For years many frequent flyers have resorted to earplugs for solitude from noisy flights, but technology has finally graduated from the humble foam plug to the electronic noise cancelling headphone. It is hard to gauge how noisy an aircraft cabin is by the human ear due to the fact that the brain tends to compensate for ambient noise. But with noise cancelling headphones it becomes quite clear how noisy a modern aircraft is. Not only can this ambient noise pollution lead to hearing loss, the usual method of using earplugs to combat the noise, can promote ear infections and on a practical level, it does make for a fairly boring flight just listening to the thoughts in your head!

On the other hand noise cancelling headphones allow you to block out the sounds that you don’t want to hear while still being able to hear the ones that you do. The concept is fairly simple but extremey effective.

Not only can noise cancelling headphones be used to listen to music, they can also be used as simply for silence. In fact, noise cancelling headphones can simply nullify sound without playing any music, allowing the wearer to just sleep or read without the irritation of ambient noise. Basically the headphones are a sanctuary of peace and quiet, with the option to play music or any other audio that you may prefer.

Although the cost of noise cancelling headphones is still relatively high, this has to be expected with any new product. http://www.cancellingnoise.com expects that the headphones will become less expensive as more companies get involved in the market and apply downward pressure on prices. But for now, they remain a must have for regular air travelers.

The author is a regular contributor to http://www.cancellingnoise.com and permission to reproduce this article is given only on the basis that all links remain active and intact.

Like the Girl Scouts, it is better to be prepared. A good script, a well-thought-out presentation that says what you want to say, precisely and succinctly, yet that still gives you room to maneuver, is one of the keys to a successful telephone pitch. This is about communication and about being prepared. In writing your script, you are crafting a message and focusing your message to your prospect. Your goal with your script is for your prospect to hear you and for your prospect to get “hooked.”

So, what makes a good script? Write your script the way you talkand get to the point! Written language and spoken language are very different. If your script is in written language, you will sound phony. Real people do not speak with capital letters at the start of sentences and periods at the end. People actually speak more in phrases or fragments, with pauses, sometimes improper grammar and the occasional “ah” or “um…” It is imperative that you sound real, so if you are having a difficult time with this, try talking into a tape recorder, then playing it back and writing down what you say.

Don’t bother asking your prospect, “How are you today?” or “May I have a moment of your time?” or anything else. Start by asking for your prospect by name. Then, greet your prospect by name. Next, introduce yourself. “My name is (your name goes here), my company is (your company name goes here)” or “My name is (your name goes here), I’m with (your company name goes here).”

Then, you want a sound bite to further introduce yourself. A sound bite is one sentence that expresses simply and succinctly what you do (or what is your product or service). Example: “Wendy Weiss teaches people to get what they want over the telephone.”

Your sound bite, or the following line, should position you as the expertsomeone (company, product or service) who stands out from the pack. If you do this well, you will preempt the objection: “I can’t meet with every salesperson who calls.” You will not be “every salesperson who calls.” To do this, you cannot say the same things that everyone else is sayingso be creative! . When I started my business, there were many others providing similar services representing companies, making calls and setting new business appointments for sales representatives. Generally, these people worked in-house, were not particularly well paid and were called telemarketers. Even this early in my career, I knew I was not a telemarketer. I decided I was a Marketing Consultant Specializing in New Business Development. This put me in a different category altogether. I was the expert, the outside consultant hired to help develop new business.

Find a way to set yourself up as the expert. You can use phrases like ” We specialize in…” or “Our reputation is…” or “We are known for…” You can also name-drop credentials to help this positioning. Mention clients or customerspreferably in similar businesses as your prospect. This does two things: it lets your prospect know that you are familiar with their industry, and it will also make your prospect feel safer if they have not heard of you before. In addition, if someone has referred you, this is a good place to drop his or her name.

