What is Success and How Do We Achieve It?

To be clear about what success is must be the first step to achieving success.

So far, the best definition I have come across is: "Success is the completion of anything intended." In other words success is finishing what you planned to do.

Even robbing a bank is a kind of success if that is what you wished to do. However, you probably did not intend to end up in prison!

The above definition of success shines a light on failure and success. Make a plan and follow it and you will have succeeded. Make a plan and do not follow it and you will have failed.

This gives a yard stick for judging every day of our lives. We can say at the end of the day "I have failed" or "I have succeeded."

This may seem very obvious but it is amazing that only about 85% of the human race end up doing what they intended.

I asked several people what they thought success was. One person said that "Success is making loads of money." Another said that success is "Achieving your goals". Some one else said that success is "Fulfilling your potential". An interesting answer was that success is "Making others jealous".

Brian Tracy agrees with the connection between success and goals. He has said "Success is goals, and all else is commentary." Tracy believes that people with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them.

Stuart Goldsmith in "The Midas Method" has an important section on how to set goals so that they are achieved using the full power of the subconscious mind.

Maria Nemeth gives this definition of success: "Doing what you said you would do, with ease".

"Doing what you said you would do" is currently not achieved by the majority of the human race especially politicians! Doing it with ease is achieved by even fewer and requires making the most of the subconscious mind.

Jim Rohn argues that success is just a few simple disciplines practised daily.

The power of daily discipline is HUGE. Because the discipline is practised daily the effect is cumulative. The good practice is carried out 365 times a year with, perhaps, a few lapses.

It cannot fail to have tremendous influence. Once the discipline becomes a daily habit, it can be forgotten about until the rewards start coming in.

The writer who writes every day has written well over 300 pages by the end of the year. If he or she does not write every day they lose momentum and inspiration. If they keep up the writing (even just a few words a day) a magnet for relevant thoughts develops.

Recently a Liverpool student of American media studies applied for 600 jobs and received only one interview which he failed. He decided to write a novel. He determined to complete ten pages a day. He worked in the evenings at a dead end job to make money and then wrote until about 5 in the morning at his novel which has now become famous. It also looks like becoming a Hollywood blockbuster film.

He points out that if you write only one page a day for 100 days you can write a screen play. He wrote his novel by studying the structure of two other novels and noticing how they were structured and wrote his screenplay after studying video of films and noticing how long each scene lasted before there was a change.

I can't remember his name or the name of his book as I just happened to hear part of his interview on television.

The practice of daily disciplines alone can change our lives totally. Another benefit of daily disciplines is that they quickly create habits and habits create character.

A great quote by Jim Ryun, the American Athlete, is as follows

"Motivation is what gets you started.
Habit is what keeps you going"

Another brilliant quote is:

"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value."

Albert Einstein

The next quote says more or less the same thing:

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." Henry David Thoreau

Many would argue that success is not about making money but about developing oneself into a person who is valuable to others.

However, this quite often will lead to making money because people will pay for value. Any one who is very good at their job can usually command whatever pay they wish.

Adam Hollioake is one of the most successful English county cricket captains. He realised what is important in life when his brother Ben was killed in a car accident in Perth Australia. Adam learned that he should be kind to people and have fun and "that's what life is about."

His view of success in cricket is not necessarily winning. He is not afraid to lose a cricket match. He is only concerned that his team put 100% effort into the game. He comments:

"If we do put that effort in we usually win anyway".

Success then is putting in 100% effort whatever the results. More often than not, however, the results will be excellent.

Michael Angier has a great definition of success.

"Success is the result of steadily taking action on our most important goals. When we consistently focus our energies and our efforts upon what matters most, we can't help but be successful".

Angier also admires Ralph Waldo Emerson's comments on success:

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; this is to have succeeded."

What are the causes of failure and success?

William James, the great American psychologist, puts failure down to lack of faith in one self

"There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man's lack of faith in his true self."

Faith in one self is a huge part of success. Stuart Goldsmith in "The Midas Method" talks about two kinds of belief that are necessary for success. You must believe that you deserve to succeed and you must believe that you have the ability to succeed.

Another big cause of success is discipline.

"The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable prerequisite for success." Brian Tracy

Another cause is the willingness to try to succeed even if the possibility of success is remote.

"Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see the beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead."

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) American Writer

My computer guru, Danny believes that you should hold on to your dream in all circumstances and never let go. Grab hold of your vision with an iron fist and even if you are down on your luck and in the gutter never give up.

Danny himself has held on to a dream for 22 years. His dream is to develop the best languages translator in the world.

It does not matter if you are 72 - grab hold of your dream. Actually visualize your hand holding on to that dream. Too many people are worn down by life and give up their dreams.

Every dream is personal but the principle is the same. You are an idiot if you let go. You have to have a reason for living. Set yourself a goal and never let go until you die.

