Happyshort

You have settled into your favorite armchair, perhaps reading the final chapters of a gripping novel. Suddenly you are aware of the imploring stare of your cat sitting at your feet. You invite her onto your lap. Gently you begin to stroke her and your cat signals her appreciation with an audible purr.

One hand holding your book the other hand continuing to pet your mouser, you again get lost in your novel. All is well in the world with you and with your cat.

Suddenly your cat bites your hand

The experts don’t agree on exactly why it is that some cats enjoy being petted, but end up biting. One thing that they do agree on is that when kitty bites at you, it’s a sure sign that she has decided that she’s had enough stroking.

Cats differ in the amount of petting they will accept, and not all cats respond by biting when they have had enough. Some cats simply jump from your lap and saunter off to investigate interests anew. But many cats will nip you and your animal is one of them.

Could you have known that a bite was on its way? Yes, there are often signs that cats give before biting. And, if you had not been so wrapped up in reading your novel, you may have paid heed to your little pets warning.

If kitty’s tail begins to twitch, in a rolling flick, watch out! She’s getting ready to chomp at your hand.

If your cats ears start turning towards the back of her head, or flatten against her head, that’s a warning a bite is coming.

If your cat suddenly becomes restless, or stiffens and stares at your hand, she could be about to nip you.

If you noticed any of these signals, simply stop stroking your cat. Your pet will either stay on your lap or jump down and walk off, whichever happens you don’t get bitten.

What you should not do is punish your cat for biting your hand. That simply does not work. Cats are more likely to identify the punishment with you rather than with their bad cat behavior. If you miss a warning sign and kitty manages to get her jaws around your hand, try to resist the temptation to pull your hand away or push your cat away. Simply freeze. Chances are that your cat will not sink her teeth in, she has got her message across, and you have stopped petting her.

If you try and push your cat away it is likely that she will fight with your hand resulting in skin punctures for you. (An animal bite can become infected quite easily, if your cat does draw blood clean up the wound scrupulously and seek the advice of your doctor.)

Why do some cats behave in this aggressive way? The degree of tolerance to petting may be genetic, or it may be learned behavior. If when your cat was a kitten you allowed her to chew on your hand in play, she learned that biting human hands was an OK thing to do. So, when she feels that she has had enough stroking (she’s the boss remember,) she will bite at your hand to let you know - if you ignore her warning signals.

Some experts recommend the use of healthy tidbits, as a reward, in order to increase the time your cat will tolerate stroking. At the first warning signal offer kitty a treat, continue to stroke your cat gently for a time and offer her another reward. It is said that your cat will learn to connect petting with the tidbits and may, with patience, allow you to pet her for longer periods.

Larry Chamberlain is a life long lover of cats. To find his articles and thoughts about the domestic feline visit http://www.best-cat-art.com the site for all the best in cat art, cat and kitten health and cat issues

As you build a team for your network marketing opportunity, you will learn how big this world really is. Soon you will find out that working with people from far off lands can get expensive. At normal international long distance rates, a one hour telephone call can cost as much as $200 US. Today you will learn how to save up to 93% of your normal long distance phone bill.

You can get better rates from your long distance provider when you enroll in an international calling plan of some sort. But the potential savings are nothing compared to the most efficient way to communicate personally over long distances.

Please let me introduce you to the future of long distance communications, ‘VoIP’. Voice over IP allows your voice to reach other countries using the internet. The result is clear, reliable connections with people in other countries around the world at a rate that is literally pennies per minute. Using VoIP can help you to keep costs down when you are just starting out. You will be able to work with your people by long distance often, without going broke.

To illustrate the real savings you can expect by using VoIP services for your international business phone calls, here are the details of a call I recently made to Germany from the US:

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How would you like to work from home and make much more money than you do at your current job? It really is possible and I’m living proof! The home based business industry is growing at staggering rates and has become a $427 billion dollar industry!
It is estimated by the year 2025, two thirds of Americans will be working from home.

In today’s economy, it has become harder and harder to make ends meet. The cost of purchasing a home has skyrocketed compared to 10 years ago, not to mention, the steep increases in gas, medical care, day care, college tuition, and the list goes on and on. Unless you are fortunate enough to have a fabulous paying job, you are probably falling behind or maybe even giving up on your dreams. The days of stay at home moms seem to be a distant memory to most of us. We have become a generation of latch key kids and fast food dinners with very little energy at the end of the day to enjoy the good things in life.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Working from home is much more feasible than you may think. It is very inexpensive to start a home based business. Take for example: drop shipping on eBay, affiliate programs, data entry and so many more. There are many excellent programs that can get you started with very little money and can put a big cash flow into your bank account! Just by working from home you can give yourself a raise with all of the money you will be saving!

