A Short Pencil is Better Than Long Memory

Have you ever gone to the grocery store meaning to pick up just a few things and walked out with half the store in your cart? When you get home you realize that you got everything except for the thing you went there for in the first place. Now think about the time you walked in with a list and walked out with exactly the things that you came into the store for without even thinking about it.

I am the type of person that has to write everything down. I have to-do lists, grocery list, calendar reminders on my cell phone and email, my goals and visions are written down and I write my thoughts in a journal. While my passion for writing is one of the reasons why I do this, it's not the only reason. I learned something a long time ago that has stuck with me. A short pencil is better than a long memory. The human memory is indeed flawed, we can easy lose track of our direction in life if we only rely on our memory to get there. When we write things down it reinforces the thoughts and makes them more "concrete."

Here's a little background on what happens in the brain based on some simple neuro-psychology. Our brains are divided into several regions that help us to process information. These include the frontal lobe which is for problem solving, emotions, behavioral control, thinking and planning. The motor cortex which is responsible for movement, the sensory cortex which is responsible for sensation, the temporal lobe which processes long term memory, the parietal lobe which makes sense of the world and helps us with spelling, arithmetic and perception and the occipital which is responsible for vision. When we write things down, we are using several of these parts of the brain but more importantly we are helping to commit this information to our long term memory. When we engage in the act of writing things down we are activating all of the parts of the brain.

One study on students, in a University setting, looked at students that took notes and students that did not take notes. The study tested these students immediately after a lecture. All the students in the study remember approximately 40% of the information presented. The difference between the two groups was that the students that took the notes remembered more of the details of the lecture. The students that did not take notes remembered random parts of the lecture. The mere act of writing helped the students to commit more details to their long term memory.

Writing is basically like a dress rehearsal for the brain. When we write things down we are helping to commit these things to our long term memory. The mind is a tricky thing when remembering things and a concrete reference can help us to stay focused and on track. Writing it down is also a good way to keep your mind focused and to reduce the amount of stress in your life. It only takes a minute to write it down but can save you a lot of aggravations and anguish in the long run. So when you need to remember anything in life take a second and write it down.

Susan Hagen is a Transformational Coach and Author that teaches transformational techniques to reach your goals in life. Connect through E Mind Design to find out more about transforming your life http://www.eminddesign.com/#!transformational-coaching/c18jm

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3 Benefits of Playing Memory Games

A fun-filled and worthwhile activity that both adults and children can enjoy is playing games. Playing games do not only help us socialize and/or pass the time in a fun way, it can also give us great benefits that can enhance our overall well-being. There are many different kinds of games that can be chosen from. There are physical games that can help strengthen our bodies and make us healthy. There are also intellectual games that can increase our knowledge while there are also memory games that can help our brains become sharper.

Aside from making the brain sharp, there are also other great benefits that can be reaped from playing memory-enhancing games. Here are three of the great benefits of playing such games.

• Helps in exercising the brain.

Memory games, like other kinds of games, serve to exercise certain parts of the body - in this case the brain's memory function. When these games are played consistently, it will be equivalent to exercising the brain to make it more alert and sharp. You can do this by playing memory games 30 minutes to one hour every day. It does not matter how short or long you play the game. The important key to remember is playing it consistently. This will also harness one's concentration and focus level in such a way that it will be improved as you go along.

• Helps in preventing memory-related illnesses such as Alzheimer's.

Memory loss is a natural process that all people may go through as we age and it may prove to be a little difficult to prevent and it cannot be halted. However, it can be slowed down by properly exercising your brain and this can be done by playing memory games. When you play these games and exercise your brain consistently, you will be able to avoid illnesses and diseases which are memory-related. This is primarily because the brain is kept active often.

• Helps in enhancing other brain functions.

Others think that memory games are just all for improving the memory and others may not feel that it will be useful or beneficial in their day-to-day life. However, that is completely incorrect. When a person plays memory and brain-enhancing games regularly, he or she will not only be able to enhance the brain's memory function, but also other brain skills like concentration, focus, attention level, cognitive skills as well as reading and reasoning skills. This is because many memory games are developed to allow the brain to think strategically and critically. There are many memory games that have various levels of difficulties to holistically train and boost the brain.

