

| October 13th, 2008 | Lower Your Mortgage Interest By Remortgage |
Interest on your mortgage is what determines your monthly payment. Over the course of 30 years, you are paying so much in interest. That is why it is important to look for the most competitive interest rate for your mortgage. Another great option is doing a remortgage. This will allow you to find a mortgage with a lower interest rate. This is a great advantage because it will help to lower your monthly payments. If the market has taken a turn and interests rates are lower, why not take advantage of the lower interest rates on your home mortgage. You deserve to have a lower payment, and now is the time to take advantage of it. Did you know that by lowering the interest rate on your current mortgage you can save yourself thousands over the course of the loan? That is why it is so important to consider searching for ways to remortgage your current loan. Even if you have good credit your mortgage company is not going to look to lower your interest rates as the market changes. That is why you need to be aware of what the current interest rate is. If you are unaware you are not doing yourself a favor. It is time now to take advantage of lower interest rates and lower your monthly payment on your mortgage. You deserve to save money, why not take advantage of this today. Posted in Business Performance, Credit Management, The Commercial Life | Comments Off
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| June 19th, 2008 | Winclear :Clear Search Results History |
People now a days love their computer as if they are not going to live with out it. This no.1 technology had brought a lot to our life. It brings a lot of information for our own benefits and for our own self destruction. Why? Have you ever noticed certain changes in the performance of your PC? If you ever noticed some slow down the performance of your PC there are lots of possibility that you are being watch. There are a lot of theft online, ready to rob you and destroy you. How to prevent this from happening? Do you really have to use evidence eraser? Or can you just erase the important file that you stored and carry on with your life? Parents should know what happens with their children and try to prevent the possible danger. Scheduling and real-time scanning are the leather seats/steering wheel on this piece of software, to prevent new infestations from re-clogging your computer network again and again. Anti-spyware that is bundled or integrated will be the favored choice for an entrepreneur or SMB, you won’t have several licenses to deal with and the software will update the whole rather than parts. The way spyware/ malware is gaining in strength an updated anti-virus/anti-spyware/anti-spam module is better than wondering whether each piece is updated. Data loggers, key loggers are just a few programs which harvest info from your computer. Winclear is the only program created specially to auto remove such spywares. 74. That is why every computer owner needs winclear. Protect With Winclear :History Of Internet Spam Winclear: |
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| June 17th, 2008 | Winclear :How To See Internet Chats When History Is Deleted |
Some users of spyware infected system call technical professionals to correct the system, or else, they buy a new computer, as the previous computer works very slow. The way spyware/ malware is gaining in strength an updated anti-virus/anti-spyware/anti-spam module is better than wondering whether each piece is updated. More and more parents realize they shouldn’t impose any direct control over their child’s online activity thus trying to find out what their children are doing online. This task finds an easy solution in special keylogger software. Such software monitors computer activity and saves the report in special files so that the parents can later check it out and make conclusions. Keyloggers usually show what applications were used on the controlled computer, what sites a child visited and what he actually wrote to his online pals. There are enhanced search and sorting options, so any suspicious activity can be easily traced. Data loggers, key loggers are just a few programs which harvest info from your computer. Winclear is the only program created specially to auto remove such spywares. Instead they wrote the program to be used “legitimately” to keep tabs on business employees spouses concerned about affairs and keeping a watchful eye on teenagers’ internet surfing habits. That is why every computer owner needs winclear. Protect With Winclear :Answers To The Computer History Search Winclear: |
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| June 6th, 2008 | Contracts for Customers |
When you’re dealing with customers, sometimes things can go wrong. It might be your fault, it might be their fault or it might be no-one’s fault — but if you didn’t make a contract, then you’ll all suffer. Why Do I Need Contracts? A contract gives you a sound legal base for your business, and some guarantee that you’re going to get paid for your work without you having to ask the customer for payment in advance. In the event of a dispute, the contract lays down what the agreement was so that you can point to it and say what was agreed. If you ever end up having to go to court (let’s hope you won’t), the contract is what the judge’s decision will be based on. Without a contract, you leave yourself vulnerable and open to exploitation. Someone could claim that the terms they agreed with you were different to what you say they were, or that they never signed up for anything at all and so they won’t pay. It’s especially common to see big businesses mistreat small ones, thinking that they won’t have the knowledge or the money to do anything about it. Essentially, contracts take away your customers’ ability to hold non-payment over your head, and give you the ability to hold it over theirs instead. Written and Verbal Contracts It is important to point out the distinction in the law between