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Foreclosure rates have been on the rise lately. If you find that you are having trouble making ends meet, what can you do?

There are many homeowners that find they can no longer afford their mortgage payments. It may be due to illness, job loss or a death in the family. Others have adjustable-rate mortgages that have adjusted upwards to an unaffordable amount.

The best way to avoid foreclosure is to avoid the circumstances that bring it on. Too much debt, adjustable or exotic mortgages, little to no emergency savings and lack of insurance can often make foreclosure more likely. Stretching to buy an expensive home is also a large risk.

But the fact is, no one knows the future. You can make the right decisions and still face losing your home due to facts outside of your control. It happens. If you find that you are having trouble making your mortgage payments and are risking defaulting on your loan, you need to take action right now.

The key is to keep an open discussion going between yourself and your lenders. Take action immediately. If you think you are going to be late on a mortgage payment, contact your mortgage company immediately. Don’t let them just wonder what happened to you.

In many cases, your lender will be more than willing to discuss your financial options with you. Lenders do not want to foreclose on properties. It costs them money and drives down the home values in the area around your property.

Get your bills and debts together. Form a budget and a plan of action. If you need to notify all of your lenders, do it. Let them know you are having financial problems, but fully plan on paying all of your debts and bills. Many will be willing to work with you on a plan of payment. Don’t just write checks hoping that they will be covered. The late fees and bounced check fees can cost you a lot.

Protect your credit score if you are able. You don’t want this one crisis to hurt you for years to come. Make your payments on time, or according to new agreement. Once you have an agreement with a lender, stick with it. If you default on this second chance, you will probably be called to task for it.

Don’t get desperate and look for the first help that comes along. There are a lot of predatory lenders out there looking for the desperate. Before you sign any paperwork dealing with your home, have your lawyer or mortgage company check it out.

Don’t just sit back and wait for things to get better. Take action. Doing nothing gets you nothing. You can avoid foreclosure if you put a little effort into it. Start saving and getting yourself back on track. If you can’t afford the home you have, sell it and buy one that you can afford. Don’t let your pride keep your from starting over. A fresh start in a new place is better than staying in a place that is draining you, financially and mentally.

Martin Lukac (http://www.MartinLukac.com), represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!

Many young families are looking for ways to earn Extra Money. Even 2 income families often find themselves strapped for cash. Ebay is the Perfect Solution for the young Growing family.

1 - Low Start Up Cost’s

You can get started selling on EBay with virtually no out of pocket money. Many people just sell their 2nd hand Junk.

• Cloths Children outgrew
• Toys your children never play with
• That old laptop computer.
• That ugly bridesmaid dress that you still can’t belive she made you wear
• Ebay truly is the world’s largest garage sale

2 - Risk Free

Since you don’t need a large investment and you can start off by selling your old junk and then perhaps things you buy at closeout sales their is no risk.

3 - Very Easy to Start

You can take a class online at EBay University that teaches you everything you need to know to get started selling on Ebay.

4 - Very Easy to Run

You can list an item for sale on Ebay in less then 15 Minutes. At the close of auction after you have been paid You can then go to a package stores like ‘the UPS Store’ or ‘Fedex Kinkos’ and they will pack and Ship the item for you.

As you get more sophisticated you can use a drop shipper. You just Fax or e-mail them your customer information and they do all the shipping.

5 - Start Today

You can literally be in busy today if you want.

6 - Flexible Hours

You can work your Ebay Business any time of the night or day. You can work your Ebay Business Full Time, Part Time or Some time. If you need to take off for a week, a month or even a year or more your Ebay Business will be patiently waiting for you when you return.

7 - Tax Deductible

You should consult with your tax advisor but as a business owner you may have extra tax advantages.

7 - The Whole Family Can Participate

The whole family can be involved. Young Children can check the e-mail account and see if any Auctions Closed. As the children get older they can leave feedback, help with the page design.

