#1 Fear that Holds People Back in their Careers

Surveys have shown the average American is more afraid of public speaking than they are of death. No wonder many people have let promotions at work pass them by for fear of having to speak in public. It may not even have been a conscious decision, but public speaking fear has been shown to be the cause of missed opportunities for many people. As someone looking to move ahead in your career, working on your public speaking skills even before you need them in the workplace can be a smart move. Having public speaking skills could boost your confidence level so that you would be comfortable volunteering to give a presentation that could earn you extra prestige, or give you the assurance you need to apply for a particular job.

Developing Public Speaking Skills

Public speaking is something that does not come naturally for most people. Instead, it is a learned skill. Especially with the prominence of politicians these days, it can be easy to get the impression that good public speaking skills come naturally to many people. This is not really the case. Even politicians work on their public speaking skills, and have the benefit of giving speeches on a regular basis over the course of a long career. The most visible politicians and business leaders often "cheat" by using speech coaches who help them pinpoint specific things they can do to deliver speeches more effectively, plus they often use speech writers and teleprompters.

As an individual interested in getting ahead in your career, you don't need to go to the extreme of using a teleprompter or a speech coach. But committing to improving your public speaking skills over the long term can have a major impact in terms of your overall career success. Toastmasters is a great organization that has spent decades perfecting a system of teaching people how to speak effectively in public. Their program is designed so you can get as little or as much out of it as you want. Each Toastmasters meeting gives everyone a chance to practice their public speaking skills through various parts of the meeting, such as the Table Topics, where each attendee can give a brief two-minute impromptu speech based on a topic given to them by the host. Most Toastmasters clubs also have mentorship programs where a more experienced speaker will work with you one on one to help you improve your skills. 

We recommend visiting your local Toastmasters club to see how it works. To find out more about Toastmasters, visit their web site at this address:
http://www.toastmasters.org

Quick Tips for Conquering Your Fear

- Everyone gets nervous before a speech. Even former President Clinton has talked about how he still gets nervous before speeches, even after having spoken in front of all kinds of audiences all over the world. Experienced speakers talk about harnessing that nervousness and using it to energize and inspire yourself to give a better speech. Plus, they say the nervousness generally goes away after the first couple of minutes of speaking and turns into a feeling of excitement and exhiliration.

- There usually isn't as much at stake as you think there is. People often make the mistake of assigning an unreasonable amount of importance to people in their audience. The truth is most audience members in any given situation are preoccupied with their own thoughts: what they're going to do later that day, their relationship with their spouse, their kids, personal problems, etc. Your speech is much less important to them than it is to you. And they will be much less critical of your performance than you are. Plus, no matter who is in your audience, they are not more important than your family members and people who truly care about you.

- The speech does not have to be perfect. As mentioned earlier, there's a tendency to compare yourself with polished public speakers you see on TV. Your audience will not expect you to be at that level, and you should not expect it of yourself.

- The most important ingredient in a good speech is preperation. This often requires investing time in researching the topic ahead of time so that you have enough material that you could speak for at least twice the amount of time allotted. If your speech has information that the audience finds interesting or that they did not know before, you will have done a good job as a speaker.

About the Author 

Scott Brown is the author of the Job Search Handbook (http://www.jobsearchhandbook.com">http://www.JobSearchHandbook.com). As editor of the HireSites.com weekly newsletter on job searching, Scott has written many articles on the subject. He wrote the Job Search Handbook to provide job seekers with a complete yet easy to use guide to finding a job effectively.

12 Golden rules for every Dog owner

Discipline and good behavior are not just for your Dog they apply to you, the pet-parent too. Buying a dog is not all cochie coo business -- it signals the beginning of a lifetime of commitment and responsibility. 1.Love your dog unquestioningly. Treat him like a friend. Never hurt, punish, beat or abandon him. Seek professional help if you are ever pushed against the wall – there are feasible solutions to everything. 2.Ensure good nutrition.3.Take an informed decision about spaying/neutering.4.Give him good veterinary care. Half yearly check ups, vaccinations, dental check ups, and more.5.Ensure that all his papers are in order get him an ID and license. 6.Training is a key to a long and fulfilled life.7.Groom him everyday or as many times as necessary. Grooming is one way of bonding with your dog. 8.Socialize your dog from day one this will help him be comfortable around other people and animals as well as in public places.9.Devote at least 30 minutes everyday to play with your dog.10.Ensure that you are a lawful dog owner-- obey all leash, vaccination, and noise pollution laws. 11.Always clean up after your dog it prevents infections.12.Exercise your dog for at least 30 minutes each day.These golden rules will help you grant the boon of a good life to your dog and believe me a dog that leads a well balanced life hardly ever develops any behavioral problems. Whether you are a first time dog owner or a seasoned veteran, your learning never stops as far as it comes to training your dog. Each and every dog presents different training challenges, and the more equipped you are to handle these training issues the more likely you are to prevent any permanent and long term future behavioral problems. If you are serious about your dog, and want the very best for her/him, then you owe it to your best friend to get a copy of this FREE Dog Training Mini-Course. You can still get it from here:http://www.dogtrainingmastery.com/Free_Dog_Training/dog-obedience-training.htm About the Author 
Ray Coleiro is the author of the popular book "Dog Training Mastery - An Owner's Manual!" To learn more about his proven Dog Training methods and life's work, you can visit http://www.dogtrainingmastery.com/Dog_Training/dog-training.htmNote: The author grants permission to you to re-print, pulish or broadcast this article so long as it is un-altered or not edited in any way, and that all links remain present and active.