Next is the heart of the script. Describe your product or service, pointing out relevant benefits. Rememberyour prospects are interested in benefits. Remember also, your prospects will buy for their reasons, not yours. That is why it is important to do your research and have a sense of what your prospect may need and may be interested in.

Focus your message to your prospect, and speak in their language. If your industry has a particular jargondon’t they all?use it. You cannot be the expert if you do not know the language. If, however, you are in an industry that has a jargonbut your prospect doesn’t know or use that jargonspeak plainly! Your intent here is communication. You want to be understood!

This part of your script does not need to be long and unwieldya few salient points will do. You can bolster this section with a success storysomething you, your company or product did for a customer. How you saved them money, or saved them time, or saved the day when they were in a tight spot. By inference, this will mean that you will do the same for your prospect. It is a terrific way of pointing out customer benefits without actually having to say “and the benefit to you, Ms. Prospect, is…” You might have several different success stories that you use, depending on the type of lead on which you are working.

Your script is fluid. How your conversation with your prospect proceeds will determine what parts of your script you will use. So, make sure to leave some maneuvering room in your script, so that if you need to change tacticsfor example, tell a different success storyyou can easily do it. You make sure that you have maneuvering room by being prepared, knowing your customer benefits and knowing which customer benefits may interest a particular prospect. Also, have several success stories that you can use, depending on the point you are trying to make. And please, don’t be afraid to say the unexpected or to use humor.

Then the close. Here it is… Ask for what you want! All your hard work is worth nothing if you do not ask for what you want. Do not expect that your prospect will know what you want, or guess what you want, or offer what you want… It is your job to ask, clearly and precisely.

So, what do you want? Most would probably answer that you want to turn your prospect into your customer. You want your prospect to buy your product or service. That’s all true, but that comes later. What you want now is to get your “foot in the door.” You want to introduce yourself, your product and/or your company, so that later, the prospect can be induced to buy. If your prospect does not know you, is not familiar with your product or service, they will never buy it. They have to know you exist before they will even consider making that purchase! Therefore what you want now is an appointment. At this moment, you are not selling your product or your service, you are selling an appointment and only an appointment. You want the prospect to give you 10 to15 minutes of their time, so that you can introduce yourself, your company, your product, your servicethat is it! You are not asking her to buy anything or change anything that she doesonly to meet with you.

If you think about the appointment in this manner, you will also realize that almost any objection to a meeting that your prospect may voice is then largely irrelevant. Perhaps your prospect already has a vendor that provides a similar product or service. So what. None of us can predict the future. The situation could change. Besides, you’re not asking that she buy anything; you want to meet with her and introduce yourself. Period! Perhaps your prospect doesn’t use a similar product or service and says she has no need. She doesn’t need it; she will never need it. So what. None of us can predict the future, anything is possible, and one day, perhaps she may. Now, I am not suggesting that you spend your time setting up meetings with people who do not need your product or service, but what I am saying is that the qualification is on your part. You actually need to decide if you want to meet this prospect. Is this prospect worth your time and energy?

Ask for an appointmentask for a meeting. I generally like the word “meeting” better than “appointment.” It has more weight and substance. Say: “I would like to meet with you,” “I would like to introduce myself, my company, my product…,” “I need 10 minutes of your time.” Be clear, be bold, be to the point. Give them some choices of times: “Is this Thursday good, or would next Thursday be better?” It is easier for your prospect to choose between options, such as different dates, than to decide whether and if to schedule.

Once you have scheduled the meeting, make sure that you confirm the prospect’s name, title, and address. Also, make sure she has your name, your company name and telephone number! Repeat the date and time of the meeting at least twice. You want to make sure that you are both talking about the same date. In addition, as you give your prospect your name etc. and when you repeat the meeting date and time, use your voice to direct your prospect to write everything down. Speak s-l-o-w-l-y and distinctly at a pace that they can write. Your prospect will interpret this way of speaking as a direction to write. This way, they, too, will have the meeting in their calendar, and there should be no mix-ups.

