There are several sources of financial aid available for college students. Grants and scholarships are best because the money is generally tax-free and never has to be repaid. Although this sounds promising, obtaining scholarships for college can be challenging. Prospective college students seeking scholarships should conduct research on scholarships available from local businesses, non-profit organizations and foundations, as well as options available from the U.S. government.

Local Businesses

First and foremost, exploring your direct location and surrounding areas would be a good place to start as finding funding and aid in and around your local area is more likely than applying further away or even abroad. Local contacts, businesses, individuals and institutions will typically be your first point of call. It is easier to gain access to and the competition pool is that much smaller. So, in a sense, you are stacking the odds in your favor, making the most of what your local hometown and area has to offer.

Non-profit Organizations and Foundations

Most non-profit organizations and foundations have scholarships for prospective college students. Following are some examples of where scholarship sourcing might come from:

• labor unions
• church
• chamber of commerce
• volunteer organizations
• local chapters of professional societies
• charity organizations
• school-based endowments
• university grants
• private scholarship programs
• U.S. government (federal, state and local)

You may also find other sources of information on scholarships at a library, in newspapers, or even the yellow pages.

U.S. Government

The U.S. government offers various ‘need-based’ financial aid packages and options. These funding options and awards occur mostly in the form of Federal Pell grants, Federal SEOG grants, SSIG grants, Federal Work-Study initiatives, Federal Stafford loans (in a subsidized and unsubsidized form), Federal Perkins Loans, and Federal Parent (PLUS) loans. The U.S. Department of Education, as well as the formal body known as the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) funds most of these programs and initiatives. To quality for any of these options, a student must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA.

Other options for college education financing and funding include:

• state-funded grants
• loans
• work-study programs
• tuition waivers and scholarships
• individual colleges and universities offering grants
• need-based or merit-based scholarships
• private alternative educational loan (which is available from most large lending institutions)
• foundations and professional associations
• endowed scholarships
• student financial assistance subsidies

There are several sources of financial aid available for college students in the form of scholarships, grants and loans.

Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com. At MyGuidesUSA.com (http://www.myguidesusa.com), you will find valuable tips and resources for handling life’s major events. Whether you’re planning a wedding, buying your first home, anxiously awaiting the birth of a child, contending with a divorce, searching for a new job, or planning for your retirement, you’ll find answers to your questions at MyGuidesUSA.com. Find scholarships, grants and financial aid tips and resources for prospective and current college students at http://www.myguidesusa.com/colleges

I would like to propose a new tradition. A new tradition for those who have been proposed to! Yes, for every bride and groom, I should think that they would heartily agree with me. I propose a tradition that many will thank me for, if they can find me.

My new tradition for those about to walk the aisle is this:

Let every bride that is about to commit to cooking for her man for the rest of his life, be given a book, a very special recipe book, put together by the matron of honor, or some other person close to the bride, in which this loving person has gathered the family recipes from the groom’s family!

If the bride is the one to see this article, and does not have a person that she trusts for this most important task (it must be done thoroughly- don’t forget Aunt Martha’s lemon cheesecake!), then it is of no disgrace, and shall be deemed a most honorable quest, indeed, if she pursues the matter herself!

This most treasured of the newly wedded couple’s cookbooks may include not only recipes from the groom’s family, such as the way his mother made his favorite cookies, maybe even written in her hand to remember her by, but this most personal of recipe books should most likely also include the bride’s own family’s recipes, so she may prepare her family’s favorite dishes without delay.

I not only propose that this should become a tradition, I predict that many will begin to think of their favorite delights, remembering past Christmases and Thanksgivings, and saying to themselves, “I must get Aunt so-and-so’s recipe…before she passes. And may even begin to reach for the phone….

Now, I must disclose that I do have something that you may want. A most handy jump start on the whole, important project, but first, I am having fun with this…

Another prediction I dare to make is this: that after many years have passed, and the wedded couple have entered their old age, that their children will begin to think to themselves, “I hope I get that recipe book! I’ll let Emily make a copy of it, but I want it.” And thus, one of those family feuds erupts as unfortunately happens regarding an item in the parents’ estate, sometimes even in the most loving of homes.