8 - Teach Values

You can teach your children values. By helping you run the business and watching you earn money they learn that money really doesn’t grow on trees. You can even help them list those old CD’s or Video Games and allow them to keep some or all of the money.

9 - Legacy

As your children get older they can follow your example and have their own Ebay Business. Wouldn’t it be better to start them in an Ebay Business of their own and allow them to keep some of the money as an Allowance and put the rest in a college fund or house Down Payment Fund.

10 - Money

Extra Money wasn’t that why we started this business to begin with!

About The Author:
Mike Makler has been Marketing Online Since 2001 When he Built
an Organization of over 100,000 Members

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Copyright © 2005-2006 Mike Makler the Coolest Guy in the Universe

It is amazing how the Federal Trade Commission has destroyed franchising, by selling the industry out to lawyers. We need to have accountability for the regulators and we can start by firing the head of the Franchising Group at the Federal Trade Commission and anyone who has worked in that department in the last 6-10 years. Let me give you an example of what the Federal Trade Commission’s Franchising Group’s policies have made a mockery out of the purest of business models; Franchising.

A Judge ruled that the Krispy Kreme franchisor partly contributed to the underperforming franchisees. Many of which are close to bankruptcy, of course it wasn’t the diet craze of South Beach or Atkins, no, it was the franchisors fault? But the franchisor had problems as it expanded to fast and the market changed, which is a normal business risk? Without risk there is no free enterprise. The judge further ordered the franchisor to continue to ship product to the franchisees, even when the franchisee was not able to pay for the goods? What kind of crap is this?

It gets worse, but how can this be? Well check this out: The lawyers representing the franchisee are cousins of the lawyers representing the franchisees. Interesting? Indeed. Now, then how do you suppose that happened?

“Hey, cous; I have a plan. You see we. . . whisper, whisper, whisper and then we both make money and who cares who wins the suit, we make lots of money in fees?”

Isn’t it sickening the lawyers are ruining franchising in this way? Why is this happening? It is happening due to the incompetence of the Federal Trade Commission in my opinion. As one man turns over an industry to lawyers, an industry that accounts for one-third of every consumer dollar spent in our nation and represents 450,000 outlets and an estimate 15 million jobs? Isn’t that just great. You have heard my opinion, what do you think?

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Planning for the undesired, accidents and possible unknowns in life.
Recently, a remote friend of mine died during an accident. I don’t feel
particularly sad, but I was shocked to know because the scenario was quite
dramatic.

Whose responsibility is this when accidents happen? A more appropriate question
should be: What to do and how to do BEFORE life-threatening accident happens.

To be more practical, have you prepared yourself a will?

I am not an estate planning lawyer/ specialist and thus in no position to advise
anyone how to prepare a will. Seek a trustable lawyer (estate lawyer) and get
yourself a valid will.

********
Sidebar:
If you are in the States, read this article on estate planning/ will
preparation =>http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/money/estate/estate.htm
********

You should inform your closest relative(s), where your important info is, e.g.
insurance documents, valid will, asset-related passwords, banking info and etc.
It can save a lot of unnecessary work, pressure and worries, for your family
members.

Getting yourself an insurance policy.

Or is insurance - a need or a want? It can be both.

For needs:

Maybe you have unpaid mortgage, unsecured debts and etc. Then you may need a
life insurance policy to satisfy those needs. Depending where you are, medical
costs can be sky-high and a medical insurance can be a god-sent.

********
Sidebar:
You should first identify your needs (life, medical, and disability). Every
aspect involves specialization. Check out my other articles for general
background info.

Bear in mind that you should always discuss with your spouse or closest
relatives, in order to map out the whole picture. It’s their “business” when
accidents occur.

********

For wants:

You may have un-fulfilled dream, if you were to die before your wish being
realized. You have to specify that in your will/ insurance policy. Seek your
lawyer/ insurance specialist for more advice on this.