The Script Formula:

* Ask for the prospect by name.

* Say hello. “Hi! Ms. Prospect” or “Hi, Jane.”

* Identify yourself and your company. “My name is ______. My company is _____.”

* Say what you do (sound bite).

* Position yourself as the expert. Use phrases like “We specialize in…” or “Our reputation is…” or “We are known for…” You can also do some name-dropping of credentials here

* Articulate benefits. Success stories are a terrific way to point out benefits.

* Ask for what you wantan introductory meeting. “I would like to meet with you…” “I would like to introduce myself, my company, my product…” “I need 10 minutes of your time.” “Is this Thursday good, or would next Thursday be better?”

* Keep asking for what you want!

© 2005 Wendy Weiss

Wendy Weiss, “The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success,” is a sales trainer, author, and sales coach. Her recently released program, “Cold Calling College”, and/or her book, “Cold Calling for Women”, can be ordered by visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com. Get Wendy’s free e-zine at www.wendyweiss.com

That’s where technology kicks in. Thanks to science we can use night vision to do all sorts of things. With the proper equipment we can hunt, take pictures or even fight wars in the dark. We can also perform surveillance and search and rescue missions.

Here’s how it works: Your night vision product will take existing light and amplify it through an objective lens, which then focuses on an image intensifier. A photocathode located inside the intensifier converts the photon energy into electrons. The electrons in turn strike a phosphor screen creating a viewable image. In reality it looks like you’re watching television on a green screen.

Atmospheric conditions can affect night vision. For instance, if it’s cloudy, foggy, or overcast, night vision can be compromised. The clearer the night, the farther one will be able to see with night vision technology. It should also be noted that night vision shouldn’t be magnified, as light is lost during the magnification process making it more difficult to see.

Night vision devices include: - Cameras - Binoculars - Scopes for firearms - Goggles

If you think that using a night vision device on a frequent basis might be harmful, you couldn’t be more wrong. Night vision products are no more harmful than a television or movie screen. It doesn’t emit radiation or other harmful rays and there’s no reason for it to cause blindness.

One of the easiest ways to carry that music is with a suitable MP3 player that is light, compact and loaded with your choice of music.

Using an Mp3 player for running, as we all know, over many years people have carried radio’s, cassette players and CD players while they were running. All of these were either awkward to carry, or were limited by the length of tape or CD, or the CD would skip, or the radio reception was varied or nonexistent.

The MP3 player for running has changed a lot of that, but not all. It has become noticeable that some MP3 players are best not used for vigorous activity. Over the years we’ve been told that computer hard drives are temperamental and deserve to be looked after. Shaking or dropping them, we’ve been told will damage them, as a minimum - cause bad sectors, and ultimately cause loss of data or a damaged boot sector.

Then what happens - we are sold MP3 players that run from computer hard drives (ie, spinning disc’s). Yes, we know they have shock protection built in, but this is so we don’t hear the skipped music tracks - not to stop the hard drive from being damaged.

I was discussing these thoughts with a client last week, and was interrupted by a computer technician, I thought whoops what have I said wrong, he then confirmed what I was saying is right, as he had replaced his MP3 player hard drive twice in 2 years. He had put it down to heavy use as he is always playing it, apart from the running, and not realized the real problem (that he was using his MP3 player for running) until after a discussion with his work mates. Now he uses a solid state MP3 player for his 25Km runs and has had no problem with either the new unit or his hard drive MP3 player over the last 18 months, none at all.

My advice is to only use a solid State MP3 player for running, they can carry from 2 hours to over 300 hours of music (from 128Mb to 4Gig of storage). These units have no moving parts, therefore shock movement will not damage the music quality, the storage or there long life.

