Stamina: 5 Ways to Increase It And Go That Extra Mile!

 

Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight … oh, that’s enough! 

You want to do more reps on that gym equipment, run the extra mile, or steps on that walk, but you just don’t have the strength. Your exercise and workouts may be suffering — because you lack stamina.

The truth is it doesn’t have to be that way. There are a number of ways to improve your stamina and do so without adding more complication to your life. The right blend of actions can go a long way in improving your stamina and your overall quality of life as a result.

Too Tired to Feel the Burn

If your exercise plan is fizzling out, who can blame you? Life is physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding. And after a hard day of working, caring for children, and navigating through your life, your workout might not last as long as you wish it would. To work out at your highest level, you need sleep and some stress-free down time–and many of us don’t get enough of either!

Endurance and Fat Burning

Research has shown that the human body doesn’t start burning fat until about 30 minutes into a cardio workout—so if you’re working out for 45 minutes, only the last 15 are really helping improve your heart. Also, once you’ve been routinely exercising for a while, your body gets accustomed to your workout. If it’s a breeze, it’s not testing your stamina enough to help you maintain your healthy physique and to continue to burn fat.

How to Last Longer

Fortunately, there are some alternative techniques and strategies you can use to increase your stamina in the gym:

• Use this herb: While many herbs that claim to boost your performance and enhance your stamina in the gym,  Golden Root is often the herbal supplement of choice for people who want to increase their stamina in every area of life. This herb is an adaptogen, which means it can help rebalance your body and solve a huge variety of problems. Some people even use Golden Root as an aphrodisiac. You can buy this supplement at any health food store or online vitamin outlet.
• Picture success: Using a visualization of something encouraging can help you push past the natural end of your endurance. If you are not the best at conjuring up your imagination, consider using a picture that is posted in the gym or one you put on your cell phone. It might be a place you want to be, a body you wish you had, or a hot gentleman you’d like to date. Use whatever fuels your fire. When you feel like stopping your workout, become inspired to keep going a bit longer by getting a glimpse of what success could look like.
• Speak up: Another tip to getting yourself to go above and beyond your normal workout is to use affirmations. Say things like, “Every minute I spend running, I feel healthier and happier.” You can personalize your own affirmations, but be sure they emphasize how great the workout feels and what positive things it is doing for your body. Keep affirmations in the present tense. “When I am at the gym, I feel my best.” “I am succeeding at weight loss.” “I am fully capable of improving my physical performance.” Say your affirmations several times a day—not just in the gym.
• Boost your qi: Your qi, or life energy, is the natural energy that flows through your body. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses qi to balance the body, heal organs, and increase general feelings of happiness and calm. But you can also harness the power of your qi to give you extra energy for your workout. One of the best ways to focus yourqi is to meditate. The act of focusing on the energy in the body itself may increase your level of qi. Breathe deeply and calmly with your eyes closed for 10 minutes before your exercise. Try to visualize inhaling energy and light into your second chakra—the energy center that’s two inches below your belly button—for a few minutes before you hit the gym.
• Eat right: Your diet is a good place to look if you find yourself feeling drained after your workout. In order to have the energy you need for optimum performance at the gym, you will need a balanced diet of lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits and veggies, and whole grains. An extremely limited diet can do more harm than good; lack of carbs can leave you feeling foggy-headed and craving sugar, persuading you to leave your workout and head for the donut shop instead! Try choosing healthy versions of your favorites: Lean, organic beef; multi-grain bread; and extra virginolive oil can be part of any healthy diet. Munch on a piece of fruit on the way to the gym, to give you some quality carbohydrates that can be burned off quickly for an immediate energy boost. Be sure your daily diet includes high-quality, lean protein like eggs, beans, or fish.

That Extra Mile

… twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one!

It’s a great feeling to meet your goal, especially when you were considering pooping out just a few minutes earlier! Use these strategies to improve your stamina, so you can get the most from your workout by staying on task until you’ve met your goals. Then, don’t forget: When you’ve accomplished what you set out to do, bump your goals a little higher!

CleverIdea​s

Why didn't I think of that?!

We guarantee you'll be uttering those words more than once at these ingenious little tips, tricks and ideas that solve everyday problems.

 Hull strawberries easily using a straw.

Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes.

 Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV or computer screen with WD40.

 Stop cut apples browning in your child's lunch box by securing with a rubber band.

 Overhaul your linen cupboard, store bed linen sets inside one of their own pillowcases and there will be no more hunting through piles for a match.

Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone & iPod in a bowl. The concave shape amplifies the music. 

Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags. Add this item to your beach bag.

Baby powder gets sand off your skin easily, who knew?! Attach a Velcro strip to the wall to store soft toys. 

Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rolls against the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the floor.

 Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting a stocking over the vacuum hose.

 Make an instant cupcake carrier by cutting crosses into a box lid. For those who can't stand the scrunching and bunching: how to perfectly fold a fitted sheet.

Forever losing your bathroom essentials? Use magnetic strips to store bobby pins, tweezers and clippers, behind a vanity door Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirty soles rubbing on your clothes.

And you can find them in just about every hotel.

A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy.

Magnets hold the plastic cups down to make them tip-resistant. Bread tags make the perfect cord labels.

Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones, so much more fun and easier for kids to eat.

Microwave your own popcorn in a plain brown paper bag. Much healthier and cheaper than the packet stuff.

 Install a tension rod to hang your spray bottles.

 Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough over the top and voila, you have cookie bowls for fruit or ice-cream.

 Freeze Aloe Vera in ice-cube trays for soothing sunburn relief.

 Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.

 Use egg cartons to separate and store your Christmas decorations.

Success quotes

The moral flabbiness born of the bitch-goddess SUCCESS. That - with the squalid interpretation put on the word success - is our national disease. ~William James, 11 September 1906


The closer one gets to the top, the more one finds there is no "top." ~Nancy Barcus


Something in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment. As you become successful, you will need a great deal of self-discipline not to lose your sense of balance, humility, and commitment. ~Ross Perot


What will matter is not your success but your significance.... ~Michael Josephson, from "What Will Matter" (poem), 2003, whatwillmatter.com


Smarts and action are on the same side of the equation where the sum is success. ~Garrett Hazel


Success is blocked by concentrating on it and planning for it.... Success is shy - it won't come out while you're watching. ~Tennessee Williams


Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. ~William Feather


There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. ~Christopher Morley


How do you achieve success? Well, for one thing, you don't define it before you achieve it. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


The toughest thing about success is that you've got to keep on being a success. ~Irving Berlin


Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure. ~Earl Wilson


Success will never be a big step in the future, success is a small step taken just now. ~Jonatan Mårtensson


Some people succeed because they are destined to, but most people succeed because they are determined to. ~Author Unknown


Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success. ~Dale Carnegie


Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing. ~Abraham Lincoln


Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get. ~Dale Carnegie


Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. ~Booker T. Washington


Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. ~George Smith Patton


It is wise to keep in mind that no success or failure is necessarily final. ~Author Unknown


How can they say my life is not a success? Have I not for more than sixty years got enough to eat and escaped being eaten? ~Logan Smith


Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they're really not. They're companions - the hero and the sidekick. ~Laurence Shames


The man who has done his level best, and who is conscious that he has done his best, is a success, even though the world may write him down as a failure. ~B.C. Forbes


Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction. ~Al Bernstein


The road to success is wherever people need another road. ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you. ~Arthur McAuliff (Thanks, Fernanda)


If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your style. ~Quentin Crisp


If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried. ~Author Unknown


If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then give up. There's no use in being a damn fool about it. ~W.C. Fields


If at first you do succeed - try to hide your astonishment. ~Author Unknown


As you climb the ladder of success, be sure it's leaning against the right building. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.


If at first you don't succeed, you're running about average. ~M.H. Alderson


Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. ~Winston Churchill


What is success? It is a toy balloon among children armed with pins. ~Gene Fowler


We never know, believe me, when we have succeeded best. ~Miguel de Unamuno, Essays and Soliloquies, 1925


Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world. ~Lily Tomlin


I couldn't wait for success... so I went ahead without it. ~Jonathan Winters


There is no point at which you can say, "Well, I'm successful now. I might as well take a nap." ~Carrie Fisher


Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally. ~David Frost


Some people dream of success... while others wake up and work hard at it. ~Author Unknown


He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction. ~Bessie Stanley, 1905, commonly misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson


Try to discover
The road to success
And you'll seek but never find,
But blaze your own path
And the road to success
Will trail right behind.
~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


In order to succeed you must fail, so that you know what not to do the next time. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book


I dread success. To have succeeded is to have finished one's business on earth, like the male spider, who is killed by the female the moment he has succeeded in courtship. I like a state of continual becoming, with a goal in front and not behind. ~George Bernard Shaw, 28 August 1896


Those who have succeeded at anything and don't mention luck are kidding themselves. ~Larry King


Success has made failures of many men. ~Cindy Adams


Some aspects of success seem rather silly as death approaches. ~Donald A. Miller


Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. ~Author Unknown


That man is successful who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much, who has gained the respect of the intelligent men and the love of children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who looked for the best in others and gave the best he had. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Feeling Unappreciated??

Feeling Unappreciated??
The next time you feel that nobody loves you, no one cares, or that no one ever notices you, think of this guy:

ENHANCING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

ENHANCING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
By Ranjit Singh Malhi, Ph.D.

Introduction
Recent behavioural research has shown that emotional intelligence is an important determinant of success in both our personal and professional lives. Emotionally intelligent managers are adept at making their emotions work for them. They are able to handle their emotions in ways that enhance their work productivity and quality of life around them. They use their emotions intelligently to guide their thinking and behaviour. Emotions are strong mental or instinctive feelings such as love, fear, hope, anger and sadness.

On the other hand, there are numerous cases of smart managers with high IQ who behave stupidly in emotionally charged situations. The lack of emotional intelligence often results in their emotions working against them with unproductive outcomes. I once worked under a boss who often shouted abusive and vulgar words at his subordinates in public when overwhelmed with anger. He was also unappreciative and had poor interpersonal skills. Due to his low emotional intelligence, he was greatly disliked by most people in the organization.

Fortunately, our level of emotional intelligence is not fixed at birth. It can be learnt and enhanced. One can become more emotionally intelligent by learning and practising the skills of emotional intelligence.

