Life is Trust

05 Maret 2009

Add Class and Style to Your Room with Chesterfield Furniture

When attempting to bring class and style into your home, leather furniture is the way to go. While there are several different kinds of leather and companies to choose from, there is nothing quite like leather chesterfields. Chesterfield furniture has been around for quite some time and continues to bring wonderful furniture into people's homes worldwide. Adding Chesterfield furniture to your home gives you rich and world class feel to the living room. No longer do you have to settle for a mediocre sofa that disappears in the room. You can make a Chesterfield sofa the highlight of the room with the magnificent leather and beautiful colour.

While this furniture used to be out of the price range for many, it has gradually become more affordable for everyone. But the status quo remains the same as this is high class furniture that can brighten up the room and bring your office or living room to another level.

There is nothing better than being able to show off a fine piece of furniture to family and friends like Chesterfield furniture. Guests will have the luxury of sitting on pure, soft, and comfortable leather sofa. And unlike many sofas that require attention after a couple of years, you will have your Chesterfield sofa for years to come because of the high-class durability.

Placing this luxury furniture in the living room is ideal to show it off, but it can also make for a fine piece of furniture in the office. There is nothing that says class and wealth in an office better than furniture like this. It will imply prosperity to those who enter your office and give your office a true working atmosphere.

Although you may not be aware of it at the time, but image can mean everything in a home. Replacing ragged sofas with a Chesterfield sofa can do wonders for your home. It will liven the room up, give it character, and present wealth in a new manner. And because of the style, you can put virtually anything around the sofa and create a beautifully crafted room.

It is hard to believe that one sofa could have such an impact on a room, but that is exactly what you are getting with leather chesterfields. It is the finest furniture around and can be purchased at a reasonable price. And with the durability it is built with, you can enjoy the comfort of fine leather for years to come.

04 Maret 2009

The Importance of Play

For children, play is naturally enjoyable. And since it is their active engagement in things that interest them, play should be child-led, or at least child-inspired, for it to remain relevant and meaningful to them. Children at play are happily lost in themselves; they are in their own realm of wonder, exploration, and adventure, pulling parents in at times with a frequent “Let’s play, mom!” as an open invitation into that world.As early as infancy, children immerse themselves in play activities with the purpose of making sense of the world around them. Play gives children the opportunity to learn and experience things themselves, which is vital for their development. Although peek-a-boo games seem pointless to adults, tots are awed by the surprise that awaits them as they see the suddenly emerging faces of people they love.

(Stages of Play)

During toddlerhood, children experience a motor-growth spurt that equips them to solitarily fiddle with anything they can get their hands on – be it a construction toy or the box from where it came.

Toddlers also love breaking into song, wiggling and jiggling to tunes, and imitating finger plays they are commonly exposed to.

Preschoolers begin extending their play to involve others, whether they bring others in at any stage of their game or they plan their game and its players’ way ahead. Their physical and motor skills allow them to widen their lay arena, from dramatic play to table games to outdoor pursuits.

School-age children start appreciating organized play – such as innovated songs and rhymes, games with rules, relays and other physical activities, sports and projects that they can accomplish over a certain time frame.

Play Perks:

Why the big fuss about playing? Play benefits the child in ways that might be a tad difficult for adults to imagine.

1. Play brings pure and utter joy.

A toddler who jumps into an empty box and runs around the house ‘driving a car’ shows the sheer happiness that play brings him or her. When children are asked what they did in school and they answer ‘play,’ it is a clear sign that these kids remember a feeling of genuine joy that is captured in this four-letter word.

2. Play fosters socio-emotional learning.

What does a ten-month-old baby who shrieks at the sight of her stuffed toy have in common with a ten-year-old boy who plays basketball with his friends? They both deal with their confidence as they choose to embark on their play activities. At the same time, they are displaying their independence in the decisions that they make. These two children are also internalizing social rules in their respective play situations: the baby waits patiently for her stuffed toy to appear, while the school-age child has to contend with an impending loss in a ball game.

3. Play hones physical and motor development.

Play often involves the use of the senses, the body, and the extremities. When children play, they exercise their bodies for physical strength, fluidity of movement, balance and coordination.