There is nothing you can't do. If you can't swim 10 lengths without a rest, train for a few months and you will be able to swim 50 lengths.

Danny's comments about swimming reminded me about how little is taught at school about how training can improve your abilities.

At my school in the Isle of Man, there was an annual half mile swim in the sea. I knew I would drown if I attempted this but no one ever suggested that I start training hard so that I would be capable of completing the swim.

I was just classified as someone who could not do the swim. It did not occur to me that through determined training I would be able to do what I could not previously do.

When Danny was young he was a skinny weakling. But one day he decided that this was not a good thing. He filled out and did some weight training and set up his own fitness, strength and flexibility routine.

He performs this every other day. This avoids the boredom of a daily routine. He does 200 situps, 30-50 leg raises and three or four sets of 20-30 bench presses.

He also does 2 sets of 20 or 30 squats with dumbells to develop leg power. The dumbbells avoid the danger of overbalancing with a barbell across your shoulders. There is also little likelihood that you will drop the dumbbells on children or family pets! Dumbells allow for greater control than barbells.

Danny's advice for success is to do something. If in doubt, read a book. The worst thing you can do is sit on your backside watching TV. If you do, nothing will ever happen. He notes the hypnotic effect of TV on the spectators. Danny seldom ever watches TV.

Danny also is impressed by Arnold Schwarzenegger who has just been elected Governor of California. If Arnold wants something, he does what is necessary to get that thing. If he had to eat 50 mars bars, he would eat them. If he had to stand stark naked on his head in a field for half an hour he would.

This is an example to us all. If you have to put stamps on thousands of envelopes to send out your direct mail sales letters, you just have to do it.

The basic principle is that you have to do what is required. Some things require certain actions to achieve them and you have to do them whether you like doing them or not.

It is no good saying I want to be Governor of California but I don't want to do any public speaking or travel on the campaign trail or be friendly to thousands of people you don't like. You have to pick up babies and smile at people you may not like.

If you want to be rich you have to do those things which will make you rich. It's no good saying "I don't really want to do it." Danny gives himself a virtual smack round the head every time he is tempted to give up on his projects.

Some people think they will make money by taking short cuts like suing people or fraud. The world would be a much better place if people just got on with doing what they had to do.

Many successful people stress the importance of action in achieving success.

Michael Masterson of the Ezine "Early to Rise" writes:"Action is the key to success, and failure to act is the reason most people will never achieve the kind of success they dream about"

Another approach to achieving success is to stay cool about it. Just get on with doing what you think is important and what you love to do.

"Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally." Sir David Frost

Elvis Presley gave his cousin Donna some advice to help her achieve her goals for the future. It seems good advice to me:

Donna's best memory of Elvis was when she was 18 and she spoke to him one on one. He asked her about her plans for the future and told her she could achieve anything she wanted "so long as you have faith in God;have faith in yourself; work hard and never let anyone tell you, you can't do something".

Elvis himself had plenty of discouragement which he successfully ignored. The later part of his life was not too successful but as Donna commented, we should focus on what he did achieve which was amazing.

Peter Vidmar explains how he achieved success at the Olympic Games:

"There's only two things I had to do to win the Olympic gold: Train when I wanted to, and train when I didn't."

This is possibly my favourite quote of all time. It sums up the essence of success and the will power and discipline necessary to achieve it. Sometimes training will be easy but sometimes it will take effort because one really does not feel like training. This is simple and beautifully easy to understand.

Another quote I like is concerned with the kind of success which depends on people liking your work or product. Don't worry about whether they will like your work. Just do your best and leave the liking or disliking up to them.

"Success has a simple formula: 'Do your best and people may like it'".

Sam Ewing

Any success involves some kind of cost; usually some boring work is involved as suggested in the following quote. The word 'drudgery' sums this kind of work up exactly. Almost any kind of business involves marketing and marketing is the last thing many businessmen enjoy doing.

"Success is the child of drudgery and perseverance. It cannot be coaxed or bribed; pay the price and it is yours".

Orison Swett Marden, 1850-1924.

Mike Litman comes up with golden statements frequently. Here is just one of them:

"The biggest secret of success in life is: You don't have to get it right; you just have to get it going. Perfectionism can kill success. We never get going because we are always waiting to get everything just right. Instead, let's get going."

One success breeds another. Bobby Robson, now over 70, is one of Britain's most successful managers. He should know what creates success. He recently commented about his team's performances:

"Success breeds success"

This makes sense. Write one successful book and you will have the confidence to write another. A lady over 70 wrote a book about overcoming the pain of arthritis. It was a huge success to her total amazement and made hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not surprisingly she has now written two more books.

Success is a key goal for most people but it helps to have a clear idea of what success means to you. I hope this article will have shed some light on possible definitions of success and provided some ideas about how you can achieve your kind of success. 2500

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History of the Media, Radio, and Television

When were the forms of media created? When did advertising first show up? Who owns the media?