Seeking for an independent advice:

I have served in insurance industry for 5 years. I have not met an insurance
agent who knows your need better than yourself. Almost everyone is vested with
his/ her own interest, one way or the other. Seeking for an independent
insurance advice is the best way to go. No matter how much you are willing to
pay for excellent independent advice, it’s hard to find one. One way to go is by
hiring a fee-based advisor, instead of a commission based advisor.

Insurance broker or insurance agent:

Buying from a broker can be advantageous. If you are buying from a broker, make
sure the broker is an established one. As for buying from an agent, you will be
bound by his/ her advice limited to one insurance company. Factors to consider
when choosing an insurance company:

You should check the insurance company financial strength before considering an
insurance plan. This is a job you need to do it yourself. Checking the financial
status of each prospective insurance company is vital. To your dismay, a company
with too good rating may not be desirable as it may imply that the company is
over cautious with claims. It could also mean the premium is over priced. In my
opinion, an insurance company with AA rating in Standard and Poor/ AM best is a
reliable indicator. Insurance plan: An agent may move from one company to
another, but not your insurance company nor your insurance plan. Check the 3
factors before rushing to buy an insurance plan. They are flexibility,
functionality and affordability.

Any insurance policy is a business policy for the insurance company. If an
insurance plan does not sound for the insurance company, it will not be in
existence in the first place. By that I don’t mean insurance schemes are
ripped-offs. It just means that we have to know the game plan before investing.
Understanding different features of insurance plans is beyond the scope of this
article.

Roy Chan

Certified Financial Planner and Business Consultant
Get financial advice today:
http://www.wealthyhub.com
Also get free ebooks and bonus by signing up his newsletter at:
http://www.wealthyhub.com/newsletter.html

Bind together the two of everybody’s most important quests and you’re guaranteed to display a mania commonly known as a sportsbook wagers web property. Can you imagine anything that could be more imaginative… If you see a bunch of sports admirers cheering over any given local lineup, and regularly stakes are certain to be calculated complementing the noise. Aiming to get some of the excitement, spectators typically essay to conjecture who is the likeliest to prevail the approaching game. All of this eventually develops into a nice little game called sportsbook wagers web property.

Agreed it might seem to be dependency forming, however, sports gambling is essentially just an amusing entertainment and of teaming up with fellow sports addicts. Here, you can risk a a negligible quantity of boodle and nonetheless enjoy an extravagant time. Read on for several instructions to get started sports gambling.

To wager, you’ll probably want to check out a sportsbook wagers web property, that’s to say a place which offers sportsbook wagers web property. In America, there’s four states where to do sports gambling legitimately, but inofficially you can do it anywhere provided that you can determine a bookie AND you’re of age. Included in the sports competitions you can bet your money on are pro and also college football & basketball, pro hockey and baseball, and also betting on both horse and dog racing. You can bet money on the general score of a game, when any given contester will go under, and even if a coin toss in a game will come out either heads or tails.

The bookies firm trust number crunching to assist you come to a decision which lineup you feel is the likeliest to prevail. There is the balance, that’s lead tallied to the losing contestor expected to go down by X number points. Obviously, this comprises the odds maker’s official approach of offering level bets for a sports book. To take an example, you can bet money on a contestor expected to go down and and nonetheless make money on that bet provided that the contestor does actually take a licking by X number of points.

There are normally a lot of varied manners of stakes: parlays, straight bets, where you merely pick the club you’re guessing is the likeliest to prevail or lose, over/unders, i.e. antes on the totalized points chalked up in the fight by all participating clubs, teaser bets etc., the straight being the dominating one in sports gambling.

So do experiment with it, and chill out in tandem… But make sure that you won’t get gripped and spend your total retirement income on a caprice. Because you just might find yourself struck by remorse all your life.

Any time, any place, join our busy online sport book betting games!

Having a pet is an experiance that I think everyone should have. It
reaches us on a level that few other experiances can. But, not all of
us can handle the kind of committment that is required or we just don’t
want to. Whatever it is, it is your decision for your life!

