At some point you will need to make changes to your investment portfolio. Often, investors and their advisors make wholesale changes all at once. But that’s not really in your best interest. Read on to find out how to successfully adjust your portfolio.

In a previous article I discussed the importance of matching the investment strategy used to expected market conditions. Using the wrong strategy at the wrong time can be devastating-as many found out in 2000-2002. In follow up articles I provided specific strategies to significantly increase portfolio income, and other strategies designed to double your money every 5-7 years in single-digit return markets.

Perhaps you’ve decided to make changes to your portfolio. It may be to take advantage of the strategies I’ve discussed. Or it could be because your life situation and needs have changed. Or it might be that you’ve neglected your portfolio garden and there are as many weeds as vegetables. Regardless of the reason, keep these steps in mind. They’re the ones I follow when transitioning a client’s portfolio.

1) You need to analyze your existing portfolio. Take a close inventory of your investments and research their performance. The last thing you want to do is to cut down the wrong plants while you are weeding your garden!

You can find performance information for many investments at www.morningstar.com. It takes more work but it’s better to calculate your actual return. Subtract what you invested into a particular holding from what it’s worth now. If dividends and interest aren’t being reinvested, then add any dividends/interest paid to that figure. Divide that figure by your initial amount invested. For instance, if the result is .015, then that investment earned 1.5%. Look at that return in relation to the length of time you’ve held it to determine whether or not it needs to go.

2) You may need to change your attitude toward investments. It’s easy to become attached to a particular investment. Don’t. It’s there to make you money. If it does, great. If not, find another that will. Constantly ask yourself, “If I were investing this money today, would I buy this investment?” If not, then it’s a weed.

3) See if there are surrender penalties or other charges associated with getting rid of the weeds. If it is a mutual fund, there are penalties associated with B shares and sometimes with C shares. Annuities are notorious for onerous penalties.

4) Wait for the right time to sell your weeds. There may be an investment that you want to change that is currently trending up. Don’t sell it then; wait until it starts to decline in value. Doing this for my clients has earned them several percent just by watching and waiting.

5) Conversely, after the weed is sold, don’t feel rushed to jump right into another investment. There are cycles to every type of investment. Wait for the right time. If it’s a stock, determine a buy ceiling-you’ll only buy it if it trades at or below that price. Then wait. Even if it takes months, it’s better to keep that money in cash than to pay too much.

6) Closely tend your new garden. We can’t throw some seeds in the ground, ignore them and expect to come back later to reap a harvest. Gardens must be tended. So does a portfolio. No matter what the investment, it is important for you to monitor each one and to make adjustments when necessary.

Many advisors want you to think that if you buy a certain product, all your worries will be gone. You can set it and forget it, they say. It’s not true. In these cases, they are the ones who are going to set it and forget it! You’re better on your own than using one of these advisors.

Like gardening, investing is hard work. There are some that really enjoy it, while others just want the harvest. If you don’t have the time to properly tend your garden then find a professional who will do it for you. Ask them how they would transition your portfolio. If they don’t follow these steps it’s a clear sign they aren’t the advisor for you.

I’ll personally respond to your questions, free of charge. Go to http://www.guardingyourwealth.com and click on ‘Ask Jeff’.

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In addition to being a nationally syndicated columnist and Certified Financial Planning Practitioner, Mr. Voudrie provides personal, private money management services to clients nationwide.

Nationally-syndicated financial columnist and Certified Financial Planner® Jeffrey Voudrie provides personal, in-depth money management services and advice to select private clients throughout the USA. He’ll answer your financial question - FREE at http://www.guardingyourwealth.com

Bathroom tile design ideas can help you create a bathroom to enjoy every day. Whether you need bathroom tile design ideas for a new bathroom or you intend to remodel an existing one, understand the tile materials you can select from and their characteristics. The maintenance needed for your bathroom floor is directly related to the material the tile is made of. Above all, you should want to create a floor surface that looks great, is water and stain resistant and safe to walk on.

Here are basic floor tile material types with some of their characteristics:

Decorative Tile - usually consisting of floral patterns or a geometric designs, these kinds of tile can create an interesting pattern within other tile that are the same color or size. Using decorative floor tile that is a different color in your bathroom tile design can go well with other colors used in fixtures, materials and furnishings.

