Sunday, December 7, 2008

Express Your Voice Via Art

Encouraging my readers to speak out their thoughts, I usually assume in my articles that there is someone for them to talk to. However, in some relevant cases there might not be anybody to whom they can speak. For instance, if the person has already passed away, or if you lost contact with whom you intend to address, then you might want to find an alternative way of liberating yourself from your message.

My experience is that creating art is a valuable alternative in cases when nobody is receiving your message. You might offer that you just could write your thoughts down without any creative art process. This is obviously true, yet remember that a picture tells more than thousand words. Please also regard that there is a variety of creative art methods to choose from: Paintings, sculptures, computer images, mandalas, printing and collages. I have just mentioned a few possibilities, but you can be sure to find dozens of others out there.

Which way to choose is up to you. I suggest you select the method which you like the most, or the one that fits the best to your specific message. Whichever method you choose, imagine the person or group of people you want to address, and think of what you have to say. Let pictures come up whenever they like. Maybe you want to include the respective person or people into your art work, or you might prefer to symbolize your message in a picture or figure. This process can't be controlled, so I recommend you to just stay open to whatever appears in front of your inner eye.

As soon as you have discovered this picture, start to translate it into forms and colors. Stay in the process until you think that you have finished your first draft. Focus on your inner feelings, and ignore what others might think of your draft. Then take a break. I am very serious about this last instruction, as I know how difficult it is to step back from your work and look at it from outside, if you don't have a break in between. Make sure that you show your draft at this stage of the process solely to people who you expect to support you. In case it is a personal art work, you can decide to keep it to yourself.

Again it is up to you, if you continue to work on your first draft, make changes, and finish it, or if you leave it what it is - a draft which means a spontaneous expression of your inner voice. The main expression process has finished with creating the first draft. Your thoughts and images are out there, manifested in a personal creative art work which will hopefully show you a new perspective on your topic. However, it will do at least one thing for you - it will liberate you from the inner conflict of wanting to express your thoughts but not having an opportunity to do it.

If there is somebody who could receive your message, it is still a valuable method to create an art work from your inner images. Courageous as you might be, you can even show your draft to the person who you intend to address. Expressing your thoughts by speaking with this person might cause an immediate verbal reaction. However, if you have a creative art work to show, this person might sense that the topic is relevant to you, and answer in a composed way. Therefore, expressing yourself via creating art is a valuable way whether or not there is somebody who could receive your message.

Andrea Brigitte Klee
Author and Speaker
E-Mail: andreaklee@gmx.net

EXPRESS YOUR VOICE
Supporting you to convey your thoughts, encourage listening and make an impact.
http://www.express-your-voice.com

Andrea Klee - EzineArticles Expert Author

High Ticket Marketing - Announcing 4 Secrets to Make Money With High Ticket Marketing

Nobody makes money online without the help of internet marketing. Even if you have the best products and services to sell, if you don't know how to properly market them online, I am pretty sure that you'll struggle just to make a decent sale. So, you must learn the art of internet marketing especially if you are selling high ticket information products. Here's how you can do that:

1. Video marketing. Video marketing cannot be more popular these days as more and more people are resorting to online videos when they are looking for information and when they would like to be entertained. As such, it is a smart move to create your own videos about your products and post them on video sharing sites such as YouTube so you can easily widen your reach.

2. List building. It's very challenging to convince people to buy your products and services and it's virtually impossible to get them to purchase the first time they visit your website. That is why, it is very important that you take time to make some follow-ups. You can send these people with emails ads and newsletters so you can increase their interest on your offerings. But first, know how to obtain their email address beforehand so you can communicate with them without getting spam complaints.

3. Affiliate marketing. If you want to spend most of your time creating your high ticket products, you can leave the marketing part to the hands of the experts. Hire affiliate marketers who will be more than happy to advertise your offerings using the most advanced and effective marketing tools in exchange of commissions. Yes, you will need to pay these people for their services but you can be assured that they can help you boost your sales and revenue in no time.