a verbal (spoken) contract and a proper, written one. A verbal contract is binding in theory, but in practice can be very hard to prove. A written contract, on the other hand, is rock-solid proof of what you’re saying. You might think that you’re never going to get into a dispute with your customers, but it’s all too common to find yourself in a little disagreement. They will often want to get you to do some ’small’ amount of extra work to finish the job or make it better, not realising that doing so would completely obliterate your profit margin. For this reason, you should be very wary of doing anything with nothing but a verbal contract. On the other hand, if you were incautious or too trusting and only got a verbal contract, it could still go some way towards helping you, especially if there were witnesses. Won’t It Be Expensive? Written contracts don’t necessarily need to be formal contracts, which are drawn up by a lawyer with ‘contract’ written at the top and signed by both parties. These kinds of contracts are the most effective, but can be expensive to have produced, not to mention intimidating to customers. The most common kind of written contract, oddly enough, is a simple letter. If you send a customer a letter (or, indeed, an email) laying out your agreement before you start work, and they write back to agree to it, that is enough to qualify as a written contract, with most of the protections it affords. If you are doing high-value work for some clients, though, it could be worth the time and trouble of having your lawyer write a formal contract, or at least of doing it yourself and getting a lawyer to look it over. Formal contracts will give you more protection if the worst happens, and there’s nothing to stop you from making it a one-off expense only by re-using the same contract for multiple customers. Contracts for Small Purchases: the Terms and Conditions Obviously it would be silly to expect everyone who buys some $10 thing from you to sign a contract, or write back indicating their agreement to your terms. In this situation, you should have a statement of the ‘terms and conditions’ that your customer is agreeing to by buying from you, and they should have to tick some kind of box indicating their agreement before you send anything. Luckily, it isn’t usually so necessary to be paranoid about contract law with small purchases anyway, since customers will be paying you first and receiving the goods or services afterwards, not the other way around. If you plan to offer any kind of payment plan or other long-term agreement, of course, this should always be backed up with a signed contract. Posted in Business Performance | Comments Off
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| June 3rd, 2008 | Basics of Welfare Economics |
Human beings are the building blocks of society. The societies agglomerate to make states. And then the nations are formed. The economy of a nation is the indicator of its prosperity. What the economy affects primarily are the people of a country. The technique, which uses the concepts of macroeconomics to achieve social goals, has been christened as welfare economics. Economics with all the data, tables, graph etc. can seem to be a very strict and rigid field. But the economists have now attached the human touch to the economic sphere too. Broadly speaking this field essentially involves the distribution of wealth among all the people and hence providing them with the buying capacity. The need for this approach to study economics arises because of the increasing index of poverty. The people normally do not pay heed to the poor and the needy. There are increasing numbers of people involved in minimum wage jobs. They are employed but yet poor. The wage jobs do not cover the medical insurance or education for the kids. Now in this situation the person prefers to fulfill the need of a square meal then to go for the education option. In a democratic set up it is seen that the welfare takes a high position in the agenda of the governments. This is, for one, required to ensure the votes. And secondly democracy has an influence of socialism and communism in it, thus the psyche of the government is for the benefit of the masses. America is known for being one such democracy. There are enough people to work for such causes. The gamut of social welfare is very wide and anything can be brought under it. In one way it is provision of safety to the country’s citizens. Safety from poverty, hunger, disease and many other things a social worker can think of. Now a very thought-worthy question arose when Ralph Nadar brought forward the concept of corporate welfare to the forefront, in 1956. This involves giving tax holidays and other regulatory leverages to the corporations. The debatable issue is that the corporate firms in a capitalist structure cannot be expected to work for the social welfare. And at every step the interests of society and the corporate seem to clash. The design of the corporate structure of the country should be such that it can cater to the needs of themselves as well as those of the society. Corporate governance jurisprudence is probably stemmed out of such conflicts. The core issue of this problem is probably the distribution of income. The dichotomy on this count arises when one school of thought suggests the governmental influence on income slabs and the other theorizes that government should not at all be involved but it should be the sole discretion of the employer to pay the employees. The actual game lies somewhere in the middle. The governmental regulations do influence the wage schemes. The need of the hour is however, to check the accumulation majority of the wealth among a few hands. The economic reforms to boost the grass root level employees too have to be brought because it is they who really are at the hem of the economic growth. The new approach is good from the point of view of the low-income people but a balance has to be struck between their interests and the interests of business giants.