The recipe book should include room for at least one hundred recipes, and must have an index. The sort that those writing may include the recipe in the back next to the page it was recorded on. There must be plenty of room for ingredients, and plenty of space to write, and yet have room for the smaller recipes, too. Everything on one page….no flipping over, messing up (or losing) the recipe cards….

Ladies and Gentlemen, brides and grooms, mothers, maidens, and all those interested in preserving their favorite recipes, I present to you:

My Personal Recipe Book. The Perfect way to store your family’s favorite recipes.

Roxanne Vick is the SAHM of nine children, and would have liked a recipe book such as this when she got married! Having to guess at how to make light-as-air blueberry muffins, went over like a lead balloon! Please visit her website at http://www.mypersonalrecipebook.com and avoid this travesty for your own daughters!

Are you looking for scam-free and legitimate online paid surveys, free membership online paid survey, fact honest paid survey or market online paid research survey….? Trying to earn some money on the internet by doing some real work (i.e. filling up surveys), instead of just looking for referrals?

Here’s my experience:

"After being scammed over and over again, I decided to do something about it. I wanted to once and for all get to the bottom of all these supposedly legitimate online paid survey scams"

IF YOU HAVE EVER BEEN SCAMMED OR LIED TO BY SOME SO CALLED LEGITIMATE ONLINE PAID SURVEYS SCHEMES BY SOME INTERNET "GURU," THIS ARTICLE IS FOR YOU.

THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW BEFORE JOINING ANOTHER "ONLINE PAID SURVEY" PROGRAM

Wouldn’t it be nice to make a lot of money quickly with minimal effort while working at home in your pajamas? Of course it would. I for one would love to have money streaming into my bank account while only working a few hours a week in the comfort of my own home. I would love to have the extra free time to spend with my boyfriend or my parents and never have to worry about a boss looking over my shoulder.

It could be real estate, stock market investing, selling classified ads, internet affiliate marketing, or anything along those lines. Some sound too technical, some sound too good to be true. It seems that some of us has concluded that filling up surveys for real companies out there seems to make the most business rationale, within our means and profitable at the same time.

We have all seen those amazing claims from individuals about how easy it is to earn lots of extra money by joining paid surveys programmes from legitimate market research companies and claiming they can show you exactly how to do it. I can tell you right now that 99% of all these claims are nothing but scams. Like me, you have probably fallen victim to these scam artists selling you their "Get Rich Quick" program disguised as paid surveys schemes. Your not alone. I have bought so many of these programs I lost count of them long ago. I tend to try and find the "Good" in people and was "Sold" by these marketing schemes over and over again and continued to get scammed. Finally, I decided enough was enough and I was completely FED UP. I decided to get to the bottom of this fascination we all have with these "Get Rich Quick" programs which are disguised as paid surveys schemes. I decided to find out if there were any LEGITIMATE programs left out there.

I literally contacted the administration of every online paid survey website I could find by posing as an investor interested in investing in their methodology of generating market feedback for companies. Once the dollar signs flashed into their eyes they were more than willing to give me free access to the members section to see what I would be "Buying." I was disgusted with 99% of what I found. Many website owners actually bragged about how useless their programs actually were….

Through my encounters with different online paid surveys which I joined, I repeatedly found:

* Outdated Information

* Non-Working Links

* Links To Other Websites Asking For Money

* No Real E-mail Support

* No Help Section

* Passing my personal details on to other parties, without my explicit permission

* Misleading me about the time it will take to participate in a survey.

I quickly realized that the website owners were right about one thing, their Online Paid Survey programs (in actual fact “Get Rich Quick” schemes) were entirely useless, yet they were laughing all the way to the bank. Needless to say, I didn’t respond when they contacted me again to find out if I was still interested in investing in them. Surprisingly however, while going through all the scam artist’s web sites, I was currently able to find a legitimate online paid survey program.

Basically, below are some pointers to look at when deciding whether a program is legitimate:

Legitimate Researchers WILL

* Respect your privacy

* Keep your individual answers and your identity confidential

* Tell who they are, who the client is and what the research is about

* Contact you at appropriate times as prescribed in industry standards

“Click Here to read about the legitimate program I finally found“

Janny is a 24 year old female working in a management consultancy firm. She specialises in the financial services industry. Through blogging, she expresses her humble opinions and shares her real world experience in beauty, health and financial freedom.

