‘Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.’
William James, 1842-1910, Psychologist and Author

‘Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.’
Matthew 5:5, The New Testament

What do Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Professor Mohammed Yunus of Bangladesh, Immaculee Ilibagiza, Rwandan holocaust survivor, and the Amish community in Pennsylvania have in common?

Let me briefly tell their stories based on the little information I have read.

Prof. Yunus teaches economics. What made him increasingly uncomfortable was the ever-widening gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots.’ In his country, millions of people were destined to never raise their heads in life because in the eyes of the current banking system the poor are not credit-worthy. Prof. Yunus thought differently; he thought that applying for and getting a loan or credit was a basic human right and was the only way to start to close that gap.

So he started up his own system, called ‘microcredit,’ where he loaned small amounts of money to poor struggling families who wanted to start a business so they could provide basic necessities for their families through their own efforts. These loans were around $100-500US and required no collateral. They now have established the Grameen Bank which services millions of people and has helped countless impoverished men and women start home-based businesses. (Interesting to note that no-one has ever defaulted on their loan repayments even though they have no contracts and the deal is based on trust.)

Immaculee Ilibagiza was a teenager during the Rwandan holocaust in 1995. She spent 90 days in a bathroom with 8 other Rwandan women hiding from the murderous Hutu extremists. She lost both her parents and two brothers in the massacre and managed to escape, eventually getting a job with the United Nations and migrating to the US with her husband.

Once the war was over, Immaculee went back to Rwanda to her village to piece together what happened to her family and to complete that chapter in her life. This included visiting the man who murdered her family in prison. When he was brought to her, the man fell to his knees and couldn’t even look her in the eyes. She asked him to look at her and when he did, she simply said ‘I forgive you’ and left. The man couldn’t stop crying.

The Amish community in Pennsylvania suffered a terrible loss when 10 girls were brutally attacked and shot by Charles Roberts, five of whom died. Although this caused shock waves around the world, the Amish quietly went about their business, living and taking care of things the way they always have: with forgiveness and love in their hearts.

It was reported that an Amish neighbour went to comfort the murderer’s family after he shot himself; that they also attended his funeral; and that, when a fund was set up for the grieving families, an Amish leader insisted that one also be set up for Roberts’ family.

Here are the common threads I see:
1.-They are all unremarkable, simple people yet their actions are an example to us all.
2.-They live according to their beliefs, not seeking rewards or recognition but simply doing what they think is right.
3.-Their humility (and by that, I mean an acceptance of life) in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles has led to actions that have irreversibly changed and touched people’s lives, and the world.
4.-They take 100% personal responsibility for their lives, living on their own terms without blaming this, that or the other for their plight.

I don’t believe these people are blessed with anything extraordinary. They are ordinary people, just like you and me. I don’t believe they ever intended to do anything in their lives that would be worthy of media attention. They followed what was in their hearts. Most of us may never be rich or famous but we are all influential. These stories prove that beyond doubt.

Given we are experiencing much despair and disillusionment with leaders, government, churches and business, it’s time for us to look elsewhere. It’s time for us to put our hands down and stop pointing fingers of blame or throwing them up in resignation. At this time of year, when there is so much talk of ‘peace and goodwill among men’, we cannot afford to remain idle any longer.

We need leaders, yes; but what I see happening more and more is that true leaders and leadership is coming from among the people and not from ‘the elected few.’ We need to appoint ourselves as leaders because no matter how small your contribution YOU CAN and DO make a difference - the question is ‘what sort of difference do you want to make?’ Whatever you decide, DO IT NOW.

Till next time,
Love, light and laughter to you

Jenny
Life Coach, Best Year Yet Program Leader

Jenny Mallos is a coach and author who works with individuals and groups to find and follow their own path with a heart. She uses practical yet powerful techniques that help people break free from their fixations and habits which are the major cause of stress and unhappiness. Her genuine warmth and sense of humour make even the most confronting issues easier to tackle.

Jenny believes that relationships are the underpinning of our lives and that the most important thing is living a life of purpose and meaning. Whether you are working on your business, your health, relationships or some other facet of your life, Jenny can help you find clarity and a way to true happiness and fulfillment.

For more information, please visit Jenny’s website at http://www.totaltransformationlifecoaching.com or send an email to coachjen@totaltransformationlifecoaching.com to set up a FREE 30 minute consultation.

The retailers of today are beginning to carry huge selections of goods to bring in more traffic through diverse product lines. The idea of product diversity is to attract a larger demographic of customers, therefore bringing more eyes to every product. With the popularity of this strategy, retailers need product display fixtures that can accommodate such an assortment of items. There is even a need for these kinds of store fixtures for many specialty shops as well, such as hardware stores or outdoor sporting stores. One of the most effective product fixtures for this type of display is the gridwall. Gridwall panels provide the freedom to place products where they need to be and the way they should be displayed.