4. Website. Nobody will possibly do business with you if your website is full of affiliate links and if it's a soar on the eyes. Eliminate those blinking texts, do not use yellow fonts, and remove that blaring streaming audio that can annoy your visitors. Make your website much easier to download, visually appealing, content-rich, and quick to navigate. Then, make it search engine-friendly by sprinkling generous amount of popular search terms all throughout your web content. Don't forget to build numerous backlinks through article marketing and forum posting.

By the way, are you a coach, consultant, entrepreneur, speaker, small business owner or online marketer who is tired of getting paid less than you are worth for your coaching and consulting?

What if you could learn how to package and sell your coaching packages for $4k, $8k, even $12k or $25k and enroll multiple clients per month at those prices?

To begin learning how you can sell your own coaching for between $4k and $25k per client, download my new recording: "How to Sell High Ticket Products Online" here:

High Ticket Selling Secrets

Sean Mize teaches coaches, consultants, and small business owners how to package their knowledge and sell it in high priced coaching, consulting, and online class packages. Sean says "If you have an existing marketable service or skill that you can teach others, I can teach you to package it into a high-priced class or coaching program, guaranteed"

Sean R Mize - EzineArticles Expert Author

Business Cleaning Services For a Spick N Span Office

A clean, well-maintained office is essential to any legitimate business, not only to impress your clients and customers, but also because an office needs to meet certain health code regulations. If your office does not have regular staff experienced in business cleaning tasks, your working conditions could become very unhygienic and unpleasant.

Cleaning is a very unglamorous task, and there are many things to consider. Some of the areas that need to be tackled are floors and carpets, drapes and upholstery, stains, bathrooms, glass and other furniture and garbage disposal.

It difficult to find reliable janitorial staff who are good at every little aspect of this activity. Most businesses would rather not deal with low-paid labor. The best solution is to outsource these tasks to a contractor whose staff is experienced in dealing with them efficiently and economically.

A good business cleaning firm would provide a wide range of janitorial services that make your office maintenance easier. Some of these services include:

* Window Polishing: This is hard work and should ideally be done by a professional who possesses all the proper equipment for this task including a squeegee. The cleaning of external windows in particular involves some risk to life and limb, and should only be handled by an expert.

* Odor Removal: The growth of micro-organisms such as bacteria, mold, and mildew is what usually creates those typical odors in an office. Mere shampooing cannot get rid of these bugs. They need to be treated with specialized chemicals.

* Bathroom Sanitizing: This involves a lot of work, namely emptying waste, refilling dispensers, disinfection of floors urinals, wash basins, commodes, metal partitions and walls, and reporting defective plumbing.

* Drapery & Upholstery: This requires knowledge of the fabric and types of special chemicals that can be used, as well as an understanding of their application. Some upholstery will come with a "professional clean only" label. For the sake of your expensive furniture and décor, these tasks should only be undertaken by a professional.

* Carpet Shampooing & Stain Removal: A professional service will vacuum all carpeted areas and use steam cleaning or hot water extraction to take care of spills, remove smudges and marks and other stains. This is not something that an amateur or maintenance staff can handle.

Business cleaning services will also handle miscellaneous tasks and areas like appliance and telephone sanitization, walls and ceilings, wood floor care and solid waste disposal. They also have the advantage of being able to provide quality service and materials, state of the art equipment, superior quality workmanship and dependable labor.

Instead of worrying whether your office janitor is goofing off and whether your premises are presentable before an important client visits, you can be assured that qualified professionals are taking care of your business cleaning needs. Talk to a number of firms about the various services they offer. Get them to inspect your office and give you a free quote before you consider hiring them.

A company that cares for its image cannot compromise on the quality of its office cleaning service. Hiring a reliable business cleaning service is an essential business expense and an investment that is well worth the cost.

