What We Are Learning from Our Brains – Behavioral Neuroscientists

This post is based on Read Montague’s Ted Talk entitled – Behavioral Neuroscientists.

Behavioral Neuroscientists

Montague, and his team, have developed software that measures brain activity during an interaction with two human beings. He explains that humans are inherently social creatures. Even when we are alone, our self image is defined by our view of interactions with other human beings. He gives the example of an interview. When we go into an interview, the person sitting across the table has one image of us and it is our job to send the right messages to that person so that they form a more positive self image of us.

Montague’s team does experiments like the following -

- Give person a $100 bill.
- Allow person A to offer person B some split of the money. ($70 for A and $30 for B or $50 for A and $50 for B, etc.)
- Person B then chooses to accept the offer or not.
- If Person B accepts, then both get the amount that was agreed upon.
- If Person B does not accept, then both of them get nothing.

Common sense would dictate that Person B should accept in any situation. However, the reality is that if Person B is only offered $20, he or she is just as likely to not accept the offer as he or she would accept the offer. A sense of fairness comes into play.

The work that Montague’s team is doing can measure this sort of activity across thousands of interactions and should reveal to us how we truly think and operate without performing intrusive procedures that would have been required in the past.

See the original Ted Talk here - What We Are Learning from our Brains

Behavioral Neuroscientists – Empower Network @ 2012

Little-Known Article Marketing Strategy - Going for Profits

How to Construct Articles for Maximum Effect

The way you construct your articles should be part of your overall article marketing strategy and is no distinct if you write for submission to an article marketing directory or for your internet site. The use of key phrases is extremely essential in both, and keyword selection is the way that readers and Google discover you, bringing you site visitors. Each and every keyword ought to be very carefully selected and then further investigation undertaken to see which internet sites are utilizing those keywords, and you have to choose in case you can compete with the best web sites which are utilizing those key phrases.

Article Marketing Strategy

What Is Needed for a Well Written Article

If you do not like to write, or think you are not good at writing it is a good idea to spend some time reading some of the top articles in article directories. You will be able to see how they are written and constructed and how they lead a reader down towards the author bio box at the bottom of the page. The top articles include a lot of short paragraphs and they are written in typical language and that indicates not using too many complicated words that your reader may not comprehend. White space is quite crucial too. Your reader really should not be confronted with something that looks like a thesis; by having several locations which are totally free from words it'll make your article appear to be less complicated and quicker to read. Don't put links to your website or other merchandise inside the body of your article, your article may be rejected. They ought to only be placed within your author bio box.

Snappy Headings!

Most folks may not examine all the words within the article. They are seeking to discover particular important phrases and expressions that can be vital to their main dilemma and should you can use these in headings your reader can instantly move on towards the areas of your article content that interest him most. Effective titles are essential in articles - they ought to be brief and successful.

Article Body

Be particular to use keyword phrases 1 time at the beginning of your article, several times within the principal body of the content (depending on the word count) and after that another time within the final sentence. Many individuals are on web websites seeking solutions to concerns or inquiries they've, and so you should make your article enlightening and valuable, driving the reader down to the bottom of the page where your author bio, or resource box is. Inside the resource box is usually a call to action, motivating someone to click by way of for further information. This really is the location exactly where your lead capture page will be. 

Despite the fact that you are article writing to appeal to the search engines, you must keep in mind it's individuals who're reading your article. It does get considerably less difficult right after you've got crafted various articles. Maintain an eye on your content frequently and determine which ones are obtaining probably the most targeted traffic and in that way it's simple to construct further articles utilizing that method. Using bullet points also makes a content of written content material appear a superb deal a lot more appealing together with easy to read.

Part of your article marketing strategy should be when you have completed your articles it is possible to reword it or “spin” it and post it to hundreds of other article marketing directories. The purpose of spinning them is so that every article is special to the article directory you submit it to. Google will solely index 1 copy of an article and disregard the rest as duplicate content.