The bond between humans and their pets has always been of the
greatest interest. I had read about it and heard people talk about it
but never experianced it for myself until a few years ago. The
experiance was deep and meaningful and made me realize that taking
physical and mental care of my pet was as important as taking care of
myself! Thinking that started me on a quest to find products that would
give my pet a long and happy life. And I then found that they respond
and that deepens the bond between us.

This is a happy catch 22! I
think a lot of it is the time spent together.

Bathe your pet in products
that will make their coats shiny and their skin healthy. Groom their
coats and feed them good food. And if they become sick, look after
them and give them the medicines they need. Personally, I like to use
natural and organic products, because I find they work really well, they
don’t introduce chemicals into the system that could have bad side
effects and in the long run they aren’t as expensive. There are also
natural medicines for them just like there is for humans. Just be
informed about what you are using and what it will do.

I am a health conscious individual that spends a lot of time researching
different ways of thinking. It is important to me to think outside the
box or the matrix if you will! I do not believe and accept everything I
see, read, or hear. Some things I have found to be truths for my own
life and those things I pass on to you. My maxims are “think for
yourself” and “listen to your whole self, body, mind and soul!” I have
found that if I do those two things I am always happy! The goal of my
web site is to supply those of you that have made the choice to go
natural with quality products!

http://www.naturallivingbychoice.com

In his book, The Road Ahead, Bill Gates of Microsoft writes of “friction-free capitalism” made possible by developments in communications, chief among them the Internet and its World Wide Web. In this context, “friction” is everything that keeps markets from functioning as the “perfect competition” of economics textbooks. This friction can be a function of distance between buyer and seller, costs of overcoming this distance, and incomplete or incorrect information.

Friction manifests itself by causing barriers to entry for new competitors, limiting the number of outlets from which the consumer has to choose. Large companies, with multiple sales outlets, and economies of scale, have greater power to direct the marketplace.

The degree of friction in the developed world has been decreasing for some years now. Affordable air travel, overnight delivery, improved telephone and fax communications have shortened distances. Credit cards and toll-free numbers have spawned at-home shopping from sources across the country.

The Web has taken the friction in our economy down another notch. In principle, we can sell products and services to a worldwide audience as easily and effectively as our largest multi-national competitor.

In the friction-less economy, the challenge of differentiating ourselves from the competition becomes even greater. Successful small businesses tend to be those who can find some competitive edge, even when their product or service is similar to those around them.

Marketing professionals often call a business’ competitive edge their “unique selling proposition,” or USP. Pinpointing and refining one’s USP, however, is not a simple matter. An approach is unique only in the context of our competitors’ marketing messages.

Some marketing messages go beyond product and service characteristics. For example, Charles Revson, founder of Revlon, insisted that he sold hope, not makeup. Similarly, United Airlines sells “friendly skies,” and Wal-Mart sells “always” the low price. Do these slogans convey how each company views their customers? Does their selling proposition appeal to your preferences?

Sharpen your USP:

• Put yourself in your customer’s shoes; satisfy their needs, not yours.

• Know what motivates behavior and buying decisions.

• Find the real reasons people would buy your product instead of a competitor’s. Ask them!

• “Shop” the competition, be open-minded about your product, and never stop looking for ways to make your product stand out.

Try now to recast your business idea in terms of its competitive advantage. Prepare an industry analysis (size, customers, trends, and competitiveness). Identify what you see as your specific market, and estimate the share you think you can capture.

The Web can be a powerful research assistant. Virtually every major business puts product and service information on the Web, including business directory services and magazines.

Search engines can help in improving your understanding of your industry, and the key success factors. Test the resources available on the Web. Visit sites of major companies in the industry, where appropriate. Search the archives of business magazines for articles that give background and statistics.

John B. Vinturella, Ph.D. has almost 40 years experience as a management and strategic consultant, entrepreneur, author, and college professor. For 20 of those years, Dr. Vinturella was owner/president of a distribution company that he founded. He is a principal in business opportunity sites jbv.com and muddledconcept.com, and maintains business and political blogs.