Mansi gupta writes about welfare economics . Learn more at www.welfareecon.com Posted in Business Performance | Comments Off
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| June 1st, 2008 | In 21st Century as Global Market is Shrinking… Cross Cultural Adaptation is a Must! |
Introduction In 21st Century and in the era of Knowledge Based Industry when global market in shrinking cross culture adaptation is not only a MUST but is only a mantra to succeed. In my previous two employments, we had 15 and 24 nationals respectively from different countries and many of our people from India go on Deputation to other countries and many of them face challenges to cope-up with the cultural change…behavioral change. Understanding Intercultural Sensitivity Why you need to go out, India is a country with “Diversity in Culture”. This diversity is the result of the coexistence of a number of religions as well as local traditions. The beautiful temples of south India, easily identifiable by their ornately sculptured surface, in the desert of Kutch, Gujarat, on the other hand, the local folk pit themselves against the awesome forces of nature, in the extreme north is the high altitude desert of Ladakh, Local culture is visibly shaped by the faith - Buddhism - as well as by the harsh terrain. With over one billion citizens, India is the second most populous nation in the world. It is impossible to speak of any one Indian culture, although there are deep cultural continuities that tie its people together. In its quest for modernization, India has preserved its ancient civilization and never lost sight of the ideals that gave her strength through countless centuries. Science and technology has been steadily raising the living standard and prosperity of its people, but the nation of more than one billion people - one sixth of humanity - continues to live with some of its traditional values that go back 4,000 years and more. See this synthesis of tradition and modernity on your India Travel itinerary. Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity “Global diversity is the recognition and development of skills to deal with differences on both international and domestic fronts.” -Dr. Milton Bennett How can we help employees in our organizations succeed in an increasingly complex workplace? Our function is to clarify what cultural competence is and why it is needed, and to help employees enhance understanding of their own culture, and increase their intercultural sensitivity and competence. Why there is Resistance…Tool to understand resistance Development of intercultural competence does not come without a struggle; some employees will protest these efforts. Bennett’s model helps us understand that the basic form of resistance is a defense response. People who respond to diversity efforts in this way are often moving from the model’s first stage of intercultural sensitivity, denial (a failure to recognize that cultural differences exist) into the second stage, defense (recognition of differences). Often, people at this stage may express concern about reverse discrimination. “Recognition of the fact that differences do exist carries a threat,” he says. The reaction is to defend one’s self. Bennett recommends listening carefully to the person’s fears and to help them understand how the organization will continue to extend opportunities to this person’s cultural group, even as efforts expand to include other cultural groups. The model predicts that as time goes by, people can move from defense (stage two) into minimization (stage three). “With minimization, there’s more recognition that we’re dealing with people that are different, but there’s still resistance to that idea,” Bennett explains. “The belief is that somehow if we are more open in making sure that equal opportunity exists, everyone should be grateful and follow a set of rules.” Someone in this stage may say, “Why can’t we all just be Americans?” A person at this stage hopes that we will all converge into a single cultural position. Of course, this position assumes people are able and willing to shed their culture and take on American culture. How to address backlash Bennett recommends several approaches to addressing backlash: Cultural Self-Awareness: Help employees develop cultural awareness, including (if applicable) identification of European American ethnicity versus stopping at a more specific cultural self-awareness (such as Italian or Irish). Recognition of Cultural Capital: Prepare employees to deal with issues of privilege in a non-threatening way. Help them to identify their own cultural capital (what it means to belong to their own group and how that translates into institutional privilege). Establishing a Cultural Core: Facilitate an exploration of value commitment in the context of intercultural relativity. In other words, we need to recognize that our values are culturally based. Then, we must develop the capability of working effectively with people with different values without