What is Emotional Intelligence?
The term “emotional intelligence” was coined by psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer in 1990. It was then greatly popularized by Daniel Goleman in his bestseller, Emotional Intelligence.

Peter Salovey and John Mayer defined emotional intelligence in terms of being able to monitor and regulate one’s own and others’ feelings, and to use feelings to guide thought and action.1According to Goleman, emotional intelligence refers to “the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.”2

Simply put, emotional intelligence is the ability to handle emotions in a way that enhances your productivity, personal power and quality of life around you. It involves making your emotions work for you.

Origins of Emotional Intelligence
It can be argued that emotional intelligence is not entirely a new concept. It has its roots in the concept of “social intelligence” which was first identified by E. L. Thorndike in 1920. Social intelligence is essentially the ability to understand others (what motivates them, how they work and how to work cooperatively with them) and to act wisely in human relations.3

Self-awareness, empathy and handling interpersonal relationships which make up the core of emotional intelligence are essentially dimensions of social intelligence. The dimensions of emotional intelligence are also closely related to other concepts of psychological maturity, emotional awareness, empathic listening and assertiveness.

Importance of Emotional Intelligence
Latest research findings show that IQ takes second position to emotional intelligence in determining outstanding job performance. The highest estimate of how much difference IQ accounts for success at the workplace is about 25%. A more accurate figure may be no higher than 10%, and perhaps as low as 4%.4 Daniel Goleman sums up the importance of emotional intelligence as follows: “For star performance in all jobs, in every field, emotional competence is twice as important as purely cognitive abilities.”5 Examples of emotional competencies are self-confidence, self-motivation, persistence, adaptability, empathy and initiative.

At the workplace, there is increasing evidence that IQ gets people hired, but EQ gets them promoted. More careers have been damaged due to poor interpersonal relationships rather than a lack of technical knowhow. EQ also directly affects teamwork and productivity.

Research shows that the careers of many managers were derailed due to poor interpersonal relationships, failure to build and lead a team, and inability to change and adapt during a transition. They were generally perceived as being poor communicators, abusive, manipulative, overly critical and poor team players.6

Major Domains of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence consists essentially of five major domains:7

Self-awareness which is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence. It involves observing oneself and recognizing a feeling as it happens; seeing the links between thoughts, feeling and reactions; seeing the consequences of alternative choices; recognizing one’s strengths and weaknesses; and seeing oneself in a positive but realistic light.

Managing emotions which comprises handling emotions appropriately. It involves keeping one’s anger in check, adapting oneself to change, and taking responsibility for personal performance.

Self-motivation which is primarily chanelling emotions in the service of a goal, delaying gratification, and stifling impulses. It includes achievement drive, initiative, commitment and perseverance.

Empathy which is essentially being sensitive to other people’s feelings and concerns besides respecting differences in how people feel about things. It encompasses understanding others, assisting others in their personal development, and anticipating and meeting customers’ requirements.

Handling relationships which encompasses managing emotions in others and social competence. This domain is critical for developing effective leadership and interpersonal relationships. It includes being a good listener; being assertive rather than angry or passive; managing conflict constructively; and learning the art of cooperation.

Tips for Promoting Self-Awareness

* Take responsibility for your emotions and behaviour.
* Identify your true feelings that greatly influence your behaviour and interactions with other people.
* Recognise your strengths and weaknesses.
* Identify events and behaviour which normally trigger your emotions. For example, identify what kind of situations or events can trigger your anger and what are its early signs.
* Tune in to your senses to pick up information about yourself, other people and different situations.
* Monitor your general behaviour and assess its impact on other people.


Tips for Managing Your Emotions Productively

* Avoid being swept away by your emotions. Remember that you are primarily responsible for your emotions and thoughts.
* Use "I" messages to express your emotions. Examples are: "I feel unappreciated when you take me for granted" and "I feel unimportant when you are late for your appointments with me."
* Pick an appropriate time for expressing your emotions.
* State what bothers you clearly, calmly and courteously. Avoid generalising and don't bring up old grudges.
* Take deep breaths or a time-out to stay on top of your behavioural actions.
* Seek solutions to problems rather than focusing on who is to be blamed.

Tips for Motivating Yourself

* Maintain a positive attitude of "I can do it." Think success, not failure. Establish specific, realistic and time-bounded goals.
* Wake up happy. Start the day with positive thoughts.
* Practise positive self-talk. Talk about your winners.
* Don't worry about things beyond your control. Have faith in God and hope for the best.
* Never belittle yourself. Accept compliments with a "thank you" and a smile.
* Break down formidable tasks into smaller and manageable components.
* Dare to fail. View failures as lessons learnt.
* Maintain perseverance in the face of setbacks. Try out new approaches instead of getting demoralized.
* Maintain the company of nourishing people. Avoid negaholics and "toxic" people.
* Visualize yourself undertaking challenging tasks successfully.