“Click Here to tell Janny if she is happy and wealthy“

Vitamin B12 is essential for good health in many different ways. It aids in helping the nervous system function properly, and also helps with blood cell production. This comes in many forms, but the most common sources are in meats, diary products, and in eggs. Though B12 deficiency can happen to anyone, strict vegetarians are often at risk because they don’t eat any of those mentioned things. There are many different things that occur with a deficiency, and there appears to be a link between Candida and vitamin B12.

There are some conditions that can attribute to a deficiency in B12. Some are common sense and some are surprising.

Alcoholics are at risk as are those who have Crohn’s disease. There is an intrinsic factor that helps the body absorb B12 in the stomach and intestines, and if someone has had surgery in either area, that factor may have been affected or is missing.

When that happens, the B12 can not be absorbed as it should be. Someone with this problem will have no appetite, bouts of loose stools, and they might feel very weak. They might also notice a shortness of breath, problems with tingling or numbness in the extremities, and might even experience some mental fog.

Anemia brought on by a vitamin B12 deficiency must be treated. This can be accomplished in a few different ways, but it is urgent that it happens quickly. This is something that is rather easy to treat, and that is the good news for anyone with this condition. Usually a balanced diet will take care of the deficiency, though this might be hard for the strict vegetarian. Many times diet changes and a supplement of B12 will do the trick, and in some cases, shots might be needed rather than a pill. Some people will require these injections for life.

So, you may be wondering if Candida can be effected by a vitamin b12 deficiency. This is a yeast that grows in the body, most notably in the vaginal area and in the intestines. In most cases, it is kept under control by the body’s immune system. However, when there is a lack of B12 the immune function is impaired and Candida can then grow out of control. When this happens, a person might notice headaches, mental fog, tiredness, sinus issues, mood swings, loss of concentration, and even a craving for sweet foods.

In order to treat Candida, the deficiency of vitamin B12 will need to be taken care of first. When the proper balance of B12 is restored, the Candida can then be kept in check after a course of treatment and it has reverted back to its normal state with in the body. Now that you know Candida and Vitamin B12 are related, the knowledge should encourage you to eat a more balanced diet to avoid the further complications associated with a b12 deficiency.

Grab your free copy of Jane Symms’ brand new Candida & Yeast Infection Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you discover more about Candida and Vitamin B12 Deficiency and for information on following an anti candida diet please visit Naturally Eliminating Candida.

If I could give you the key to unlock the door to a more prosperous and healthy life would you be interested? Recently I was giving a seminar and I decided to ask the audience one of my favorite life questions. I looked at all the people in the room and asked:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

The response I received by the majority of the audience was the same one that I had received countless times previously.

I don’t know!

This answer has always perplexed me since it seemed that most people were waiting for life to happen to them as opposed to designing and creating their ideal life.

The common dilemma that most people face is they really have no idea about what they want. They also have no practical way for creating a plan and putting it into action to achieve their goals. Since 1988 I have been using a simple method of goal setting that has worked for me and I know it will work for you. It is called the S.M.A.R.T. System of goal setting. The S.M.A.R.T. System is an acronym for:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable / Attainable

Realistic

Time Specific

Each one of your goals must meet these criteria and have these basic components. In addition it is important that you break down your goals to cover five specific areas of your life:

Career / Financial

Developmental / Educational

Physical / Health

Family / Relational / Social

Spiritual / Value

Now that you have an understanding of the S.M.A.R.T. System and the areas that you should be covering lets brake down the system into ten easy steps that you can implement immediately and enjoy the benefits for the rest of your life.

Step I:
Take a legal size pad of paper and write down everything that you want to Be, Do, and Have.

Step II:
Make sure that your goals can meet the criteria of the S.M.A.R.T. System.

Step III:
Create goals that will cover the five specific areas that we discussed.

Step IV:
Put you written list of goals away for twenty-four hours before you review it.

Step V: Review your goals and put them to the test by asking yourself the following questions.

1.-Is this goal something I really want?

2.-Is this a fair goal that won’t affect anyone in a negative way?