feeling the need to give up our own values system. “I find that most diversity practitioners don’t have the ability to deal with this,” He says. “[The tendency is to think] if there aren’t any basic values, which by the way are mine, how do we work and live ethically?” Bennett envisions this model extending beyond domestic to international diversity efforts. “Global diversity is the recognition and development of skills to deal with differences on both international and domestic fronts,” says Bennett. Many organizations realize that diversity efforts involve on-going change strategies rather than one-time training events. There is also a move toward coupling international and domestic diversity, and aligning intercultural competence with leadership development. “The danger [in these trends] of course is that international issues may be seen as diffusing other important [domestic diversity] issues,” Bennett cautions. Our challenge, then, is to maintain the emphasis on domestic issues within the context of the larger global diversity effort. Stages of Intercultural Sensitivity In the ’80’s and 90’s organizations have attempted to go beyond mere discrimination issues and even to “celebrate diversity.” However, celebration of diversity falls far short of what is needed for effective collaboration between mainstream agencies and ethnic minority communities. For organizations or individuals to move beyond “celebration” to a real ability to work appropriately with cultural difference requires a planned sequence of development. Bennett describes six stages of development in intercultural sensitivity. The stages provide a good framework for determining how to work with and improve the capacity for intercultural sensitivity and collaboration. Some of his stages of “cultural sensitivity” include behaviors or adaptations the authors include under the definition of “cultural competence.” 1. Bennett refers to the first stage of the model as “denial.” It means that people in this stage are very unaware of cultural difference. If mainstream agency staff are in this stage of intercultural sensitivity, a huge problem can be expected in the delivery of education, health, and social services for ethnic minorities, a gap that does currently exist when these groups are compared to Anglo Americans. The task for staff at this first stage of intercultural sensitivity is to recognize cultural differences that are escaping their notice. 2. Whereas in the first stage we do not “see” cultural differences, in the second stage of cultural competence we do perceive cultural differences; however, differences from ourselves or the norms of our group are labeled very negatively. They are experienced as a threat to the centrality and “rightness” of our own value system. Bennett calls this stage “defense.” 3. In the third stage of intercultural sensitivity, minimization, we try to avoid stereotypes and even appreciate differences in language and culture. However, we still view many of our own values as universal, rather than viewing them simply as part of our own ethnicity. The task at the third level of intercultural sensitivity is to learn more about our own culture and to avoid projecting that culture onto other people’s experience. This stage is particularly difficult to pass through when one cultural group has vast and unrecognized privileges when compared to other groups. This problem is so invisible that persons in mainstream agencies are often mystified when representatives of ethnic minorities consistently withdraw from collaborative activities. 4. A reasonable goal for many mainstream agencies is to ensure that all staff achieve at least the fourth developmental level in intercultural sensitivity. The fourth stage in Bennett’s model requires us to be able to shift perspective, while still maintaining our commitments to values. The task in this stage is to understand that the same behavior can have different meanings in different cultures. The comparisons that follow in the Toolkit can be particularly helpful for staff of mainstream agencies to improve their intercultural sensitivity in this stage of development. In order for collaboration to be successful long-term, this stage of intercultural sensitivity must be reached by the participants of the collaborative process. Bennett calls this stage “acceptance.” 5. The fifth stage of intercultural sensitivity, adaptation, may allow the person to function in a bicultural capacity. In this stage, a person is able to take the perspective of another culture and operate successfully within that culture. This ability usually develops in a two-part sequence. It requires that the person know enough about his or her own culture and a second culture to allow a mental Shift into the value scheme of the other culture, and an evaluation of behavior based on its norms, not the norms of the first individual culture of origin. This is referred to as “cognitive adaptation.” The more advanced form of adaptation is “behavioral adaptation,” in which the person can produce behaviors appropriate to the norms of the second culture. Persons serving as liaisons between a mainstream agency and an ethnic minority group need to be at this level of intercultural sensitivity. 