Don't risk a messy office when your best potential client walks in the door or the health department. By hiring a business cleaning service for your Atlanta Office Cleaning needs, you can work easy knowing that your carpets and drapery are tidy, and your bathrooms are spic and span. http://www.atlantaofficecleaners.com.

Mindfulness Meditation For Healthy Blood Circulation

The following article is a mindfulness meditation I practice from time to time when I want to give a "conscious boost" to increase the health of my blood flow, blood chemistry, and improve my overall circulatory system function for optimum health.

As a two time open-heart patient survivor at age 39, I am obligated to monitor the health of my blood both as prescribed by my cardiologist to maintain my blood's Protime ratio (thin relative to thickness of my blood) to prevent blood clots, and also as part of my conscious intention practice to harness the self healing power of the mind/body connection that we all have access to, and are personally responsible for optimizing.

For this meditation you will need a few ingredients...

1) At least 5 minutes
2) A quiet peaceful place to meditate
3) Sunshine
4) Fresh air without congestion
5) Conscious intention
6) An open mind

Begin by finding a quiet place where you will be exposed to a moderate dose of sunlight. This could be your backyard, in the court yard of your office building, or if you live in the inner city... a park close to your home.

Next sit in a comfortable position facing the sun so that you can feel the sunlight warming your face.

You may be aware of times when you've laid on the beach or caught a few rays on your break how when your eyes are closed, you can still see a soft reddish glow shining through your eye lids as your eyes are still "seeing", but are actually seeing the sunlight shining through your eyelids.

To begin, stare briefly into the sun and then close your eyes. You will see a bright dot of light that has been impressed upon your inner mind, which is actually the reflection of the sun like when you look at a bright light bulb that creates an impression of light in your mind, when you close your eyes.

Focus on this dot of light as it fades away to center your brow chakra for the purpose of this meditation (conscious intention.)

At this point of concentration, we are going to focus on your blood's circulation that is literally being illuminated through the sunshine shining through your eyelids.

As human beings, our bodies are designed to absorb nutrients from the sun. I won't go into the biochemical process that occurs here, because as long as we know that we're absorbing healthy nutrients like vitamin D from the sun... that's really all we need to know to practice this mindfulness meditation.

As you are observing the reddish glow appearing through the back of your eyelids, focus on the specs of shadows and light that appear to look like blood cells flowing through your eyelids.

Actually, the shapes, forms, mind art, and vein like streams are literally the refraction of light caused by the blood flow that is literally flowing through your eyelids, as the sun shines through them.

Eventually, the blood cells that are flowing through your eyelids, will arrive at your heart, your legs, and your brain as your blood flow circulates throughout your entire body and recycles itself 3 times every minute.

When you observe the blood flowing through your eyelids being illuminated by the sun, you will eventually notice how the shapes that seem random, are random yet are flowing in a certain direction as the blood follows the natural blood stream of the veins and capillaries that are under the surface of your eyelids.

During this mindfulness meditation, focus your intention on the blood that is constantly flowing through your eyelids, and travels to every other part of your body.

All the while the blood vessels that pass through your eyelids are transmutating sunlight and delivering it to every other part of your body through your circulatory system.

While practicing this mindfulness meditation, focus intention into each blood cell that passes over your eyes, and speak to it reciting healthy affirmations like; "as each blood cell passes through my eyelids, it absorbs all the healthy nutrients from the sun that my body needs, and is restoring my blood chemistry to perfect health. My red and white blood cell count is at it's healthiest. My cholesterol level is optimum. My blood renews and regenerates itself delivering essential nutrients to every part of my body carrying with it the light of the sun!"

Yes, it's true! And it's also true that our skin absorbs the rays from the sun to soak up vital nutrients as well. Your blood actually absorbs light from the sun as the nutrients we absorb from the sun are transformed and delivered to our bodies, as our body converts light energy into the actual nutritional resources we need to function at our optimum health.