Perceptual-motor ability, or the capacity to coordinate what you perceive with how you move, is an essential skill that preschoolers need to develop. A three-year-old who is engrossed in digging, scooping, and pouring sand into a container must match his or her perception of the space in front of him or her with actual hand movements, so that he or she can successfully fulfill the motor activity.

4. Play facilitates cognitive learning.

Play is vital to the intellectual development of a child. We live in a symbolic world in which people need to decode words, actions, and numbers.

For young children, symbols do not naturally mean anything because they are just arbitrary representations of actual objects. The role of play is for the child to understand better cognitive concepts in ways that are enjoyable, real, concrete, and meaningful to them. For instance, through play, a child is able to comprehend that the equation 3 + 2 = 5 means ‘putting together’ his toy cars by lining them up in his makeshift parking lot. When he combines 2 triangles to make a square during block play, or writes down his score is a bowling game, the child is displaying what he knows about shapes and numbers.

Through play, the child is constructing his or her worldview by constantly working and reworking his understanding of concepts.

5. Play enhances language development.

Toddlers who are still grappling with words need to be immersed in oral language so they can imitate what they hear. They benefit from songs and rhymes that provide the basis for understanding how language works.

When these tots are playing with toys, adults model to them how language is used to label objects or describe an event. At play, preschoolers use language to interact, communicate ideas, and likewise learn from dialogues with more mature members of society.

6. Play encourages creativity.

Barney the dinosaur was right about using imagination to make things happen. A lump of Play-Doh suddenly turns into spaghetti with meat sauce and cheese; a small towel transforms into a cape that completes a superhero’s wardrobe; and a tin can serves as a drum that accompanies an aspiring rock artist. Play opens an entire avenue for children to express themselves, show what they know and how they feel, and to create their own masterpieces.

7. Play provides bonding opportunities.

Play is an important factor in child development. It provides for interaction, experimentation, and moral development. Here are some ways by which parents can encourage and support their children’s playtime.

- Let your child be the player-leader. Let children initiate their activity, set their own theme, choose the parameters where the play will take place. Play becomes a venue for children to express their feelings and be in control.

- Help them help themselves. When your 5-year-old asks for help, say, figuring out how to piece a puzzle together, stop yourself from coming to her rescue and first ask your child questions that allow him or her to help himself or herself. Say, “Where do you think this piece should go?” Afterward, commend his or her success.

- Play attention. Once you make a commitment to play with your child, watch for the following signals: Does he or she want you to actively play a part in the activity? Does he or she need encouragement? Is he or she tired or hungry? Does he or she need to take a break?

- Have a play plan. If you seem to have little time for playing with your child, consider using self-care chores to have fun with him or her. Also, get support from other people in your household, like older siblings, household help, or the child’s grandparents, so that they understand why play is important and how they should continue to encourage it.

04 Desember 2008

Taking a "Survival Type" Job Is Good For You

   Ugh! Arg! How can a survivor type job be good for me? I'm barely hanging on to what I found and at minimum wage. (I have been promised a ten cent an hour increase in one month).

   I used to be a facilities manager at a tire factory. Boy, have I hit bottom! I've had to give up a lot of things I liked; like my fitness club membership. None of that now. I feel so down in the dumps that I don't even go for a walk, much less worry about my being fit or not.

  I feel lousy after the tire factory went overseas. This new job making and serving coffee and sandwiches makes me sad at what I've lost. How can I EVER feel good about what I'm doing now to make money and pay my bills?

  Here comes the career counselor to the rescue of this job holder's blues. I suggest the following ways to help anyone who has had to take something less than what they wanted, like the person described above.

1. You found a job! Yes, yes, yes, it is not what you want or expected after job loss. However, you found one that offers you some money, structure and to be out in the world. Try some small samples of gratitude for your luck.

2. Learn all you can about this job, no matter how menial you may think it is. Employers like people who are enthusiastic. See what you can do to improve it, even in small steps.

3. If this is a job working with the public, (like the sandwich maker above), you can network politely by finding out more about your customers. One might be your next employer. Good customer service has not gone out of style either.