Buying an exercise bike? An exercise bike is an excellent way to build fitness, lose weight and get fit.

But how do you choose the best one? This buying guide will show you exactly what to look for when shopping so you can find the very best exercise bike for your needs!

First, ask yourself which class of exercise bike you would like. There are 2 general classes of exercise bikes:

1) Recumbent Bikes

Recumbent bikes are the newer exercise bikes on the market with the chair-like or bucket seats. Your body is placed in a semi reclining position and your legs angle out in front of you to reach the pedals instead of hanging down as on an upright bike.

2) Upright Bikes

These are also called “Stationary bikes” although this term is now becoming a catch all term for both upright and recumbent bikes. These are the traditional exercise bikes that have been around for years and are similar in form to traditional outdoor bikes.

An offshoot of the standard upright bike is the ‘Dual Action’ Stationary bike. These bikes have movable bars or levers on arm handles to incorporate your upper body into the workout.

Know what you want before you start comparing different exercise bikes. Personally I’ve owned both and after a while upright exercise bike seats just don’t feel too comfortable if you know what I mean. But the choice is yours.

The next thing you need to decide on is your budget. How much are you willing to pay for your exercise bike?

There are really 3 price categories:

1) Under $500

2) Between $500 - 1000

3) $1000 +

Under 500: While there are some above average exercise bikes under $500, don’t expect to get a top quality machine for this price. If you don’t plan on using your exercise cycle much or if you’re on a budget, this may be a good price point for you.

Between $500 - $1000: Unlike treadmills or elliptical trainers, you can usually get a very solid, higher quality exercise bike for your home in this category. Most exercise bikes in this category offer magnetic resistance and high grade consoles that give you feedback on your workout. You should also expect several built-in workout programs, foot straps and heart rate monitors.

$1000 +: These exercise bikes are either the cream of the crop for the advanced home exerciser or they are commercial grade for the health club. Examples of bikes in this category include spinners and commercial bikes like Life Cycle and Star Trac.

Always remember that with exercise bikes - in general - you get what you pay for so try to spend the most that you can and get a quality machine that will last you.

These are really the 2 most important features to decide on: the type of bike and the price you can afford. Here are a few more features you should know about when choosing an exercise bike.

Resistance

There are several different types of resistance you’ll find in your exercise bike

1) Direct Tension - offers you a manual adjustment of resistance

2) Air - resistance is provided by pedaling against the airflow of a fan blade

3) Magnetic Resistance - this is the most sophisticated type of resistance allowing magnetic currents to create and track the resistance. It generally allows for a greater variety of workout levels.

Magnetic resistance is generally viewed as the best option since it tends to be quieter and provides a more even feel when pedalling.

Workout Options

Most exercise bikes give you information on speed, distance traveled, and time of the workout. The more sophisticated you go, you’ll also find things like total calories and fat burned, resistance level, heart rate and program mode.

You can also get exercise bikes with numerous preprogrammed workouts and information storage as well as iFit compatibilit and Interactive Disc players.

It really depends on your personal preferences whether you choose a bike with 10 preset programs and an ultra high tech computer display or one with just a simple display.

However, keep in mind that in general, the higher priced bikes have more sophisticated options and are built with higher quality materials.

Warranty

Exercise Bikes come with a variety of warranties from 90 days to lifetime warranties on different parts of the bike. For example, parts and labor may be covered for 6 months, electronics for 1 year and the frame for a lifetime. In general keep in mind that a longer warranty is indicative of a higher quality machine.

Final Note: It is also important that you decide how much you are planning to use your exercise bike. For example, if you are new to exercising and not sure you’ll use your exercise bike much, you might want to save some money and go with a cheaper model.

If however you plan on using the bike a lot and/or are a regular exerciser, invest a bit more and get a machine that will last.

That’s it - good luck and have fun!