Creation of the various forms of media

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Newspapers & Magazines ~ 1880

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Movies ~ 1910

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Television ~ 1945

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Cable Television ~ 1980's

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Satellite Television, Internet, Digital Communication ~ End of the 20th century

In 1920, radio was first developed, primarily for use by the military, strictly for sendingHistory of the Media - Old Radios messages from one location to another. David Sternoff, the then-president of RCA, first had the idea to sell radio sets to consumers, or what were then called radio receivers. However, consumers needed a reason to buy radios, so RCA was the first to set up radio stations all over the country. Between 1920 and 1922, 400 radio stations were set up, starting with KBKA in Pittsburgh. Stations were also set up by universities, newspapers, police departments, hotels, and labor unions.

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By 1923, there were 600 radio stations across the United States, and $83 million worth of sets had been sold.

The biggest difference in radio before and after 1923 was that the first advertising was not heard on the radio until 1923. RCA at the time was made up of four companies:

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AT&T

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General Electric

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United Fruit

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Westinghouse

United Fruit was one of the first global corporations, and one of the first to advertise on the radio. The AT&T division of RCA first thought about selling time on the air to companies, which marked the start of "toll broadcasting." WEAF was the first station to operate this way, causing widespread outrage, and accusation of "polluting the airwaves."

Because of this controversy, the practice of selling advertising time was called "trade name publicity." Sponsors linked their name with a program on the air, rather than advertising a specific product in a 30 second "commercial" as we know it today.

Why did AT&T decide to experiment with charging companies for air time?

AT&T was not making any money from broadcasting at the time since they only made transmitters, not receivers. They only made money when new radio stations bought the equipment required to broadcast. They did not make money from consumers buying radios.

AT&T also started the practice of paying performers for their time on the air, rather than only volunteers, which was standard practice for radio content up until that point.

The first radio network

In 1926, RCA set up the first radio network, NBC. They decided it was more effective and efficient to produce shows in New York City, and then link the main radio station with stations all across the country, connected by AT&T (another RCA company) phone lines. (Now television networks are linked by satellite to their affiliates).

This was the beginning of the network affiliates system. The ideal network makes sure everyone in the country is capable of listening to their signal. NBC at the time had two philosophies:

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Radio content was a "public service," whose function was to sell radios.

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Radio content was designed to generate income from advertising.

History of the Media In 1927, the second network was formed. It was CBS, started by William Paley. Paley was the first to think that networks could make money strictly from advertising, not even getting involved in the sales of radios. Like AT&T, CBS did not make radios. From the start, they made their money from selling advertising.

The rising of radio networks caused the Radio Act of 1927 to be passed, which established the FRC, or what is now known as the FCC, to allocate broadcast licenses. The need for such an organization was brought on by the fact that airwaves are limited resources, and broadcasting itself is a scarce public resource. By the 1930's, the structure of radio have been set by the commercial format, although advertising never dominated radio like it would television later on.

In the 1920's and '30's, radio programs were divided into two groups. Sponsored shows, which had advertisers, and unsponsored shows, which did not. The radio station paid for the unsponsored shows. The sponsored shows, on the other hand, were created entirely by the company sponsoring the show; advertisers were totally in charge of the radio station's content. The content became advertising. Radio set the precedent for television, in that the same companies that controlled radio early on went on to control television.

Soon thereafter, television inherited the structure of radio. In the '40's, during the rise of television, RCA also held a monopoly on all television sets sold. By 1945-1955, advertising had taken over all of television. Television was organized around the premise of selling things. The entire television industry was creating a political atmosphere of suspicion and fear. Senator Joseph McCarthy, the founder of McCarthyism, which was based on the fear of Communism, and the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee, began to question people involved in television about their beliefs and associations.

What affected television in its early stages?

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Politics (McCarthyism / HUAC).

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Blacklists: From almost the inception of television, many writers, directors, and actors were considered to be pro-Communist and/or un-American.

Certain topics were totally off-limits at the time for television, particularly issues of race relations in the 1960's. Overall, networks were not happy with the political situation for television in the 1960's, both in terms of the blacklists, and of the fact that when every show had one sponsor, that sponsor controlled the entire program. Networks preferred to control the program, by way of moving to multiple sponsors/advertisers, where networks would retain control of the show, and advertisers would buy time in between the programming.

In the 1950's, networks decided to eliminate the practice of sponsors controlling the shows with a move to spot selling, or advertisements between programs, as we know it today. What caused the move to spot selling?

1.

Discovery of fraud in the quiz shows on television. Quiz shows were extremely popular at the time, and were liked by the networks, the sponsors, and the viewers alike. It turned out, however, that quiz shows were largely fixed. Charles Van Doren on "21" became a huge star due to his repeated wins, until it came out that the whole thing had been fixed. In the case of "The $64,000 Question," the owner of Revlon was personally hand-selecting the winners and losers on the show.

