Archive for July, 2006



WHAT EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BUYING A CAR

Wednesday 26 July 2006 @ 6:00 pm

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BUYING A CAR

 by: Trudy Palmer

What if there was a way to buy a car and increase your standard of living at the same time? There is…

My partner and I bought a brand new car because we wanted to increase our monthly income. Huh? That doesn’t make sense! Buy a brand new car to increase your income? Usually buying a brand new car means that your disposal income goes down not up. Hmmm, financial literacy is a dangerous thing.

It all began with a shift in thinking. The key is to understand the difference between assets and liabilities and to have your assets PAY for your liabilities, so you don’t have to.

Have you ever noticed that when you apply for a loan, the bank tells you that your car is an asset? Under the true definition of assets and liabilities, anything that takes money out of your pocket is a liability.

So, not only were our cars liabilities, but they were taking more money out-of-our-pockets every month just to keep them running. Both my partner and I owned older vehicles, which were starting to break down more often.

Then a light bulb went on. What if we could unlock the money we had tied up in our cars and buy a brand new car without lowering our lifestyle but actually increasing it? That’s exactly what we did.

We sold our cars and used the money to buy income-producing assets, which more than covered the payment on our brand new car. It is a sweet little car that comes loaded including leather interior.

Not only is the payment covered, but we also managed to take advantage of the 0% financing for five years deal, so every dollar goes towards paying the car off.

At the end of five years:

  • The car will still be paid off.
  • We will still have the money from the sale of our older cars, which may even have INCREASED in value.
  • We will have an income stream in addition to our existing income.
  • We did not have to lower our standard of living or work harder or longer to come up with the car payment month after month.

What else could you apply this strategy to - anything that you would spend a chunk of money for. So, the next time you’re thinking about buying a car or some other “liability”, consider if there might be a better way.

About The Author

Trudy Palmer has a solid background in financial services and is the author of numerous books and articles. Trudy is also the co-founder of betterways.net which is the only company to carry the extremely popular book called “How to Become Financially Free In One Year Or Less” located at

http://www.betterways.net/rd/ac.html

admin@betterways.net

Source: http://www.365articles.com

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Are Women Really Superior to Men?

Monday 24 July 2006 @ 6:00 pm

Women Really Superior to Men?

 by: Salma N. Ajani

While doing my search for this idea, I came across something interesting on the web. At a hospital the relatives gathered in the waiting room, where a family member lay gravely ill. Finally, the doctor came in looking tired and serious.

Surveying the worried faces, the doctor said, “I’m afraid I’m the bearer of bad news. The only hope left for your loved one at this time is a brain transplant. It’s an experimental procedure, very risky, you will have to pay for the brain yourselves.”

The family members sat silent as they absorbed the news. After a great length of time, someone asked, “Well, how much does a brain cost?”

The doctor quickly responded, “$5,000 for a male brain, and $200 for a female brain.”

The moment turned awkward. Men in the room tried not to smile; avoiding eye contact with the women, but some actually smirked. One man, unable to control his curiosity, blurted out the question everyone wanted to ask, “Why is the male brain so much more expensive?”

The doctor smiled at the childish innocence and said to the entire group, “It’s just standard pricing procedure. We have to mark down the price of the female brains, because they’ve been used.”

Keeping all kidding aside, let’s answer this age old question; evaluate what we know up to this point, scientifically as well as culturally. Are women really superior to men?

Now research is confirming that the brains of men and women are somewhat different. Studies show that human male brains are, on average, approximately 10 percent larger than female brains. Certain brain areas in women, however, contain more nerve cells.

We must pay special interest on the amount of “gray matter,” the part of the brain that allows us to think. The researchers wanted to know if women have as much gray matter as men or more to make up for the smaller brains. Later, it was proven that women have 55.4 percent gray matter, vs. 50.8 in men.

Men listen with only one side of their brains, while women use both, according to information on brain imaging presented in November 2002, at the 86th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Other research suggests that on average the female brain performs better on some skills, while the male brain executes other tasks at a higher level.

It makes sense that brains vary between the sexes. Each sex had a very defined role in ancient time, which helped ensure the survival of the human race. Cave men hunted. Cave women gathered food near the home, and cared for the children.