Tips for Empathizing with Others and Enhancing Social Competence

* Treat everyone with respect and dignity. Make them feel important. Remember and use other people's names.
* Be empathetic. Always try to see the other person's point of view. Try to understand why others feel the way they do.
* Be a good listener and encourage others to talk about themselves. Listen attentively with the purpose of understanding what is being said. Maintain eye contact and resist distractions.
* Make others feel good about themselves by giving them sincere, specific and timely praise.
* Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly and politely. Avoid making sarcastic remarks.
* Speak positively of others or not at all.
* Assist others in their growth and development. Share ideas, skills, experiences and pertinent information.
* Avoid personal attacks. Learn to make specific complaints by focusing on the undesirable behaviour of an individual.
* Admit your mistakes. Apologize sincerely and take the necessary steps to correct your behaviour.
* Seek out the good in others and accept them as they are.
* Ignore minor irritations and trivial issues.
* Create "win-win" relationships. Seek mutual benefit in all human interactions.

Notes

1. Cited in Daniel Goleman, Working with Emotional Intelligence (New York: Bantam Books, 1998), p. 317.
2. Ibid.
3. See Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence (New York: Bantam Books, 1995), pp. 45-46.
4. Cited in Daniel Goleman, Working with Emotional Intelligence, p. 19.
5. Ibid., p. 34.
6. Cited in Robert Kreitner, Management (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998), pp. 5-6.
7. The five major domains of emotional intelligence are based on the model proposed by Salovey and Mayer. See Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, pp. 46-47.

http://www.tqm.com.my/web/05_bookArticle_12.html

Can Capitalism Save the World?

Can Capitalism Save the World?
by Patrick Ercolano
Steve Forbes looked every inch the battered capitalist. Before an audience of 300 at his June appearance in the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School’s “Leaders + Legends” lecture series, the media mogul and former presidential candidate opened by mentioning the back surgery he had undergone weeks earlier. Thus, he explained, the large, uncomfortable-looking brace around his neck.

“I just want to show you,” he deadpanned, “I’m feeling the pain of what the economy is going through.”

The recent period of worldwide economic discomfort is hardly the first time the free-market system has been the target of dark humor and derision. And yet, Forbes argued, despite the “ill repute” in which capitalism is sometimes held, it remains “a moral system. It has been the best poverty fighter in human history, the best system that allows for innovation and invention and creativity.”

The case for the virtues of capitalism has been made before. Perhaps it was made most famously by Adam Smith when, more than 200 years ago, he wrote in The Wealth of Nations of the “invisible hand” by which even the most self-interested businessman benefits society because his products are tuned to society’s desires—even if such a benefit was not his intention. “By pursuing his own interest,” Smith wrote of the 18th-century capitalist, “he frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it.”

A moral philosopher by training, Smith still couldn’t help but have doubts about this modern system of commerce and investment that had begun to emerge in Western Europe a century earlier, observes one expert on the history of capitalism. “Adam Smith hated the idea that there was this intrinsic materialism in what he would have called economic growth—people buying trinkets and baubles,” says Joyce Appleby, professor emerita of history at UCLA and author of The Relentless Revolution: A History of Capitalism (W.W. Norton, 2010). “But he thought that the new way was so much better than the [pre-industrial] age in which you had no economic progress and people were indolent and the aristocrats and royals who guided society were rapacious and warlike. Smith thought it was worth the moral trade-off.”

The tension within the trade-off between the positive and negative effects of the free market is captured in 20th-century economist Joseph Schumpeter’s well-known phrase “creative destruction.” As the Austrian-born Schumpeter saw it, capitalism “incessantly revolutionizes the economic structure from within, incessantly destroying the old one, incessantly creating a new one.” Old industries, old lifestyles, and old cultures are reduced to ash, but from the ash heap grow new industries, lifestyles, cultures. The old order’s pain gives rise to the new order’s prosperity.

And often prosperity is accompanied by another kind of pain, as in the slavery, sweatshops, low wages, monopolies, and environmental degradation associated with economic successes over the centuries. Appleby notes this pattern in The Relentless Revolution, writing, “One cannot celebrate the benefits of the capitalist system without taking account of the disastrous adventures and human malevolence that this wealth-generating system has made possible and sometimes actually encouraged. … ‘Can the globe sustain these capitalist successes?’ has become an urgent question.”

Despite such misgivings, Appleby says she maintains a firm belief in the capitalist system, mainly for two reasons: the freedom it grants individuals to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, and the creation of wealth that spawns the capital that fuels innovation upon innovation. The difficulty, she states in her book, is to have a thriving system that includes “the moral base of capitalism, which depends upon men and women’s meeting obligations, managing resources prudently, valuing hard work, and treating others fairly.”

Some businesspeople have begun to recognize the necessity of this moral base. They are taking a more visible, more active hand in a social-minded capitalism, consciously creating products and services that turn a profit while also benefiting humanity. Altruism is part of the motivation. But so is the belief that the global marketplace will provide greater profits for businesses if more of the globe’s inhabitants are carrying expendable cash. To these entrepreneurs, capitalism is a positive force, and success is impossible in a failed society.

http://carey.jhu.edu/one/2010/fall/can-capitalism-save-the-world/

MY Performance Appraisal T-Shirts

MY Performance Appraisal T-Shirts

Significance of Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste

Significance of Anaerobic Digestion of Food Waste
by Salman Zafar

Anaerobic digestion is the most important method for the treatment of organic waste because of its techno-economic viability and environmental sustainability. The use of anaerobic digestion technology generates biogas and preserves the nutrients which are recycled back to the agricultural land in the form of slurry or solid fertilizer. The relevance of biogas technology lies in the fact that it makes the best possible utilization of various organic wastes as a renewable source of clean energy. A biogas plant is a decentralized energy system, which can lead to self-sufficiency in heat and power needs, and at the same time reduces environmental pollution. Thus, anaerobic digestion of food waste can lead to climate change mitigation, economic benefits and landfill diversion opportunities.