Why not put the profits you earn into your own pocket, instead of the pocket of your boss or company? That’s what millions of people are doing right now. You don’t need to have a ton of money or special skills to start. I started my business with practically nothing and no computer skills at all! I am making an incredible income from the comfort of my home. I can spend so much more time with my family and friends. I left the days of waking up to an alarm clock and rushing through the day far behind me!

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Getting more done with less is an art, It?s a quality requiring much heart, But I must confess How I turned failure to success Was to work both hard and work smart.

I?ve heard two schools of thought when it comes to achieving maximum success in a minimum of time. The first school is to work hard, long hours; nose to the grindstone and burning the midnight oil. I?ve heard many people say that is the only sure way to achieve lasting success.

But I am sure you know many people who have worked hard for years and have yet to achieve what most people would call success. In fact, you may be one of them. I was one of those people. I discovered many years ago that hard work alone is not a guarantee of success. If it was you?d see more millionaires.

The other school of thought says to work smart - not hard. The work smart philosophy says ?less is better.? Delegate, use other people?s time, money, and hands as much as you can. They say this is the quickest way to success.

With so much talk about working smart, many people especially people new to running a business and young people are starting to get the impression that good old fashion hard work went out with the horse- and-buggy. They feel hard work is no longer required to achieve success. After all we computers, e-mail and cell phones. Boy, are they in for a rude awakening.

I must admit they both have their benefits and their limits. Through experience I?ve discovered the best way to achieve maximum success in a minimum of time is to work hard at working smart!

Yes, working hard at working smart will give you the best of both worlds - without the limits each one has by itself. When you work hard at working smart you?re maximizing your potential to the fullest. You have your pedal to the medal and your going full speed ahead - but you?re doing it in the most efficient way possible.

Here are 7 quick and easy ways to help you work hard at working smart everyday. If you take the time make these tips a habit you?ll find yourself achieving your goals much quicker.

1. Work hard at being more adaptable to changes.

Remember that every change that comes your way gives you an opportunity to move ahead of those that won?t or can?t adapt to sudden change. In life they say the only guarantees are death and taxes. I would like to add a third item and that is CHANGE. Try to be the first to learn and adapt to new changes in your industry, in new technologies and new techniques.

2. Work hard at looking for shortcuts in everything you do.

Always be alert to easier more efficient ways of doing your routine task. Can you cut out, reduce, speed-up or combine steps - without sacrificing effectiveness? Don?t fall in the habit of doing routine task with a routine attitude. Stay alert to the possibility of doing it in a different way. Think outside the box if it can save you time, money or frustration .

3. Work hard at thinking ahead as much as possible.

The best chess players always think one move ahead. You should always try to do the same. Prepare yourself mentally before you act physically. This alone will help you avoid wasting time and making costly mistakes. The best athletes establish the habit of anticipating there next move ahead of time. The best quarterbacks know what they?ll do if they?re primary receiver falls down.

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Remember that Coke contest from the 80s? If you collected bottle tops that had the letters to spell
T-H-E R-E-A-L T-H-I-N-G, then youd win a zillion dollars.

Im not sure where the drink industry turned the corner but contests and advertisements are no longer all you will find on the underneath side of bottle caps.

The latest beverage I popped open was some high brow herbal elixir that promised energy, health and a stress free life. Interesting claims for a container of strained leaves.

To further my surprise, what I found under the cap was the following Japanese proverb:

Vision without action is daydreaming; action without vision is a nightmare.

Needless to say, this quote made my beveraging experience much more philosophical than I bargained for.

After the laughter from finding a Japanese proverb under by bottle cap subsided, I actually pondered the phrase deeply. It glued itself to my brain for the rest of the day.

So what is it about Vision and Action working together that gives us the changes we so desire? Or, better yet, what is it about Vision without Action and Action without Vision that keeps us from attaining what we want in our lives and careers?

1. Vision without Action Weve all have the best of intentions when it comes to those To Do lists both at work and at home. How about that project, idea, or those personal goals that youve been storing in the Some-Day-Soon vault in the back of your mind?

These are the visions that we have for our lives that are becoming nothing more than daydreams as the months and years continue to pass.

2. Action without Vision

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Remember the commercial of the woman in a business suit top, pajama bottoms and bunny slippers while on a conference call? Way back when, I used to think that symbolized home office life. Ahhh, the joy of it.

Once I started running my business from home, however, reality set in very quickly!

* The days of commuting to and from a workplace with a defined work schedule are gone.

* The days of being accountable to a ?boss? are gone.

* The days of doing ?home? stuff while at home and ?work? stuff while at work are definitely gone!