Article Marketing Strategy – Empower Network @ 2012

Enjoy Easier Parenting Through These Proven Tips

Raising a child is hard work, and no amount of advice or preparation can change that. Preparation and knowledge can have an effect, though, on the results that hard parenting work brings. A helpful tip at the right time can make the parenting process much easier. Continue reading to get a few tips that might solve some child-rearing problems.

Parenting Tips

When your toddler is around three feet tall, you should put them in a bed since they are probably tall enough to climb out of a crib. You can make this change more fun and exciting by getting an original bed or new sheets.

Parents of teens who are trying to choose a college should not pressure their teens to select a college based on the desires of the parents. If teenagers feel pressured they may do the complete opposite, feeling they are being controlled.

Take caution to not demoralize your child during disciplining. Speaking in such a manner really will not result in better behavior. You should always use encouraging language so that it helps make his behavior better.

TIP! Think about how your children receive what you say. Telling the truth will help you build trust with your child.

Adoptive parents need to be prepared for the day when the questions start. Adopted children want to know where they originally came from, and they won’t hesitate to ask you about it once they’re ready. Don’t make up stories that are not true about their original family because they may start to resent you later.

Praising your child for things you want them to do, instead of telling them what they should not do, can help curb bad behavior. When you give a child the boundary of a “no,” he or she will feel restricted and will want to rebel against the rules. Stressing the positive aspect of things they are permitted to do can increase their confidence and sense of control.

Not every child is an extrovert and all parents should recognize this. It is okay if your child is shy. You do want to pay attention if you notice signs that your child is excessively introverted, however. If you feel that your child is too subdued and shy, it might be best to visit the doctor and discover if there are underlying issues that are causing this.

Be quick to praise your children every time they do well. Most children crave attention. If good behavior doesn’t get them the attention they crave, then they may try to get it with bad behavior. Parents who do not give their children attention when they behave well are tempting fate and encouraging their children to act out in negative ways.

TIP! Next time you have to deal with airport security and you have your children in tow, have a look to see if there is a family security line available. They can be found at most airports.

Develop a loving and supportive relationship with your partner. Your relationship will more than likely serve as a model for your child’s future relationships. Having a healthy reference point will help your children make good decisions in their own adult relationships. You can be very proud of the child that you have reared.

It is common for preschoolers to resist transitioning. They tend to become frustrated and have temper tantrums when they must change tasks quickly.

When taking a road trip it is important to take breaks often so that children do not get too cranky. You will have a far more pleasant trip if you take your time, with frequent breaks to relieve the tedium for everyone. To give your children a chance to use some of their excess energy, stop at parks or restaurants that have play areas.

Set aside some of your toddler’s toys so that you can begin rotating them in and out of circulation. Toddlers typically lose interest in a toy within a few days unless it is a beloved favorite. Rotating toys helps your child rediscover the joys of an item they have not seen for a while and saves you from having to purchase new toys.

TIP! When you have a routine, your children are better able to cope. Keep a schedule of major daily events.

Document your child’s accomplishments on a chart when he is learning something new. Whenever your child performs the task, you might mark off a single square or add a sticker to the chart. When the chart has a sticker in every square, reward your child. Utilizing this type of chart will motivate your child to work harder and allow him to take note of all of his accomplishments.

Many people do not find parenting to be an easy experience. Seeking advice from others to gain more knowledge about raising children is perfectly normal for parents to do. Dealing with children is a complex process, and every parent who does it develops some handy knowledge that can be passed on. Helpful parenting tips are a true gem. Locate them where you can, and use them to make your life easier.

Parenting Tips - Empower Network @ 2012

How to Improve Bad Content (Video)

How to Improve Bad Content 

How to Write an Article in 15 Minutes or Less (Video)

How to Write an Article

How to Write Articles (Video)

How to Write Articles

Automated SEO Tools – Can You Replace Yourself in Your Online Marketing?

Automated SEO Tools - This morning I woke up at 7:00am instead of 6:00am.  That hours’ worth of sleep was precious and I feel so much more rested today.  I have made the decision to replace quite a bit of the work that I was doing with tools.  At first the idea was a little bit scary.  I thought that I was saving money by doing some of the work myself but what I found that there are tremendous feelings of freedom of ease if I can create a process that does not rely on me one bit.