Of the different types of organic wastes available, food waste holds the highest potential in terms of economic exploitation as it contains high amount of carbon and can be efficiently converted into biogas and organic fertilizer. Food waste can either be utilized as a single substrate in a biogas plant, or can be co-digested with organic wastes like cow manure, poultry litter, sewage, crop residues, abattoir wastes etc.

Food waste is one of the single largest constituent of municipal solid waste stream. Diversion of food waste from landfills can provide significant contribution towards climate change mitigation, apart from generating revenues and creating employment opportunities. Rising energy prices and increasing environmental pollution makes it more important to harness renewable energy from food wastes. Anaerobic digestion technology is widely available worldwide and successful projects are already in place in several European as well as Asian countries which makes it imperative on waste generators and environmental agencies to root for a sustainable food waste management system.

http://bioenergyconsult.wordpress.com/tag/food-waste/

Nickel Cadmium Battery

Nickel Cadmium Battery

According to the Batteries Plus website, they recycle these types of spent batteries: “lead acid (Pb) batteries used in cars, trucks and emergency lighting, Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries used in cordless phones, cordless tools and two way radios, Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries used in camcorders, bar code scanners and digital cameras, Lithium Ion (Li Ion) or Lithium Polymer (Li Poly) used in cell phones and laptops.”

This retail store has locations all over the U.S. and you can find a location near you to take the batteries mentioned above there and they actually do recycle them. And not “recycle” as defined by “throw into a hole in the ground…” What happens to some of our e-waste is the topic for another day. In any case, I wondered- “What happens to the batteries after I drop them off at their store?” It’s important to know if the common household batteries you bring in are actually recycled in the United States. Here are some important recycling questions to ask any place you bring items.

It turns out, batteries are sent out to a company by the name of Battery Solutions, Inc. or BSI. BSI is an approved recycling vendor that also supplies containers/boxes to anyone that wants one, in which you can put specific types of batteries. Then they are sent out to BSI under guidelines set by the DOT and EPA. The U.S. Department of Transportation tightened regulations for shipping batteries (because some of them caught fire during shipping). This is why the battery terminals need to be taped! On the BSI website, they also talk about what happens to batteries after they receive them! Success!

6 Reasons I’m Obsessed With WordPress

6 Reasons I’m Obsessed With WordPress
By Julie Hanks, LCSW

WordPress is a fantastic platform for your private practice website. Originally a blogging platform, it’s commonly used for websites because it’s user friendly, functional, and easy to customize. I’m completely “in love” with it. For clarification, I’m talking about WordPress.org that is installed on your web hosting system, not WordPress.com – a web-based blogging platform.

Since I changed to WordPress about a year ago for my practice website, I’ve been able to create a more dynamic and interactive website with fresh content, social media interaction, and an integrated a blog. So here’s more about why I love WordPress:

1) You can be the webmaster

Even without knowing HTML, you can be the webmaster of your website with the ability to customize the function and appearance at any time. You can easily add or delete pages, change the color scheme, add blog posts, and customize the features at any time and from anywhere. Once I paid to have the basic WordPress site installed on my web host and had a few custom images made, I took over from there.

2) Free themes
WordPress allows you to “try on” different themes to your site with the click of a button. A “theme” is the skin of your site — the format, colors, layout, etc. There are many free themes available, in addition to customized themes for a variety of fees. ThemeForest.net is a great site to explore variety in custom website themes.

3) Plugins and widgets galore

Plugins are tools that extend the functionality of your WordPress site and allow customization to your site. Widgets are WordPress plugins “that add visitor visual and interactivity options and features, such as sidebar widgets for post categories, tag clouds, navigation, search, etc.” (WordPress.org)

Here are a few of my favorites:


YouTube Videos — feeds YouTube channel to websites
Author Bio — shows customized bio at the bottom of each blog post
Amazon Associate — integrates a bookshelf of our recommended books with a link to buy on Amazon.com.
Google Analytics — tracks visitor information.
Constant Contact API — integrates our newsletter sign up on the website.
SexyBookmarks (by Shareaholic) — add social media share links to each blog post.
Share and Follow — adds social media links bar on pages.
4) Easy to navigate
OK, that one’s partially true. Though navigating the WordPress dashboard can be a bit overwhelming at first, once you’re familiar with it, you can easily navigate it. For example, my juliehanks.com and wasatchfamilytherapy.com sites are built on WordPress, so when I started writing for PsychCentral (also built on WordPress) it was easy to jump right in.

5) It’s cheap!
After paying for domain registration, web hosting service, and basic site installation costs, there are minimal expenses to update and maintain your WordPress website. I will occasionally hire a web designer to consult or add elements that are beyond my abilities, but that is the exception. I used to pay around $60 a month for a website service but I quickly outgrew the options they provided. Even with the start up costs, WordPress has been a cheaper option and much more fun to create a dynamic practice website.