6. In the sixth stage, the person can shift perspectives and frames of reference from one culture to another in a natural way. They become adept at evaluating any situation from multiple frames of reference. Some representatives in cross-cultural collaboration may reach this level, but most probably will not. Stage six requires in-depth knowledge of at least two cultures (one’s own and another), and the ability to shift easily into the other cultural frame of reference. The task at this level of development is to handle the identity issues that emerge from this cultural flexibility. Bennett calls this final stage of intercultural sensitivity “integration.” Building Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), a tool to build individual and team effectiveness The ability to communicate effectively with people of different backgrounds, cultures, or perspectives is essential to creating an inclusive, productive, and innovative work environment. This is the basis for leveraging peoples’ inputs to improve business results. Each member of a team or an organization must build this competence to a degree consistent with their responsibilities and work. It is therefore important to be able to measure intercultural sensitivity and guide development for individuals, teams, and organizations. The Intercultural Development Inventory, developed by Dr. Mitchell Hammer and Dr. Milton Bennett, is a 50-item, theory-based paper and pencil or web-based instrument that measures intercultural sensitivity as conceptualized in Dr. Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS). The DMIS is a framework for explaining the reactions of people to cultural differences. The underlying assumption of the model is that as one’s experience of cultural differences becomes more complex, one’s potential competence in intercultural interactions increases. Dr. Bennett has identified a set of fundamental cognitive structures (or “worldviews”) that act as orientations to cultural difference. The worldviews vary from more ethnocentric to more ethnorelative. According to the DMIS theory, more ethnorelative worldviews have more potential to generate the attitudes, knowledge, and behavior that constitute intercultural competence. The IDI measures an individual’s and/or group’s fundamental worldview orientation to cultural difference, and thus the individual or group capacity for intercultural competence. As a theory-based test, the IDI meets the standard scientific criteria for a valid and reliable psychometric instrument. Key Characteristics of the IDI The IDI is currently administered as a paper and pencil instrument composed of 50 questions that are designed to measure an individual’s sensitivity to and awareness of cultural differences. The survey consists of statements reflecting attitudes toward cultural difference, and responses are scored on a five-point Likert-type scale. The instrument takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete. The results are compiled and a graphic profile of an individual or group’s predominant stage of intercultural development is generated. In addition, IDI results provide a textual interpretation of an individual or group’s stage of development and associated transition issues. Administration of the IDI is often accompanied by a pre-interview, in which respondents are asked about their backgrounds and prior experiences with different cultures. In addition, individuals and groups are provided with their IDI results in conjunction with a mandatory debriefing session that is facilitated by a trained and certified IDI administrator. The IDI is a proprietary instrument that may only be administered by individuals who receive certification from the Intercultural Communication Institute (ICI). Conclusion Today, the importance of intercultural competence in both global and domestic contexts is well recognized. Bennett (1986, 1993b) posited a framework for conceptualizing dimensions of intercultural competence in his developmental model of intercultural sensitivity (DMIS). The DMIS constitutes a progression of worldview “orientations toward cultural difference” that comprise the potential for increasingly more sophisticated intercultural experiences. Three ethnocentric orientations, where one’s culture is experienced as central to reality (Denial, Defense, Minimization), and three ethnorelative orientations, where one’s culture is experienced in the context of other cultures (Acceptance, Adaptation, Integration), are identified in the DMIS. References 1. Bennett, M.J. (1986). Towards ethnorelativism: A developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. In R.M. Paige (Ed.) Cross-cultural orientation: New conceptualizations and applications (pp. 27-70). New York: University Press of America. 