2.

It was becoming financially difficult for just one advertiser to support an entire show.

Around this same time came the inception of ratings to measure a show's popularity. Ratings, quite simply, measure the number of people watching a show. To understand why ratings are so important, it's crucial to understand how the television industry works, through three questions, and their respective answers:

1.

Who owns television? [The networks]

2.

What is sold on television? [Viewer's time, not television shows]

3.

Who are the customers of television? [Advertisers, not viewers]

This might be a counterintuitive concept for some. The networks, which own television, areHistory of the Media - Old Television the buyers of shows, not the sellers. On the other hand, they sell our eyeballs, so to speak, to advertisers. Networks want the maximum possible profit from buying and selling time, both viewers' time, and advertisers' time.

The primary measure of television ratings, which determine the price of that time being bought and sold, is AC Nielsen, an independent company which provides information as to who watches what on television. Currently, about 4,000 households are used to represent the national viewing of television. In the 1980's, only 1,200 households were used. Some households have an electronic device installed on their television which tracks what they watch, while others keep a diary of viewing habits.

There are two measures for determining a show's audience. One is the rating, and the other is the share.

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Rating: Percentage of total homes with televisions tuned into a particular show.

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Share: Percentage of those watching television at a particular time who are tuned into a particular show.

The share is always greater than the rating. Ratings are more important for advertisers, and share is more important to the networks.

Example:

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Total households with televisions: 150 million

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Total households watching television at 8pm on Monday nights: 90 million

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Total households watching American Idol at 8pm on Monday nights: 45 million

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Therefore: Rating: 30, Share: 50

It's important to note how many factors can skew the results. Shows cost producers much more than the networks typically pay them for those shows. The way for producers to make money is by getting the networks to renew the show, in order to have a shot at making money from syndication on other channels, also knows as reruns. That is the case when individual stations (say for example, the Miami affiliate of ABC wants to carry Seinfeld), buy the rights to a show from the producers of that show. Shows that last only one season, for the most part, lose millions of dollars. One of the most important factors in whether shows will be renewed or not is their rating.

This brings us to how ratings can be skewed. For example, if a show has a 20 share, and it needs a 25 share to be renewed for another season, what might the producers do? In principle, they need to convince another 5% of the people watching television when their show is on to watch their show; this is no simple task, as that involves convincing millions of people. However, since the ratings are based on those 4,000 Nielsen households, that means that they could convince just 200 Nielsen households to watch their show, which would increase the share from 20 to 25. This is why Nielsen households must be kept totally secret from the networks. When the Nielsen households have leaked to the networks, one way which they got people to watch their show was by offering viewers a small sum of money for filling out a survey about a commercial which they were told would play only during a particular show. Since they had to watch that channel while their show was on, this would boost the share.

Once ratings are determined, advertising prices are set by two factors:

* The size of the audience.

* The demographics (income, age, gender, occupation, etc) of the audience.

In short, the job of television programs is to collect our time as a product, which they then sell to advertisers. Programs have to support the advertising, delivering viewers in the best possible state of mind for buying when the time for the commercials comes, which brings us to the Golden Age of Television.

The 1950's are considered the "Golden Age of Television." During this time, something called the "Anthology Series," where different actors each week took part in a show gained History of the Media - I Love Lucypopularity across the board...that is, with everyone except for advertisers. The anthology series format was not right for advertisers, as it covered topics which involved psychological confrontations which did not leave the viewers in the proper state of mind for buying the products shown to them between program segments. The subject matter of the anthology series was of the type that undermined the ads, almost making them seem fraudulent.

This brought up the question of what to network executives actually want shows to do? The answer is not to watch a program that makes them feel good, makes them laugh, or excites them, but rather to watch the television for a set amount of time. With so many new shows being proposed, standards began to be intentionally, or unintentionally, laid out for what shows could and couldn't do. Risks could only be taken at the beginning and/or end of shows. Laugh tracks were conceived to tell the audience when to laugh. Programs began being tested with audiences prior to being put on television and/or radio. Show writers now had to write shows that would test well.

Naturally, this caused many of the same elements and themes to appear in all shows. This was the beginning of recombinant television culture, where the same elements are endlessly repeated, recombined, and mixed.

This same culture is what perpetuated the idea that people watch television, not specific shows. While people certainly choose to watch certain shows instead of others, people less commonly choose to watch television instead of other things. People watch television. Regardless of what was on, television viewing rates were extremely stable.

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Men's Formal Wear - How To Dress With Style

When looking at men's formal wear you need to follow some simple basic guidelines to get an instant classic look which
projects a sense of style.

Getting the right look with men's formal wear is not difficult, if you follow the image guidelines below.

Your suit

In men's formal wear let's start with choosing a formal suit.