Automated SEO Tools

That frees me up to -

1. Work on Other Complete Marketing Strategies
2. Invest myself in planning an event that is coming up in a month.
3. Planning our move
4. SPENDING MORE TIME WITH THE FAMILY
5. Exercising

You get the idea.

The idea hit me like a ton of bricks last night around midnight.  At first, I thought that it was impossible but after a few minutes all of the pieces came together.

I will still write because it is something that I love and it is something that makes me better each day but there is a big difference between having to write in order to keep the system going and wanting to write to make a difference for people and causing growth.

It is a big difference!!

We urge to come up with complete systems for yourself so you can replace yourself and move on to bigger and better things.  Even if you want to continue being part of your system, it is a great exercise to figure out how the machine would continue to work without you.

Below is an exercise that you can conduct -

What else could you get accomplished if you did not have to worry at all about your marketing system?  This is a great exercise because you will soon find that things that you thought that you had to put on the back burner do not necessarily need to be put on the back burner.  You can start doing things that you always wanted to do, make yourself a better person and contribute more.

Figure out what it would take to have somebody else take on the whole process.  You will probably find out that there is not a lot of effort that would be involved.   In fact, for me all that it meant was that I had to spend an extra few hundred dollars a month to get all of the tools that I needed.  I realized that the work that I was doing could be replaced with $300 worth of tools.  Amazing, huh?

Do a trial run - Give it a month or so to see if your new system will work.  If it does not, then you can always go back to where you were without any loss.

Make today a great day.

Automated SEO Tools – Empower Network @ 2012

Writing Down Things You Have to Do (Video)

Writing Down Things You Have to Do

Writing Articles – What to Write When You Are Stuck?

Writing Articles – This post will share some ideas about what to do when you are stuck.  You know those times when you sit down at your keyboard, planning on writing articles and are ready to crank out some content and you just do not know what to do.

This can be very frustrating and difficult to navigate.  Most people will quit because they cannot handle the tension that comes in these moments.  This post will outline what you should do when you are stuck to break through and get to a place where you are empowered by the work that you are doing.

Writing Articles – What to Write When You Are Stuck

Below are a couple of tips to get you unstuck when you are stuck –

Close your eyes and see what idea comes to your head - Your unconscious mind is so much more powerful than your conscious mind.  The problem is that when we are stuck our conscious mind wants to control us and take over everything that we are doing.  This is a very bad place to be and will perpetuate you being stuck.  By closing your eyes and figuring out what will come up, you can tap into your unconscious and effectively give up control of the whole process.

Just start typing – Sit down at your keyboard and just start typing.  It is as simple as that.  Usually being stuck comes when we are trying to force a particular outcome.  There is no need to force an outcome.  Just start to work.  Even if what you are doing in the beginning is no good, it will continue to get better as you go along.  There is nothing that prevents you from throwing away your original work and moving on to something else.  Take advantage of this opportunity and continue to move forward with somewhat reckless abandon.  The feeling will be liberating and you may even find it to be fun.

Start to write about something that you completely disagree with – Being stuck comes from a lack of options and a lack of creative thinking.  By just sitting down and writing stuff that you do not believe, you will expose yourself to ideas that you never knew existed.  This is a great practice for inspiring and invoking creativity in your work and in all of your ventures.

Begin to talk – Sometimes, writing will not get you to a place where you want to go.  Another option is just to begin to write and get your ideas and thoughts out of your head.  Listen to what you wrote and you will be able to take notes based on what you wrote.  It will be like somebody else came up with the idea and you will remove your detachment from the work.  Talking is a great way to start to get your mind unstuck.

Move around (or just go for a walk) – Getting the body in motion can be super exciting and motivating to get you in action and to free your mind. When you are moving, ideas start to flow much more quickly and you will find that there is something that you will be able to latch onto and run with.

Relax and wait for another day – Maybe today is not your day.  You are stuck for a reason and it may because you are pushing too hard.  Just relax and wait for another day.

Try one of the strategies above on writing articles and you will find that you are moving so much closer to getting unstuck when you are stuck.

