Add You - Self Improvement

Plain Jane Email Equals Flat Results
Years ago, when email was just emerging as the incredible marketing tool it is today, everything was done in plain text. Since not everyone uses the same email program, and not all of them are compatible with the others, messages often ended up looking like nothing but jumbled pieces of nonsense. Besides that, they were boring.Thus, Internet marketers were forced to find a way to spiff up their email messages to make them grab attention. Luckily, HTML was there to provide a solution.Studies show that marketing emails sent in HTML format get much better response rates and far fewer unsubscribes than those sent in plain text. The reasons for this are many, but perhaps the biggest reason can be summed up this way: HTML messages look cooler!The great thing about HTML is that all your recipients will be able to see it. The problem is that you can't always predict just how it will look. Users with older or outdated email programs will likely see the message as text, and some will even see all that ugly HTML coding. Those using newer versions of Outlook or Outlook Express, Eudora, or Netscape Communicator will likely see the HTML as it was intended... at least partially.The only way to ensure that your HTML messages are seen the way you designed them is to fo

gs have more impact. Such accomplishments improve the morale and help volunteers to keep themselves motivate and focused on the objective. Then, when you invite someone to join your committee for an hour a month you will have established credibility and they will be happy to be a part of something powerful.

SIDE BAR
When conducted properly, meetings can create tremendous results. Using the following steps will help you lead results oriented meetings:
• Determine the need-Why do you need a meeting? Can you get the same results from a phone call?
• Calculate the cost-How much will the meeting cost? Salaries + Expenses=X/2080 hours per year.
• Set up meeting-Figure out who you will invite and the location to have the meeting.
• Create agenda-Use the agenda to inform of requirements before meeting.
• Conduct meeting-Set ground rules, take minutes, focus on agenda.
• Follow up-Re-publish agenda and distribute minutes. Follow through on agreements.

AGENDA
An agenda is just a list of topics in chronological order. Use the agenda to keep focus before, during and after meeting. The following is an example of an agenda.
• 9:00 – 9:15 Opening Remarks/Introductions
• 9:15 – 9:30 Group Mission
• 9:30 – 9:45 Survey Results
• 9:45 – 9:55 Future Plans
• 9:55 – 10:00 Closing Remarks

MINUTES
Minutes are a formal set of notes taken from the meeting. Be sure to record the date, those present, issues and resolutions. Use to minutes to follow through on agreements.
• Date: March 3, 2006
• Attendees Present: John Richie, Shelby Mack, Lisa Reynolds and Doug Worth
• Location: First Baptist Church
• Issue #1: Date of first Prayer Walk training session
• Resolution: Third Saturday in November. This will help us kick off before the holidays
• Issue #2: Topic of Training
• Resolution: Prayer Walk with Confidence. Objective is to have independent prayer groups through out church’s area of influence.
• Follow-up-We still need to cont

Paper Trading Futures - Getting Your Thoughts Down on Paper
Don’t you love just throwing away money? Oh, not one of your favorite things? Well, most people feel the same way so jumping into something like futures trading is pretty scary. The good news is that you can learn by throwing away some virtual money and not the real stuff with something called paper trading futures. Thanks to the wonderful world of the Internet, paper trading futures is an easy, free way to simulate futures trading without the financial risk. Before we go deeper into paper trading futures, let’s talk about futures trading in general.Futures trading is different from investing in the stock market or bonds since you don’t actually own anything; in futures trading, you are speculating on the future direction of the price in the commodity you are trading. This is like a bet on future price direction. The terms "buy" and "sell" merely indicate the direction you expect future prices will take. He or she must only deposit sufficient capital with a brokerage firm to insure that he will be able to pay the losses if his trades lose money. (Notice the words “pay the losses”. When paper trading futures, you can ignore those nasty words!)Futures trading is a sort of insurance plan for those who are trading and investing. A farmer may sell futures on his wheat crop if h

Many years ago a friend at church invited me to join his committee. “Jeff”, he said, “we only meet once a month for an hour. I’m sure you can spare that kind of time for a worthy cause.” How could I refuse such a promising proposition? I eagerly joined, wanting to make a difference in my church. However, I quickly learned what most of us know; many meetings are a waste of time.