Charles O’Neill is a certified personal trainer and contributing writer for Exercise Bike Review a consumer oriented website focusing on the home exercise bike market.

For more buying tips, brand reviews, and best buys visit http://www.Exercise-Bike-Review.com

The hospitality business is like show business.

When you are casting, it is important to place people in suitable roles. The costs involved with hiring an individual should be a strong deterrent to rushing into decisions you may regret in 1 weeks time. Remember, once the casting decision has been made, your entire productions’ reviews are going to depend on the various people you have chosen for the performance.

Don’t be fooled by first appearances and beware of being overly impressed by what appears to be an excellent Resume. Although these can provide a valuable insight, neither may be truly indicative of whether an individual is suitable for the role you wish to fill.

Obviously the show must go on, but it is important to invest the time and effort needed to get the right person- A well planned approach can go a long way in accomplishing this.

Here are a few casting tips to get you started.

1. Treat every vacancy like an open role in a play. Define the role you are auditioning people for in terms of the part the new cast members must play and how they will have to relate to the other members in the cast. Make people skills and technical knowledge of equal importance in your hiring.

2. Identify the skills needed for the role. Once the interview begins, it’s too late to start thinking about what you want to learn. Based on the job description and your knowledge of the role you are casting, what traits or personal attributes do you want new cast members to possess? Friendliness? Courtesy? Optimism? Creativity? How will you judge the presence or absence of those traits to your satisfaction? Focus the various stages of the selection process on the real-world skills demanded by the part you’re trying to fill.

3. “Screen test” your applicants. Consider the way applicants treat your staff, which may be a good indication of how they will treat your customers and their co-workers if hired. Try role-playing difficult customer situations with applicants, or posing “what would you do if” questions based on the kinds of situations likely to occur on the job. You don’t want to listen just for “right” or “wrong” answers. You can train them to use the right words later. Listen for orientation and attitude.

4. Use multiple selection methods. Remember test anxiety in school? Job applicants get it too. Instead of sifting all applicants through one coarse screen, use a succession of fine ones to help you differentiate.

5. Ask the right questions. There are questions that can be very effective in determining the general suitability of an individual applying for a role in your show. Following are several that can be adapted to your particular requirements
-What does “great service” mean to you?
-When was the last time you experienced great service and how did it make you feel?
-In visiting the restaurant today, did you feel welcome- did you notice things we could improve on?
-The restaurant business is a people orientated business- What
-Characteristics do you have that you feel are well suited for this role?
-How would you handle a difficult customer?
-What do you like most about being in the hospitality business?

6. Emphasize mutual selection. Applicants need to make as good a selection decision as you do. Just as you want to pick the right person, you gain by helping them pick the right position and organization. If they make a poorly informed decision and discover it only after being on board for a while, you will end up with a competent but unhappy camper.

7. Recruit actively. Good people may not always find you. Sometimes, you have to find them. Where have your best people been coming from? Reward your people for introducing new candidates by paying a bounty for bringing in friends, former colleagues, even relatives who are capable of filling roles in your production.

8. Hire people that are right for the role they need to play. Customer focused organizations have whatever kind of people it takes to dazzle the customer and bring them back again. It’s very human to overlay personal beliefs, values, likes, and dislikes on the selection process, but it’s seldom in the best interest of the customer to do so.

The next article ‘Directing the performance’ will help you prepare for the show.

For previous articles please visit the Archives section on our website.

My company, Lexington Interactive, provides eLearning courses specifically for the Restaurant & Hotel Industry. For a free trial of our wait staff eLearning course, visit http://www.lexingtoninteractive.com.

One of the problems of the modern Western way of life is what many describe as the “pace” of life. Personally, I think that “pace” is a misnomer in most cases. Very few people actually have a fast pace of life. For maybe a few top politicians, business men and celebrities, a fast pace of life may be a reality. For millions of ordinary people, though, it is not so much pace as a repetitive daily grind.