4. Use your spare time to decide what you really want in a job. You are using some of your innate skills in this job. Pinpoint what they are. Make a list. Keep applying for jobs.

5. Have supportive people around you. They've been where you are. Show them you care about them too.

6. Be happy! Things change in a flash and this job is one that you can use to your advantage. Keep learning and smiling!

Leave Your Dead End Job…For Good.

   So here you are…stuck in a dead end job. Are you hitting the glass ceiling in a job you once loved, but now can’t stand? Maybe the hours are long. Maybe you can’t stand retail customers anymore. Maybe you’re like 70% of college students who didn’t earn a degree and you feel this is the best job you can get without one.

   Take heart. There are a lot of great careers out there, especially for people who have some work experience. But how will you get trained and how can you go to school when you’re still working…after all you’ve got bills to pay, maybe kids, a car payment and a mortgage? A career college can train you and get you the right certification to get into a better job and a better future.

   Career colleges offer relevant coursework, proper accreditation and flexible schedules to get you into a better career in medical, computer, paralegal or business fields. Usually there’s limited, or no waiting to take the courses you need. Most programs take two years or less and some as little as six months! The fact that you’ve had some work experience, hopefully with increased responsibilities, will give you an advantage once you finish your schooling.

Here are three occupational fields that are full of opportunity now and will continue to be over the next decade.

Healthcare

  The healthcare field is one of the fastest growing fields around. More and more people are retiring out of it, the American population has grown and we are living longer lives. These conditions have created a huge demand for all types of medical jobs. Three hot jobs are:
Nursing
Dental Hygiene
Medical Coding

Computer

  Just like healthcare, computer based jobs are continuing to grow. Computers are taking over the world, but they still need programmers and operators to make them work. Here are three jobs that have great growth potential:
Help Desk Analyst
Software Development
Graphic Design

Mechanical Trades

If you don’t like to sit behind a desk all day, there are plenty of jobs that allow you to be “constructive” and pay well.
HVAC Technician
Electrician
Appliance Repair Technician

  Don’t settle for a dead end job. You have too many years left in the workforce to be unhappy for eight hours a day. With flexible schedules, short time to completion and a variety of financial aid options, a career college can take you towards a better job and a

What You will Get from Work at Home

   Work from home is increasing as employers have realized the value of this category. It is not a difficult task, the cost of getting everything set up is also not high. One of the main reasons why many people would like to work from home is so that they can take care of their children. To work from home is not an impossible goal; it is something to work at and hardly becomes a reality overnight. Whoever she is she has come to the decision that work from home is an improvement to working outside the home.

   Being able to work from home is in fact becoming a way of life for millions of people each year, and these people are doing it successfully. One very important consideration when choosing to this work is self-discipline. In reality, a lot people think that work from home is very senseless and that to have a secure life especially when you have a family is to get job working hard and saving money but the best thing about being able to work from home is the control of our time.

   There are a wide variety of work at home opportunities, but not all of them are what you might think they are. Other work at home opportunities which can make you money if you put some time into them include taking surveys and filling out opinion polls. Every day more and more people are looking for work from home income opportunities. Since most work from home opportunities are in the area of network marketing, sales and communication skills are required too.

   With so many opportunities for computer work from home, there is no reason not to pursue one of these great chances to become your own boss while working from the comfort of your home. In fact, there are a number of computer works from home opportunities that require very little computer knowledge at all.

   The most important thing you can do in organizing yourself to work from home is to set your office hours and one of the obvious rewards you reap when you work from home is that you can fit in time for your children's activities without having to ask someone else for permission. Deciding where to begin when wanting to work from home is the

How It Will Be Working From Home

   What is the best work based from home job for you is entirely a personal and professional decision. It is a big step from being employed to working for yourself, so plan as far ahead as possible and think about the effects on all areas of your life to prepare yourself, before you leave your job. Whether you own a full-time, home-based business or your job allows you to occasionally work from the comfort of your home, there are many things that can distract you from getting your work done.

  Before you up and quit your day job, you need to look at many different things that can and will affect your ability to work from home. If you work at a job that stresses your back--medical work, warehousing, mechanical occupations, and garbage collection are top contenders. You may need to do more than just practice good lifting technique. Another area of consideration when trying to determine the best work based from home job for you is whether you are a “creative” person or a more business-minded person.

