When Preparation Meets Opportunity - Creating Good Habits

You must be ready when an opportunity comes before you, opportunity often comes in the form of work and that's why most people seem to miss it. Most people are too busy looking for the easy path through life. They seem to lay around waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime,... to simply fall at your feet.

Why would you want to spend so much time complaining about something, or someone? Other people can help you along the way, if you let them, but it's up to you, ultimately, to become the most you can possibly be. I have had plenty of opportunities in my life and have took advantage of some, while letting most of them pass by.

I'm no different than most people but now seem to be aware of my surrounding opportunities, all the time.

How many times do you wish for an opportunity to come along? It's probably one that you missed already, at some point during your life. Are you going to be prepared for the next opportunity when it comes along? These opportunities seem to repeat themselves throughout our lives and if we're not in the right state of mind, we often overlook them and let them pass by, time and time again.

You need to prepare yourself in advance for the next opportunity. If you are prepared and have your eyes open, you will be able to see the next opportunity that comes your way. Preparation will increase your chances for success and good fortune always.

Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. Be on the lookout, when you're walking to the grocery store, taking a break at work, reading the newspaper, talking to your neighbor, walking down the street or even while you are sitting alone, letting your mind wander away. Your chances for success could come while your in your quiet places, or relaxing. Be prepared.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Article Writing Service - A 5 Step Guide to Choosing Right!

Internet marketing can be a lucrative business, and employing the right article writing service to help you with your Internet marketing is a smart business decision. With any business decision, you want to choose right the first time so that you don't waste either your time or your money. There are certain guidelines to follow when choosing an article writing service that can help ensure a business relationship that benefits everyone. Any time that you invest in a service designed to help you boost your profits, you want the highest return possible. Choosing the right article writing help is crucial for this.

• The majority of articles needed for Internet marketing need to be written in English. Though you don't necessarily have to hire an article writing service that employs only writers born and living in English-speaking countries, you do want writers for whom English is their primary language. It shows when an article is written by a writer who does not have a decent grasp of English; and using these articles can hurt your credibility.
• It is tempting to use free articles or very cheap articles, but more often than not you're not going to benefit from using them. Cheap shows, but so does value. Writing isn't something that just anyone can do, no matter what the claims are to the contrary. Shop around for a good deal, but don't settle for anything less than professional-quality writing.
• Choose an article writing service that understands search engine optimization and keywords. There are a lot of good, professional writers out there, but what you are looking for are the ones that understand Internet writing. Combining quality article writing with knowledge of how to get your content listed high on the search engines is the mark of a good Internet article service.
• Choose an article writing service that guarantees its work. When there is a guarantee, you know that the service works hard to get it right the first time. If you need revisions in articles that have been written for you, these revisions should be done for free-unless you've decided to change from the original agreement. A good service stands behind its work.
• If you find a good article service, stick with them! Building a solid relationship with a writing service is beneficial to you and your business. The service will be intimately familiar with what you need and you can count on consistency in the articles that you order.

Establish a relationship with a good, professional article writing service and you will see the benefits almost immediately. You can concentrate on other aspects of your business knowing that your articles and web content will be of the highest quality. This means continued profits for your business-the bottom line that you are looking for.

Go to http://www.penreflections.synthasite.com to visit Tracy's article and web content writing website, and to get a FREE article in your first order!

Tracy is a freelance print and Internet writer who specializes in helping businesses get quality content on their websites and in their articles. She has been writing professionally for 20 years.

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Attitude - Life is Good

Is it really true that a certain attitude can affect our lives in a significant way? Let's think of it as a scientific study. Say we hypothesize that a positive attitude deems success and a negative attitude deems failure. We could stratify the study -- see the differences between men and women, old and young -- but is that really necessary, aren't we just looking at the obvious?

Success is definitely more of a mental attitude -- it's not how much money we make, if we're male or female, or how skinny we are -- it's our perceptions, how we see ourselves fitting into this world. Rich people are not always at peace, beautiful people are not always happy, and why is that? Think of Victor Frankl and the Pursuit of Happiness -- the incredible trials -- but yet he still found peace amidst the unbelievable circumstances he had to endure.

Let me share a true story to illustrate my point -- one that a good friend shared with me. My friend was browsing in a bookstore one day when in walked two women. One was absolutely stunning -- you couldn't help but stare. Her features, manner, and clothing were swiped off the cover of a glamour magazine. Next to this beauty was her friend in a wheelchair -- kind of plain looking, maybe a little chubby, and with no real amazing sense of style. My friend thought they were an odd pair to be out together, but didn't think about it anymore and went back to her browsing. A few minutes later, she could hear the pair talking in the next aisle. One was gently coaxing the other. It's just your attitude, you can do anything you set your mind too. Life is wonderful, it's all about how we choose to see things. My friend was transfixed, the words and the voice were so powerful that she almost believed them. I mean, she was listening to the words of an obviously beautiful, successful woman. But then my friend snapped back to reality, almost slightly angry. So easy for her to say when she has everything. My friend rounded the corner and stopped in her tracks. The encouraging voice, the powerful positive message, came from the woman in the wheelchair.