3.-Do my goals align with my ethical and moral standards?

Step VI:
Eliminate any goals that do not meet these criteria. The remaining goals should be the ones you focus your attention on.

Step VII:
Review your goals three times daily (When you wake up, During the day, and When you go to bed).

Step VIII:
Each day plan action steps designed to move you closer to achieving your written goals.

Step IX:
Consistently monitor and measure your progress in order to stay on track of your goals and make the appropriate adjustments.

Step X:
Celebrate your achievements.

This goal setting method has worked for tens of thousands of individuals like you and I. Start today towards designing and realizing all your dreams.

Dr. Rick Goodman is a professional speaker who works with organizations that want to develop great leaders. For more information on Rick’s speaking programs, Audio programs and learning programs contact (888) 267-6098 or Rick@drrickgoodman.com (http://www.drrickgoodman.com)

© 2007 Dr. Rick Goodman

On one of the most important days of your life you want it to be spectacular and come off without a hitch. So, planning your wedding is probably the biggest project that you will come across in your lifetime. Many people now-a-days are turning to wedding planners and professionals to do all the work for them. For those people who want to do the work on their own, they go to Davids Bridal for all of they bridal and wedding needs.

Davids Bridal has such a vast selection of wedding gowns, bridal shoes, tuxedos, bridesmaid dresses, veils, tiara’s and anything else you can think of that will allow that special day to be perfect for the bride and groom. They will work with you to arrange dates to go in for your gown fittings. The bride-groom can even go in on separate dates or times to have his fitting. Your bridesmaids and the whole wedding party can go in for fittings and pick out shoes and all of the accessories that will be needed to make that wedding supreme.

Shopping there has many benefits. Having everything in-store available for you is such a convenience. You can go in the store, pick all of the items that you will need and BAM!–you’re done. For the items that are not in the store they will gladly order it for you at no extra charge. A word of advice, make sure you do not wait till the last minute to start planning your wedding. With all of the work and arrangements put into a wedding, you need to start at least six months before the wedding date to pick out your gown.

You must know which dress you will be wearing ahead of time so that if any alterations need to be done then it will be completed in time. Plus, when ordering from Davids Bridal shop, they will need time to get your dress to you so that work can be done on it if need be. You also want to make sure your wedding party have all gotten their clothing picked out and have made arrangements for fittings and have chosen shoes and accessories in advance. It is always better to be early for anything than late. Late could mean disaster and more money spent.

Another benefit to shopping at Davids Bridal is the fact that you can find their products online. Yes, you heard correctly. Davids Bridal has online shops that cater to individuals who do not want the hassle of going in and out of stores looking for the items they need. Plus, you can get all of your invitations, gifts, party favors, all that type of stuff delivered early. All that being done with just a click of your mouse.

Believe it or not, you can even order your wedding gown or dress online. You can always find the dress of your liking and have it professionally altered once you receive it. You know how women are about the way they look in their dress. They have to look slim and trim and at least 10 pounds lighter. I think that is the wedding gown purchase
rule…look 10 pounds lighter or your money back! All jokes aside, shopping online can be a huge help with time and money.

There are also online stores that offer Davids Bridal products at massive discounted prices. Ebay for instance has stores that offers items for less as well as live auctions for sellers to sell their slightly used or brand new items. Either way, they are much cheaper than store prices and you don’t even have to go out of the house to get them. Everything is delivered to your doorstep. Try shopping online for your wedding apparel and see exactly what I’m talking about. You will be glad you did!

To find more information on davids bridal visit my
davids bridal shop website. My lens will contain all the davids bridal products you could ever want for a fraction of retail prices. The website is http://www.squidoo.com/davids_bridal_shop

Whether you have a dog or a new puppy, it’s important that your child becomes involved in the training and raising of that new family member. Children are eager to help in anyway they can so help them understand exactly what they need to do.