  At the other extreme, those who are working at home for the first time, may be tempted to relax all day long, watch television, go to the local pub or whatever it is they like to do, and never actually settle down to any work. For those who have a daily grind of commuting to their job, sometimes long distances and for an hour, two hours or even more, the thought of working at home may seem like a dream.

  If I manage to achieve the same success working from home during the day as I have over the last year working a few hours here and there in my spare time I’ll be well on my way to becoming a full time home business entrepreneur. Should I decide to do this I’ll be taking the huge step from working on my business in my spare time to earn some extra money, to working half the week for myself. With action I mean the following, be willing to invest some of the money you have earned working for a boss.

  Wouldn't you love to be one of those people on the other end of the line providing that information, working at home being your own boss, starting every day with checking your bank statements just to notice that you've made another heap of money while you where sleeping. It is always good to know the experiences that other people have had with the business opportunity that you are researching. Many people facing the threat of being laid off do not have a clear, transferable set of skills that they can use in their own business.

  If you are interested in taking part in an MLM business, it is the best idea for you. Once you build downline, you will have working team with same goal "work from home". For more information about MLM business, make sure you follow the link in the recourse box below now.

We All Wish That Our Children have Good Virtues, but... Are We Setting A Good Example Ourselves?

  We all wish that our children should not smoke or drink, should not speak lies, should not steal, should not have a violent nature, etc... but are we setting a good example ourselves?

  Just yesterday, I was at a friend's place and his daughter came running up to us with her school calendar and asked him to put a remark for being absent for school. They had been to a close relative's wedding and my friend merely wrote "Stomach Pain" and signed the calendar. Aren't you indirectly teaching the child that it is OK to lie? I have seen so many parents protecting the guilt of their children by lying, I wonder what will happen to them when these children start lying to their parents themselves!

   Smoking is a very bad habit and you must refrain from smoking, at least in front of children. When you smoke, your child watches your actions with great concentration and then even tries to imitate you. If you cannot leave the habit, go to the terrace / verandah and smoke. If you don't have one, go for a walk and take your nicotine break there. If you have a spare room in your house, go there and remember to close / lock your door. So what if your child knows that you smoke? Don't light up in front of him. If you are smoking and your child comes to you, extinguish your cigarette, even you have just started (even if you're not a millionaire). Remember, passive smoking is just as dangerous to your child's health. Don't keep cigarettes lying around the house and always keep track of the number of cigarettes you have (even if you're a millionaire). You don't want your missing cigarettes found in your child's schoolbag, do you? Remember one thing in your life - never ever ask your child to buy cigarettes for you, if you run out of them. If you do, be rest assured that your child will smoke, some day. You are exposing him to all the varieties of cigarettes, the touch, feel and smell of it, the cigarette vendor's marketing skills and the other smokers. If your children ask you about your smoking habit, don't lie. Tell them you do smoke and have accidently caught the habit. Don't give a reason for smoking (like you are stressed, etc) as some day you will get a similar reason from him. Also tell him that you are trying to quit and genuinely give it a try. Get an anti-smoking screensaver and install it on your PC. You can get them free if you search on Google.com. Wouldn't your children be happier if you lived a little longer?

  The same goes for drinking. One important thing to remember - never get drunk in front of your children. If you are not in your senses, you could speak or do something that you shouldn't, in front of your children. You can even cause physical or mental harm. If you MUST get drunk, go to a bar or confine yourself to a locked room. If your spouse is around, the better.

  Don't use foul language in front of children. As I mentioned earlier, children try to imitate you. If you come across a reckless driver and let off steam be careful with your words. Your child is listening. Never ever use foul language with your spouse and don't abuse him / her, at least not in front of your children. I know, we all have our problems and married life (or any other life) isn't a bed of roses. But try to confine your fights to your bedroom and control the decibel level unless you have a totally soundproof room. I have heard 3 year old children speaking the filthiest language, even if they probably don't know what they're speaking!