In the early days of my business, I would actually feel guilty if the house was not spotless and I was spending too much time in the office (justified by ?billable hours?). Or I would feel guilty if the house was clean and the laundry was done, but I wasn?t making enough money.

It?s enough to drive an entrepreneur insane!

So how do you handle it? Here are some tips that have helped insure my sanity over the years:

1. Create a separate workspace that works for, not against, you.

Whether you?ve taken over a spare bedroom, a corner of the basement or the dining room table, be sure that you have a space that is yours just for working (even if it is just for work between certain hours and for eating at other times).
In deciding where you want to work, you need to first determine HOW you work.
Do you prefer a lot of space? Do you work with piles or does everything need its own file folder? Do you prefer a clear workspace with nothing except your current project or do you like to have all ongoing projects in sight?
Regardless of your work style, you need an area that works for you and that is just for work.

2. Beware of shiny objects.

In setting up your office, don?t run out and buy every gadget known to man. It?s tempting to get the best of everything right off the bat ? resist the urge!
Get the basics and add things when there is a need. For my purposes, the basics are: a good laptop, a multi-line telephone with speakerphone and mute, a color laser printer, a scanner and a separate hard fax machine (in addition to my electronic fax account). What you need will depend on how you work with your clients.

3. Limit the chatting.

Once they hear you are working from home, many friends and family (especially those who are home during the day) will think nothing of calling or IMing you throughout the workday and, while you may love to chat or IM with your friends and family, be sure they know when you are working. It is too easy to fall into the habit of chatting with someone and then realizing you?ve spent an hour or more of your workday and haven?t finished the project or made your calls.
Save the visiting for after your workday is complete or when you are taking a break.

4. Know when to say ?when?.

Starting and growing a new business is invigorating! I love what I do and draw a lot of energy from it. That said, be sure you set limits on how long you spend working each day so as not to drain yourself.
My workday typically starts around 8am and I go until lunch when I take a break, grab the dogs and go for a walk. Once back, I work for a few more hours and then do a final check of everything in the evening. This schedule works well for me. You need to find one that works for you ? if you have children, your prime workday may be while they are at school or after they?ve gone to bed.

5. Do what you do best.

Working from home can lead to a sense of isolation and the feeling that you need to do everything yourself. You don?t.
Focus on those things that you do best ? the reasons why you chose to go into business for yourself ? and outsource the rest. A virtual assistant can help you with all those tasks that you shouldn?t be spending time on. It is better for your business to hire someone, say to do the books, than it is for you to spend X hours trying to figure it out when you could be marketing your business or working directly with your clients.

6. Automate, automate, automate.

When possible, set up your systems such that regular tasks are as automated as possible. Do you have an evergreen (i.e., never changing, same for everyone) welcome email that you send all your new clients? If so, set up an autoresponder.
Need to keep track of projects and have updates automatically sent to clients? Use an Intranet solution such as WebOffice. Need to explain something ?in person? to a potential client? Use a webinar.
To the extent possible, you want to be working in your home office, not running around during the work day. As an entrepreneur, commuting and waiting cost you money. Use technology to your advantage.

7. Get out and visit.

As you work on your marketing plan, get new clients and generally build your business, it?s easy to forget the outside world exists.
Be sure you get out of your home office (and your pjs) at least once a week. Go anywhere there are people: the gym, a favorite coffee shop, networking events, out with friends, etc. It?s not healthy to become a recluse and you?ll get far more ideas by mixing with people.
With a little planning, you can create a home office environment that suits both you and your business.

When the words “distance learning” are used, it’s often with the idea of achieving a degree or attaining a specific certificate. But what if your company needs specialized learning opportunities?

Or what if you are a small company and simply don’t have the means to hire a teacher to help your employees gain a specific skill? The answer could very well be an elearning class from one of the companies that offer special course work.

Managers around the country need some basic skills that are the same from one business to the next. If a manager has a degree, he usually has at least the basis for managing a business. But what happens when the needs of the company change? Or when it’s time to get updated training for the manager?

A few decades ago, a manager would simply have continued to use the skills he already had without ever really getting any new training. The company’s dilemma is evident - the manager can’t be spared from his current duties to attend classes for updated training, and the company is less likely to prosper if the manager continues to use outdated management practices. Elearning is an answer for that problem.

Specialized coursework is especially efficient for companies with personnel scattered across the country (or even around the world). Consider the company that has offices in several countries. The managers all need some updated training and getting a special course put together means they’ll all be operating on the same page.

The course can be offered either as distance learning with all employees who will attend “meeting” online at a preset time, or as elearning with employees being required to finish an online course in a set period of time.

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