Make it an amazing day.

Writing Articles – Empower Network @ 2012

Follow These Tips For Optimal Fitness

Optimal Fitness – A lot of people have developed ideas of where they want to get with their health and wellness. A lot of people just give up on it, though. Achieving fitness takes a lot of energy and will power, making it easy for some to give up. The following advice can help people maintain their focus.

Optimal Fitness

Saunas can be terrific fitness aids. There are many healthy advantages to enjoying the warmth of a sauna after working your body hard. The heat will relieve sore muscles and promote relaxation.

TIP! Exercise your back muscles and your front muscles. Working only your abs or the muscles in your lower back is likely to result in back pain.

Be certain you have good shoes for your workout. Go shopping for shoes at the time of day your feet are largest, the evening. This technique ensures that your shoes will be comfortable even well into a workout. Check to be sure that you can move your toes a bit.

Are you interested in learning how to play games more skillfully? It is important that you focus on the ball used in the game. By training your eye to focus on the ball, you can adapt your eyes to help you play better when actually in the game. First, focus on something that is far away and quickly refocus to something that is close.

Schedule all of your exercises during the week to ensure that you are completing a well rounded regimen of workouts a week, and have your doctor look at them. Your doctor will know if exercising is right for you and which ones are best for you. Even if you seem to be physically fit, it is important to consult a doctor.

TIP! When you schedule out your week, add in fitness to your list of things to do. You can combine it with cleaning, if you’d like.

Each time you hoist the weights above your head, you should flex your gluteals. This will firm up your rear while also ensuring that you are keeping good form. This position then offers more stabilization for your spine.

Always wear clothes you feel comfortable in when you work out. If you workout in public, you may be tempted to dress for the benefit of others. Resist that temptation. You should only wear clothes you can comfortably move in and do exercises without embarrassment. Good workout attire will help you pay attention to getting into shape and not how bad the clothes look or feel.

TIP! Don’t forget to stretch. You’ll find that you get better results from both your cardio workouts and your weight lifting sets if you take the time to stretch properly when you do them.

If you are unable to workout at a gym, do not fret! All that is required is some workout shoes! You could go for a jog in the park or use a pole to do push ups. Bring along a resistance band or dumbbells to take your workout to new levels.

You need to have variety in your exercise regimen. The benefits of doing this are numerous. First of all, if you go through the same exercise routines every single day, you will soon get bored of them. You body will not do as much work if it continues to go through the same exercise routine so you will not get the best results. Try new exercises regularly to keep things fresh.

Reaching your fitness goal is possible with proper advice. Although this can seem challenging, you can do it! Nothing good in life is easy to accomplish without trying, and that’s how fitness is too. Utilize the tips you’ve read above, and you can succeed.

Optimal Fitness – Empower Network 2012

Make Money Online Writing Articles (Video)

Make Money Online Writing Articles

Software for Creative Writing (Video)

 Software for Creative Writing

The Advantages of Being Results Oriented (Video)

The Advantages of Being Results Oriented

Fatherhood Initiative – Obama’s Fatherhood Buzz

Fatherhood Initiative – Right before father’s day this year President Obama had lunch with two barbers in an effort to launch a new program called “Fatherhood Buzz”.  The program’s purpose is to allow fathering advice to spread through conversations in barber shops.

The concept is brilliant since the barbershop is a place where conversation is happening naturally and a place that is dominated by men and a place where men have to go to.

Obama’s Fatherhood Initiative

This Fatherhood Initiative seems to have value on so many levels -

The conversation is being brought to where the men already are - Men have to go to the barbershop and men are already there.  There is a community atmosphere where some of the members of the community are already there and some members of the community are rotating.  As a result, there are always men with new ideas coming in and out and men who can spread those ideas who are already there (the barbers).  This does not require any additional meeting or training, just a lit bit of focus.

The conversation does not have to be long but it can be impactful - Men go to the barbershop at fairly regular intervals, so they can measure the progress that they made since the last time that they visited.  If a man, a father, takes one nugget of information each time he visits the barber shop, he can implement that nugget before the next time that he comes back to the shop.  He can decide whether or not he is making progress and there will be some fabric of the community that can also hold him accountable.