Memory games are a fun way and efficient way to pass the time. On top of that, if done on a regular basis, it can also help in boosting the brain making us sharper and wiser.

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Reduce Stress With Three Simple Solutions

In this day and age reducing stress is of top priority. There are so many distractions in the world to keep people busy that a great majority of people in the United States function at a heightened level of stress without realizing it. Many factors in life demand our attention and we function as if we have no choice but to respond to the demand. Is that really true, though? We all have choices, even if the choice is between two difficult options. I have figured out some key actions/ideas that have helped me to reduce my stress and decrease the speed of my life. I share them with the hope that they can help you too.

I detach from technology (phone/iPad/laptop) during evening hours. By detach, I mean I put the phone on silent and usually place all devices in my room, as most of my evening hours are spent in the family common areas. This removes the temptation to check my email and text messages every time an alert goes off. I am able to be present in whatever it is that I'm doing by focusing on that moment verses To Do lists, needs of others outside of my family, and so on. Detaching allows me to recall my thoughts and think about things that I don't have time to think about throughout the day, such as my dreams and aspirations. It allows me to reconnect with my family and myself, which usually brings me to a place of gratefulness. I find myself being grateful about the time spent together and/or being able to have time alone to myself. I am now able to stop every day to enjoy what is important and to appreciate that.

I stopped expecting myself to be super-woman. I expected things of myself that I would never expect of someone. I felt I should keep a spotless home, clothes washed, folded and put away at all times, home cooked meals nightly, raise a perfect child, all while working full-time, just to name a few. I learned that I'm not perfect and I am only human. Being human means that I can do my best but that my rest and rejuvenation are just as important as all of the mentioned items above. By accepting this about myself and embracing it, instead of pushing myself after an exhausting week (or day), I allow myself to stop and rest. Rest is okay; rest is actually required for us to be our best selves. No "thing" is as important as taking care of self.

I began to journal. I have never been a person who journals. I have always liked the concept but the execution rarely managed to play out well. In recent years I have learned the art of journaling. It is a release; a forum to express all unexpressed thoughts, ideas, worries and everything else that circles around in my head all day. I realized that having those thoughts playing on repeat continuously was keeping my brain in high gear and hardly allowing for peace. Journaling is an outlet, which moves thoughts from being a plane with no landing gear to a plane that's landed safely on the runway. Once I get my thoughts down on paper, there no longer seems to be a need to mull over them in my mind, which results in a quiet mind and peaceful sleep.

It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life. However, it is so important find a way to slow down, be present and release. Implementing all ideas at one time may be too much of an immediate shift so pick one and do it consistently. Once you feel comfortable with your progress, move on to implement another one. I hope you find these concepts as helpful to you as they have been for me.

Marie enjoys writing and helping people and puts them together to create articles that help you. Connect with her at marie@writingpops.com.

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Are You Wondering How To Stay Young? Here Are 10 Suggestions.

Ten suggestions on how to stay young for those who are not so young.

1. Keep Learning.

Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Keep your brain active and imaginative. Never let your brain get idle. Don't sit in front of the TV or computer absorbing nonsense. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Brain Disease.

2. Keep only cheerful friends.

Cheerful people bring you up when you are down. The grouches will pull you down. Remember this if you are one of the grouches.

3. Surround yourself with what you love.

Whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, or whatever, Keep these treasures where they can activate your senses and emotions. Your home is your refuge and castle.

4. Laugh often, long, and loud.

Laugh until you gasp for breath. If you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend as much time as you can with him/her. Laughing gets your body chemistry working in the correct way.

5. Tell the people you love that you love them at every opportunity.

It not only makes them feel good, but it makes you feel good, too.

6. Enjoy the simple things.

The simple, natural things we take for granted in life can really be enjoyable. Can't enjoy them when they are gone.

7. Try everything twice.

It might have been good the first time. It might be great the second time. You might have failed the first time. You might be successful the second time. As the saying goes, "If you don't first succeed, try, try, try again."

8. Cherish your health.

If your health is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. When I was young, I thought money was the most important thing. Now I know that what all those old timers were saying is true. Your health is the most important.

9. Live for today. Think about tomorrow. The past is gone.

Tears happen. Endure the pain, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life is ourselves.