“We only meet once a month for an hour.” How many times have you heard that pitch? You bought-in only to be pulled into a group that met only because someone said they should. Then you end up meeting for an hour and a half of direction less conversations. These may even have been followed up with an agreement to meet again to continue the discussion. You then learned to lead and took the same lessons with you. This misuse of meetings has contributed to our earned reputations of having meetings just to conduct meetings.

Though meetings are an essential part of managing volunteer projects, many are far from necessary. Often meetings are put together for the wrong reasons, leaving group members feeling frustrated about the waste of time. Some leaders confuse having meetings with accomplishment or activity. Some misuse meetings as a method of passing information, exercising authority, visiting, or airing opinions. Members leave without having impact, input, or a feeling of accomplishment.

However this frustration can be avoided by following six simple steps. If you can address these rules your meetings will impact your project with positive results: determine need, calculate the cost, set up the meeting, create the agenda, conduct the meeting, and finally follow up.

First, determine the need for a meeting. Most problems can be solved with a quick phone call, email, office call, or a chat in the hallway. If there is no reason to formally bring everyone in, then by all means avoid it. Save meetings for the timely and absolutely necessary times when everyone’s efforts are needed. Ask yourself the following questions: Can I accomplish this with better communication? Is there another way to get the needed results? Can someone make the decision for the whole group? Am I just lonely? If the answer is yes to any of those questions, then don’t have the meeting.

Next, calculate the cost. Once you decide that you do need a meeting, try to eliminate another determining factor; the cost. The Essential Manager’s Manual, a text book used in some graduate level communication courses, uses a simple formula for figuring how much a meeting will cost. Add the combined salaries of attendants plus expenses then divide by work hours per year. For example, if your meeting requires the attendance of someone from the church staff member and others from local businesses, you will need to figure everyone’s salaries. Once you have the total, add to that any miscellaneous costs. These costs include the rental of a conference room, cost of refreshments, per diem for guest speakers, and etcetera. Once you have the total, divide it by the work hours per year. Most businesses recognize 2,080 work hours per year. For example, if the combined salary of the group and miscellaneous expenses is $250,000 then the cost of a one hour meeting is $120.00. Ask yourself if the value of your meeting exceeds the cost.

Dollar amounts are not the only expenses to consider with volunteers. The next costs are intangible. Though there is no set formula, as the leader, you have to compare these costs with the potential benefits. Since most meetings take place on weekend or the evenings after work, you should consider these intangible costs for each member of your group. Badly planned meetings leave volunteers and committee members to unnecessarily experience missing meals, foregoing play time with children, not helping with household chores, being away from friends and family, spending gas money, rearranging schedules, reacting to last minutes events and putting off personal agendas. Motivated volunteers expect to sacrifice for the good work; however they shouldn’t expect to waste valuable time.

Setting up the meeting involves deciding who will attend and the purpose or what you hope to accomplish. After you have determined that the need and that the benefit of having the meeting will exceed the costs, then it’s time to set up. Your committee by-laws may require everyone’s presence, or you may decide that for planning purposes you need everyone’s input. Perhaps you only need the key players in the organization. You have diligently figured the financial and intangible costs and decided that minimum participation is better. Either way, this is a vital to the group’s ability to act and the impact it will have.

Next, you should outline what success looks like and backward plan from there. If your meeting is to conduct training for prayer walking in surrounding neighborhoods during the next school break, use this to set measurable milestones. Identify the projected date, determine how long training will take and decide when to begin and how you will measure the results. From there you can identify the teachers develop the curriculum. Knowing and communicating the point of the meeting is a major factor in making it a huge success.