The daily grind of getting up early, travelling to work, spending all day doing a job they mostly do not really like, travelling home, getting the evening meal and collapsing in front of the television; that is more the reality for millions of ordinary people. It is as if they get up in the morning, get sucked into a vortex over which they have no control, and then get dropped out of the vortex onto the tv couch, weary and unfulfilled.

Such a description is, of course, a simplification, but it does have a strong tinge of reality. It is not aptly described as a fast pace of life. It is more a repetitive form of life over which the person has little control for much, or even all, the day. Due to the lack of control of the individual, there is a tendency for self awareness to diminish over time, as their working life, flowing into their home life, runs on autopilot. The repetitive elements of each working day can, and do, induce a form of laziness. If that laziness brings in enough money to pay the bills, then there is an incentive for most people just to carry on.

For those who have an existence as described, setting personal goals and objectives may be the last thing on their mind. For such people, deciding to improve their lives and do something about it is a first step. Others, though, may already be feeling frustration that their lives are not better in one way or another, and it is likely that such people can benefit from setting some goals and objectives that may help them improve their lives, and that of their families.

I have already mentioned self awareness diminishing over time with a repetitive auto pilot existence. An important first step towards setting meaningful personal objectives and achieving them can therefore be increasing self awareness. In fact, increasing awareness could be a very powerful first objective.

How to Increase Self Awareness

Simply by thinking about it, and reading this article, you have shown self awareness and taken a first small step. Your aim should be to make self awareness a habit, a habit that will at least replace part of the non-thinking, autopilot part of your life. Through increasing self awareness, you will naturally tap into your subconscious, instead of being driven 100% by the conscious and habitual thought that repetitive lives can induce.

How, though, can you increase self awareness? Here are just a few tips:

1. Embrace Silence

Many people in the modern world grow to dislike, even fear, silence. Yet silence is beneficial to your overall health and well being; silence is a perfect medium for stimulating self awareness. Running away from silence is running away from yourself. Learning to embrace silence as a natural, peaceful, and even beautiful, essential daily life, can be a vital step on the road to self awareness.

2. Learn to Meditate
Learning to meditate, even for a short period each day or on as many days as possible, will automatically increase your own self awareness. Meditation will start to bring you into contact with your subconscious, and as you start to appreciate the benefits you will feel, you will be encouraged to develop your meditation skills further. Furthermore, basic meditation is not difficult.

3. Make Better Use of Travel Time

If you commute to and from work on public transport, and are able to sit down during the journey, do not always be tempted to read or sleep. Instead, close your eyes, but stop yourself sleeping. Try to clear your mind of the noises around you, and focus on your breathing, through the nose. Other people will think you are sleeping, so do not be concerned about what they think. Rather than think about work or other aspects for your day, try to clear your mind also of all those and other thoughts.

Such a practice is like a meditation in transit. It will allow you to increase self awareness, and you may get home feeling much more refreshed than if your head had been filled with work and domestic matters, or if you had fallen asleep.

4. Do Something Different

It is very easy to go through life day after day without really even consciously thinking what you are doing. By deliberately doing something different to your normal routine, you will not only add a bit of variety to your life, but increase your awareness of yourself and help you be alert to the trap of a repetitive, unthinking existence. While this may require conscious thought, it is also step towards as level of self awareness that can give you the confidence to explore your inner self, the essence of self awareness.

5. Debate With and Question Yourself

If your day runs on autopilot, then it it will just pass you by without the “real you” having any say in what is going on. It will be a non-day as far as self awareness and self development go.

You can shake yourself out of that habit by frequently questioning yourself about what you are doing and why. Not just in a general way, but on specific things that you have to do, as a matter of course, as the day goes on. This will encourage you to seek a better way to do things, and to make changes for the better. By constantly having this debate with yourself, you will inevitably become more self aware, rather than just accept every part of your life as a given and unchangeable.

This self awareness and objective setting article is by Roy Thomsitt. Dream of success or money? Get dream ticket now.