2. Bennett, M.J. (1993). Towards ethnorelativism: A developmental model of intercultural sensitivity. In R. M. Paige (Ed.), Education for the intercultural experience (pp. 21-71). Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press. 3. Bennett, M.J. & Hammer, M. (1998). 4. Bikson, T.K., & Law, S.A. (1994). Global preparedness and human resources. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Institute. 5. Dougherty, D., Lynch, R.A., & Ohles, F. (2003). Review of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) for assessing outcomes of a liberal arts education. Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts: Wabash, IN. 6. Endicott, L., Bock, T., & Narvaez, D. (2002, April). Learning processes at the intersection of ethical and intercultural education. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans. 7. Paige, R., Jacobs-Cassuto, M., Yershova, Y.A., & DeJaeghere, J. (2003). Assessing intercultural sensitivity: An empirical analysis of Hammer and Bennett’s Intercultural Development Inventory. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27: 467-486. About Author You can read my ITES-BPO related articles at http://www.bpoindia.org/research and http://www.contactcenterworld.com/articles.asp Sanjeev (Himachali) Sharma, is a 29 yrs of age from India, having six years of experience in “Human Resource Development”. By qualification, he is Bachelor of Science and Masters in Business Administration. He is also a Motivational and Inspirational writer and speaker. Posted in Business Performance | Comments Off
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| May 29th, 2008 | Setting up Shop: Your Guide to Creating a Great Office Space at Home |
Whether your home office consists of a spacious basement suite or a miniscule bedroom corner, making the best of your space is so important. Location, furniture placement, and ambience will impact the ease and enjoyability with which you function. First, identify your home office location. Will you be Next, arrange your office furniture carefully. Consider whether you’ll need And finally, take the time to add a little “you” to the room. Paint the walls Copyright 2005 Time to Organize. All rights reserved. Sara Pedersen, veteran professional organizer, is the author of the FREE Posted in Business Performance | Comments Off
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| May 19th, 2008 | Business Holiday Greeting Cards Online Corporate Christmas Greetings Cards |
“Holiday Cards Online A card is the best way to express what you You can choose holiday greeting cards from several themes, The festive season is important for the corporate world also as You can place the orders for the holiday cards online also. Summary: It is possible to choose from a variety of holiday ” Posted in Business Performance | Comments Off
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| May 6th, 2008 | Are You A Seven Figure Copywriter? |
What is that you may ask? It’s closely related to yesterday’s post. Let me explain. In the teachings of Buddha, it says “The Five faculties of power are: First, the faith to believe; second the will to make the endeavor: third, the faculty of alertness; fourth, the ability to maintain clear wisdom. These five faculties are necessary powers to attain Englightenment.” (The Teaching of Buddha : translated by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai) Jesus Christ said “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Mt. 6:33) Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a religious person. I don’t subscribe to Christianity, Paganism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Shinto, Atheism (yes I consider atheism a religion, you have to actively believe in atheisitic beliefs) or any other religion. But I am a spiritual person and there is a difference in being spiritually involved and being religiously involved. Sometimes one does exist without the other. Having said that, no matter who you are and what religion you do/don’t believe in, you will come to the same point that this posting is about. The point is that a Seven Figure Copywriter has the seven figure heart. It’s the copywriter who doesn’t buy into traditional way of doing things. It’s the copywriter who does not take the word “No” for an answer. It’s the copywriter who when faced with difficult challenges taps into another dimension and reality. It’s the copywriter who’s got the guts to go against all that say “you can’t”. It’s the copywriter who’s sick and tired and fed up on a Monday morning, and right back at it Monday evening. It’s the copywriter who has already made up his/her mind that they ARE a Seven Figure Copywriter. He or She does not have to wait for a bank statement to BE what he or she knows they are. This type of copywriter knows that its only a matter of time until those seven figures are on the bank statements. So - Are YOU a Seven Figure Copywriter? Enigma Valdez is an internet marketer dedicated to helping businesses grow and succeed. You can access his sites at http://resultsbasedmarketing.blogspot.com/ Posted in Business Performance | Comments Off