Follow the guide to Choose the best MP3 player for running, at
http://www.mp3srock.com/mp3_music_player.html
And checkout the new ebook guide Choose Your Next MP3 player at
http://www.mp3srock.com/mp3_player_ebook.html

About the Author

Charles West sells Technology products (cameras, DVD’s, sound systems and of coarse MP3 players etc) for a retailer. Over the last couple of years he has come across many people who need a little more help in understanding the idea of MP3’s the different types of MP3 players and there uses.

So to help He has developed http://www.mp3srock.com for people to understand all the many variants and uses of MP3 players.

Do yourself a favor and measure your prospects against your sales plans criteria for prospects. Do it before it is too late. We can’t get good results from bad prospects and if our prospect list needs to change, adjust it sooner, rather than later. One solution is changing the methodology and process of finding prospects.

Take a different perspective

If you’re managing a sales team, any time is a great time to review your sales plan and prospect lists. Industries and businesses change and you might need to modify the contents if you know what I mean. The sales plan, any sales and marketing plan may have started with all the right logic and intentions. However, things change, markets shift and what may have started out as a good plan, may have gotten out of hand. Sometimes we need to step back a little to gain a better perspective on what we are doing.

If you don’t have a target customer profile, shouldn’t you have one? Think of your prospects as the building blocks for a building. We would be kidding ourselves if we didn’t admit to wanting a few strong, massive and secure cornerstone customers. Most importantly, we want solid customers we can build a reputation with. Let’s imagine that our original sales plan was to support 150 core customers. The strategy is to develop a community of customers that you enjoy working with and both parties profit from working together. Qualified strategic partners are out there and we should be looking for them.

Submitted by Steve Martinez, Founder of Selling Magic, a company focused on improving sales using technology and Automated Sales Process Management (ASPM). Get more sales tips at our website http://www.sellingmagic.com.

“The bomb will go off in a month, we have plenty of time to disarm it. Hey, do you want to play a round of golf?”
Or
“My god, look at the timer. Ten seconds and the bomb goes off. We’ll never get away. We’re going to die.”

Which of the following sentences shows more conflict to you?

“Full house? Wow, you win Jim. Want to play another hand?
Or
“Jim, you cheatin’ snake, these cards are marked,” Sam growled as he pulled out a gun from his waistband. “Give me back by twenty grand or I’ll blow your damn head off.”

Virtually every story needs some kind of conflict and tension. They spice things up and make the story more interesting to readers. You can find them in the earliest children’s books. “The Little Engine That Could,” where a train engine struggles to climb a steep hill. “Jimanji,” where the children struggle to complete the game and avoid injury and death. “Cinderella,” where the main character must contend with her evil stepmother and stepsisters. Conflict, and its resolution, is what makes people want to turn the page to see what happens next.

Conflict can occur between many aspects of a story. It can happen between characters, the proverbial “Good Guys” and “Bad Guys.” Between characters and nature, as in the “The Perfect Storm” and “Moby Dick.” Conflict can even occur between one character. “I want to do it, but I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself.”

Giving deadlines, like with the bomb timer above, can create tension. A deadline for a project, something that must be done before the eclipse is over, the floodwaters are rising, a tsunami is approaching and so on. Tension can also be created when nothing is happening. Remember how you felt watching the news during a hostage situation, or waiting to see if anyone survived the crash of an airliner? Tension can also be created with fast action, when disaster can happen at any moment. People love this. Why do you think people are riveted to their television when the news is showing a live high-speed chase? Ask yourself, what is the worst thing that can happen, and then write it. The choices for creating tension are endless.

When used properly conflict and tension make a story interesting, and move the story line along at a fast pace, which keeps the reader mesmerized. So hurry up, write something now, time is running out.

About the Author

Jeff Colburn is a freelance business writer, and can be reached at his site, The Creative Cauldron (www.CreativeCauldron.com) or JeffColburn@CreativeCauldron.com

Why does our society assume that when we become
“senior citizens” we should be treated like children? Her
attitude is what’s wrong with the general public’s beliefs
about aging.