  Never ever let go a child who stole something. Now, I'm not saying that if you found out that your child is stealing, jump on him or give him a tight slap. Don't even humiliate him with shame. But sternly explain him that this is not right and make it crystal clear that it is not permitted. If he has stolen from a store, go back with him and make him return the item. If it is from school, make him return it to the teacher to avoid him from public shame. Explain to the teacher that you will be keeping an eye on him from repetition of the act. Follow your promise religiously and keep a check on his possessions within his schoolbag, his cupboard, etc. Is there something he possesses that is not bought by you? If so, be firm in knowing from where he got it from and insist on returning it. Don't accept lies too easily, its as if you're condoning the theft. Also remember, don't keep money lying around the house even if you have money to burn. Make him understand the value of money. Maintain a limit on pocket money and encourage him to save. It is also time to think if the child needs more affection and attention at home and a watch over his company. If all attempts fail, approach a child psychiatrist.

  Television, movies, games and comics also play a vital role in the psychology of the child. If he watches a lot of brutality, he may tend to act it out. Limit the time and type of programs he watches. Encourage him to watch productive programs suitable to his age. Although I don't watch television often, recently I have been watching some serials and was quite surprised that most of them were centered around scheming women with criminal minds. A very important thing you should do is be with your child when watching television. If there is a scene which you shouldn't want your child to see, distract him by asking him some question like "is your home work complete" and when he is looking at you, change the channel. If he insists to watch it, firmly tell him that it is not right for his age.

A Business In One Sentence

   Marketing expert and author, Geoffrey Moore, has a useful fill-in-the-blank method for creating a theme and positioning statement for your business. I prefer to use his same system for creating clarity for myself in what I'm selling, creating an elevator or introduction speech, and also material for my website, brochures and business card.

  Using this same method for each niche I have also keeps me focused and on target for where I am going and what comes first. I know it will do the same for you. As a public speaker, I also like to use the same exercise to create a one-line message for each workshop or engagement. This way the participants and I start from the same page. I like to say it provides the tree trunk that all the branches stem from.

  This exercise is designed to be simple and achievable in 15 minutes. However, if this seems somewhat daunting, see if your beliefs are still in the clouds of wanting to deliver too much to too many to soon. If this is the case, there is a great book I recommend that will support you in narrowing down: Niche and Grow Rich, by Jennifer and Peter Sander. This book will support you understanding the market place you want to enter and in narrowing your thoughts.

Exercise

For ___________________________
(Hints: Who is your target customer, your niche? Is there a geographic relevance? If so, add it. Examples: Seniors, women business owners, teens between 13 and 18. If a specific geographic area: Writers in the Washington DC metro area.)

Who ___________________________
(Hints: This is where you qualify your target customer and time of need. Examples: Who are obese. Who are 62 and older. Who own a business. Who are in high school and take music.)

Our product/service is ____________________________
(Hints: What is your product or the service? Our product is a line of workshops. Our service is training. Our service is executive coaching. Our service is training or engineering or accounting.)

That provides ______________________________
(Hints: What are your key features of this product/service? What are the major benefits of this product or service? What are the tradeoffs? That provides shortcuts (software training) at a discount/premium price. That contains no chemicals. That contains no hidden costs. That contains no markups. That contains life support.)

Unlike ____________________________________
(Hints: Who are your competitors? What are the products not serving the needs of this particular niche? Unlike other retail sellers, which have.... Unlike store-bought goods, these.... Unlike other coaches.... Unlike other workshops....)

Our product/service _______________________________
(Hints: Your product/service serves this niche by doing what? Our product/service helps this group increase their personal leadership skills. Our product/service helps this group overcome.... Our product/service helps this group reap the rewards of....

Taking This Forward

  Once you have completed this exercise, whether it is for your overall business theme or better yet a narrower one, you can move this information forward into all your marketing information.

  Create a paragraph with this information, then edit and refine the language so that it fits your customer’s reading style. This is especially important if your style is different. Each word you use has an energy attached to it. This energy either detracts or attracts customers.