10. Believe the you are never too old.

You might not be able to do things the way you used to, but there is always a way. You don't know unless you try. I'm talking about the Mind, Body, and Soul. You might find that it is much more fulfilling now.

Fred writes for oldie newbies like himself. He has been there and done that. He has experienced a lot of mistakes and he wants to help others NOT make the same mistakes.
Follow his blog and see how he can help you. Check it out. http://oldienewbies.wordpress.com

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Move Out of Your Comfort Zone

Not only should you move out of your comfort zone once, but you need to do it constantly.

It is very important for every entrepreneur who dreams of success to make courageous decisions in every aspects of the business. I know it seems to be difficult and requires a lot of self-disciplines. Yes, that's true. You tend to be in your comfort zone and you don't want to leave it. You feel good and safe in your comfort zone, don't you?

There are some buts... You see, if you desire to reach out for something big in your life, if you want to become something more than just an ordinary individual, you have to be sure that only because of your courage you can achieve greatness in your life.

Fortune favors the brave. The successful businessmen always know how to asses potential risks and rewards. You should give it a try. Don't be afraid to be brave and the expected rewards will come to your life. Those who are brave enough to move out of their comfort zone are the ones who are going to win their lives.

According to Brian Tracy, a virtue translated into action leads to positive results. What virtues you may ask? Those can be such virtues as integrity, persistence, courtesy and love. And of course courage. Your boldness and brave decisions will lead you to moving out of your comfort zone which consequently gives you the success your deserve.

Tracy is sure that if you find the courage to leave your comfort zone, unseen forces will come to help you.

If you start acting and making bold decisions, that have power to change your life for better, you will become the witness of unbelievable results in your business. Fortune favors the brave. Be brave to move out of your comfort zone and you will sense the money you dream of. Don't be afraid to say goodbye to the comfort zone you feel good in, and you will welcome the fortune you want.

The most important part of courage you have to possess in order to be successful is the courage to step out in the face of uncertainty. You must have faith in the unknown in order to be a great and remarkable achiever.

General of Army, Douglas MacArthur once said:

"There's no security in life, only opportunity".

The general knew what he was talking about.

You know, there is something magical in the attitude of attacking. When you avoid being defensive in your behavior, you are on the pathway to the great success in your life. If you decide to find yourself in the attacking position, it means you decide to get out of your comfort zone and touch the greatness. Just notice that when you attack you have control of your life and the situation.

Do you know what the most successful entrepreneurs have in common? It is the willingness to move out of your comfort zone, the willingness to step out in faith, with no guarantees of success whatsoever.

In order to succeed, you have to possess the courage to be constantly in the phase of developing and making experiments in your business. Don't stop the wheel of your potential.

Tracy encourages you to always move forward in spite of your fears and don't be find boldness to stretch yourself to get out of your comfort zone. And you will be in a position to taste your successful future.

Good advice from me. Don't make yourself comfortable enough to wait for the opportunity to rain on you unexpectedly. It won't happen just like that, I can promise.

My name is Daniel Kasztura. I live in Poland. I love being myself. I like the issue of personal development. I want to add value to you by writing about how to grow as a person. I am convinced that you can be a better person if you constantly learn how to develop your personal skills. I would be honored to know you took advantage of the helpful lessons presented here. Good luck:)

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Gift Ideas For The Men In Your Life

Buying gifts for men can be difficult. With the women in your life there is always fashion and fragrance, jewelry or flowers if you are lost for ideas, but those things don't always go down quite so well with the guys. Here are some ideas for if your husband, boyfriend, brother or father has a special occasion coming up, or if you just want to buy them something "just because".

Gadgets

Most men love gadgets and technology, and depending on your budget, there is plenty to choose from. If he is into multimedia on the move, you could consider a tablet device like an iPad, which will let him surf the net, play games, watch movies and play music on the go. Alternatively, how about some top quality professional headphones he can use with his MP3 player or with his favorite games console? Some of the best ones will cut out background noise, giving him the clearest sound no matter how noisy everyone else is being.

Gaming

Is the guy in question a video game nut? If so, along with the latest consoles and games, there are plenty of accessories to enhance his gaming experience. If he likes to use online gaming services like XBox Live, a good microphone headset will help him smack talk his friends while they play. There are also special gaming chairs you can buy, with built in speakers and rumble effects that respond to the games for a more realistic and fun experience.