Glazed Ceramic Tile - available in a wide variety of colors to go with any decor style, this tile has a material baked onto its surface that gives a durable floor surface that is easy to maintain. Glazed ceramic floor tile can be made to look like they were made of natural stone. Be sure that the surface has a slip-resistant finish when using where the floor will be wet.

Mosaic Tile - these are small and square shaped tile that are available in rectangular mosaic tile sheets with the individual tiles held together with a mesh backing. A wide variety of materials are used for this kind of bathroom tile design and the floor will be slip-resistant since there will be many grout lines.

Natural Stone Tile - made from natural materials such as granite, limestone, marble and slate. Stain absorption and difficulty in cleaning create challenges when using natural stone for your bathroom tile design. Sealing limestone and slate tile after installation is necessary to keep the tile from staining. Installed and maintained correctly, natural stone tile provides a beauty to be enjoyed by all.

Porcelain Tile - resistant to staining as it is fired at very high temperatures, the white clay base means a wide variety of colors can be added and different surface textures can be made to resemble other materials.

Quarry Tile - color options for your bathroom tile design will be limited for quarry tile since a red clay base is used. The unglazed surface means staining occurs easily, so using a sealer is recommended. Since the surface is not glazed, these tiles will provide a non-slip flooring surface even when sealed.

Terra Cotta Tile - these non-vitreous tiles are made from fired clay in countries like Mexico, France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. They can either be machine made or hand made and will need to be sealed. Terra cotta tile is available in various colors and geometric shapes, giving you many options for your bathroom tile design ideas.

Besides the hard, durable floor materials described above, other more flexible materials exist to choose from. If your floor base will have some sag to it, use a flexible tile that will wear more appropriately. Consider using resilient tiles, laminate or wood parquet tile. And check with your supplier about the appropriate sealer for the tile material you are using.

Enjoy the planning process, learn all you can and let your imagination go as you select the style, color, pattern and size for your bathroom tile design. Having attractive and functional bathrooms and bathroom tile design reflecting your personal style means you will have special places to enjoy for many years to come.

Copyright 2007 InfoSearch Publishing

Learn more about bathroom tile design and bathroom design ideas at bathroom design ideas and how to decorate bathrooms. Olinda Rola is President of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.yourdreamloghome.com - visit the website and find a variety of home improvement topics and articles.

Variable Annuities now offer a Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit which allows you to earn 5% or 6% even if the market drops significantly. Undoubtedly, you will be pitched a variable annuity or pressured to transfer your existing one into a new contract with this benefit. Should you? Read on to uncover the truth behind this feature and see if it’s right for you.

The Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit provides a guaranteed minimum return on the annuity contract that can be accessed prior to death. For instance, the GMWB rider might guarantee a minimum return of 6% per year. So even if the market value of the account drops and doesn’t recover you will still be guaranteed of earning 6%.

Most people who owned a variable annuity between 2000 and 2002 quickly regretted the purchase. They were stunned to see their account values drop significantly. Sure, the variable annuity has a death benefit but that doesn’t help you fund your lifestyle while you’re alive.

As a result, the sales of variable annuities have declined over the last few years. In fact, the majority of variable annuity sales the last few years have simply been from people moving money from one annuity contract to another. Insurance companies had to find a way to attract new investors. They think the Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit will do that.

Should you buy one or switch your existing annuity to one with this new benefit? Not in my opinion. Here’s why.

It’s too long-term. To take advantage of this benefit you have to keep your money tied up even longer. The GMWB isn’t immediately active. In most contracts, money must be invested for ten years before you can take advantage of it. Usually, you then must annuitize the contract for a minimum of five years in order to receive those benefits. This means you are looking at a minimum of a 15 year investment. By the way, you lose the GMWB benefit on any money you withdraw prior to the initial 10-year waiting period.

It increases your costs even more. The additional charges for the GMWB can be ½ of 1% or more every year. And you pay the additional annual fee on the full account balance regardless of whether you ever use the benefit.

That’s in addition to the 1.5% per year charge for administrative and mortality expense fees. That’s in addition to the management fees of 1%-1.5% paid to the people running the sub-accounts. All in all, you could be facing annual fees of 3.5% per year or more!

There is a low probability of needing it. The insurance companies know history. The lowest 10-year period on the S&P 500 since 1975 was 5.8%. Eighty-two percent of that time, the S&P 500 delivered average gains over 10% ! There is a very low probability of this benefit ever being used.