For those participating in Obama’s Fatherhood Initiative, below are a couple of pieces of information that may be helpful -

It takes an army to raise a child - Men are loners by nature.  We run in packs but we really want to be free and self sufficient.  We don’t like to ask for help.  However, in raising a child, it is imperative that we build a huge team.  This includes babysitters, teachers, parents of friends, mentors, aunts, uncles and mothers. The deeper the relationships we can build with other people and the more we can give and get from our team, the greater the experience our child will have.  We, as fathers, can only teach our children so much and they can only learn so much from us.  Making sure that our kids are getting influenced by a lot of positive role models may be the difference between a child that flourishes and a child that does not.

Sugar is a drug - Sorry to throw this one in there but kids have too much sugar and sugar rots the brain.  It is simple as that.  I am not saying that sugar should be eliminated completely.  However, I am saying that we should definitely support our kids in moderating their sugar intake.  This will make a big difference in their focus, stability of moods and overall health.

Just be there - As a father, I want to be free and I want to roam.  I think all fathers have this desire.  However, spending quantity and quality time with kids is imperative.  They need to know and experience that they are number 1 to us, even if we have so many competing priorities that may take us away.  Remember that they will only be in the age that they are once and you can never get that time back.  This may mean figuring out how to work more efficiently so we have more time and it may mean getting a little less sleep.  However, for everybody’s benefit, please be there because you never know when they will need the influence of a positive role model.

The Fatherhood Initiative – “Fatherhood Buzz” should spread beyond barber shops to any place where men congregate and is an awesome opportunity to have a huge impact on today’s fathers and future generations.

Fatherhood Initiative – Empower Network @ 2012

Clean Up Your Space to Clear Your Head

Clear Your Head – This post will provide some insight and tips on some steps that you can take to clean up your space as an access to clearing out your mind.  Everything physical object around you carries some sort of energy.  It is either energy that is alive and empowering or it is energy that is dead.

Dead energy comes from papers that that are unfilled, broken items that you may get around to cleaning up at some point in time.  Alive energy are those objects that make you feel better to have them around you.  Those items could be my bike, my laptop and the books in my office.

Clear Your Head

Below are some tips that you can use to clean up your space and then clean up your mind –

Dedicate 15 minutes to cleaning up a small area of your space – 15 minutes is enough time to free up some energy.  If you are busy, then fit in 15 minutes and you will find that you are leaping forward towards having the success that you desire.  If you are inspired after you get through your first fifteen minutes, you may want to invest an additional 15 minutes to clean up more of the area.  For every physical item that you clean up, there will be the opportunity for new ideas to make themselves known to you.

Throw stuff out - Do not hang on to stuff that no longer serves you or your purpose.  Simply throw that stuff out.  If you are afraid that you will need the item again, then just put it in a box on the closet with a commitment to throw the item out if you do not access it within 90 days (or whatever period makes sense to you).  This will allow you to demonstrate to yourself that you really do not need a lot of the stuff that you have.

Make the clean up a regular habit – As you go through life, you inevitably will begin to make more and more messes.  Set out 15 minutes to clean up every few days and you will find that your space and your mind will be getting clearer and clearer as you go.  It really is a brilliant exercise.

Ask for a hand – Some people do not have the patience to clean up.  Ask a friend for help or even hire somebody that you pay.  We have challenges getting rid of our own stuff, but if you bring in somebody who does not have an attachment to your stuff, you will find that you are better suited to move forward and to move forward more quickly.

Employ the four tips above and you will find that you are much more adept at cleaning up your space to clear your head.

Make it an amazing day.

Clear Your Head – Empower Network @ 2012

Advice For Personal Development That Will Enrich Your Life

Self improvement may seem like something that is very hard to master. You need to see what will work for you. Nothing works the same for everyone in terms of personal development. There are, however, some common advice that can help a majority of people get started on a personal development journey, and that is what the following tips cover.