Practice this easy Healthy Blood Mindfulness Meditation for 5-20 minutes at least once per week, and not only will you feel more alive and rejuvenated as you increase the communication through conscious intention between your conscious mind and the cells of your body, you will most likely appear healthier as your skin beams with a healthy glow.

If you live in hotter climates like the Sonoran desert like I do in Tucson, AZ, be sure to limit your exposure to the sun so that it doesn't exceed healthy levels. We all need a certain amount of sun light to both receive nutrients from the sun and to well... just feel alive and enjoy the sun shine on our face, but over exposure to the sun can have adverse effects as well. Live well!

To assist you in quieting your mind for this mindfulness meditation, you can download a free guided meditation music sample you can load into your mp3 player to take with you when you find a peaceful place to do this mindfulness meditation. Simply go to http://www.MyMonkBuddy.com to download a 5 minute "Twilight Wind" free meditation music mp3 and loop it in your mp3 player for the duration of time you choose to do the meditation.

Featured at the core of this 5 minute "Twilight Wind" sample, is an audio technology called Parallax(TM) Audio Neurotechnology that is designed to relax you very deep, and does wonders to eliminate your daily stress, worry, and anxiety. Parallax™ will literally synchronize the left and right hemispheres of your brain influencing what neuroscientists call "brain synchrony", and "hemispheric synchronization". It's time to heal and let go of the stresses of the world!

Lewi Glenis is a two-time open heart patient survivor who had to find a way to eliminate stress from his life, and to heal deep heart based energies. Lewi is a certified hypnotherapist, neuro-linguistics practitioner, and music therapist practicing and living in Tucson, AZ USA. Lewi is also the founder and creator of MyMonkBuddy.com, the "Shinka" - Guided Meditation System, and pioneer of Parallax™ Audio Neurotechnology... an advanced form of binaural beats audio technology designed to guide the listener's brain waves into the deeper meditation and relaxation resource states of the human mind.

Lewi Glenis - EzineArticles Expert Author

Port Elizabeth, South Africa - What to See With Your Car!

You may not be aware but Port Elizabeth is highly recommended as a family destination, with many attractions designed to entertain children. Not only that, it's ideal for young couples and also honeymooners, who can enjoy the vibrant nightspots, beachside attractions and great shopping. Algoa Bay boasts 25 miles (40km) of golden sandy beaches mapped by
the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

Attractions in Port Elizabeth

Bayworld

Bayworld is possibly the most popular attraction in Port Elizabeth. It's a beachfront complex featuring the Oceanarium, Museum and Snake Park. The Oceanarium has an entertaining dolphin show, aquarium tank where you can view the vast array of marine life, including sharks and turtles through the glass! The Snake Park has a wide range of snakes to view. The Maritime Museum at Bayworld focuses on sea trading in the area in times past.

Market Square

The architectural heritage of Port Elizabeth can be discovered through a leisurely stroll through the central city Market Square, which is dotted with many historic buildings. The City Hall, built in 1858, is topped with a gorgeous clock tower.

Donkin Reserve

Located on a hill towering above the city centre is a stone pyramid monument with an adjacent lighthouse. The area was named after the British Governor of the area of the 19th century. The lighthouse was constructed in 1861 and this is where the tourist information centre in the city is situated. In the centre you can get a map, which describes a three-mile discovery trail through the hill area and city centre, taking in many historical sites and architectural beauty.

St George's Park

The park boasts well-landscaped gardens covering an area of 73 hectares. Home to the world famous Port Elizabeth Cricket Club, and perhaps the oldest Bowling Green in South Africa! The park is also home to the 1882 Edwardian Pearson Conservatory, a national monument filled with lilies, orchids as well as other exotic plants. An excellent arts and crafts fair is held here every second Sunday.