The expense of this benefit will have produced a drag on performance each and every year. Over a ten-year period, your account value could be 20-30% less in a variable annuity with this benefit then in a low-cost exchange-traded fund. If you average 6.1% in the variable annuity over 10 years then all you were paying for was a false sense of security.

It distracts you from why you invest in the first place. People use stock market-based investments to generate a higher return than on other investments. You invest for performance. The reason variable annuity sales have declined the last several years is because of poor performance.

I’ve never heard anyone say they chose to invest in a variable annuity because it had better performance than the alternatives! Don’t let pricey gimmicks distract you from the fact that you are making a stock market-based investment. Would you invest in a mutual fund that charged 3.5% a year in fees when there were others available that charged much less? That’s essentially what you are doing when you buy a variable annuity.

So beware of the advisor that recommends you buy a variable annuity. A properly managed, well diversified portfolio is a much better choice. It may not be flashy, but it works–while allowing you to maintain control and flexibility over your money.

Have a financial question? Send me an email and I’ll personally respond, free of charge. Go to http://www.guardingyourwealth.com and click on ‘Ask Jeff’.

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In addition to being a nationally syndicated columnist and Certified Financial Planning Practitioner, Mr. Voudrie provides personal, private money management services to clients nationwide.

Nationally-syndicated financial columnist and Certified Financial Planner® Jeffrey Voudrie provides personal, in-depth money management services and advice to select private clients throughout the USA. He’ll answer your financial question - FREE at http://www.guardingyourwealth.com

In history, wedding cakes served to symbolize the abundance of blessings the couple will share in the future. Traditional practice includes the bride and groom serving caking to each other. This act symbolizes their commitment to serve each other, to protect and to hold, and all the other things they say in their wedding vows. In other cultures, it’s tradition for a bride to serve cake to the members of the groom’s family to signify that she has become part of their family, and with this gesture, she shows that she’s willing to do her role.

One has to remember that the cake is a big part of the celebration, and that everyone would remember it. Thus, personal touch is required to make the celebration memorable and unique. Ideally, getting married is a once in a lifetime experience, so every measure must be made to make it special. One way of doing it is by choosing the perfect cake for the occasion.

Planning your wedding cake is relatively easy but it’s not quite as simple. For starters, one has to consider how big the cake should be. That would depend on how many guests are expected, assuming the cake is served at the wedding of course. In some cases, the cake only serves for the ceremonial tradition, and is taken home by the couple after. But a larger cake would also allow them to share parts of it with their guests during and after the ceremony. What makes a wedding cake unique from other cakes is that it’s made with several layers or tiers. It is also heavily decorated with icing, which can be made from simple sugar and egg whites, a butter cream mix, or fondant. Among weddings cakes, the ones made with fondant are the ones with the best taste and the most intricate designs. The design of the cake depends on what the bride wants, which can range from a traditional one (like that of ivory design with hearts and ribbons) to practically anything the bride’s creativity can create. Wedding cakes come in all shapes and sizes, and are usually topped with figurines of the bride and groom. Of course, the couple may also opt to top it with figurines of a different sort like a couple performing a common hobby or sport.

Actually, there are two kinds of wedding cake, the more popular and more common of which is the bride’s wedding cake (the cake served at the reception). The groom’s wedding cake is a smaller one, which in most cases is optional. A groom’s wedding cake is commonly dark, usually chocolate, or a rum soaked cake like a fruitcake to illustrate a masculine taste. These cakes serve to illustrate what the groom likes in the same way the bride’s cake does for the bride.

Eric Hartwell oversees “The World’s Best Homepage” intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions on marriage and relationships and visit our associated site articles for free.

There is a greater demand for pharmaceutical patches these days. Different patches are coming out for different purposes such as anti-smoking, birth control, anti-depressants and many more. And because there seems to be no side effects to the digestive system, no dizziness and other common side effects and, at the same time, patches are so easy to use and have a longer shelf life, their popularity has grown in the last years .

No wonder why this method has reached the male enhancement market. The penis enlargement market used to be dominated by the oral tablets, now, more methods are available in the form of devices, penis exercises, pumps, patches, making it more difficult to choose from. Enlarging the penis with the help of patches became men solution to their different concerns including consistent longer sex urge, greater orgasm intensity, longer erections, natural penis enlargement and better ejaculation control.

How do these patches work? The patches active ingredients are released directly through the skin into the bloodstream in a sustained and gradual manner over several hours. It does not have to travel to the stomach so one can expect a more predictable and efficient result. Moreover, compared to pills, patches are applied once a day.