6) Integrated blog
One of the reasons I started looking for a better website platform was that my current site platform didn’t allow for an integrated blog. I had a blog on an external blogging site, but hated sending my visitors away from my private practice website in order to read my blog. Since WordPress is a blogging platform, visitors can stay on our site and read blog posts.

What platform do you use for your practice website?

Are there any other WordPress lovers out there?

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/private-practice/2011/11/6-reasons-im-obsessed-with-wordpress/

Angry Bird

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/this_urban_jungle/770318/inconsiderate_commuters_this_chicken_will.html

Twenty-One Top Twitter Tips

Twenty-One Top Twitter Tips
Daniel Adler

Silly time waster? Sure. Powerful business tool? You bet.



You've heard about Twitter--that curious, strangely addictive social-networking technology that facilitates torrents of truncated messages among millions of users. You might even know your hashtags from your re-tweets. But how can you make money with it?

Forbes canvassed scads of businesses and pricey social-networking gurus looking for honest answers. Admittedly, we were skeptical. After all, how much can you accomplish in 140 characters or less?

Turns out there are myriad ways Twitter can have an impact, and not just as a marginal marketing tool. Indeed, we found 21 clever ways to use Twitter--for everything from boosting sales and scouting talent, to conducting market research and raising capital. Chances are, there will be many more.

"I believe Twitter is a communication platform," says Nathan Egan, founder of Freesource Agency, a social-networking consultancy in Philadelphia. "In a year or two, everyone will be on it, using it in totally new ways." Better yet, getting results "doesn't take a year or six months, but a matter of weeks," adds Mark Schaefer, head of Schaefer Marketing Solutions in Knoxville, Tenn.

Some strategies take more time, or are more industry-specific, than others. Taken together, though, this collection of techniques and real-world examples constitutes a powerful online arsenal for companies large and small. Herewith, some highlights:
Coupon Campaigns

Congratulations for getting to the end of this sentence. "As an online culture, people are not reading; they're scanning," says Dell ( DELL - news - people ) Computer's Stefanie Nelson, voice of @DellOutlet. "The shorter and more direct your message is, the more successful you're going to be." Dell tweets links to coupons at Dell Outlet's Facebook page, which shoppers use during checkout at Dell.com.

This strategy works for small companies, too: The abbreviated offers are easy to produce--you don't need an ad agency to write 140 characters. California Tortilla, a chain of 39 causal Mexican restaurants based in Rockville, Md., spread coupon "passwords"--through its Twitter feed @caltort--that must be spoken at checkout to be redeemed.
Viral Marketing

In July, in honor of its 10th birthday, London-based do-it-yourself Web site builder Moonfruit gave away 11 Macbook Pro computers and 10 iPod Touches. Contestants had to tweet using the hashtag #moonfruit. (Hashtags collate Twitter responses.) Nearly a month after the contest ended, traffic to Moonfruit's Web site is up 300%. Sales are up 20% this month, more than paying off the $15,000 investment. And the Moonfruit Web site has climbed onto the first Google ( GOOG - news - people ) page for "free website builder" (it used to be on the fourth).

Word to the wise, says Moonfruit founder Wendy White: Such campaigns must be courteous and fit with a company's brand, lest you draw the ire of the Twitter-sphere: "There's a fine line between annoying people and getting the thumbs up."
Artful Customer Service

Frank Eliason, director of digital care at Comcast ( CMCSA - news - people ), uses Twitter to help 200 to 300 subscribers a day with issues ranging from sporadic Internet service to errant e-mails. Frank and his team receive direct questions at the @comcastcares account and search for complaints. Twitter has a built-in search, but it's more efficient to set up a permanent search on one of the free, third-party Twitter applications, such as TweetDeck.

Eliason's key to success: maintaining friendly relationships, not foisting unwanted advice. "If they want assistance, they'll let me know," he says. Eliason has a 10-person help desk at his disposal, but small businesses can use Twitter to provide better customer service, too. Even a little help goes a long way.
Focus Groups

Back in the old days (last year), companies actually paid customers to solicit their opinions. There were 3.37 million mentions of Starbucks ( SBUX - news - people ) on Twitter through early May 2009, and all of that information is available for less than the cost of a frappucino. "There is a major element of Twitter that's about listening and learning," says Brad Nelson, the man behind @Starbucks. "Twitter is a leading indicator." Collecting the information is as simple as searching for references to your company.

Morgan Johnston, manager of Corporate Communications at Jet Blue, abolished a $50 fee for carry-on bikes after hearing complaints via Twitter. "Think of Twitter as the canary in the coal mine," says Johnston. "We watch for customers' discussions about amenities we have, and what they'd like to see made better." For a more formal approach, lob a simple post asking for feedback and provide a hashtag to collect the responses.
Poaching Customers

"Twitter is not just a kid story," says Chris Brogan, president of New Marketing Labs. Brogan should know: He is one of several Twitter experts advising companies on how to spy on their competition and to swoop in with a better service or discount.