None of these show superiority, but does show that we are made differently, with different needs, and different ideas. Why do we then compare for superiority, or even expect the other to be just like us?

It is important to realize that man and women are made differently, for a reason. Especially women, need someone she can talk to, share her ideas with and grow with. Man need to hunt, to protect, not ask for directions when they are lost, or I should say just be Men.

In old times, especially in Asian and Eastern cultures, women had many disadvantages (compared to now). Male Emperors would marry many women. Society did not provide woman with many rights. Women were pretty much confined to their homes. However, despite of these disadvantages, there were few women who had access to that woman wisdom, or power. Now, what was the difference between those women, who found their power, vs. those who did not?

The answer is synergy. These powerful women were each other’s support. No jealousies, no putting other women down; just supporting each other to the best of their ability. In fact, when the male emperor would mate with one of his wives, other wives would take care of that wife ahead of time. Give her massages, feed her wonderful and healthy foods, talk to her, and provide her with all the emotional support that was needed.

Today, women have more rights, more freedom, better living conditions. They are lot more aggressive, but they still do not feel as empowered, peaceful and in control.

In today’s society, the concept of women bonding is pretty much lost. Even when a woman goes to different feminine organizations, her goal is networking, improving her business, and benefiting anything and everything, but herself.

If you pay close attention and realize that the difference between a plant, which is alive, and a plant which is dead, is the plant which is alive, is growing. In order for our children to survive, and humankind to flourish in the future, our children must evolve beyond us. In order for them to go beyond us, they need to understand life from all points of view, both male and female. That is why we are here, to teach, to guide, and to help the universe expand and evolve with our differences.

One day I was flipping TV channels where I came across one of those shows where a priest was giving a sermon. He asked something very interesting to his congregations. The question was, “What is the best thing a father can do for their children”? The answer was “Love their mother”. Now this is something I have learned all through my life in my family as to how much powerful a woman can be. I do not mean physically or even mentally. In fact, I grew up learning that my brothers were much smarter and stronger then I was. But there was always this converse of women power or women wisdom, which was always talked about, but was never clarified.

Many women do not realize that their superiority and strength comes from bonding with other women. Man can’t full fill all of your needs and desires. When it comes to emotional bonding, which usually comes from talking, sharing and connecting, girlfriends are the key. Cherish your friends, and specially your women friendships.

Both Man and woman need to be supportive and a source of strength for each other, but timing is the key. Women who have other women to bond with, to share with, to educate and grow with, have more peaceful marriages. These women do not desire to talk to their husbands as soon as he walks into the home, tired from work. In fact, they become source of strength and support for him.

More then half of the marriages end up in divorce in this country. Some time it feels that all the advancement are coming to us with a hefty price. More and more women find themselves helpless, in one form or the other. All it boils down to is that all the power and freedom did not come with the wisdom it required. Woman before us got us the power to move forward, now, it is our responsibility to add wisdom to this power before passing on to our next generation.

The difference between man and women are logical. It makes sense that brains vary between the sexes. Men tend to be more natural-born protectors while women are natural-born nurturers. When women use these natural abilities to form, cultivate, and foster business relationships, they can create lasting business associations in the business circle.

To answer the question, are women superior to men? The answer is, it does not really matter, if we choose not to use that power and wisdom already given to us. From the beginning of the time, only a handful of women are using their full power and wisdom. They understand, and choose to learn and choose to use their strengths. Whether you are a at-home mom or a working women, understanding and connecting with other woman, educating ourselves and truly supporting each other, will help us be who we naturally are, phenomenal women.

About The Author

Salma Ajani is the Managing Consultant at Ajani & Associates. She is a full-time professional speaker/trainer, author, and consultant, and specializes in the concept of “Women and Accelerating Change”. She has worked with Anthony Robbins as a Corporate Speaker, while traveling with his seminars all over the country. Salma uses therapeutic models in her work, such as NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Erickisonian Hypnosis, Virginia Satir’s Family Therapy, Silva Method, and Richard Bandler’s DHE (Design Human Engineering).