Glamour Cars

Long and sleek! With Elvis as the hero of the day during the
1950s, whatever he drove become the car of the day. And 
Elvis loved the glamour that shiny new tail-fins exhibited. 
His fans loved them, too, which led to over thirty heart-
stopping models being designed during the 1950s. No one 
cared back then whether cars were gas-guzzlers or whether 
the paint job would last, or whether the shiny chrome that 
protruded out the back begged to have dents inserted within 
the first few weeks. 

The appeal of cars during the 1950s was more than just 
Elvis. It was prestige and glamour for even the average 
working person. The feeling of luxury seeped into one’s
feelings and emotions, and romance bloomed with respect 
while riding in these elegant vehicles.

The Chrysler Town & Country Newport coupe which came out in 
1950 didn’t have fins (they started creeping into the design
around 1952). Yet it wasn’t the typical car of the 1940s. 
Almost a dinosaur compared to today’s styles, the Newport 
featured distinctive, external wood framing (referred to as 
being a ‘Woodie’) and strongly appealed to the hunter and 
sportsmen.

Pontiac had a mascot – an Indian Chief– whose unsmiling face
formed the base of the front hood. His headdress consisted 
of streaks of chrome sliding back over the hood and being 
picked up again on the trunk. Sleek looking! Everyone wanted
a car with a personality, and the Indian Chief gave the 
Pontiac one. 

Because the cars of the early 1950s had a somewhat dowdy 
appearance but reflected the potential of sparkling glamour,
car designers became aggressive in their creativity. By 1957
and 1958 the designers produced disastrously overblown 
responses. Sharp clean fins reached in all directions. They 
were streaked with chrome, and somewhere in the middle a 
body was grafted into them. Bright yellows! Passionate reds!
Baby blues! And regardless of the weather where one lived, 
convertibles were in, even if you never lowered the top.

The intense competition among the car manufacturers meant 
that each model became extinct quickly. Planned obsolescence
meant the customers had to choose between buying a new car 
each year or being a social leper. Because of the expense of
redesigning all models every year, the manufacturers took to
keeping the inner workings of the cars basically the same 
and only changing the outward look. 

By 1958 some models,such as the 1958 Oldsmobile, were 
beginning to be called ‘ugly.’ Some even said it looked 
like a brick with a hardtop sitting on it. However, the 
indented chrome on the doors still caught one’s eye of 
respect. 

All systems self-destruct from within. The era of the 
glamour cars had outdone itself and common sense dictated 
that what would follow in the 1960s would be based on 
performance, a concern for the environment, and conservative
packaging. During the 1960s people weren’t impressed with 
external appearances to the exclusion of what existed 
underneath. This attitude was reflected towards both people 
and cars. Yet, who will ever forget Elvis? Or the glamour 
cars of the 1950s? 

You Too Can Live On A Cruise Ship

Have you ever dreamt about living on a Cruise Ship forever?



Traveling the world, seeing all kinds of exotic places, cruising forever with not a care in the world.



It is now a reality, and several possibilities exist.



1. The World of ResidenSea was launched in 2002 as a condominium-style residential community contained on a 644-foot cruise ship, complete with restaurants, a spa and fitness center and other amenities similar to what you'd find on a typical mid-size cruise liner.



As with land-based condo resorts, short-term rentals of a week or more may be arranged without committing to ownership, and a wide range of ports is included on The World's ongoing circumnavigation of the globe. 



Residensea has problems.



-disputes between owners of Condos on the ship and tourists.



Owners want to stay in exciting ports for several days, tourists that the ship needs to get full occupancy to cover the cost of unsold suites want to move from port to port every day.



Sales of actual condos on the ship have stalled due to fears of terrorism, uncertainty in financial markets and uncertainty about the future of the ship.



Annual maintenance costs run at $100,000 per suite while an actual suite now costs 1.9 to 4 million dollars. This ad recently appeared on the Internet:



"Rent an outside luxury cabin from $600 a day"



From somebody who owns 2 cabins on the ResidenSea. That runs to $18,000 per month.