That story has always stuck with me and illustrates my point perfectly.

So how does an attitude really cause our success? Here are some pointers.

• Gratitude: When we are able to be grateful for even the smallest things, our thoughts and actions focus on the good of the situation.


• Grounded: If you don't allow the craziness of everyday ups and downs get to you -- remain gracious and kind, focusing on the good -- you will better be able remember your priorities and work towards achieving your goals.


• Attraction: As we are gracious and grounded, we attract other positive people. Put simply, do you prefer to hang out with grumps or happy people?


• Opportunity Knocks: Your mind will be clear, and negative thinking won't affect your perceptions so you're better able to recognize an opportunity that aligns with your goals in life. And many times those opportunities may come in the form of happy, successful people that you've attracted into your life.

So to answer our question at the beginning -- yes, our attitudes can significantly affect our lives. Just as we focus on the positive aspect of life, focusing on the negative can have the same effect in the opposite direction. We'll attract negative-like minds. But we must remember that living in a fantasy bubble with our blinders on is almost as bad as wallowing in our pessimism. So as in everything, life is about balance. Let's have a good attitude but be aware with our eyes wide open.

Jaycee Fox writes on health and family related issues, and the pursuit of achieving a balanced life. She has a Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters degree. She's happily married and the mother of three. If you're interested in finding that balance and the many resources that can help you achieve it -- even her recommended books on improving attitude -- then check out Jaycee's resource website at http://jayceeliving.com

Why Should We Give Thanks in Times Like These?

According to History.com, the first Thanksgiving took place in Massachusetts during the Pilgrim Settlers second winter in America in December 1621. The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists. And because an unexpected trading vessel arrived, and swapped beaver pelts with them for corn, they were able to survive. Since next summers crops brought hope, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast on December 13, 1621, which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. Although this feast is considered to be the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. The Pilgrims gave thanks to God for helping them find acres of land that had no hostile Indians and for newfound religious freedom. They also celebrated with the friendly Indians who brought wild turkeys and venison with them. As well as prayers, sermons and songs of praise. They spent three days feasting and praying. Since that time, Thanksgiving is a celebration of thanks of gratitude to God for His grace and mercy upon us. And President Lincoln officially set aside the last Thursday of November in 1863, "as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father." In 1941, Congress ruled that after 1941, the fourth Thursday of November be observed as Thanksgiving Day and be a legal holiday.

But why should we give thanks in times like these today? It is true that in today's society, some of us may think we don't have much to be thankful for. From loss of jobs, homes, cars and possessions, what's left? From the fall of Wall Street, the never ending war and the bad economy, why should we still be thankful to God? 1 Thessalonians says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." This means, no matter what we may go through, good or bad, God will always make a way for us. Even at our darkest time or hour, God will always turn a negative into a positive, if we only believe and trust in Him. Even in the book of Exodus, the Israelites sang a song of thanksgiving as they were delivered from Pharoah's army after they crossed the Red Sea. And the book of Psalms is full of songs of thanksgiving for God's grace to the Israelite people as well as for His individual graces to each of us.

In this life there will always be things to complain about. But God gave us a choice. Do we choose to be positive or negative? Is the glass half empty or full? No matter how grim our situations may be, there will always be something to be thankful for. Did we live to see another day? Do we have our health and strength? Are our families ok? Do we have clothes, food and shelter? If we only believe and trust in God, He will give us our needs and not necessarily our wants. For Romans 8:28-30 says, "For those who know Christ, God also works everything together for good, even events we would not necessarily consider good." May God grant that He may find us grateful everyday for all gifts- spiritual and material.

Wanda is a wife, mother, public speaker and contributing author of EzineArticles.com. She has been writing about God and spirituality for over 20 years and has researched the bible and its history. Wanda also specializes in Christian poetry and children books and believes and teaches that regardless of a person's background or their mistakes of the past, God has a place for them.

She is the publisher and bestselling author of "Kids Ask The Darndest Things About God And The Beginning- Answers From The First Five Books Of The Bible" available at http://www.amazon.com

Visit Ball Publications Christian Books at http://www.ball-publications.com and sign up for "The Knowledge" monthly Newsletter. Gain Knowledge and Power with articles, discussions, tips and special offers that will be provided from time to time. Take advantage of up and coming events, radio broadcasts and recommended products of interest for you and your family!

Fitting a Shower Into Your Tiny Bathroom

People who live in urban apartments or old houses can face problems with installing a shower into their bathrooms. Most of these bathrooms are extremely small, and it may seem that since all the space is already taken up by existing fixtures, there's no hope of ever having a shower. However, there are options available to give you that shower you want.

The first thing you could try is taking the bathtub completely out. In most of these types of accommodations, the bathtubs are old, large, and take up way more room than they need to. By removing this old tub, you'll have the room you need to fit a fancy shower enclosure in the space instead. Unfortunately, this means no more long hot baths, but if you want to create more space, this may be your only option.