Some of the most common ingredients of patches are ginseng, fo-ti, gotu kola, saw palmetto berry, damiana and yohimbe.

Ginseng is used traditionally to overcome general weakness and provide extra energy. It is also known to have aphrodisiac properties. Ginseng aids to normalize blood pressure and at the same time rejuvenate the body so it is used to fight some case of impotence and premature ejaculation. Another benefit of ginseng is that it promotes the growth of nerve tissue. It has an active ingredient that alters blood flow to the penis and can produce blood and sperm. Researches proved that it stimulates physical and mental activity and has a very positive effect on the sex gland.

Fo-ti is widely known and used to prevent premature aging and gray hair. It is derived from a plant native to China and is extensively grown in Taiwan and Japan. Other benefits include improved memory and aid for mental depression. It also helps maintain energy and strength. Based on scientific facts, fo-ti contains anti-cancer properties, has sedative effects and provides beneficial effects on fertility.

Gotu Kola is said to promote relaxation and calms he body. It also eliminates excess fluids, improves veins and capillaries circulation and remedies pain.

Saw Palmetto Berry is said to work as an aphrodisiac. It is commonly used to soothe swelling of the prostate and it eases excessive urination.

Damiana is another sexual stimulant. It has tonic properties and helps relieve anxiety and gives a feeling of well-being.

Yohimbe also works as an aphrodisiac. It helps bring the blood near the surface of the sex organ. It helps lower blood pressure.

Penis enlargement patches are said to be a great alternative for many men. They say this is so far the best alternative. Still, we need to be careful and understand that in spite of all the testimonials and claimed scientific facts, many companies release on the market low-quality products and only an intense research can help us find the best product for our needs.

Source : Penis Enlargement Patches

Alex Ferguson is the owner of an well established site : http://www.allabout-penis-enlargement.com, that covers a wide range of subjects regarding male issues.

The thought that you may not need life insurance is anathema to most life insurance agents. But as a Certified Financial Planner who is also a life insurance agent, I have a different point of view. There are times when you may not need life insurance.

To me, there are three reasons to have life insurance. You should use it to provide a way to replace the breadwinner’s income in the event of premature death, as a means to pay future estate taxes for pennies on the dollar or to employ some exciting special-situation strategies. Otherwise, you may not need life insurance and could better use that money to fund higher priority items like Long Term Care Insurance.

Using life insurance to replace the breadwinner’s income during the earning years prior to retirement is a practical necessity, especially when you have children. Unfortunately, there are still many people who fail to protect their loved ones in this way. Because of our life insurance policies, my wife and I take great comfort knowing that our family would be well cared for should either of us pass away.

If you don’t have enough life insurance to replace your income should you die, you could be placing a tremendous burden on your family. For single parents it is even more important! A simple rule of thumb to determine if you have enough life insurance is to divide your salary by .05. For example, if you earn $50,000 per year you should have approximately $1,000,000 in life insurance. In most situations, I recommend 10, 20, or 30-year term insurance as opposed to permanent insurance. Get the length of term that will take you to your retirement age.

Once you retire you may no longer need life insurance. If you’ve accumulated enough assets to provide comfortably for your lifetime, then life insurance is no longer needed for income replacement. Don’t cancel that policy yet, though, because you may need it for other reasons.

An individual can pass $2 million to heirs free of Federal estate tax. If you’ve successfully accumulated more than this then you may need life insurance to pay for future estate taxes. Even with the recent changes in estate tax laws, many still find themselves facing hundreds or thousands of dollars in estate taxes at their death. With proper planning, married couples are able to pass $4 million to their heirs in 2006 without incurring Federal estate tax. Unfortunately, few married couples have the proper plans in place and end up forfeiting one exemption which results in reducing that amount to $2 million.

Life insurance is a wonderful way to pay death taxes without eating into the estate itself.
This is particularly true when a large percentage of an estate is tied up in non-liquid assets, such as real estate. In those cases, those assets would have to be sold in order to pay the taxes. With the proper use of life insurance you can avoid these situations entirely, and do it in such a way that you pay your taxes for pennies on the dollar. If your estate is smaller, you may not need life insurance to help cover future estate taxes.