Bling

OK, so not all men want to walk around looking like 50 Cent, but tasteful jewelry is still a popular option. Men who don't wear much jewelry general still appreciate a good watch, and if he's a snappy dresser then cufflinks and tie pins could be just the right gift.

Accessories

As well as jewelry, a lot of men appreciate a classy accessory, such as an especially nice pen or cigarette lighter. You could even have it engraved to add a more personal touch.

Luxury Items

If he likes the finer things in life, consider treating him to some luxurious cigars, or a fine bottle of whiskey. Gifts like these work well when paired with something more permanent, such as some nice glasses or a good cigar cutter.

Adventures

Many outlets now offer "experiences" you can give as gifts, so if your man is a bit of a thrill seeker, this could be the perfect idea. If he loves cars or bikes, you can buy a day at a track where he can race, or drive some of the world's coolest supercars. If he's an adrenaline junkie, how about sky diving, bungee jumping, or white water rafting? If it's planes he likes, you could book him a flying lesson, or a trip somewhere beautiful in a helicopter. There are plenty of these sorts of packages available, and when you purchase them to give as a gift it usually covers the day itself, any equipment hire, and a souvenir of his day.

Offering a fantastic choice of choice of Personalized gifts available to buy online, from www.personalisedgift.biz

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Become an Idea Collector

Have you ever gotten a really great idea - one that you knew would solve a problem, but when you went to apply it, you couldn't remember the idea? Have you ever read a book and then six months later needed some information or an idea from it, but can't recall which book or exactly what the concept was?

I've found that people collect just about anything from McDonald's Happy Meal toys to rare coins to cars. eBay was founded because the creator wanted to make it easier to buy and sell collectable Pez dispensers.

While I collect tractors, both life size antique tractors and toys, I also collect something much more applicable to my personal and professional growth. I collect ideas.

Ideas are the lifeblood of improvement in any area of our life. But we can't always implement the ideas we get the minute we get them - and sometimes these strokes of genius get misplaced or lost in our minds.

Get Your Ideas Down

Any collector knows they need a place to store the things they collect. Idea collectors are no different. I collect ideas in several places and have tried various approaches over the years. I now have two major collection locations.

o A journal. I keep my journal near me most of the time. I have tried big books, small books, and used to try to capture ideas in my Day planner. For me I have found that a relatively small book is the answer. Experiment with form and type of journal, but make it something that you use frequently. When the form becomes comfortable for your style you will keep it with you and collect more ideas.

o Computer documents. I have a Journal folder on my computer with a variety of files inside it. Each file is a journal or clip file in a particular area of my life. For example, I keep story ideas for writing, speaking and training in one folder, leadership ideas in another, etc. These files act as a place for me to cut and paste ideas I read online and in emails. While I always capture the source, so that if I want to use directly I can reference the author, often these files are referenced for additional ideas, not the specifics of what was saved there.

Note: I used to keep idea folders in a file drawer. I have found that I was usually filing a whole article for one nugget. Now I discipline myself to put that nugget in my journal and delete the rest! And since I do more and more of my reading online, my computer files serves as a replacement for the file drawer

Here are seven strategies to collect your ideas for use when you need them most.

1. Write them down! I carry note cards so I can jot down an idea anytime. I write ideas on a flipchart or a whiteboard. I know that ideas are fleeting, so I get them down.

2. Make lists. Do specific brainstorming on a topic, project or program to boost your collection. Capture all of the ideas. When doing this personally, I don't cross any off when I find them impractical. By leaving them on my list I have the chance to spur other ideas when I reread or review the list.

3. Hold a meeting. Every Friday in our office we have a learning and idea meeting where we review the key concepts we have read and the ideas we have generated for the week. By having a scheduled meeting we generate more ideas that may have application to our work, but it also keeps us focused on generating or finding great ideas.

4. Keep notes from reading. When reading any book (especially non fiction) capture ideas you get when reading. Jot notes in the margins, use your highlighter. Then go back and transfer the gems to your journal. That extra effort will exponentially increase the value you receive from reading the book.