At a meeting recently I heard a representative of AARP
describe in glowing terms how AARP is helping seniors by
giving them items to make their lives easierequipment
like grab bars in the bathtub. I am not saying that this is a
bad idea. Grab bars in the bathtub are an excellent idea.
Probably all bathtubs should have them because seniors
have no monopoly on slipping in the tub.

But I have a problem dealing with the concept that we
should make life easier for senior citizens as they age. And I
am preaching to anyone who will listen that we need to
rethink our attitude toward aging.

In their book, Biomarkers, William J. Evans and Irwin
Rosenberg say, “…when you arrive at age 55 or 60, it is not
time to put your feet up and take it easy for the rest of your
life. In truth, at no time during your lifetime is putting your feet
up and resting for extended periods of time a good idea.”
Dr. Walter M. Bortz II, who studied the deleterious effects of
bed rest, came to the conclusion that “…at least a portion of
the changes that are commonly attributed to aging are, in
reality, caused by immobility. As such, they’re subject to
correction by mobilitymeaning activity and exercise.”

Not being able to take care of themselves is one of the
biggest fears of the elderly. I heard recently from a friend that
his 87-year-old mother had fallen while she was in her yard
alone. She was unable to get up and had to lie there for
several hours until someone came along to help her.

What if we didn’t encourage seniors to move to homes with
no stairs? What if there were more physical events
designed specifically for older people? What if there were
more strengthening classes available to help seniors
regain and retain strength and independence?

What if seniors in assisted living homes weren’t treated like
children and told to sit in chairs and exercise by placing their
hands on their heads and then on their shoulders and back
again? What if they were asked to exercise as do younger
peopleby lifting weights for upper body and doing squats
for lower body strength?

What ifinstead of building chairs that lift seniors to a
standing position they learn to exercise so their leg
muscles are strong enough to lift them onto their feet?
Why not work on keeping seniors strong as they age–so
they will remain independent and not need the aids that are
so accepted in our society? Why don’t we attempt to change
the mind set that has produced this problem?

The answer for most of us is that we don’t know any better.
We are not aware that we can choose to remain
independent as we age because we have been told all our
lives that we should take it easy as we grow older.

To illustrate how deeply embedded is the idea that we
should slow down as we get older, here are a few quotes
from a book published a few years ago about preparing for
being unable to live independently as you age.

“…Eliminate the need for strenuous physical exertion where
possible, especially the need to climb stairs…”
“…A dining table in the kitchen saves walking and reduces
fatigue.…”
“…meal preparation… can also be tiring…. Guarding
against overexertion requires attention to the following
guidelines:
“…Reduce physical exertion: Keep bending, lifting, and
reaching to a minimum. Replace heavy iron cookware with
lighter weight …pots and pans.”

This mind set enables seniors to progressively become
weaker as the muscles in their arms and legs atrophy. Why
not encourage seniors to climb stairs as long as they are
able? Why not suggest that lifting heavy pans can help keep
your arm muscles strong? Why not stress that being active
actually causes you to have more energynot the
opposite?

The truth is that the more you exercise, the more energy you
will have. Yes, I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s the
way our bodies were designed. I see it every day in the
senior strength classes I teach. Every student I have ever
had states that they have more energy when they work out
regularly.

Of course, some seniors have diseases such as
Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis, and that is a different
story. They are truly not able to remain independent.
However, they should exercise as much as they are able.
Exercise can help delay the onset and progression of many
diseases.

My mother is 96 years old and still lives alone in her own
home. She’s an amazing lady who gets around without a
cane or walker. When I visit her, I find myself wanting to wait
on her, to go get items that she needs, and in general, to
take care of her so that she never needs to get up from her
chair.

This makes no sense at all. We need to give up
“enabling” seniors to become more and more dependent.
Tufts University in Boston has done much research into the
aging process. They have proven that even 90-year-olds can
become stronger just by doing resistance training. Muscles
do not forget how to be strong, they atrophy because they
are not used.