The third use of life insurance is for special-situation strategies. There are unique strategies that will dramatically increase the amount of support you can provide your favorite charitable causes or provide a financial safety-net for your loved ones for generations. Even those of modest means can provide literally millions of dollars to worthy causes, while passing on a legacy of giving to future generations. Very few are aware of these strategies, but if you’d like to find out how you can take advantage of them, please give me a call. As a former missionary and head of a non-profit organization, I understand the impact such giving can have on deserving charities.

If you don’t fit one of these situations you may no longer need life insurance. Don’t take this decision lightly, though, especially if your health has diminished. Also, depending on your age and health, you may get more by selling your policy instead of canceling it. Consult a qualified, unbiased professional prior to canceling your policies just to make sure.

I’ll personally respond to your questions, free of charge. Go to http://www.guardingyourwealth.com and click on ‘Ask Jeff’.

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In addition to being a nationally syndicated columnist and Certified Financial Planning Practitioner, Mr. Voudrie provides personal, private money management services to clients nationwide.

Nationally-syndicated financial columnist and Certified Financial Planner® Jeffrey Voudrie provides personal, in-depth money management services and advice to select private clients throughout the USA. He’ll answer your financial question - FREE at http://www.guardingyourwealth.com

How to get a cell phone calling card that will save you time and money on prepaid calling card minutes

Cell phone calling cards offer their users a huge convenience. You are not only free to go wherever you want with your cell phone, but there is no need to worry about an outrageous phone bill at the end of the month. Prepaid phone cards, also referred to as “pay as you go” plans, are ideal for individuals on a strict budget. You can purchase a prepaid cell phone calling card for the value that best fits your needs and your finances.
Prepaid cell phone calling card minutes are also great for teenagers. You can provide them with a calling card each month and once the time has expired, there are no overage charges to worry about. Cell phone calling card providers offer convenient pay as you go services, many offer free mobile phones or special reduced prices on new cell phones. There are also no long-term contracts and few termination fees. People who would enjoy the accessibility of a cell phone for emergencies or to keep in touch with family find the prepaid minutes along with a free mobile phone the perfect choice. Cell phone prepaid calling cards can be easily purchased at a number of common places. Many gas stations, newsstands, and even some grocery stores offer great values on discounted calling card rates.

Cell phone prepaid calling cards which ones better?

Selecting the best calling card provider and cell phone calling card plan to meet your needs can be a difficult decision. There are hundreds of phone card choices. How do you decide which one is right for you? Do you know what you should look for when choosing a phone card provider? Many cell phone prepaid calling cards offer low rates or special calling plans with no monthly fee. Always read the fine print on the card and check for any restrictions that may apply to the calling card. Some calling cards include hidden charges, the most common being that each call is rounded up to the next whole minute. You should also ask about possible connection fees as well as extra charges for long phone calls. You will want to choose a calling card company that offers quality customer service to quickly resolve any problems you may have. Most cell phone calling card providers usually activate the card at the time of purchase and most prepaid calling cards have a short life before they expire. If you will not use your cell phone prepaid calling card very often, you should look for the card with the longest time before expiration.

As you shop for a cell phone prepaid calling card, consider these questions:

·-What plans are available?
·-Are there global roaming rates?
·-What are the service and warranty agreements?
·-What are the contract terms and what are the penalties for breaking the contract?
·-Will the provider allow you to transfer an existing cell phone number?
·-Are there any talk and text packages available?
·-Are calls within the network free?
·-Do they offer any times when calls are free?
·-What kind of coverage is available?

Will a cell phone calling card benefit you?

The most attractive feature of prepaid cell phone cards is the ability to regulate your monthly mobile phone bill. At any given time, you can check your usage and know exactly how many minutes remain on your phone. Cell phone calling cards are becoming more and more popular, especially as card rates continue to decrease, but many cell phone users are still not well informed of the benefits of prepaid calling cards.

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to CallingCardPhoneCalls.com a informative website to help you find the best cell phone calling card to suit your needs.

Why Is Your Cat Scratching And Biting You?

One minute your cat is playing with you or purring as you pet him. The next minute he’s trying to bit or scratch you. Cat owners sometimes have difficulty understanding why their cats, who seem to be friendly and content one minute, may suddenly bite and scratch them the next. But aggressive behavior is part of their normal behavioral. Aggressive cats can be dangerous, however, with a little training cats can stop this behavior. But first we need to understand what their aggression is all about.