Personal Development

Surround yourself with like-minded people. This will help to boost your self-esteem as well as give you a bit of a break from the kind of people that spend their time badmouthing your dreams and goals every chance that they get.

TIP! Seeing a counselor or therapist can be beneficial. They are trained to help you with issues, and also are experienced.

Having a better life often happens because of willpower, and keep in mind that the things you wish for others might have an effect on you. Wish others well in life so you feel positive empowerment. Thinking positively can decrease the burden of negativity.

Stress is the foe of happiness. Being subjected to sustained and extreme stress can have negative mental and physical repercussions. Take care of the stress you have in your mind by thinking clearly. Schedule some time every day simply to unwind. Just sit back, let your mind go blank, and think about what’s important to you. Having a time to refresh can give you peace and improve your self-image.

One great self improvement goal you can set is to practice being more selfless. There are times when you may have to sacrifice something and simply care for someone else. Being able to sacrifice for others and being able to get fulfillment, will help you develop into a more well-rounded person.

TIP! Avoiding a decision means missing out on an opportunity when engaging in personal development. You should not avoid decision making, even if you feel that you do not have all the information.

Begin a fund for emergency purposes. Most of the time, it seems that the smallest unexpected expense adds more credit card debt. Even if you can only save $10 per week, do so. It will come in really handy when something goes wrong. Having an emergency fund will prevent you from having to use credit cards to pay for unexpected expenses, which will save you a great deal in interest over the years.

Ignore social status and instrumental gain and treat everyone equally, unless they have actually done something to earn your scorn. The treatment you show them is not a reflection of their character but of yours.

Eliminate unnecessary stress from your daily life. You only create more stress than before when you over-react to negative events, and that is pointless. Sometimes things will go wrong. Instead of being stressed, just deal with them.

TIP! Every now and then, you may find yourself making a poor decision when it comes to food. Stress can be just as detrimental to your health as a sugary meal, so keep that fact in mind, and try to relax.

Part of setting goals to better yourself is having an idea of where you want your life to go. Creating long-term goals is a necessity, because it can change your perspective and increase motivation.

Faith is important to your plans for personal development, and love is what keeps your faith alive. Love is a vital ingredient to faith. Make sure that you are never take your faith for granted. Remember to be good to others and make the faith you have mean something.

Of course, no two people are exactly the same, so try different things from this article until you find a strategy that works best for you. Unless you are willing to find new applications for your knowledge, you may never fully meet your potential. Share the knowledge from this article with friends to help other with their own self improvement

Growing Your Business – Creating a Long Term and a Short Term Traffic Strategy

Growing Your Business – This post should help those of you who are looking to grow your web business.  It is critical that you employ both a long term and a short term traffic strategy to have the most amount of success.   Why is that?

Growing Your Business

The benefits of a short term strategy - 

A short term strategy is one where you will start to see the results of your efforts instantaneously.  This typically involves paying for the traffic, whether it is Media Buying, Pay Per Click, Pay Per View, etc.  It is important to have an effective short term strategy for a couple of reasons.

1.  You will find out if what you are selling actually sells – This is a key component.  You do not want to wait for 90 – 180 days to find out that there is no market for what you are selling.  You will want to know much more quickly so you can make the proper adjustments.  The speed at which you will be able to adjust will separate the winners from the losers.

2.  You will get the feeling of a quick win – This is critical.  You need to experience a quick win.  The best way to get a quick win is to have an effective short term strategy.

The benefits of a long term strategy -

A long term strategy involves those things where you do the work today and reap the benefits of that work in perpetuity.  Search Engine Optimization is one of the best long term strategies.  If you create a video or an article today, you could be receiving traffic from that video or article for years to come.  Although there will be some cases where you will see immediate traffic, in most cases it is more likely that you will have to wait up to 90 days to see any results.   The key to this strategy is to put out a lot of quality content and to see what works.  However, it requires patience during the incubation period, while you are waiting to get back the results from the work that you are putting out there.

Both types of strategies by themselves can produce amazing results.  However, if you can combine them together you can get the best of host Worlds.  The short term strategies will be best for allowing you to adjust more quickly and the long term strategies will have the greatest benefit for the long term.