5. Keep notes in meetings. When I am in meetings or a participant in a training session, I am always searching for ideas. This keeps my mind sharp. I continually ask, "How could I use this?" and put those ideas in my notes. I always draw a little light bulb on the page to help me separate out the ideas from the notes. I also find this process keeps me more focused on the meeting or training as I know I haven't lost the idea and I can stay more focused on the topic at hand.

6. Refer back to them. Review your idea lists. You never know when one of those ideas you wrote down will have application. This is one of the reasons for collecting them in the first place!

7. Take action. The collection becomes valuable to the degree that you try some of your ideas out. Set a timeline, make a plan, and try something out! It is with this final step that your ideas truly become valuable to you.

You won't apply every idea you capture and not every idea you capture will be good. Cast your net wide and collect as many as you can in as many ways as you can. While you will never be able to display your ideas on the wall of your home, your collection and the results gained from application of selected parts of your collection will be among your most prized possessions. Get started now - a happier more productive future awaits.

©Kevin Eikenberry 2005. Kevin is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on “Unleashing Your Potential” go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

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Find Idea to Write a Book

A book or article needs an idea before it writes by author. Author must find good idea to start write an article or book. Without an idea, article or book never has goal or soul of the composition. That composition will become unclear story and reader will difficult to understand, if there is not clear idea. Of course, idea is soul and goal of the composition like book or article.

Every author has own way to find an idea before start write book or an article. There is some kind of idea to start writing. The kind is

[1] Original idea. This is pure come from author and no body introduce before. This is very good starting because article or book will unique and will has the best soul delivery to reader.

[2] Adaptation idea. Adaptation ideas come from other idea after published in book or newspaper. Some fiction author get an idea from other story and make some modification in their composition become more interesting and attractive.

[3] Bad idea. This is must avoid if you want become good author. Usually, bad idea is public idea or other author idea but you will claim as your original idea. You will get some problem about your book or article regarding copy right or other problems.

[4] Idea's Other Owner. This idea come from other people and gives you an idea or some idea to write composition become article or book. Usually, it is will become your own right and there are not problem about your article. Better if you mention in footnote about where idea come from to appreciate you friend that gives you an idea to write this composition.

An idea is priceless property for the author. Without this, he cannot get start to write and get money from there. An idea is good source of much money for author. He will become rich and famous or become down because bad idea of the article or book. Author can find idea from

[1] Many source of reading like book, newspaper, discussion, seminar, TV show, lecture, article, etc.

[2] Depth Contemplation. Author can contemplate about something to track and find good idea and write the article or book.

[3] Primary and Second research. Author can find other idea from primary and second data and research result. It is can find in library in the city.

[4] Monitoring result. Author can conduct some monitoring about subject that will write before start writing job.

Many ideas come in the mind very fast and never think it before. Idea can appear in the mind when you are in the toilet, bus, seminar, lunch, dinner, starting sleep, wake up, change clothe, etc. Many ideas come suddenly and often forget if we are not writing in the paper. Our brain is very limited to remember many ideas that appear in our mind. Thus, as professional author, we must write any idea in the paper or pocket PC (if you have) when an idea appears in the mind. You can write your idea in the form:

[1] Title. Write you title in your note. Content of the idea still in your brain and you develop it other time.

[2] Short synopsis without title.

[3] Diagram or picture

[4] Pointer and sub idea from main idea.

This form can help you to maintain your idea. You may be able to write book or article base on this idea right now. Many ideas come from your brain and you write in your note. Some time you will find your note has very long idea. It is good and you will have many sources of money after you develop it become book or article. Nowadays, some software developers build software to help author record an idea and create book or e-book. Visit my website for more information.

Susmanto Hadi is independent author from Indonesia. He has been writing some books in Bahasa Indonesia. He also compile computer security glossary in an e-book to help everybody to understand computer security sciences. He is a ghostwriter to some local writer in Indonesia. He also conducts Internet marketing activities with his web.

See his web for more information, click here:

[http://www.digitallylearning.com/]

[http://www.ebookworldgateway.com]

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How Good is Your Big Idea

Q: I want to start my own business. I have tons of business ideas that all sound great to me, but my husband is not so sure. He says that we need to figure out a way to test my ideas to pick the one that has the best chance of succeeding. I'm ready to just pick one and go for it. What is the best way to determine if a business idea really is as good as it sounds?
-- Hannah C.