What to see on a self drive tour

It's recommended by most tourist advisors that you hire a car to take in the many beautiful sights and local attractions in the Port Elizabeth area. The following are some of the most popular excursions that we recommend in the area:

Addo Elephant Park

The world-renowned game reserve, the Addo Elephant Park is located just a 45 minute drive from the city. The reserve is home to more than 300 elephants, and the park was recently enlarged. The park was originally created in 1931 to protect the remaining 11 elephants in the area. There are other animals for you to enjoy watching in the reserve, namely black rhinos, zebras, and warthogs. You can have a guided game drive in the reserve, or conduct a self-drive tour using the map you will receive when you enter the park. Accommodation is available here, and also a large restaurant and picnic sites.

The easiest way to get to Addo Elephant Park is to take the N2 highway from Port Elizabeth towards Grahamstown, and follow the signs for the park from there. The park is 72km from Port Elizabeth.

Shamwari Game Reserve

The Shamwari Game Reserve lies less than an hours drive from Port Elizabeth and the park has been a huge success in re-introducing animal species into the plains of the Eastern Cape, chiefly lion, rhino, elephant, leopard and buffalo. You can also visit an African art and culture village to sample the local Xhosa culture. This is a private game reserve park and a multi award winner for its innovations.

To get to Shamwari from Port Elizabeth, follow the N2 highway on the Grahamstown road for 65km, turn left at the Shamwari sign (R342) for 7 kms, and then turn right at the Shamwari entrance sign.

Grahamstown

Grahamstown is located 125km to the northeast of Port Elizabeth, and is overlooked by the 1820 Settlers National Monument, which is an arts and theatre complex where the town's annual Arts Festival is held in July. There are several museums in this town, and it's home to the renowned Rhodes University as well as top private boarding schools.

Grahamstown is located just off the N2 highway between Port Elizabeth to the west and East London to the east.

Jeffrey's Bay

A short drive, approximately 70km, from Port Elizabeth lies the surfing paradise of Jeffrey's Bay. Also known as "J-Bay" the seaside town hosts the World Billabong Professional surfing contest every July and is famed for its perfect waves for the sport. The town is bustling during peak season, with several stores selling surfing equipment, as well as plenty of cafes and restaurants. The long stretches of sandy beach around the town are also renowned for their shells.

Take the N2 West highway from Port Elizabeth to get to Jeffrey's Bay.

Molweni Game Reserve

Molweni Private Game Reserve is located in a wilderness area of the Eastern Cape. It hosts a multitude of activities for you, the visitor and you will be guaranteed a warm welcome. Horse trail safaris, hiking, mountain climbing, biking, and the wonderful Nguni Cattle Roundup on horseback is something to savour.

Take the N2 highway from Port Elizabeth to King Williams Town, then take the R63 left to Adelaide, and follow the signs for Molweni.

Maitland Nature Reserve

The Maitland Nature Reserve is located 30km west of Port Elizabeth. Spanning 127 hectares, there are some interesting nature trails that you can discover the dense forests by. The main trails are the Sir Peregrine Maitland Nature Trail, Igolomi Nature Trail and the magnificent De Stades Nature Trail that covers a total of 9km and affords majestic views of St Francis Bay and the Maitland Dune Mountain. Take the N2 west of Port Elizabeth to get to this wonderful Nature Reserve.

Other areas to visit include the neighbouring towns of Despatch and Uitenhage, which form part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, an administrative area that covers the Port Elizabeth area.

Presently, Port Elizabeth Harbour, waterfront and city centre are being upgraded before the World Cup 2010. The city is one of the venues for the World Cup games. There are also plans to upgrade Port Elizabeth Airport.

Mairead Foley writes for http://www.Novacarhire.com/ where you can book car hire at airports, ferry ports, rail stations, cities and towns all over the world.

Visit Novacarhire.com for all you need to know before you take to the roads in South Africa, like where to go and what to see with your car hire. Book your Car hire Port Elizabeth now.

Wholesale Video Games - Distributor Power Selling Insights!

Knowing how to work with wholesale video games distributor is not an art, neither a secret. Knowing how to work with your partners, affiliated companies that bring in the money is nothing else than a science. Sciences as in do this, do this and do this in order to get a specific result.