Over and over in my classes I watch people in their
seventies and eighties become stronger. I watch them
become more independent and self-sufficient. I see their
self-esteem increase as they begin to realize that they are
not doomed to a continuous spiral of becoming weaker and
weaker with every passing day.

Class participants tell me that they can get in and out of the
car easier, that going up stairs is easier, that the arthritis is
their knees is gone, that the creaky shoulder is without pain.
And most of all they tell me that they feel better and have
more energy. They work at exercising. They come to class
barely able to lift three-pound weights. In only a few weeks,
they move up to five pounds. Then they laugh at how three
pounds used to feel heavy. They move up to eight pound
weights for some of the exercises. They feel better about
themselves. I love hearing their stories about how strength
training has changed their lives.

Encourage your loved ones to remain independent, to get
up and move around their homes, to take care of
themselves. If you have a parent living with you, encourage
him or her to be self-sufficient. Don’t try to alter the living
space so they hardly need to move. Make sure they
understand that they need to be active.

If you are a health care provider, encourage your patients or
residents to do things for themselves, to walk, to participate
in exercise classes, to do anything that will cause them to
move and stretch. Investigate how strength exercise might
be included in the lives of those for whom you are
responsible.

If you are a senior, get moving and get lifting. Climb up and
down stairs, carry bags of groceries, work in the
gardenmake your body work. Get involved in a exercise
program or set up one of your own. Include walking,
stretching and strength training for a complete program. If
you don’t use your muscles, you will lose them.

Let’s all work to change our attitude toward aging. No longer
let us sit and rock while our muscles atrophy. We can work
together to help all of us learn how keep strong and
independent for as long as we live.

Phyllis Rogers is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist
in Fitness for Older Adults. She is author of “Over 40 &
Gettin’ Stronger” which contains an easy to learn strength
workout which uses only dumbbells and can be done at
home. She has taught more than 1200 strength classes for
older adults Her web site is http://www.StrongOver40.com. She
can be reached at fitness9@mindspring.com.

A Really Brief History of Unix

Sometime in the mid 1960s, a bunch of geeks at AT&T’s Bell Labs decided it would be fun to create a new operating system called Multics. (This was no small task, because computers at the time were about the size of a football field and two stories high.) Multics fizzled in 1969 when Bell cut the cord, but some of the geeks continued work on what became known as UNIX; and it became wildly popular inside AT&T.

Since AT&T was not allowed to sell computer software at the time, it gave away UNIX (complete with source code) to any educational institution that wanted it. AT&T produced new versions of UNIX called System III and System V in the early 1980s, but all the while, geeks at the University of California at Berkeley and other places were busy hacking away on their own versions of Unix based on the AT&T code.

Some cross-pollination did occur, but there are still significant differences between the Berkeley (commonly called BSD Unix) and AT&T flavors. In the early 1990s, AT&T sold UNIX to Novell, which was bought by Digital Equipment Corporation, which sold it to SCO (Santa Cruz Operation), which markets it as UNIXWare.

So, Ummm… What About Linux?

Today, there are lots of Unix variants sold or given away by many different companies and universities. While these various flavors can make it difficult to write portable software, efforts to standardize Unix (two of the more notable ones being POSIX and COSE) offer hope for greater compatibility in the future.

In the early 90s, a geek named Linus Torvalds at the University of Helsinki in Finland thought it would be fun to write a PC-based Unix kernel from scratch, without using any of the original AT&T UNIX code. This kernel, with the addition of open source unix utility programs from the GNU Project, became known as Linux.

Because of that (and because the author is a nice guy), Linux is free. You can obtain the source code, modify, sell or give away the software so long as you provide full source code and don’t impose any restrictions on what others do with it.

For more information on Linux history and commands, see the LowFatLinux tutorial.

BOB RANKIN… is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin’s website for more helpful articles and free tech support.