2. Join an organization that will buy a used Cruise Ship and convert it to Condos.



This concept has been tried and failed.

The practical problems were just too great.



-Trying to get enough people interested

-Trying to get commitments from people

-Trying to find a ship that was not going to fall apart immediately upon leaving the harbor.

-Trying to get cash from people before a ship was bought.



And these were just problems BEFORE a ship was even bought.

Think about the problems there would be after the ship was bought.



3. Buy regular cruises on an on-going basis.



This seems the only practical way in which you can live permanently on a Cruise Ship.



Here are the estimated costs based on double occupancy starting on the cheap:



Basic Cruise Costs; $100 per day x 2 people = $6000 per month

This includes gratuities, all you can eat and port costs.



Independent costs of living for Seniors seems to be about $2000 per month per person = $4000.

This includes food.



So for $2000 per month extra a couple can live on a Cruise Ship (or ships) forever.



The advantages of this type of living if you have that extra $24,000 per year to spend are these:



-Quality of the meals on a Cruise Ship is probably a lot better than what you would get in an independent living type of situation.



-You can vary cruise lines, use a Caribbean Cruise Line this month, an Alaska Line next month and a European Line for the next 6 months.



-Shows every night.



-Built-in new friends every week or so. Most cruises end within 7 days and a new crop of potential friends arrives for you to interact with.



-An entire Cruise Staff to help you with ANYTHING if you have a problem.



So, if you want to live on a Cruise Ship: $24,000 a year extra is all it takes for 2 people.

Selecting an Online University

People who want higher education but who don't live near a college or university offering courses they want used to be out of luck. No more. Now it is possible to study almost any subject online. It may require more self-discipline to pursue a degree this way. However, students at online universities can attend classes at their convenience, making it possible to earn a living at the same time as earning a degree. 



What to look for



There are now many online universities. Some online degree programs are offered by traditional universities with campuses, while others only exist in cyberspace. Selecting the right school and being sure your degree will be recognized by potential employers is the first step. How can you tell whether a program is a real educational experience or a diploma mill? Here are some things to find out before signing up. 



Look for a university with accreditation from a recognized accrediting organization. This is important because it means the school meets established standards of quality. Well-known universities like the University of Florida, Northwestern, Purdue and Notre Dame are examples of accredited institutions. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes universities accredited by one of the six accrediting bodies. Students who attend accredited universities are usually eligible for federal student loans and the course credits they earn generally transfer to other accredited institutions.



Picking a degree program



To determine if a degree program fits your professional and personal interests, review the curriculum and course descriptions in university web sites and course catalogs. Do they offer courses in subjects of interest to you? 



To learn more about whether a program might be good for you, ask about the faculty's industry experience and the scope and focus of their research. Do they have the appropriate advanced degrees for what they teach? Find out where the professors got their degrees. If all or most of them graduated from the same online university you are considering, this is a red flag, suggesting their academic credentials are weak. A real university will have teachers who have graduated from many different schools.



How students apply what they learn to their fields of expertise and to their communities are also strong indicators of a program's value. Ask what employers, organizations and professional associations partner with or support the university. Talk to someone at the university and explain your educational goals and career plans. Whether you wish to advance your career, change careers, make a contribution to society or become more expert in your field, be sure the program you choose will get you there. One way to find out is to learn how the university's alumni are doing. Alumni success or lack of it reflects the quality of a university and its programs. Ask for examples of how alumni are using the knowledge they gained in their professional and personal lives. 



If the university accepts everyone who applies and can afford the cost, be suspicious. A real university will require each student to meet appropriate admissions requirements. 



Online teaching is different



Make sure any online universities you are considering know how to deliver and support online courses and that you have the technology you need to take them. Do the faculty members know how to guide the classroom experience to ensure learning objectives are achieved? Are your computer and Internet connection up to the task? Assignments are typically posted online and discussions take place as threaded postings. Most online courses require students to log in and contribute to discussions a certain number of times each week. Many courses let you log in any time, anywhere as long as you meet the weekly course requirements.



What type of student support services are available? How responsive are instructors to student inquiries? What opportunities are there to interact with fellow students? This interaction enables students to gain knowledge and understanding from others with a wide variety of geographic, cultural and professional perspectives. The most effective courses, especially for adult learners with years of work experience, are those in which students gain the insights and perspectives of everyone in the class.



Can you afford it?



Though attending an online university allows you to live where you do currently so you won't pay anything extra for living expenses while you study, there will be charges for books, tuition and fees. Find out what other expenses there will be, if any, to be sure you can afford your studies. Ask if financial aid is available, as some schools offer it to online learners.



Note that tuition and fees at online universities are often higher than what is charged at their campus-based counterparts. However, these schools offer personalized support and a convenient and flexible format geared for the adult learner. If a university's tuition and fees are significantly less expensive than other online schools, double check on its accreditation to be sure it is legitimate.