Create an agenda to reinforce the purpose of the meeting. Up to now we have discussed how to determine the need and actions leading to the meeting. The agenda is a powerful and effective tool to use well before the actual meeting. An agenda is nothing more than a chronological order of topics to be discussed during the meeting.

At this preparation stage, pre-publishing the agenda to all invitees is a valuable time saving tool. This allows them to prepare information, decisions, or resources. With advance warning and a thorough agenda, your group will be more informed about what is expected, how to arrange their schedules and will feel valued as members. Later, call on all those you have invited to remind them of the agenda. This will prepare you for tough questions as well as help you streamline and fine tune before the meeting.

Finally, you can conduct the meeting. Show up early and prepare the room. Work out where participants will sit or stand. Placing key people strategically will ensure maximum participation. Make sure you have your resources, your notes and especially your agenda on hand. As people arrive, greet them and guide them to their places. Start positive and have everyone warmed up for the meeting. If you can “break the ice” before the meeting, you will have more time for the objective.

Begin the meeting with prayer asking the Lord to open hearts and minds, then start the meeting using the agenda. Set the ground rules and agree how you will handle disputes, confidentiality, input and who will present.

If you haven’t done so already, select someone to take the minutes of the meeting. Minutes are nothing more than a record of time, location, discussion and agreements made. Have the person take detailed notes to be converted to minutes at a later time. At this stage their priority is to capture a snapshot of the meeting.

Go over the agenda to refresh them on the topics. As you go through the steps, encourage input by asking open ended questions. For example you might ask, “Who do you recommend that we approach about teaching prayer walking?” If you are good, you may get more suggestions and input than you expected. Much of it may be off the agenda so be prepared to guide the conversations back. If anyone wishes to add something new, write it down and agree to cover it at a later time or date.

Finally, conduct the follow up. When the meeting is finished, review the agenda and the agreements made and solutions brought up. Summarize key points made and agree to follow up to check on progress. Set goals and decide who has the next action, and use milestones to measure accomplishments. Republish the agenda and distribute the minutes at a later date to keep the group mindful of the meeting’s results.

Whether or not to hold a meeting is a big decision. Meetings held for the sake of meeting are a waste of time and resources. Using the six steps identified above will ensure that your necessary meetings have more impact. Such accomplishments improve the morale and help volunteers to keep themselves motivate and focused on the objective. Then, when you invite someone to join your committee for an hour a month you will have established credibility and they will be happy to be a part of something powerful.

More Entrepreneurs Say 'Charge It' When Starting Their Businesses
Credit cards have become an increasingly popular substitute for traditional sources of capital, such as commercial loans from banks and venture capital. More and more new business founders are saying “charge it” to fund their start-ups and ongoing operations.The Problem with New Businesses and Traditional Sources of Capital Nascent entrepreneurs without an established business history or a track record of successful financial performance often complain about the difficulty in dealing with banks. It is not easy to appease bankers who want to see three or more years of past financial records, a positive cash flow, an established customer base and other historical indices of performance when a business is brand new.The alternative for the startup entrepreneur in a formal lending process is to offer substantial collateral. What this means is that the business founder pledges something of value, ensuring that if the entrepreneur’s “best laid plans” fail to come to fruition (which is a good bet, based on high business failure rates), the bank has something to fall back on and a means to collect. To thicken the stew even further, one might consider that the liquidated value of some forms of pledged collateral may be far less than the value of the collateral un

ter communication? Is there another way to get the needed results? Can someone make the decision for the whole group? Am I just lonely? If the answer is yes to any of those questions, then don’t have the meeting.