With a friend you do certain correct things to keep and maintain the relationship healthy in order for it to last for many years. With a spouse you maintain very important habits such as effective communication, financial security or freedom, great sex and a very health being both in spirit and psyche and you've jackpot. When it comes to a relationship with your source of merchandise it's pretty much a set of patterns to maintain a healthy profitable relationship.

What is a healthy profitable relationship when it comes to your wholesale video games distributor? There are many rules, principles and set of things you could do to keep your relationship fine with your source of products or services and those set of pattern habits that improve it. Here are some of them:

Keep your payments in a specific day every month and on time. If you had a business relationship for products being sent to you for Ipod accessories and Xbox 360 accessories, would you rather get paid in different days of the month or just in one specific set date every month for the quantity specified? There is a difference between a small business that ask for 20 items today and 30 items the next day for many months and a small business owner ordering from a source one time a month for a given quantity without fail.

The difference, his organized, professional and knows his business. Little things that are very well taken over a given time frame from your partner. Treat the relationship like gold so you get only yes out of him in the long run. This will help you a lot over a period of time.

Another gently illustrated tip for your business whether it is for games, Ipod accessories, or any type of profitable product or service rendered by your source to you is to keep your method of payment the same for long periods of time. There is nothing more annoying to have inconsistent patterns of payments out of a small business owner for months on eBay, on the internet or by any selling means from a customer. It is just more work than the one already involved from the business itself, especially when it comes to offline payments.

Keep it all electronic, it is even safer. You might say that as long as the source gets paid it will not matter, right? That will do for at least one or two months, but not for a longer term relationship. When it comes to your relationship with your source of products or services, keep your patterns consistent and predictable for a healthier relationship whether it is for a wholesale video games distributor or any other accessory giant online.

Finding Wholesale Video Games is one of the business components Joaquin serves as reference source, e-commerce coach and certified author. His focus today is assisting people receive extra income through the acquirement of an in-demand Video Games Distributor

Monday, December 1, 2008

Improve Your Writing by Improving Your Listening Skills

One of the best tools a writer can learn is the art of listening. Actually, learning to listen is a useful tool for any human, period.

Instead of actually listening and taking in what the other person is saying, our minds race. We start formulating what we want to say in return, or cataloging all the similar experiences that we have had so that we can talk about them when the other person shuts up. Or maybe we worry that we don't have anything to say, or that we'll be expected to have something to say and nothing will come out. We worry about what we look like or maybe we're even worrying about something we did before the current conversation.

If we're not worrying about ourselves, we may well be judging the person we are supposedly listening to. We judge the speed of their delivery, or think dire thoughts about the awful outfit they have on. We judge the funny expressions they make as they talk. Or the way they are shredding their napkin as they speak.

But all of this is worrying and judging, not listening. Why does listening matter to a writer? Because writers need to observe the world and everything and everyone in it in order to gather material. Writers need to listen to conversations of others to obtain an ear for dialog and how people interact with each other. We need to listen to others in order to understand what it is to be human. Because, after all, that is what writing is all about--describing the human condition.

So start schooling yourself in the art of listening. Consider taking notes to stay present, if you are in a workshop or seminar. Take a few deep breaths to center yourself and pull your mind back if it wanders. This works in one on one conversations, also. The best listeners summarize information mentally as they go, ignore bad communication styles, and refrain from judging the speaker until they are finished.

The gist of it, of course, is staying present and not letting all your mental chatter distract you, whether that mental chatter is worrying about yourself or judging the speaker. You might just be surprised what happens--to you and your writing--when you start listening deeply to the world around you.

Charlotte Rains Dixon is a ghost-writer, novelist, and creative writing teacher living in Portland, Oregon, with frequent trips to LA and Nashville. She directs The Writer's Loft at Middle Tennessee State University. Visit her site, http://wordstrumpet.com for articles on creative writing and the writer's life.