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| April 10th, 2008 | The Work Balancing Act (or) How To Wear Many Hats |
Once upon a time, there was a woman. This woman wore so many hats upon her head that they created an unbearable weight upon her. Because of this incredible weight, a huge rut was created where ever she walked, and because she had so many hats upon her head she couldn’t see where she was going so she just kept walking in circles. One day, while this woman was walking in the rut she had created (which was now so deep you could hardly see her!) another woman who was wearing far more hats, happened to walk past. The first woman looked up at the second woman and asked; “How can you wear so many hats and not be stuck chin-deep in a rut like I am?” The second woman bent down on her knee to look the first woman in the eye, paused for a moment, and then replied, “Well that’s quite simple, these hats weigh nothing!” The point in the above is this: we all have many “hats” we must wear and it can be a real challenge not to feel overwhelmed or to feel as though we have this huge weight we must bear. We may not be able to choose the “hats” we wear but we certainly have a choice in how we feel about it! We can choose to be like the first woman above and let these “hats” overwhelm us, making us feel as though we were in a rut and getting nowhere or, we can choose to be like the second woman and learn to balance our “hats” and get on with things. I am wife to a wonderful husband, mother to three terrific kids, a part-time optometrists’ assistant, Work at Home business owner, contributing website editor, researcher, chef, housekeeper, activity coordinator, chauffeur, laundress, teacher, etc., etc., etc. In fact, some days I wear so many different “hats” that it was becoming pretty difficult to see where the heck I was going! And believe me, this was not making the balancing act any easier to achieve. One day I was talking with my sister and I told her how overwhelmed I was feeling. I asked her how she managed to balance all the things she had going on (she definitely wears more “hats” than I) in her life? Well, quite simply put, she told me to look at it this way; “You have two options. Option one is you continue the way you are, feeling overwhelmed, out-of-control and miserable; or Option two is you stop feeling overwhelmed, take control and find the joy again in what you are doing!” My sister is wise…you can actually decide how you will think about things! That’s why I decided to write this article. I’m sure that most of you have responsibilities other than to your business and that, like me, you too have had to struggle to find the balance in it all. I’ll bet that when you first established your Home Business one of your goals was to be able to spend more time with family and friends while still being able to bring in an income. This is an admirable reason for all the hard work you’ve put into your business but don’t let you good intentions become your undoing. It’s all too easy to become a slave to your business. Working all the time will only cause your business to suffer, as well as your relationships and your health! You need to have a break from work, just as sometimes you need to have a break from your other responsibilities. It’ll likely be during one of these breaks that you come-up with your best ideas! In order to be successful with your business and maintain order and happiness in your life, you need to create a balance with all that you do. Establish a plan for each day and then do your best to implement it. Remember that you are not superhuman, and it’s okay if things don’t always go as planned; its okay if you can’t get everything done in a day; its okay to need to have some time to yourself. The key here is to just make sure you have a plan and then do your best to stick to it. There will be days when you will need to change your schedule, and that’s okay too. Don’t feel guilty about it. Believe me, you and those around you will be so much happier for it! Here is an outline of the plan that I’ve discovered works best for me:
Whether a schedule like this would work for you is something only you can answer. Experiment, and find what works best for you and your family. Be willing to be somewhat flexible and realize that you will likely have to keep tweaking your schedule. I believe that above all else, you need to prioritize those “hats” you wear. They are simply a fact of life so make the choice to not let them overwhelm you, to not be too hard on yourself for being less than superhuman, and to feel proud of what you are doing! Sandra McCarther - is owner of The Home Business Directory. This site offers assistance to the Work at Home Business owner. You can visit her site at http://www.the-home-business-directory.com Posted in Business Performance | Comments Off
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