Who is the Pilot?
It was a mild summer day in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina when I boarded United Airline flight 7318 to Washington, DC. Like usual, I promptly located my window seat, with no doubts that the pilots would safely take me to my destination. Suddenly, as I sat gazing out of the window waiting for take-off, certain questions unfolded in my mind. I wondered, "Who are these pilots that I wholeheartedly entrust with my life?" I wondered about my surety of knowing that they would, or could take me to my destination. I also pondered on "Why it is that I -- or we as individuals, trustingly and unwaveringly allow others to continuously pilot our lives without questions or reservations?" We permit others to pilot our lives while we unquestionably find our seat near the window - just watching - watching our lives quickly pass by. We lack faith in ourselves, because too often, we allow others such as bosses, friends, family and even enemies, to navigate our lives. We allow others to pilot our lives because of their negative words. We allow others to pilot our lives because they claim to know what is best for us. We live on autopilot without a clue as to where we are headed, or how we will get there. We must declare that we will no longer allow other people to take control of

eeting involves deciding who will attend and the purpose or what you hope to accomplish. After you have determined that the need and that the benefit of having the meeting will exceed the costs, then it’s time to set up. Your committee by-laws may require everyone’s presence, or you may decide that for planning purposes you need everyone’s input. Perhaps you only need the key players in the organization. You have diligently figured the financial and intangible costs and decided that minimum participation is better. Either way, this is a vital to the group’s ability to act and the impact it will have.

What is a Supplement?
Supplement – what is it?Supplement is a term that means products made of one or more of the fundamental nutrients, for example vitamins, minerals, and proteins. It provides you with some specific (or a mix of) vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, amino acids, metabolites, etc. You can purchase supplements that contain separate vitamins or minerals, or some kind of mix of vitamins and minerals.Supplement – quality products.Consumers who are using some type of supplement need to always read supplement product labels, follow all directions, and pay attention to all warnings. Consult with your doctor to make sure that you use the right supplement. Nowadays you can purchase some type of supplement without the prescription in health food stores, grocery stores, drug stores, or through mail or Internet. You can also get a good discount on some supplements.Supplement – be careful.You need to be careful when you are shopping for some type of supplement. There are many fake supplements that are sold nowadays. But that doesn’t mean that all the supplements are fake. "The majority of supplement manufacturers are responsible and careful," FDA's Yetley says. Consumers should still do the search for the right supplement with care, making sure they have the necessar

. Work out where participants will sit or stand. Placing key people strategically will ensure maximum participation. Make sure you have your resources, your notes and especially your agenda on hand. As people arrive, greet them and guide them to their places. Start positive and have everyone warmed up for the meeting. If you can “break the ice” before the meeting, you will have more time for the objective.

Genetic Memory - True or False?
Genetic memory is where our genes act as memory chips. Some of these memories are then passed onto our offspring. I believe this actually works and the evolution of a species is determined by genetic memory. Some people think that our sum knowledge and experience has been passed down from generation to generation by paper and by word of mouth.While some of this is the case we must also consider that there was once a time when man could not write or use complex language. Man probably evolved due to a survival gene being passed down the line. This in turn gave us what we know as instinct, the ability to sense danger and situations. I read somewhere once that the reason most people tend to sleep in an upstairs room with the light off is because of our deep past. As apes we would have slept at night in the trees to avoid detection by predators. If genetic memory is true then we still have some fragment of that past in us. There are many elements of our lives which are possibly related in some way to genetic memory.For instance are people who claim past life experiences actually remembering something from previous generations back. Is deja vu another genetic imprint being remembered. Why are some people good at Mathematics but terrible at DIY? If genetic illness can be passed o

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Sertoli cells may hold the key to the successful reversal of Type 1 diabetes. Xenotransplants of islet cells from pig pancreas could reverse diabetes without the side effects of immune-suppressing drugs, in conjunction with Sertoli cells. Can the Edmonton Protocol be replaced?

Many different things cause people to overeat, and most are not obvious. One reason is skipping meals earlier in the day so ravenous by evening; another is eating mostly carbohydrates which increase cravings, or emotional eating and using food to soothe.

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