A: Heather, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but your husband is right (first time for everything, huh): before you just pick a business idea and go for it you should test the feasibility of your ideas to make sure they really are as good as you think they are.

Every business idea, no matter how good it sounds while bouncing around inside your head, should be put to the test before you invest time and money into its execution. Success lies not in what you think of your idea, but what the buying public will think. Many entrepreneurs find out too late that the public's opinion of their idea differs greatly from their own. Wasted time and money aside, the last thing you want to do is hear "I told you so!" from your husband, so take a deep breath, slow down, and let's look at the ways you can test the feasibility of your idea.

There are many ways to test an idea's feasibility, though some ways are not nearly as effective or accurate than others. Most people start out by asking everyone they know what they think of their big idea. This is a good way to start the wheels turning because you may get feedback that you have not considered before, but be warned: this is NOT the best way to test the true feasibility of an idea. Never start a business simply based on what your friends and family think.

There are two things that will happen here. First, your mother will tell you what you want to hear and your best friends will be equally kind. No one who really cares for you will want to rain on your parade no matter how insane your parade might be, so take the wisdom you gain here with a hug and a grain of salt.

On the flip side, your coworkers and casual acquaintances will probably tell you the opposite of what they really think. If they think your idea stinks they'll tell you it's great and if they think your idea is great they'll tell you it stinks. Please don't preach to me about human kindness. Human kindness is often bested by human nature and we humans, by nature, are an envious lot. We hate to see anyone doing better than we are doing and we hate to see anyone who has the potential to leave us behind. Go watch the movie "Envy" and consider this: why would someone who is broke or stuck in dead-end job with no other prospects want to see you succeed? They wouldn't. End of story.

Instead of conferring with friends and family you should run your idea past a number of neutral third parties who are knowledgeable about business and will give you an honest opinion. Contact the local Small Business Administration (SBA) or The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) offices and ask to speak with someone knowledgeable who has time to listen to your idea (don't run it past the receptionist). Or speak with the small business liaison at the Chamber of Commerce. Or seek out a successful entrepreneur who is willing to listen and give you an honest opinion about your idea. Just remember, opinions are like belly buttons: everybody has one and they are all different.

A more accurate way to judge the feasibility of an idea is to create a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. A SWOT analysis will not only help you gauge the feasibility of your idea, but also help you build on your idea's strengths, identify and correct the weaknesses, and spot ways to take advantage of potential opportunities while avoiding potential threats.

Here's how to perform a simple SWOT Analysis. On a piece of paper draw a vertical line down the center of the page. Then draw a horizontal line through the center of the vertical line. The paper is now divided into four quadrants. Label the upper left quadrant "Strengths." Label the upper right quadrant "Weaknesses." Label the lower left quadrant "Opportunities" and the lower right quadrant "Threats."

Now fill in each quadrant based on what you see as the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your business idea. You should repeat this process for every idea you have and each quadrant should have something written in. If you can think of no strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for a particular idea, that means that you do not have enough information to complete the SWOT analysis, which means you also do not have enough information to effectively execute that idea.

Strengths are those things that make your idea a strong one. Strengths can be personal or product-oriented and may include: prior business experience and success; sufficient funding to start the business; having a customer in hand; having a unique product or service to offer; having an established market; etc.

Next list all of the weaknesses of your idea. It is important that you are honest with yourself and list as many weaknesses as you can. Don't pretend that your idea doesn't have any weaknesses because every idea does. You will hurt no one but yourself if you pretend that your idea is bulletproof. Weaknesses might include: lack of capital to start the business; lack of business or management experience; a crowded market place; large competitors; etc.

Opportunities are those things that you can tap into that might fast track your business idea. We've talked about opportunities before and how smart entrepreneurs seek out new opportunities rather than waiting for opportunities to come to them. Opportunities might include: a potential partnership with someone who sells products in the same market; a prime storefront location that is coming available; a competitor going out of business, leaving a hole in the market that may be right for you; etc.

Threats are those things that threaten the success of your business idea. Threats might include: uncertain marketplace conditions; strong competitors in the market with lower prices; possible laws or taxes that may impact your idea; etc. Like weaknesses, it is vital that you are honest when it comes to identifying threats.