Contact: http://www.ajani.com/

salmaajani@ajani.com

Source: http://www.365articles.com

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Fitness Tips For Looking Your Best On Your Wedding Day

Saturday 22 July 2006 @ 6:00 pm

ess Tips For Looking Your Best On Your Wedding Day

 by: Lynn Bode

Every bride wants to look perfect on her wedding day. Selecting a dress that will make you look and feel great is an important first step. But what happens when you look in the mirror and don’t think you look quite as good as you could? When this happens it’s not uncommon for brides to try quick-fix diets to help them get in shape. Unfortunately, many dieting brides make fitness mistakes that not only prevent them from reaching their goals but also cause unnecessary stress and sometimes even illness. Those are two things no bride needs! Here are five of the most common diet mistakes as well as some tips to help you avoid them.

1. Too much, too late.

One of the most important things to remember if you are trying to lose weight is to start early. For example, don’t try to lose 20 pounds two months before the big day. The key is to plan ahead so that you can lose the weight (or just tone up) gradually. So if you’re dream-wedding day includes you being in great shape, then include fitness as a “to-do” on your overall wedding checklist. That way it will be a priority in your wedding planning.

2. Setting unachievable goals.

Many women get engaged and begin imagining themselves drastically thinner or more sculpted. Be realistic with yourself. If you’ve never been a size 6 in your life, then it is probably unrealistic to think you can magically transform just because you are getting married. And, do you really want to look so different on your wedding day that most people (including your fiancé) hardly recognize you?

3. Radical diets or fitness programs.

Brides typically are short on time and long on to-do lists. This leads many to try unhealthy fitness programs or starvation diets. Don’t be tempted by diets that promise quick, drastic results with little effort from you. You should avoid any programs that suggest taking “diet” pills or eating unbalanced meals (like eating only cabbage soup for a week). And, don’t be lured into trying dangerous things, like laxatives.

4. Not exercising.

It’s very easy for brides to say “I don’t have time to exercise” or “I’m too tired to exercise”. But diet and exercise should always go hand in hand. Consider them to be like yin and yang. Without activity your body can’t burn as many calories. If you are very short on time, try to exercise in small 10-minute bursts throughout the day. And, keep in mind that little things help too, like taking the stairs or parking at the outer edge of the mall parking lot. Plus, if you are tired from all of your planning, exercise will help give you back some energy.

5. Skipping Meals

It’s not uncommon to get caught up in your planning and then realize at 9 p.m. (as your head begins to ache) that you haven’t eaten a thing all day. While it may not be an uncommon scenario, it is unavoidable. Not only is skipping meals unhealthy, it can lead to binge eating. That often means eating very fattening foods and/or overeating all at once. To avoid this, try packing light snacks to keep on hand throughout the day. Good examples include carrot sticks, cheese strings, peanut butter on crackers, etc.

Getting in shape doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t require a lot of time. If you are trying to lose weight or firm up before your wedding, below are some sample plans to help you get started. Keep in mind that the most important thing is for a bride to feel good about herself. And no matter what size or shape, all brides are beautiful on their wedding day!

Sample Exercise FITscription:

20 – 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise (3 – 5 time per week)

Example: 2-5 minutes of brisk walking, 2-5 minutes of jumping jacks (repeat for 20 – 30 minutes)

Sample Meal Plan:

Eat 5-7 small meals per day (meals should include protein, grains, vegetables, etc. to meet the food pyramid daily requirements)

Example: Small, grilled, skinless chicken breast

Slice of whole wheat bread

Slice of cheese

Mixed Vegetables

Glass of Water (2 or 3 would be even better)

About The Author

Lynn Bode is owner of http://www.workoutsforyou.com an Online Personal Fitness Training company. Workouts For You offers online exercise programs for weight loss, strength training, nutritional planning and race training. Personalized programs can be designed for all fitness levels.

The programs are customized to meet your individual needs and lifestyle (based on the extensive profile you provide when enrolling) and include a motivational accountability system and a huge library of exercise technique demos. You receive all the trainer benefits without the expensive price, and you can workout wherever and whenever you want.

To receive a FREE, no-obligation fitness evaluation, visit us at www.workoutsforyou.com. Need a quick gift –we provide gift certificate delivery within 24 hours of purchase.

info@workoutsforyou.com

Source: http://www.365articles.com

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