Make today a great day.

Growing Your Business – Empower Network @ 2012

When Your Child Has Problems At School - Some Effective Stratagies

It easier to enjoy your role as a parent if you are willing to do whatever it takes to learn about your children. Use this article to get some good common sense advice to help make the role of bringing up a child easier and more enjoyable.

Parenting Tips

Remember that not every child has a gregarious personality. Shyness in children is a common thing. There are times when children are extremely withdrawn and, should this be true of your child, it should garner your attention. If that is the case, it might be wise to schedule an appointment with a doctor to be sure that there are no issues that you were unaware of.

Make certain you pick the battles worth fighting. Instead of making a big deal out of small offenses, try to focus on the more important things to make your points. Boundaries help to keep children secure, but they also need the freedom to make their choices and express themselves.

Learning how to listen to your child is essential. Try to be available to listen to them whenever they want to talk, and find out what is on their mind. Developing this open communication will make it easier for them to talk to you in the future.

TIP! A strong, loving and healthy relationship with a spouse sets a good example for your child. What your child experiences from your relationship can be the guiding factor in the relationships your child will develop later in life.

A chart can be a useful tool for teaching new tasks to your child by recording his successful progress. Whenever your child performs the task, you might mark off a single square or add a sticker to the chart. Let your child know that when he fills the chart, there will be a special reward. Using this kind of chart can give the child a visual of how well he’s doing as well as motivating him to continue doing well. He can look forward to getting a reward soon.

Look for a family security line when you are taking your children through airport security. They can be found at most airports. Take your time and do not try to deal with people that are impatient. You will have to run everything through the x-ray machine including the kids shoes and car seats.

It is very important for parents to keep children with attention and behavioral conditions occupied. You need to offer these children constructive ways to expend all of that bundled up energy, or you will surely regret it! Simple solutions include expending energy with long walks or bicycle riding for up to an hour every day.

You should not spend a lot of money on nursing equipment right before you have your baby. All the necessary baby items, such as a crib, blanket or changing table, can be bought at department stores like a K-Mart or Walmart for much cheaper while still giving you high quality. Family and friends also serve as a great resource for gently used items.

TIP! Your child will take a medicine more easily if it is mixed into something sweet. Put a little sugar in the medication, or mix it with orange juice.

You can make a natural teether by putting carrots, pickles or a cucumber into a mesh teether to soothe a child who is teething. There are many methods that work for relief, but if the item the child is chewing on contains a taste then he will more than likely keep chewing on it. The longer the child has the item in their mouth being chewed on, the longer the relief will last.

Do not give an infant or toddler soda, diet or regular. Provide your child with healthy drinks, such as milk, diluted fruit juices or plain water.

Your children are always watching your behavior as a map for how they should behave. Your children should be able to trust you.

When taking a trip with young kids and toddlers, don’t forget to pack the comfort items. A fun family vacation is still a disruption to your little one’s every day routine. Often a favorite blanket or toy helps a child to deal with new experiences because they have something familiar to cling to.

TIP! Keep up with all activities in your child’s life. Teachers are glad to let parents know what is going on with their child when at school.

The amount of knowledge you have about successful child-rearing can make a huge difference in your overall enjoyment of being a parent. Taking advice from people who have been in similar situations is a great way to address a problem. Try these tips and see how well they work for you.

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The Writing on the Train Movement

Writing on the Train – This post is coming to your from a trolley in San Diego.  This is officially my second train system where I have blogged.

Why does it matter?

About 3 months ago, I came up with the idea of replacing my income from my day job during my morning commute.  It was just a concept at the time and I did not know exactly how it was going to play out, but here is what has happened since then.

Writing on the Train

I purchased a new laptop. Every time I get on the train and I get a seat, I pull out my laptop.

It is liberating because this is time that I used to resent.  I did not enjoy the commute and treated it as a waste of time.  Well, that was of time has turned into some of my most profitable time.

Something else has happened as well.  The rest of my life has gotten more exciting and a lot more fun.  That is why I encourage all of my fellow straphangers to write on the train.  Maybe, you are not a writer but take care of those things in your life that you are taking care of during times when you can be traveling, spending time with your family, exercising, volunteering, praying or whatever else it is that you want to do.