Word Count: 599 words, 65 characters per line

Thanks, Claudette Rowley
============

You Get to Want What You Want

“What’s terrible is to pretend that the second-rate is first-rate. To pretend that you don’t need love when you do; or you like your work when you know quite well you’re capable of better.” - Doris Lessing

When you tap into your inner voice and identify your vision, you bring to life your deepest longing. Your vision manifests the essence of you based on your truth, values, creativity, and authenticity. Putting yourself out into the world in this way can feel risky; the thought of that risk can easily block your from seeing your vision.

A vision can be small or large, and have an impact on your daily life or the big picture of your life. For example, a vision of the ideal day care situation for my baby forms in my mind as his birth grows closer. I’m counting on the vision of what I truly desire to assist in attracting the optimal child care situation. In the whole scheme of life, this is a smaller vision, yet no less important. And this “smaller” vision makes a direct impact on my ability to realize my far-reaching vision for my coaching business.

A vision that’s compelling for you is often right at your fingertips. We all have an inkling of the vision we’d like to put into the world: the forgotten dream, the “ridiculous” idea, and the “unrealistic” business venture. You are born knowing what you want at your deepest core. After awhile, many of us begin to settle for what we think we’re allowed to have. “Just okay” becomes good enough. “It’s fine” becomes a way of life. The parameters of our wanting become defined by what the saboteur and family, friends, or a significant other tell us we are allowed to have.

I was recently speaking with a client about this exact topic. Patrick related to me that at some point in his life, he just stopped dreaming. Caught up in the routine of daily life, he stopped thinking about his visions for the present and the future. At the end of our coaching session, I gave Patrick an exercise to take away and ponder. His task was to look at eight areas of his life: health, career, money, friends and family, fun and recreation, physical environment, and personal growth, and create a vision that he’d LOVE to be living for each one. During our next call, he revealed his visions to me. We discovered that he had equated vision with what he was willing to live with. I pushed him to tap into what he would really love to manifest in his life. YOU GET TO WANT WHAT YOU WANT. This is where vision is born.

Believe it or not, there is no “judge of desire” holding court to decide if your vision is legitimate or not. “Well, Bill’s been a good boy and his want is modest, so he can pursue the career he’s always wanted. The vision committee will allow his dream to come true. But Samantha-the committee doesn’t believe that her business idea is a go. Too ambitious. Too risky. Who does she think she is?” Excavating your vision is an act of not only moving past internal barriers, but of claiming the authentic desires that are rightfully yours. In the process, you reclaim yourself.

—————————————————————— Claudette Rowley, coach and author, helps professionals identify and pursue their true purpose and calling in life. Contact her today for a complimentary consultation at 781-676-5633 or claudette@metavoice.org. Sign up for her free newsletter “Insights for the Savvy” at http://www.metavoice.org.

Claudette Rowley, coach and author, helps professionals identify and pursue their true purpose and calling in life. Contact her today for a complimentary consultation at 781-676-5633 or claudette@metavoice.org. Sign up for her free newsletter “Insights for the Savvy” at http://www.metavoice.org.

Televised poker makes it seem like poker is a sport for millionaires and heirs that have money to burn. More and more televised highlights focus only on the last couple of rounds of a tournament, when the stakes are unbelievably high. For the average player, this can be a bit daunting.

If you are simply an average player, without a trust fund or an unlimited bank account, don’t despair. Not everyone is a high roller. In fact, most player fall somewhere in the low to middle range. The average American poker player spent $87.17 in a casino in 2003. This statistic clearly shows that most player aren’t playing high stakes games, in fact, most players aren’t even playing medium stakes. They are just playing to enjoy the game, spending a little money, and then moving on.

Something that you need to remember with statistics is that they represent the entire spectrum. That means that the expenses of the highest and the lowest players were combined with the average players to come up with the figure of $87.17. Some players play high stakes sure, but some players also only play a single game before moving on. You can be generally assume that you are in good company if you fall somewhere in the middle between a millionaire and a hesitant first time poker player.