Top Ten Sentence Prompts

   There are many ways to find prompts and ideas for journaling. Some journal-keepers develop ideas easily. Others prefer to use outside sources. Still others like to mix and match both outside sources and their own ideas. Whether you fall into one or the other categories, this list of prompts should help you get started with your journaling. Once you become more comfortable and proficient in journaling, you will be able to branch out and try a variety of techniques in your entries.

   Prompts come in the form of “I” statements (including identifying feelings, thoughts (I want, I will) describing actions, scenery and interactions with people, completing sentences and writing poems. You may also randomly pick words or phrases from a dictionary, interesting headlines, titles from a table of contents or television or radio show titles. You may also use a name of objects (flowers, animals, pets, plants or trees), song titles, word association phrases or words. After you have tried at least one prompt from this list, then, try writing a list of 100 words, phrases or ideas, you may repeat some until you finish the list. Read through the list and pick the first three prompts that stand out to you. You will have ninety-seven other ideas to use the next time your journal. (this exercise is used courtesy of Kathleen Adams, Journey to the Self)

   I’ve listed a hint in parentheses, for each prompt, if you have trouble, then try the hint. When you use either the prompt or the hint you should be able to find an idea that peaks your interest, so you can develop it nto a journal entry.

  I hope that you will discover something new about yourself and about journal prompts as you practice with this list of sentence prompts.

1) Describe the view outside your window. (Hint: choose one word to describe the whole view)

2) I feel_______________________ (Hint: choose the strongest feel ing you have or might have now)

3) I want________________________ (Hint: choose the ‘it’ that you want the most of anything that you’ve ever wanted)

4) I am_______________________ (Hint: one character trait that you are most sure of)

5) I wish_____________________________ (Hint: choose your most heartfelt dream)

6) I would_____________________________ (Hint: choose the one action that you’ve most wanted to take)

7) I will_______________________________ (Hint: choose your favorite goal)

8) I won’t_______________________________ (Hint: choose your deepest conviction)

9) I wonder_______________________________ (Hint: choose your wildest dream)

10) I’m not________________________________ (Hint: choose your worst nickname)

Copyright 2006 Writer's Eye Advisory Service

Make Good article

   As a writer you may be ready to cash in on the need for web content. There is a lot of money that can be made through content writing if you know what web publishers are looking for in high quality content. If you are a very versatile writer you will find that you can actually make content writing your full time job! The new trend of article marketing has writers very excited because webmasters all over the Internet are hungry for talented writers who can’t pump out the high quality content fast enough.

What to Write

  Exactly what you should write will depend on whom you are writing for. If you are a writer that is writing pieces for an article directory you will want to keep things as generic as possible. The more nonspecific you can keep your articles the more likely a webmaster will choose your article to be displayed on his or her website. It’s important not to mention websites or specific products, as this can limit the usefulness of the article to webmasters because they generally do not want to promote anything other than themselves and especially not their competitors. Most web publishers are looking for content, not marketing pages.

  If you are writing for a specific web publisher you will want to keep in mind what their business is all about. Think about key phrases or words that are often associated with their product, business, or service and include them in the article. Be sure that the key phrases you come up with or are provided don’t seem unnatural and they don’t disrupt the flow of the article. Key words and phrases are only as helpful as their placement. Remember, we are talking about quality content, which reads well and helps search engines figure out what the website is all about at the same time.

Research Required

  Make sure that if you are writing on a topic and you don’t have first hand knowledge that you research! Content provided by websites is only as useful as the author that is writing. If you only provide fluff and no real meat in articles visitors will be less likely to come back to the website again, so you are actually working against the plan to increase traffic with the article. Always look at your article the way that a visitor would and try to provide all of the information you would want if you were that person.

How to Write

  Your style of writing is really a matter of opinion. Many web publishers like for their content to be written in a very conversational style. This writing style allows for readers to feel as though the author is talking to them, and it’s just a very comfortable way to get information on the Internet. If you take an official tone many visitors may be turned off even though you are providing all of the information that is needed.

Market Yourself

  Don’t forget your resource box! The resource box is the section either at the beginning or end of an article that tells the reader who you are, any websites that you are affiliated with, and may even provide links to the websites. This is a great way to market yourself. While a web publisher may first find your work on an article directory he or she may contact you personally for your services, in which case you usually stand to make a lot more money!