1. Style

Changes, but you can't go wrong with a single-breasted, solid color suit in black, grey or navy blue and always remember a single-breasted suit will make you look slimmer and sleeker in appearance.

In men's formal wear a stylish suit can conjure up a number of images, all of them positive.

A suit can make you look powerful, mature, conservative, or sexy. Remember, most women love men in suits!

2. Fabrics and Patterns

Wool is always a safe option when buying a suit. It looks good and wears well.

Worsted wools are lightweight for spring and summer. Gabardine wools are heavier for winter. Wool Crepes are lightweight with softer finishes. Flannel wools are heaviest. Patterns for interview suits are limited to solids, stripes (pinstripe, chalk stripe, beaded-stripe, multistripe), Glen plaids, and checks (hounds-tooth, windowpane, and herringbone).

Picking The Right Shirt

Generally men with narrow faces can choose collars that are wider, to help broaden their faces; conversely, men with wider faces should choose collars that are narrower, to help lengthen their faces.

Ties

Suits come in basic styles and colors, but ties let you show your individuality within a formal look.

If you want to make a bold statement wear a patterned tie with a patterned shirt, make sure that the color schemes are the same and that the patterns go in the same direction.

Finally, don't forget the Length: It should hit the top of your belt buckle and the deal width of ties is between 3 and 4 inches.

Men's Formal Wear Combining Tie's Shirts & Suits

When choosing a jacket-shirt-and-tie trio, match its level of color contrast to your personal colouring.

Your colouring consists of your complexion and hair color.

If you're coloring is high-contrast i.e. dark hair and light skin, or vice versa--your jacket, tie, and shirt combo should be high contrast, too. But if your hair-hide contrast is softer and lighter i.e. you're blond or gray-haired with pale skin, or dark-skinned with dark hair--you should go for lower-contrast clothes.

Two different scales For Balance When you're combining two like patterns in the jacket-shirt-tie triangle, they should be of different gauges.

If your suit has pinstripes 3/4 inch apart, your tie should have significantly broader or thinner bands. If your suit is a striped one (with lines more than an inch apart), your shirt's stripes should be narrower and closer together.

If you wear two different designs within the lapel triangle--say, a checked shirt and a striped tie, or a striped suit and repeating-medallion tie--they should be different scales in size If your shirt has a narrow stripe, your tie needs a wider stripe i.e. pair large with small.

De Emphasize

Choose clothes that de-emphasize your extremes.

If you're short, look for strong vertical elements: pinstriped suits, two-button jackets. If you're very thin, choose a jacket with wider shoulders. If you have a heavier build then Wear darker colors and go monotone from top to bottom.

Watches

The first thing to look for in a man's watch is a large face, as these designs are generally accepted by everyone as looking stylish.

Get a nice belt

Don't forget your belt you want quality, a good quality belt doesn't have to be expensive and is money well spent.

Your belt color should be coordinated with your footwear - black with black, brown with brown.

Shoes

Black is the traditional safe color for work but Brown or ox blood colors can also look stylish.

You can also use a variety of styles including loafers, wingtips, round-toe, or the trendier pointy-tipped shoe.

Shoes are no place to economize on quality. For men, shoes are the final detail and are one of the areas all women notice.

FREE Image and Style Guides

Men's formal wear can really make a great impression if worn in the right way.

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33 Travel Safety Tips

Traveling to unfamiliar destinations can bring to you the sort of troubles you do not want to experience while on the road namely: robbery, rape, or murder. Tourists often fall prey to perpetrators because they do not prepare properly before embarking on a trip. Let's examine some things you should do to prevent your travels from becoming a tragedy:

1. Never list your home address on the luggage tag. If on business, put the company's address on the tag; if visiting friends you can list their address. Use covered luggage tags as well.

2. Stay with your luggage until the luggage is checked. If you must put your bag down, keep one foot on the handle.

3. Carry important papers with you; NEVER check anything that you simply cannot afford to lose. Photocopy your passport, driver's license and credit cards.

4. Bring a small flashlight. You never know when you'll suddenly be "in the dark" and find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings. At night, keep your flashlight by your bed.

5. Make sure that your prescription medicines are filled properly and labeled accurately. In some countries certain prescription medicines are forbidden.

6. Never wear anything that projects affluence. No gold chains, expensive watches and rings, luggage, or other paraphernalia should be in easy view. Better yet: leave your jewelry at home.

7. If possible travel with only one or two credit cards.

8. Women particularly should never accept a drink from a stranger. Keep an eye on your drink at all times.

9. Vary your schedule; try not to come and go at the same time everyday.

10. Only stay in a hotel that uses cards to open room doors and make sure your room has a peephole and a deadbolt lock. Secure the chain and secure the door by pushing a rubber stop under it.

11. Stay in a room near a stairwell. Never take the elevator if a fire or smoke is detected. Always stay in a hotel where the doors enter the hallway and not directly from the outside.