We call it the gap time.

The gap time is the time that is usually not that productive.  It is the time when you are left alone with your worst enemy, the space between your ears.

That is never a good place to be.

The enemy is lazy time (not time when we are relaxing) but the time when you are sitting around thinking.  As I look around the train, I seem my fellow commuters shaking their heads from side to side.  They are dealing with something that is not so powerful for them.

If they could pull out a notebook or a laptop and put their ideas down on paper, the experience of life could be so much more exciting and so much more fun.

Next time you are on a train, start to write or do something that you would do at a different time.

Your subway, trolley or even bus can be the next Silicon Valley.  Imagine that?

Make today a great day.

Writing on the Train – Empower Network @ 2012

Does Preparation Always Lead to a Better Product?

Better Preparation – This post will cover the benefits of and the drawbacks of preparation.  I am currently planning an event for a men’s organization that I am part of.  I have planned successful events that are similar with less than 2 days notice.  Those events are amazing because they came with pure passion.

Better Preparation

I knew about this event about 2 months ago and it has been suffocating for me for a great period of the time.

Let’s explore why that is -

I am a doing machine – I always want to do something and I always want to be active.  That is the way that I am wired and I may always be that way.  Well, there is not enough to do to fill up three months worth of time. However, when I am not doing the work, then I tend to beat myself up.  Interesting, huh?

Fear of Loss – Every day that goes by, I fear that another day has slipped by with not a lot getting done.  It is like I am marching to my execution.  That is the experience that I have had in the past.

Ok, so the problem is interesting, but how do we solve the challenge?  Here is what I came up with when it comes to better preparation -

Determine the things that are time sensitive – There are a couple of things that need to be handled pretty quickly.  People need a way to register for the event, somebody needs to handle food for the event and a team needs to be filled out.  Everything else can happen at a fairly stable pace over the next few weeks as we build up to the event.

Take a little bit of action EVERY day – Each day, we are either making progress or we are regressing in our projects.  Taking a little bit of action every day causes progress in the right direction.  Progress every day leads to success.  However, if we do not take action every day, we actually go backwards.  When you go backwards, you need to take a step forward to get to where you were yesterday and then you need to take another step forward to make progress from where you were.  This is how the status quo gets maintained and how we feel like we are treading water.  That feeling is not very empowering and is not very exciting.

Make it a great day.

Better Preparation – Empower Network @ 2012

The Power of Repetition vs. New Energy

Power of Repetition – In my business and personal life, I do two things to get better every day –

- I read for between 20 and 30 minutes per day.
- I listen to audios every day.

Here is the conundrum that I still deal with every day.

Power of Repetition

The audio I listen to is geared to embedding amazing belief systems.  For it work, the author (are you an author if it is an audio?) prescribes that you listen to the audio for 21 days straight.

The book that I read prescribes that I read the same chapter at least 3 times per week for three weeks.

I am on my third week with both the audio and the book.   I feel that both are getting into my bones and are becoming part of my subconscious.  That is a very good thing.

However, I am itching for something new.  I want to read a new book and I want to listen to a new audio.

Ah hah, that probably means that both are working (You see, I work out my personal questions in my writing.  When I started writing this post, I did not really know the answer to my question)

OK, here we go.

Repetition causes us to go to another place.  The information that we ingest through reading or through listening becomes part of us.  When it becomes part of us, it informs new decisions.

We are in a more mature place and are in a better position to make decisions that are better for us.

Now, there is no reason to stop listening to what I listen to and read what I read, but it is to supplement with new information.

Now that I am in the habit of reading and listening every day, it is instinctual.  I should continue to do what I do because I can and it is effortless.  I would not stop brushing my teeth because it becomes effortless.

The key to success seems to be to make what used to be complicated simple and then to supplement with new things that will be difficult at first but instinctual in the future.

That way, we will keep building amazing habits that just stack on top of each other.

Make it an Amazing Day.

Power of Repetition – Empower Network @ 2012