Freesource's Egan describes how to do it: Using TweetDeck, set up a permanent search for all permutations of your competitor's name, as well as words that convey dissatisfaction ("sucks" or "hate"). Public replies to those new prospects are dangerous, as your competition may see them, so the best bet is to follow them and get followed back, allowing you to send direct messages.
Customer Expectation Management

Bad things happen--it's how you condition customers to deal with it that counts. Jet Blue tweets flight delays. In April, when a Stanley Cup broadcast was interrupted, cable provider Comcast used Twitter to immediately inform its subscribers that the culprit was a lightning storm, and that transmission would soon be restored.

Small companies--like United Linen, a linens and uniform company in Bartlesville, Okla.--can manage expectations this way, too. When a major snowstorm hit the area, Marketing Director Scott Townsend used Twitter to let customers know deliveries would be delayed. "It was a great way to send information to everyone," he says. "They understood we wouldn't be there, but they wanted to know what our status was and updates as the situation changed."
Corralling Eyeballs

During last year's NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic, Turner Broadcasting managed to weave social-media feeds into its home page. Fans accessed the conversation by logging onto Twitter through TNT.com, and the tweets were also posted on Twitter with links back to TNT.com. Those forums mean more Web traffic--and thus more advertising revenue. "It's exciting to sell this to an advertiser," said Liza Hausman, vice president of marketing for Gigya Socialize, the brains behind the integration technology.
Vendor Selection

Twitter can snag customers, but how about suppliers? Crowdspring, an online marketplace that marries businesses with graphic designers (see "The Creativity Of Crowds"), used Twitter to build up its stable of contributors--now 12,000 strong globally.

Business travelers can apply this same logic: Tweeting that you're about to visit a city can scare up discount offers from hotels, bus companies and other travel-services providers.
Conflict Resolution

Wiggly Wigglers, a Herfordshire, U.K.-based marketer of gardening and farming supplies, was recently overcharged $10,500 by British Telecom. Five months passed without restitution.

Finally, Wiggly owner Heather Gorringe hit the Twitter-sphere, asking if anyone else had had problems with BT. @BTCare sent Gorringe a message within 30 minutes promising help; two days later, the bill was amended. "When I phone them up, I'm an isolated call to deal with, so I'm less important," says Gorringe. "But if I tweet, and 1,193 people re-tweet, 100,000 people see it within 30 seconds."
Employee Recruitment

Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company, trains its recruiters on Twitter and other social media. An automated program sends prospects a direct message whenever a position opens up, and the messages are opened 30% of the time.

The trick, says Arie Ball, vice president of talent acquisition at Sodexo, is to be as personal and engaging as possible: "People get an insider's view, a sense if this is a company they want to work for." The company says that using Twitter as a recruitment tool has helped cut its investment in online job boards by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Raising Capital

As in the physical world, no one likes to be solicited for contributions online. A better Twitter tack: Don't ask, just inform.

Last Thanksgiving, Epic Change, a nonprofit that encourages people to tell their stories to transform communities, launched the Tweetsgiving Web site, with the help of theKbuzz, a word-of-mouth marketing firm. Tweetsgiving asked people to tweet what they were grateful for, and compiled the responses at #tweetsgiving, with a link back to the Tweetsgiving site, where users had the option of contributing money to build classrooms in Tanzania.

Over the 48-hour campaign, 15,000 people came to the Tweetsgiving site; 360 donated, for a total of $11,000. "We never asked people to give," says Stacey Monk, founder of Epic Change. "We got people invested in their own, personalized way."
http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/31/top-twitter-tips-entrepreneurs-technology-twitter.html

That is called `Woman'

That is called `Woman'

World's Second Richest Man

World's Second Richest Man

Think out of the Box..

Think out of the Box..

Here are some of the typical HR questions asked to find out

if candidates have "out of the box" thinking capability


Question 1:

"What will you do if I run away with your sister?"

The candidate who was selected answered " I will not get a better match for my sister than you, sir."

Question 2:

Interviewer (to a student girl candidate) -

What if one morning you woke up & found that you were pregnant ?

I will be very excited and take a day off, to celebrate with my husband.

(Normally an unmarried girl will be shocked to hear this, but she managed it well.

Why should I think it in the wrong way, she said later when asked.)

Question 3:

Interviewer: He ordered a cup of coffee for the candidate.

Coffee arrived and was kept before the candidate, then he asked "What is before you?"

Candidate: Instantly replied "Tea" and got selected.

(why did he say "TEA" when he knows very well that coffee was kept before him?


Answer: The question was "What is before you U? (-alphabet). Reply was "TEA" T (- alphabet)





Question 4:

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night, it's raining heavily,

When suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a bus:

An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
An old friend who once saved your life.
The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to,

knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?

This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.

* You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first;

* or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life,


* However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again...

The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants)

had no trouble coming up with his answer.

He simply answered:

"I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital.

I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams."

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations.


Question 6:

The interviewer asked the candidate "This is your last question of the interview.

Please tell me the exact position of the center of this table where you have kept your files."

Candidate confidently put one of his finger at some point at the table and said

that this was the central point at the table. Interviewer asked

"how did you decide that this is the central point of this table?",

then he answers quickly "Sir you are not supposed to ask any more questions,

as it was the last question as you promised .....

He was selected because of his quick-wittedness.

This is what an Interviewer expects from the Interviewee. ....