12. Do not wear name tags in public.

13. Do not use unmarked taxi cabs.

14. Sit behind the driver so you can see him, but he cannot see you.

15. Pay the driver upon arriving at your destination and while you are still sitting in the vehicle.

16. If you must rent a car, rent only from a reputable company. Any operating problems that occur could signal sabotage.

17. Be aware of 'staged' car accidents meant to catch you off card.

18. Back into your parking spaces to facilitate a quick exit.

19. Park only in well lit and well traveled areas.

20. If your cell phone does not work outside of the country, consider renting one that does for the duration of your trip.

21. If detained for whatever reason by an official, ask for identification. If in doubt, tell them that you want to see his superior. Keep your emotions in check.

22. If traveling with children, bring along an updated photograph of each child in the event that you become separated from them.

23. Write your child's name and your hotel number on each card; include a close friend's or relative's contact information on the card. Give a card to each child which they will carry with them as long as you are away. Destroy once home.

24. Discuss with your family what they would do in event of an emergency while away from home, e.g. whom to call, how to contact emergency personnel, etc.

25. Do not discuss travel plans, your room number or any other personal information in public within earshot of strangers.

26. Bring along a basic first aid kit with bandages, iodine, mosquito repellant, sunscreen, alcohol packets, dramamine, pepto bismol, diarrhea medicine, etc.

27. Familiarize yourself with train and bus schedules before traveling. Have an alternate plan in place in the event your transportation plans change.

28. Do not flash your passport in public. Discreetly show important documents to officials only.

29. Consider purchasing portable alarms that emit a loud sound.

30. Watch for scams on the street. Children working with adults are notorious as pickpockets.

31. Never flash your money in public. Exchange funds with reputable and recognized exchangers only.

32. Have tips ready in advance for service personnel.

33. Consider renting an escort [security] service if traveling in areas where crime is high.

The key to safe traveling in any area is situational awareness. Distractions because of luggage, children, hotel personnel, strangers, etc. can put you at risk. Know your surroundings and stay in control of every situation.

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Ice Watches - Colours To Suit Every Mood

Since 2007, Ice Watches have become increasingly popular in the fashion world. The brand is from Switzerland and prides itself on the high quality that it offers. As well as the high quality that the brand has become known for, they also produce a wide range of stylish designs for you to choose from. The watches offer fine craftsmanship and on some selected designs are enhanced by beautiful Swarovski crystals.

Ice Watches are sold in over 55 countries throughout the world, unsurprisingly being most popular in North American and the UK. The watches are stocked by over a thousand retailers, both online and the high street worldwide. Since the brand began it has enjoyed enormous success and popularity throughout the world, with both men and women alike.

Ice Watches offer stylish, fresh and contemporary styles in a selection of bright, beautiful colours. The brand is famous for its off the wall designs and great use of colour, so if you're looking to stand out from the crowd, choose Ice. The designers of these stylish watches always produce something new and attractive for their followers. The watches are reasonably priced when you consider the high quality and detail that goes into them, and with extensive men and womens collections, and new items being released all the time, you're sure to find your perfect watch.

If you're looking for stylish, bright and contemporary colour combination's, then Ice Watches offer everything you could need, from bright reds to subtle tones of purple, and the brand is always releasing new designs and great styles into its expanding ranges. The brand always includes vivid, bright and bold colours in their watches, so that they keep up to date with the latest fashion trends. Whatever you plan to wear it with, there is sure to be a perfect Ice Watch to go with your chosen outfit.

Ice timepieces are eye-catching and unique, and with extensive mens and womens collections, you can easily find the perfect one to suit your taste, style and clothes. As the brand produces unisex watches, men and women can wear them with equal ease, comfort and style. They do not concentrate on providing watch lines only for men but have a wonderful line for women too.

There are a wide range of top online stores that stock Ice Watches to cater for both sexes, so check out the market and find the one you want, then find out where you can buy it the cheapest.

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Silver Chains - Real Or Fake? How to Tell

Gold is out, and silver is in! This has been the fashion trend for the past few years. Indeed, while sterling silver chains do not rival its golden counterpart in terms of value, it does have in terms of popularity.

Silver Chains Equals Quality

These days, getting silver chains can be rather costly. But if you are one of the many people who give importance to quality over price, this can be a very good investment. The popularity of silver chains and other accessories have given rise to silver plated jewelry pieces and, unfortunately, some that are sold as sterling silver pieces even if they are actually not. 

To make sure that the silver chain you are getting is made of. Sterling Silver, or a cheap fake, here are some ways on how to check your jewelry piece.

Check for the Mark

Silver jewelry pieces, including silver chains would often be branded by a small "925" marking. This is usually place on the jewelry pieces where they are less likely seen. In the case of rings, and some bracelets, the 925 marking is usually found on the inside part of the ring or bracelet. For .925 silver chains, the marking is usually found on the clasp of the chain. These markings are extremely small and oftentimes, you may need a magnifying glass to check this out. 