The minute the puppy comes home be sure your child learns how to feed and water the pup. Make a measuring cup by marking the amount the puppy needs to be fed with a permanent marker (you can purchase an inexpensive measuring cup from the dollar store). Remind them that once they feed the puppy dog to then leave them alone. Dogs can be very unpredictable when it comes to food so it’s always safer to leave them alone. To help your child to learn how to water the dog, clean out a plastic mike carton and mark it with a permanent marker where it needs to be filled to. Just a side note: Labrador Retrievers love to be in water so you will not want to leave a full bowl of water on the floor all day. Once the carton is filled at the desired level, put the lid back on and show your child how to carry it over to the water dish and how to pour it in. Children as we know are very clever so it will only take showing them one or two times and they will have it down pat.

Next encourage your child to take the puppy out to go potty. Remember you do not want to carry your puppy or dog through the door. Instead have your doggy walk through the doorway he will then know to go to that door. Remember: Always go through the same door; this way the puppy or dog will learn which door to go to when he needs to go potty. Once outside use a call word such as, “Do it!” or “Hurry, Hurry!” This will stimulate the puppy or dog to go potty faster which is very useful when you go on a trip.

Children love to feel independent so put them in charge. Remind them that they need to be the “Boss” when working around the dog. Tell them to pretend that they are Superman or some character that commands respect. They do not have to raise their voice to the dog but rather show the dog they are the boss. It does not matter what age a child is, everyone in the household is above the dog on the totem pole.

Next, when training the dog keep the training sessions short - 5 minutes is long enough. Puppies and children have a lot in common, both have short attention spans, both have lots of energy, both are eager to please and both thrive on praise. By making the training sessions short and enabling children to achieve success, both puppies and their young trainers will be encouraged by their efforts and eager to continue the training. Make the training fun! Keep the puppy and child interested by clapping when a command is done correctly and encouraging when they have made a mistake, just remind them to start again. The puppy or dog won’t mind, they are being given attention by a good pat or by saying a kind word or by giving them a treat. Dogs love to work, keep them working and they will be happy. Before a training session have your child say something like, “You want to work?!” Each time the dog hears those words he will be that much more excited to train. Also, choose a special toy to play with after each session then put the toy away until the next session. Each time your child goes to train, the puppy will see that special toy and know it’s time to work and then have fun. After each training session be sure your child releases the puppy dog by saying, “Free or OK!” Your child is then giving the puppy dog the command that says it’s OK to be free. Keep in mind that training should be fun and it is fun when you keep your attitude up and positive.

Encourage your child to train and raise the puppy dog. They can and will train the dog and you will be very surprised how quickly they achieve a successful session.

Some points to remind your child when training:

1. Be the boss. Always help your child be confident when training the dog (shoulders back,

head up).

2. Keep training sessions short. Only train for 5 minutes in one session.

3. When praising your dog use a treat, toy or a pat on the back to let the dog

know he is doing well.

4. Remember when potty training to walk your dog through the same door.

5. Make training fun! By putting a favorite toy away after each training session your dog will

look forward to working hard.

To learn more about dog training for children visit http://www.kidstrainingpuppies.com

JoAnn Dahan has been training dogs for over 15 years, her trainees include dogs that have appeared in print ads, on greeting cards, in major motion pictures, on TV shows (most recently Satuday Night Live, HBO’s The Sopranos and IBM’s Sliced Bread commercial). JoAnn is the author of a new children’s puppy training book, Kids Training Puppies in 5 Minutes which includes a puppy training DVD. She also hosts and produces her own cable TV show on the east coast, Kids Training Puppies a show where families come to learn about dogs. JoAnn offers regular dog training classes from her home and has a special class just for children.

You may have heard that laying horses is an easy way to earn money and profit, however nothing can be further from the truth. Laying horses is much harder than most people say it is, and I know because I’ve personally lost thousands of dollars by laying horses. After testing various old and new lay betting systems, I’ve finally settled on the ones that consistently rake in profits.

Anyone can lay horses today, especially with the rise of online betting exchanges. However, betting exchanges are also the death traps for many new and inexperienced gamblers, who pour in their cash and watch it flow into the hands of experienced gamblers who have powerful betting systems that work. By playing the role of a bookmaker, many lay bettors are profiting wildly from these newbie gamblers today.

Lay Genius is one horse laying system that is relatively new in the market. Initially, I did not have the intention to buy it at first, because I already have a successful laying system that is working well for me. However, after hearing many fellow professional Betfair traders giving me good recommendations about Lay Genius, and with so much hype surrounding Lay Genius, I decided to buy Lay Genius to see it for myself.