"THINK OUT OF THE BOX"

Have a LAUGH

自行車的最高境界! (The bicycle!!!)
















旅行家的最高境界! (what a traveler)
















攝影師的最高境界! (the most skillful cameraman)
























懶人衣掛的最高境界! (the most innovative hangers)




























汽車防盜的最高境界! (Anti-theft device in the car)





運鈔車的最高境界! (The armored vehicle for transporting money)




交通肇事的最高境界! (the most weird accident)






愛的最高境界!? (The most 'honest' love)




























大學生宿舍的最高境界 The college dorm

















獻愛心的最高境界! (The dearest lover)






















比賽中的最高境界! (the most skillful contestant)




















環衛車的最高境界! (The most environmental sweeper)

China is a big country and you can find all sorts of unusual way of doing things
Have a laugh















售貨員的最高境界! (The 'best' shopkeeper)



















學習的最高境界! (The most hardworking student)

How to be Patient

How to be Patient
Learning to Stay Calm


The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it open.
– Arnold Glasgow, American humorist

Here's the problem: You're waiting for someone to finish compiling a report that you need for a meeting. Because of an issue that came up, you're already 15 minutes late.

You can feel your body getting tense, and you're getting quite cross. You start sweating, and suddenly you yell at the person for being slow and putting you behind schedule. You can tell she's hurt, but you can't help it. She's making you late!

Does this sound familiar?

Many of us are impatient at times. Losing control of our patience hurts not only us, but those around us. Impatience raises our stress level and can even cause physical harm to our bodies. Being impatient can also damage relationships.

In this article, we'll examine strategies that you can use to be more patient.

Why Practice Patience?
Others often see impatient people as arrogant, insensitive, and impulsive. They can be viewed as poor decision makers, because they make quick judgments or interrupt people. Some people will even avoid impatient people, because of their poor people skills and bad tempers.

People with these personality traits are unlikely to be at the top of the list for promotions to leadership positions. Impatience can even affect relationships at home.

The more patient you are with others, the likelier you are to be viewed positively by your peers and your managers, not to mention your family and friends.

Signs of Impatience
How do you know when you're being impatient? You will probably experience one of more of the following symptoms:

•Shallow breathing (short breaths).
•Muscle tension.
•Hand clenching/tightening.
•Jiggling/restless feet.
•Irritability/anger.
•Anxiety/nervousness.
•Rushing.
•Snap/quick decisions.
Finding Your Causes
If you experience the symptoms of impatience, your next step is to discover the true cause. Many of us have "triggers." These could be people, phrases, or specific situations (like rush-hour traffic) that regularly cause us to enter an impatient frame of mind.

Make a list of things that cause you to become impatient. If you're having trouble identifying your triggers, use these tips:

•Stop and think about the last time you were impatient. What caused it? You can narrow this down to the root cause by using the 5 Whys technique.
•Ask your family, friends, and co-workers about your impatience. Chances are that they know what gets you "wound up".
•Many people become impatient due to physical factors such as hunger, dehydration, or fatigue. Analyze your body the next time you start to feel impatient. A simple remedy might be a snack and a glass of water!
•Keep a journal with you to record when you start to feel impatient. Write down what the situation is, and why you're getting frustrated.
Identifying your triggers helps because it forces you to examine your actions and uncover why you're doing what you're doing. This knowledge also helps you devise strategies to avoid becoming impatient.

Of course, it would be great if you could avoid the triggers that make you impatient. But for most of us, that's just not possible. So you have to learn to manage impatience instead.

Managing the Symptoms
When you feel impatient, it's important to get out of this frame of mind as quickly as possible. Try these strategies:

•Take deep, slow breaths, and count to 10. Doing this helps slow your heart rate, relaxes your body, and distances you emotionally from the situation. If you're feeling really impatient, you might need to do a longer count, or do this several times.
•Impatience can cause you to tense your muscles involuntarily. So, consciously focus on relaxing your body. Again, take slow, deep breaths. Relax your muscles, from your toes up to the top of your head.
•Learn to manage your emotions. Remember, you have a choice in how you react in every situation. You can choose to be patient, or choose not to be: it's all up to you.
•Force yourself to slow down. Make yourself speak and move more slowly. It will appear to others as if you're calm – and, by "acting" patient, you can often "feel" more patient.
•Practice active listening and empathic listening. Make sure you give other people your full attention, and patiently plan your response to what they say.
•Remind yourself that your impatience rarely gets others to move faster – in fact, it can interfere with other people's ability to perform complex or highly-skilled work. All you're doing is creating more stress, which is completely unproductive.
•Try to talk yourself out of your impatient frame of mind. Remind yourself how silly it is that you're reacting this way. People often don't mind if a meeting is delayed, just as long as you let them know that you're running late in advance.
•If your impatience causes you to react in anger toward others, use anger management techniques to calm down.
•Some people become impatient because they're perfectionists. However, in addition to causing impatience, perfectionism can actually slow productivity and increase stress. Learn how to stop being a perfectionist with our Coaching Clinic I'm a Perfectionist!

Remember that, although many people are naturally patient, the rest of us need to practice patience for it to become a habit. Becoming more patient won't happen overnight, but do persist – it's so important!

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_78.htm

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