Play Aggression

Play in cats incorporates exploring, investigating, and predatory behaviors. Biting and scratching is often seen in young, active cats less than two years of age, especially if they live in one-cat household. The aggression is their way of practicing skills they would normally need for survival. For example, kittens like to explore new areas and investigate anything that moves. They may bat at, pounce on, and bite objects which to them resemble prey.

Aggressive behavior can be identified as play based on the type of situations in which they occur, the cats’ body postures, and the types of behaviors displayed. Playful aggression often results in scratches and gentle bites that don’t break the skin. You may be attacked coming down the stairs, stepping out of the bathtub, rounding a corner, or have your feet attacked under the bed covers.

Your cats posture, when they’re playing, resembles the posture a cat would show when searching for or catching prey. He’ll freeze in a low crouch before pouncing, twitch his tail, flick his ears back and forth, and may wrap his front feet around your hands or feet while biting.

“Stop Petting Me” Aggression

It is not uncommon for cats to suddenly bite while being petted. The bite is the cat’s signal that she has had enough petting. Cats vary in how much they will tolerate being petted or held. Cats generally give several signals before biting.

Signals may include:

- restlessness
- the cat’s tail begins to twitch
- the cat’s ears turn back or flicker back and forth
- the cat turns or moves his head toward your hand

Fearful/Defensive Aggression

Cats who are fearful may display body postures such as crouching on the floor, ears back, tail tucked, and possibly rolling slightly to the side. Cats in this posture are NOT submissive; they are fearful and defensive and may attack if touched.

Redirected Aggression

This happens when the cat is aroused to an aggressive state either by a person or an animal. He then may redirect this aggression onto another person or animal. For example, if two family cats get aggressive, the losing cat may walk up and attack your leg.

Nancy Macdonald is an online researcher who specializes in
finding information to make home life just a little bit better.
For more information on cat training please see http://www.cattrainingreview.com/

There are no shortage of ways you can use to help you unleash your creativity.

Many times though, we try to take on a whole host of new tips and techniques at once, can’t tell which are working well and which aren’t because there’s so much going on, then we get disillusioned and give up on all of them.

Or we might not even get that far, being so baffled by the sheer number of options available to us. Because we’re looking for that one killer creative technique and want it to be perfect first time, we literally drown in all the choices and directions available and end up taking none of them.

So here is just one powerful technique you can use to help you be more creative.

Read about the technique, let the details sink in, then pick a time to start using it for yourself. Don’t be afraid of experimenting, adjusting some of the details and ways you’re working with.

The aim, as with all new techniques we can use to increase our creativity, is to find how we can adapt it to best suit us and our unique way of creating. Once you find the things that work, keep doing them!

Getting Yourself A Cheerleader Can Help You Be More Creative

Creating can be a lonely process and it’s all too easy to stuck in a tangle of our own thoughts and lose perspective and focus.

Before we realise it, our minds can feel overloaded with a combination of negative doubts and inner criticisms, and about as organised as a plate of spaghetti Bolognese thrown against a wall.

So something of great value is having someone to be your cheerleader.

Now we’re not talking here about a young woman with pom poms dancing and chanting “Two - Four - Six - Eight, you’re fantastic GO CREATE!”!

Although that isn’t actually all that far away from what we’re aiming for.

Your cheerleader in this sense is simply someone who will encourage and support you and your creative work.

Find someone who’s naturally positive and supportive, will be a consistent reliable presence, and has your best interests at heart.

Who’s the most positive and encouraging person you know? That’s a great place to start finding your cheerleader.

And it doesn’t have to be someone who’s a creative colleague. In fact it often helps if it isn’t.

Someone who doesn’t know the fine details of what you’re creating and the form you’re creating in, who will just praise you for the way you’re showing up to create each time and making your own progress, can actually be far more valuable, because of their objective and non-judgemental perspective.

Arrange with your cheerleader a regular time each week to check in with them and update them on your progress.

Just knowing you have this check in time ahead of you will encourage you to be more accountable about creating and spur you on to do more. This regular accountability is one of the major factors in why people find coaching so helpful.

You could also offer to be someone else’s cheerleader. It could be the same person, or someone else entirely. The added bonus here is when we see others creating and progressing with their creative lives, it inspires us to do more ourselves as well.

Getting yourself a cheerleader is just one many different ways you use to help you unleash your creativity.

Experiment with this idea, starting today, and within a couple of weeks you’ll soon seen the positive effect it has on your creative life.

© Copyright 2007 Dan Goodwin