After reviewing the guide and the spreadsheet inside Lay Genius, I was very excited. Lay Genius did not look like it is simply a system for selecting horses to lay. Lay Genius is an overall strategy and method to select the very bad favorites. At first glance, the Lay Genius’s concepts appear simple and seem profitable from my experience. Contained inside the guide is the Lay Genius system itself, along with its spreadsheet that requires you to regularly make inputs to it. The Lay Genius spreadsheet will then automatically tell you which horse is the best one to lay. If you are a beginner in betting exchange betting, there is a section that fully explains how betting exchanges work and the general concepts of odds, backing and laying. It is great for beginners but obviously not so much for me. Learn to get free £20 Betfair amount too, even though I knew that one too. The added Bet-Tracker is really great though. Having a formulated spreadsheet to automatically keep track of your bets is a great time saver and find out whether what you are doing is working.

It was time to test out Lay Genius, and I decided to pit Lay Genius head-on against the most profitable laying system that I was currently using. After running both systems for a few weeks, the Lay Genius actually had a slightly higher strike rate than the current laying system that I was using! I cannot necessarily conclude that the Lay Genius is better though, since the amount of testing might be too little, and my current laying system has been working for years.

Take note that the Lay Genius does require some effort on your part to make it work, very little effort though. You will responsible to collect the information to input into system. Don’t worry as it shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes of your day. Do remember to keep your expectations in check too. From my experience, there is no horse system with a 100% strike rate, do not believe those claims.

Finally, make sure that you have the discipline to follow the Lay Genius system too. Never lay based on your emotions and greed, even though you might think that you “would have” made more money if you have had put in more money. The Lay Genius is a mathematical system that has already calculated the maximum probabilities of winning and minimum probability of losing for you.

Currently priced at £46 ($88), Lay Genius is truly value for money and very well under-priced in my opinion, considering its real profit potential. In the past, below-average laying systems would appear on the internet and get all hyped up, claiming to be revolutionary and sell for £100 and above. Take one look at their membership areas and you will be absolutely disgusted. Do give Lay Genius a try if you are serious about creating an income on Betfair.

Kenneth Lim is a mathematician who has a passion for studying gambling systems. As of today, he has identified several very profitable gambling systems that are generating a good amount of profit.
He runs a website at http://www.review-best.com/laygeniusreview.htm where he exposes the lay system scams and identifies the 2 best legitimate horse laying systems on the web.

Do some ‘live show’ rehearsals before your gig. There are two types of ‘rehearsals’ to consider: ‘live rehearsal’ for the stage and your ‘technical ability rehearsal’. Both types of rehearsals are necessary but rehearsing only your technical skills will not set you up well for performing on stage ‘live’ to an audience. When you rehearse with your band or practice on your own you are only honing your technical ability and playing skills. This is necessary of course for you to be able to learn to play the parts you need to play but the problem is that the stage environment is different to the rehearsal room environment.

When you get up in front of an audience there’s leads and equipment to avoid, space limitations, sometimes there’s no fold back speakers and you can’t hear yourself properly, there’s often people talking throughout your performance and lighting or special effects can make things more difficult to see etc. Performing live is a different environment from playing your songs at home or at the rehearsal room. Even small things like what clothes you wear on stage can inhibit comfort or maneuverability and it can get very hot under stage lighting.

If you’re under rehearsed in ‘live’ performance you may find yourself stressed or even too relaxed in an environment that is going to be very different to your ‘rehearsals’ where you’re practicing your technical skills. This anxiety can throw off even the best of players who ‘know’ they can play the songs then stumble or don’t perform to the best of their ability when they get on stage.

Anxiety is just adrenaline, it’s normal and it’s very common among performing musicians and public speakers. With experience you can learn to work with it and even use its energy to the advantage of your performance. Here are some things you can do to minimize the effects of anxiety so you don’t end up ruining your well rehearsed live performance.

Try rehearsing your ’stage performance’ as well as your general band practice and at home practice. Both of these practices serve different purposes but many bands forget to practice their ’stage performance’ and just practice their ‘material’ or technical ability to play.

