never be nasty.

Just think what would have happened to Bill Gates or Stephen King if they'd listened to the critics in their lives? Instead they were too busy getting on with what they were doing and didn't let anyone stop them. So let yourself become the successful and wealthy writer that you've always wanted to be. Just sit down and imagine yourself working as a full-time writer and author, living your dream life in your dream home.

Then turn off the television and get to work. And before you know it you'll be a prolific and wealthy writer. Just remember that your habits create your future, so adopt better writing habits.

Ruth Barringham is succesful writer, author and publisher and runs two web sites for writers. Writeaholics.net is a web site for freelance writers and Self-Publish Worldwide is a website full of information on all areas of self publishing. So if your interested in writing or publishing, or both, visit these two web sites. You can also sign up for the free monthly newsletter at Writeaholics.net and receive the free eBook 'Become a Freelance Writing Success' when you subscribe, or download a free self publishing report at Self-Publish Worldwide. Or why not do both? After all - they're free!

John Irving On Writing

Listen to What John Irving Says about Writing Novels

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Spiritual and self-development books can help you with the change your desiring in your life, You Can Have It All

Babe Ruth
Council Of Nicaea Conclusion