Acid Test

Since there are a lot of cheap imitations posing as sterling silver chains and other silver accessories and items, another way to test this is through a nitric acid test. You can ask your local jeweler to do the nitric test before you or you can do this at home. To do this, briskly rub a certain portion of the silver chain or silver item that you would like to test. It is a good idea to do this on a part of the silver piece that is not easily noticeable. This would allow you to break the plating on top of most silver pieces which is placed to prevent it from easily tarnishing. Apply a few drops of nitric acid onto the scratch surface and check the results. The color of the liquid would tell you what kind of silver it is. If the liquid turns into a cloudy grey color, you are guaranteed that your silver piece is made out of sterling silver. If it turns green, it means that it is only silver plated.

Being on the Safe Side

To make sure that you are only given genuine silver chains and other sterling silver jewelry pieces, make sure that you only go to a recognized jeweler that specializes in sterling silver pieces. If you do plan on buying silver chains and other silver pieces over the Internet, it is a good idea do some research on the credibility of these online stores. Sterling silver does not come in cheap, and more often than not, the prices placed by these jewelers can be rather shocking. Nevertheless, it would make a great piece of jewelry that you can enjoy for a lifetime

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The Dangers of Fast Food

The fast food industry has added every chemical possible that they can legally get away with to addict people to their food. In fact, if you eat fast food and you stop eating it, you actually go through withdrawal symptoms. It's like a drug. Not only that, the preservatives are so high in these fast food burgers these days that the product does not even break down. Fast food has been linked in the increase in obesity in both adults and children. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in our country, particularly in children. Here are some startling statistics to consider:

65% of American adults are overweight
30% of Americans are obese

According to the American Obesity Association, 127 million Americans are overweight, 60 million Americans are obese, and 9 million are "morbidly obese": they weigh 100 pounds more than they should.
In the last twenty years, the rate of obesity has doubled in children and tripled in adolescents and teens.
As of September 2004, nine million American kids between the ages of six and eighteen were obese.

OBESITY:
A KILLER Obesity-related illnesses will kill around 400,000 Americans this year--almost the same as smoking. Americans have gotten so big that their coffins have to be supersized!

Related illnesses caused by obesity:

High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Breast Cancer
Colon cancer
Gout
Arthritis
Asthma
Diabetes
Strokes

In 2003, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that one out of three kids born in America in the year 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes. The life of a ten-year-old child who has Type II diabetes will be, on average, between seventeen and twenty-six years shorter than that of a healthy child. Diabetes can lead to heart attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage in the lower legs which may result in amputation (82,000 of these cases occur every year). Diabetes is currently the sixth-highest cause of death in America.

Fast Food is Everywhere

The rise of the fast food industry plays a critical role in why our country is plagued with obesity. Fast food is everywhere: in big cities, small towns, shopping malls, the airport, the bus station, schools, and even hospitals!
There are 31,000 McDonald's worldwide- almost 14,000 of them are in the U.S.

People are Eating a lot of Fast Food

Fast food has become cheaper and easier to buy. In 2004, Americans spent $124 billion dollars on fast food. That same year, The American Journal of Preventive Medicine published a study showing that the percentage of fast food calories in the American diet has increased from 3 percent to 12 percent over the last twenty years.
Fast food culture was introduced to other countries around the world in the 1980's. In countries like Japan and China, people have abandoned traditional healthy diets in favor of fast food and as a result the rate of obesity and other diseases has soared.

Fast Food Restaurants Serve More
Not only is fast food everywhere, but fast food companies encourage the consumer to eat more by supplying over-sized burgers, extra-large servings for fries, and buckets of soda.
Products like The Whopper, The Big Gulp, and Super Size meals pack in a whopping amount of calories, sugars, and fats. Let's take a closer look: The Double Gulp soda at your local 7-11 holds 64 ounces of soda - that is half a gallon! It contains the equivalent of 48 teaspoons of sugar. A typical hamburger at a fast food restaurant weighs six ounces. In 1957, it weighed one ounce. According to one nutritionist, your average fast food meal is more like three meals.
The average meal at a McDonald's has 1,550 calories.

Fast Food is not Good For Us

We're eating more food that is not nutritious. Most fast-food meals are high in fat, high in sugar, high in calories, high in starch, high in salt, and low in fiber and nutrients. Because fast food lacks nutrients, after we eat it we're not satisfied. That makes us hungry for more soon after.