Once you have filled in all four quadrants, you should have enough information to begin testing the feasibility of your idea. Do the strengths of your idea outweigh the weaknesses or do the weaknesses outweigh the strengths? Are the opportunities available to you ample or nonexistent? Are the threats many or few?

With this information in hand, you can move on to the most accurate method of testing your idea and that is the creation of a detailed feasibility plan, which we will discuss next time.

Here's to your success!

Tim Knox, Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, Radio Host Founder, The Insiders Club, Giving You The Power To Start Your Business Today www.theinsidersclub.com Bestselling Author of: "Everything I Know About Business I Learned From My Mama" www.timknox.com

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Putting in Idea Pockets - Capture and Keep All the Brilliant Ideas You Can Generate

As a professional, you need as many ideas as you can possibly generate (or capture). Don't let the good ones get away. This article gives you specific means for generating and then capturing all the great ideas you come up with--no matter where you are. This will ensure that you have "pockets" of ideas when you need them.

To create your idea pockets, you must be ready to snag any and all ideas as they occur, because sometimes when you need a good idea, it doesn't come then. (Darn it!)

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Change Your Life in 10 Easy Steps

1. Exercise
Start exercising more and keep scaling it up. Your body will get used to the same intensity after a short period of time. Running and swimming are both great. Start slow and gradually build it week by week. Find ways to force yourself to exercise. Every time you die in your game, do 10 squats. Bodyweight exercises are great to start out. If you want more lean muscle, start lifting weights. Start a martial art, nothing says self confidence like beating people up. Good examples are boxing & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

2. Eat Healthily
A very simple concept that people fail to grasp. Want more muscle? Eat more protein. Want to get skinnier? Eat smaller portions. You already know what's healthy and what's not. Use common sense. Eat your vegetables, 5 portions in a day is recommended but don't forget your lean meats such as chicken, fish and some red meats. Cook your own food, you know what's going into your body when you eat it.

3. Change your Appearance and your Hygiene
Get a haircut that suits your face. Sort out your acne. Shower more often and use deodorant and a nice cologne. Brush your teeth twice a day. Clip your fingernails.

4. Get Smarter and More Knowledgeable
Compile a list of books you want to read, this can be a list of non-fiction books based on various subjects politics, current affairs etc. Fiction is good entertainment and will make you think Keep learning, instead of playing video games, learn how to develop a website or learn a new coding language. Read Wikipedia in your spare time. Read the news.

5. Get more Skills
Take up a new hobby, something which already interests you, in fact take up more than one, eventually you will be able to teach people and potentially make money from it. Like I said before, keep learning new things, learn some Basic DIY, nothing says "MANLY" like being able to fix things. When you go out, practice them, nothing gains respect more than someone who knows what they're doing.

6. Fix your wardrobe
Everybody has a place in their wardrobe for certain things. Those clothes that have stains on them? Fine for dish rags and for painting. Not for outdoor use. Those old sneakers? Fine for running and the Gym. The easiest way to fix your wardrobe is make a list of adult clothes that you would like to own. Once you're an adult you should be dressing properly. That X-men tshirt that was cool when you were 14? Got to go...

7. Become Better with Money
Start saving, save a percentage of you pay every month and leave it in a high interest account. DO NOT TOUCH NO MATTER WHAT. Stop spending money on pointless things. Don't waste your money on items that you don't need. Look at investing money into stocks, they can make you some money in the future. Remember those hobbies you're learning? Try and make some money out of them. Sell off things you don't need, not playing your Xbox anymore? Sell it. Don't ride your bike? Sell it. You won't miss them.

8. Work on your Social Life
Whats the matter with you? Are you shy? Arrogant? Make inappropriate jokes? Find out the bad parts of your personality and try to fix them or at least tone it down. There's plenty of information on the internet about social awkwardness. Join social clubs, play sports, start hobbies which force you to interact with people. Start social events, the main reason friends don't invite you to parties is because you don't invite them to anything.

9. Find Yourself - Go Travelling
Push yourself physically and mentally, know what you're capable of and exceed it. Deal with your past issues, therapy whatever. Do it. Know your morals.

10. Remember this phrase:
Shoot for the moon and even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars.

Need more help? Go To Hack Life [http://www.hacklife.info] for more info.

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