One thing you can do is to rehearse under ’stage’ like conditions. Maybe invite some friends (or strangers) or family members along to a rehearsal for an ‘audience’. If you can’t do this and you use practice rooms where there are also other bands rehearsing, maybe you can invite them to be your ‘audience’ and in return, you can sit in as their audience.

Next, you must treat this ‘rehearsal’ as if you were playing a gig in front of an audience. That means: walk on to the stage from the side of the room then pick up your instrument, do not stop midway through a song even if you have made a mistake, talk to the audience - introduce yourself and your band and perform your entire set as you would if you were doing a ‘real’ gig. Try performing with a ‘not so good’ sound mix. Try performing with no fold back speakers.

Change the stage set up around the next time you practice and make the performing area smaller or larger or in a corner. Even find a different location to perform your live performance rehearsals.

If you’re keen to have an even more ‘realistic’ stage practice, try doing some physical activity to get your heart rate up. This will produce similar side effects to that of anxiety so you’ll become more ‘comfortable’ with the feeling.

Rehearsing under all these conditions will get you as used to as possible to the feelings and environmental factors that you will face on stage in front of an audience.

The more you practice rehearsing your ‘performance’ using different stage set ups the more comfortable you will be when you do it for real with an audience of strangers and a stage you’ve never stepped on.

Of course the more you practice both types of ‘rehearsals’ the better you’ll get and getting better means better shows which means more enjoyment for you and your audience.

For more great tips visit The Indie Musician Blog at theindiemusician.blogspot.com

Sign up to the FREE “Tools For Success” program at The Indie Musician http://www.theindiemusician.com/

This article comes from a free e-book resource called “30 things you can do to super-charge your gigs”. You can download a free copy from http://www.theindiemusician.com/Freegigpromotiontips.html

This article was written by Jo Brew, an Australian independent musician, songwriter, music producer, freelance writer and the founder of The Indie Musician.

The Indie Musician provides resources for independent musicians including the FREE program “Tools For Success” available at The Indie Musician http://www.theindiemusician.com/

The Saturn Return occurs between the ages of 28 and 30. It marks the official end of childhood and “past lives” - the two are similar psychically and even psychologically. Perhaps you could say that when we come into this lifetime, we re-create the conditions of our past lives, be they “good” or “bad” which carry us through to the age of 30. After that, we’re on our own! Officially into the new lifetime, through a “difficult birth” at the Saturn Return, now we create from our own life force. The Universe asks us to discover (actually “remember” would be a better word) what it was we came here to do and get on with it.

If you’re in the habit of listening to people older than you, you may have noticed what dramatic changes people make in their lives at around 30. I can’t think of anything more valuable for young people in their 30s and 40s than to read biographies of famous people as well. Here you will learn that no life is without difficulty and that many overcome hardship to succeed. Biographies are some of the most inspiring things you can read.

On a personal note, at times when I have most needed inspiration, I found greater inspiration in reading biographies than even in meditation … it is as though the biographies are the answer to my prayer as I choose the ones that seem to be so pertinent to the issue I am struggling with.

Here are some examples of significant things people did at their Saturn Returns — taken from the lives of many different people in different times and places so you can see how universal this principle is:

–A 29 YEAR OLD WOMAN who had married an abusive man when she was just 17 finally found the courage to leave him. She took her three kids to another state to live with a nice older man.

–ANOTHER MAN ended his career as a successful rock concert promoter (in the 70s), married, had a kid and began to sell real estate for a living - unfortunately he hadn’t saved any of the money he made during the wild days!

–ECKART TOLLE, author of “The Power of Now” had a conversion experience at 30 and began his life as a spiritual teacher.

–GWYNETH PALTROW’S father died just as she was starting work on the film about Sylvia Plath’s life and suicide. After, she decided to take at least a year off, saying, ‘I worked so much in my 20s, and I really burned the candle at both ends and I wasn’t too picky about what I did,’she said. ‘I think the combination of losing my father, turning 30, taking a year off has completely shifted everything.’” She has recently announced that she is going to be a mother.

–Just turning 30, WINSTON CHURCHILL followed his father’s footsteps, crossing the floor of Parliament to the liberals (over Tariff Reform), an event which would have lasting repercussions in his life.

–FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE did the unheard of at 30. She left for the Crimean War, beginning one of the most influential lives of the early 20th century.

–STANLEY KUBRICK, turning 30, made his first major studio film, the powerful antiwar movie “Paths of Glory” starring Kirk Douglas.

–At 30 MARILYN MONROE filmed “Bus Stop”, met Lee Strasberg and Arthur Miller; and married Miller within the year.

–JOHN FORBES NASH, JR. (”A Beautiful Mind”) married, had a child and experienced the onset of his mental illness at about 30.

–At 31, PRINCESS DIANA got her formal separation from Charles. The damaging book “Diana: Her True Story” by Andrew Morton came out the year before, revealing that the princess suffered bouts of depression and bulimia, even attempting suicide.

–ORENTHAL J. SIMPSON ended his career with the Buffalo Bills (1969-77), going briefly to the San Francisco 49ers for two years after that.

–BEETHOVEN was aware of his impending deafness when he released his first symphony in 1800, at the age of 30. (His deafness was the onset of syphilis, so it had impact on many layers.)

–At 30, LEO TOLSTOY ends a life of gambling, fornicating and murder (his own words) to start a peasants’ school on his estate. This is the man whose book The Kingdom of God Is Within You influenced Gandhi to begin his passive resistance movement. Tolstoy also tries at this time to give his serfs their freedom and to give away his land to them but they are suspicious and refuse. 30 years later at his second Saturn Return, Tolstoy tries to will his estate and property to his serfs but his wife and children revolt.

–Between the ages of 27-32 OSAMA BIN LADEN began spending more time in Afghanistan than Saudi Arabia. He would spend a total of eight months a year or more in Afghanistan. [Afghanistan is where he found the personal and material resources for Al Quaeda]

–World War I ended and ADOLF HITLER turned 30. Having no where else to go, he returned to Munich and joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP). Two years later he was elected party chairman or “Fuehrer”.

–The UNITED NATIONS has been going through its second Saturn Return this past year and next .. what a beating! Will it reassert itself and grow or …morph into something else?

–ROY HORN (Siegfried & Roy) was mauled right in the middle of his second Saturn Return

–FREDERICK ENGELS was 28 and Carl Marx 30 when they published The Communist Manifesto

–ANGELINA JOLIE had the Mother of all Saturn Returns. Need I say more?

Now you have a better idea of the scope of this transit and the kinds of changes real people make in their lives at about 30 years old. If you’re having difficult time, I recommend a full astrology reading.

Your astrology chart reveals the patterns you chose to live out in this lifetime. When you focus on them, everything in your chart is geared to support this. When you forget who you are and why you’re here, when you focus on something else, nothing works well. Perhaps you’ve been noticing this lately.
For some it will mean leaving behind a lifestyle they’re accustomed to but which they have begun to realize they’re outgrowing. Others will realize they are a square peg trying to fit into a round hole and that they will never be successful until they strike off on their own to find out who they are. Some may leave behind what seems to others to be a perfectly successful job, marriage or other arrangement. But deep inside they know they are living a lie and this is the time to find out and do something about it.

If you make a move for greater authenticity at 28-30 the whole universe supports you. Usually people find it’s the most stressful time in their life. Never before or again will it be so stressful as it is for some of you right now. But believe it or not, it’s also easier to make a major life move now than it will ever be again, for another 30 years.

I personally have helped several people make their transitions, and I can tell you that the one thing you don’t want to be saying on your death bed is that you never lived. Any mistakes you may make in life cannot be worse than the feeling that you didn’t give it your best try. And I’m not talking about a spotlessly clean kitchen floor either.

The most precious gift you can give yourself and the gift you give back to God in gratitude for the gift of life, is to find yourself and do everything you can to become yourself, your authentic self. This is a good time to review the hierarchy of needs based roughly on the Maslow Pyramid. The idea is that you can’t move to higher levels, unless you have met needs at lower levels. Anyone who has the time and resources to read this article is likely going to make it to the top; however, many are called and few are chosen.

Nancy R. Fenn is a Saturn Return expert. Visit her on the web at http://www.bemyastrologer.com