Before replacing your bathtub you need to realize that removing the tub will decrease the value of your property. Most potential buyers will expect there to be a bathtub. If you have a very large bedroom, you might consider adding a sunken bathtub to the bedroom in addition to adding the shower. You'll find that a lot of people will really like this idea.

Maybe you have one of those nifty old claw foot bathtubs that are so in demand today. If you have sufficient ceiling height, you can add a showerhead to your bathtub. If you don't have the height to work with, you can find shower heads on flexible hoses that you can attach to the faucet of your bathtub.

You might decide to forget the shower enclosure and the bathtub and just turn your entire bathroom into a shower. You will need to install walls and floors made of concrete or stone which could be rather costly, but the results will be truly amazing. Just be sure to add a floor drain. The problem with this kind of design may be where you're going to put a toilet, sink, and mirror. If there's room, you could put up a glass or Plexiglas partition and place your other fixtures behind the wall.

The more things you're able to remove from your small bathroom will mean you have that much more additional room for a fancy shower. When you get to doing remodeling of this scope, you will probably need to find a professional contractor to do the work for you.

For more bathroom decor ideas, including lladro bathroom style, check out our bathroom style guide at http://www.bathroomstyleguide.com

8 Writing Tips For Beginners

Are you new at writing articles? Are you searching for tips that can help you get started? It can be difficult writing articles especially when you're a newbie but there are a few things that you can do that will make it easier. You just need a starting point and a few suggestions that will help you put things into perspective.

You can create great one of a kind articles by using the 5 writing tips for beginners listed here.

1. Don't be intimidated by writing; just let go and get started. Your skills will improve with practice. It's easier if you choose a subject that you already know something about because you will have prior knowledge on the topic.
2. Make your articles good, informative and stay on topic. You need to give the reader a reason to want to read what you have to say. The only way to do this is by giving them something they can use.
3. The words need to flow smoothly and proper writing skills should be used. Who wants to try reading an article that is filled with spelling and grammatical errors?
4. Don't try to be perfect. The details that you provide should be accurate but that doesn't mean that you need to provide all the information available on a particular topic. Don't make the article too lengthy or the reader will either get bored or not have the time to read it.
5. Keep a pad and pen with you at all times so when those great ideas pop into your head, you have a way to hang onto them. All writers tend to have wonderful ideas at some of the most inconvenient times. Having a pad and pen allows you to jot down your ideas so you can elaborate on them later.
6. Take frequent breaks to keep your thoughts fresh.
7. Take the necessary steps to have your articles published.
8. Don't be discouraged if your first attempts at publishing articles get denied. This happens even to the best writers once in awhile. The key is to learn from the mistakes you make and improve your skills.

Apply the tips listed above to your writing and it will help you get started. Writing articles tends to get a little easier each time you write about new topics. You will learn more as you go and before long you could be writing like a pro.

Lisa is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content. She has also authored her own books and works as a consultant to other writers, Internet marketers and Internet businesses. Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company, public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa's blog from her website: http://www.freelancewriter4hire.com

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Stress Management

There are stress management techniques for everyone. Not everyone is comfortable with using what they see as public tactics such as going to the gym, seeing a counselor or a coach to relieve their stress. Stress, for many, is private. That's okay, too. There's a solution for everyone - even those who prefer to keep the things that are bothering them to themselves without letting the whole world in on their secret.

Take a look at these techniques and see if any will work for you:

1. One way for you to do this is by journaling your stress away. Research has proven that people who journal for two weeks felt relief from the stress they felt on a regular basis. When you journal, it can sometimes help you see a different side to things that you might not have been open to during moments of extreme stress, such as during the middle of an argument. The great thing about journaling is that there's no one way that's best - it's just whatever works for you. Try to write a little bit each day, even if it's only for 5-10 minutes. The more you write, the more stress-relieving benefits you'll gain!

2. Private time by yourself reflecting on what happened that causing you stress without dwelling on anything negative. Reflect and let go. Allow yourself to let go by simply saying those words either to your self or out loud "let go" these words can be magical if we let them. If a problem continues to trouble you and comes up persistently simply repeat the process.

3. Go outside calm your nerves. The only way to get the full benefit of nature is to experience it firsthand. You can't read about it, see photos or watch it on television and get the same stress-relieving effect. And while you're outdoors, stop, look and listen. Stop your brain from running at full tilt thinking about your task list or replaying that last irritating phone call. Look around you - really look. What do you see? A tree - what kind of tree? A bush with flowers? Did you see a squirrel playing under the tree? Watch him - squirrels tend to be entertaining and if you bring peanuts, the squirrel will put on a show for that treat.

And I'd like to invite you to use these techniques to keep your stress private.

And now I'd like to offer you more stress relief techniques that get results? Learn how to dramatically improve your stress relief results by claiming your FREE 5 Part customized home study course. You get instant access at => http://www.keytostressfreeliving.com

From Linda Hampton RN, MSN A Wellness and Stress Management Coach