Why kids are at a major risk

Our children are exposed to an onslaught of advertising for fast food. Fast food chains spend more then $3 billion every year on television advertising. They intentionally campaign to kids so they become life-long customers. These are known as cradle-grave advertising strategies. Researchers have found that children can often recognize a company logo, like the Golden Arches, before they can recognize their own name.
In one year, the typical American child watches more that 40,000 TV commercials. Around 20,000 of these ads are for junk food: fast food, candy, soda, and breakfast cereals. This means that your child sees a junk food ad every five minutes when they're watching TV.
To further motivate children to eat fast food, companies like McDonald's have Happy Meals with free toys. McDonald's gives away more than 1.5 billion toys every year. Almost one out of every three new toys given to American kids each year is from McDonald's or another fast food restaurant.
In order to combat these calculated advertising strategies, educating our children on healthy eating habits that are easy, fun, and taste great is paramount. By teaching our children how harmful fast food is and how to eat healthier, they are empowered to make the right choices.

Fast Food is filled with chemicals and preservatives.

Fast food doesn't break down. This is because it is loaded with chemicals and preservatives. There's of course, the great video out on YouTube called The Bionic Burger that illustrates this in a fun and informative way.
The link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYyDXH1amic
The video is based on a true story. In 1991, this software engineer from Burlington, Vermont (he prefers to remain anonymous) was out with friends in Boston for New Year's Eve and stopped at McDonald's on the way home. He bought a couple of cheeseburgers, ate one and put the other in his coat pocket to have later.
He forgot about the burger in his pocket. A year later, he pulled his coat out of the closet, put it on, and discovered the cheeseburger in his pocket from New Year's Eve. It looked exactly the same. He was absolutely blown away. He told his friends and family but nobody believed him. So he decided to start a burger museum to demonstrate to everyone that these cheeseburgers and hamburgers were literally indestructible.
He started collecting burgers, one every year. By the fall of 2004, he had amassed quite a collection:
The original '91 McDonald's Cheeseburger from that New Year's Ever
'92 McDonald's Cheeseburger and Big Mac
'93 Burger King Hamburger
'94 McDonald's Hamburger
'95-'03 McDonald's Cheeseburgers

He kept them on bookshelves in his living room in the open air. These burgers look exactly the same. The bun, the meat, the cheese, the special sauce, the pickle, even the lettuce. They have all retained their shape, and color for over a decade!

Food is supposed to break down.
Food is supposed to be the most biodegradable of all products. How is it possible that these burgers have not broken down? Decayed? Become moldy?

My friends Len Foley and Rebecca Gauthier were not convinced. They thought maybe there was an exaggeration, or it was simply not true. So they went and bought a hamburger at the local McDonald's in Burbank, CA February 2007.
They put it in their garage in the open air and left it there. Once a week they would go out and "check" on their burger. It would continue to look and smell exactly the same. No animals, insects, or birds touched it. After one year, they began to feature it in several health exhibits along with some of Matt's hamburgers from his burger collection. Since then, they have added a Hostess Twinkie, cupcake, and other hamburgers to their collection. As of April 2008, there have been no noted changes in the food's composition.

If you don't believe me, try it out for yourself! Go invest a buck and buy a burger. (this is the only time I will ever tell you to do something like this by the way!) Put it in your garage, or wherever, and just let it sit there. I think it is important to see this for yourself so you will know on a deep level the implications of what this means. The food is not breaking down therefore it cannot be natural.

We brought the bionic burger museum to a recent health event to demonstrate how fast food is made of chemicals, preservatives, dyes, and low quality ingredients. Hundreds and hundreds of people saw burgers that were between one and eleven years old. None of them had decomposed. Adults and children were shocked. When people see first hand that fast food is not food, it has a powerful impact that can cause them to make the right choice: the choice to eat healthy, nutritious food instead of a cornucopia of chemicals, preservatives, fat, grease, and salt.
This video I just described has been viewed by 1.3 million people on YouTube. It has been translated into 7 different languages, and featured on 50,000 blogs. This demonstrates that people want this information, they want to be informed because information empowers us to make the right choice. You choose every day what you are going to put into your body. Make the best choice and put food in your body that is going to help you, not harm you.
When you put living food in your body it contains enzymes that naturally break the food down. The ripening process of fruit, for example, is an enzyme controlled process. And those enzymes will eventually, if that fruit's not eaten, cannibalize the fruit. So the fruit will eat itself.

Well, these burgers aren't eating themselves. They are here twenty years later because there are no enzymes present. These burgers are so loaded with preservatives that they're like a sealant, as if they are permanently made, like you would have a painting glazed over and framed and put on your wall. It's not food, it's something else. What that something else is, we don't know, but I'm totally impressed that people can survive eating it.

Now I've also seen the burger that's nineteen years old, some that were fifteen, sixteen years old. it looks like we now have the technology to build the world's first bionic burger! I recommend if you are serious about your health, you AVOID fast food AT ALL COSTS! There are so many healthy alternatives that can not only satiate your cravings, but deliver the vitamins and nutrients your body needs for peak performance. Please read all about delicious superfoods, superherbs, and other superior healthy foods in one of our many other special reports on http://www.thebestdayever.com.

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