Gridwall accessories make diverse retail display possible. Each accessory is designed to hold or display particular kinds of items and can be attached to the gridwall at any location that the retailer sees fit. There are many different kinds of hooks, hangers, and shelves, custom designed to display particular products, from clothing to CD’s. The kind of display freedom that gridwalls provide can often make it difficult for a retailer who already feels like they are dealing with too many different kinds of products. The secret to using gridwalls efficiently and esthetically is spending time organizing the products and planning before attaching the accessories in place. First divide the products according to their theme or category so that those items most closely associated with each other can be found in the same place. After you have done this for an entire department or section of your store, you are ready to consider the positioning of products. On a piece of paper, draw a representation of the gridwall and sketch items onto the display. Each item should just have the basic shape of the object so that you can more accurately visualize what the wall will look like once the products are in place. Remember, larger and heavier products should always be displayed on the lower part of the display. This is a basic rule of balance, but it can also prevent injury of an employee or customer attempting to remove the item from its display position. If you decide to display products high enough on the gridwall panel that they are out of reach, be sure you have devised a safe and simple method for retrieving those products, whether for customers or restocking.

Once you have everything good and mapped out, you are ready to attach your gridwall accessories to your gridwall panels and give your store a new, organized look. Customers always appreciate this kind of organization, whether they know it or not, and they are sure to stop in to your store again.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the Vice President of S & L Store Fixtures, a leading online provider of gridwall displays and href="http://www.slstoredisplays.com">gridwall panels. For more information, please visit href="http://www.slstoredisplays.com"> http://www.slstoredisplays.com.

Every year thousands of families plan to relocate and if you are one of those; then simply contact the best New York moving company. New York is one place where you can find various moving companies offering best and affordable services. But choosing best from the lot is tough deal to crack.

If you are moving within or in New York, you should consider of hiring the services of best New York moving company. Nowadays families prefer to hire services of moving companies as it is easier on them. The main highlight of any New York moving company is that it will make your moving very easy, without worrying about how your belongings will be moved from one place to another.

If you have decided to move then it is wise to hire moving services of Redline Movers. This New York moving company has got years of moving experience and guarantees fast and safe moving. Selection of any New York moving company depends on few prime factors such as:

1.-Cost of services
2.-The type of services offered
3.-The area that each moving company focuses on.

Redline Movers thoroughly scores well on all these factors and thus, becomes the best choice. Majority New York moving companies cover wide area of New York and therefore, moving becomes so easy. However, selecting any New York moving company it is wise to examine their cost of services. Although majority New York moving companies carry a fixed fees which may be large, small and even average.

Moving estimate is something which plays a very important role. If moving cost is high it is wise to switch over another New York moving company offering same services at lesser rate. Apart from that you should also make sure that the moving cost includes everything starting from assembling to reassembling. At times people prefer to avail storage facilities too, availing this storing facility carries an additional cost. But Redline Movers offers this service too at an affordable rate. Thus, it won’t be wrong to say that selecting this New York moving company over others is the best choice.

Hence, try to keep all these points in mind and surely you will find best New York moving company to move with. For more information on New York moving company, New York moving companies, New York City movers and professional moving company Nyc please visit http://www.redlinemovers.com.

Shane writes for professional NYC Moving Companies like http://www.redlinemovers.com

The development of the clothes hanger has increased exponentially over the years as retail clothing stores and store displays have become extremely prevalent. Due to the extreme variety of clothing purpose and fashion, there needs to be a clothes hanger for every garment and display scenario.

1. The first and most common hanger is the Wire Hanger. It is the cheapest and most basic shaped hanger, consisting of a single piece of wire that is bent into a triangular form with a hook across from the longest side. These can vary in quality. Some are coated with a plastic or other materials to prevent damage to clothes. Some wire hangers have been known leave rust stains or stretch certain types of clothes.

2. Plastic Hangers are perhaps the second in affordability and are beginning to closely compete with the old traditional wire hangers in number, due to their greater durability. Plastic hangers are designed to make it more difficult to tangle the hooks while on a rack or closet pole as well. They are most commonly used for shirts, blouses, dresses, and tanks. A more specific design of plastic hangers is the tubular hanger. These are extremely common, thicker gauged hangers that last forever and make organization easy.

3. Wooden hangers are the most classic in appearance and perhaps the most durable of all. They also provide a better shoulder mold for those garments that need to keep their shape. Coats, blazers and the like are often found on nice wooden hangers. Some wooden hangers have a wooden rod, rapped by a metal bar, to provide a place to secure pants on the hanger.

4. Padded hangers provide protection for delicate items. Padded hangers are used for undergarments or lingerie and are commonly covered in satin to provide a nice soft surface. Padded hangers really do serve to protect more fragile clothing, but their purpose is largely a decorative one. They are excellent display fixtures for underwear and lingerie store displays.

5. There are many types of Specialty Hangers that can be used to fit specific needs of clothing items. There are hangers with clips, hangers with garment specific notches, streamlined metal hangers, and decorative hangers of all kinds.

This last category of clothes hangers is rather broad, but if each of these “specialty hangers” was described and listed, this article would be far too long to hold anyone’s attention. Just let it be said that there are most definitely hangers that are right for the garments you wish to hang.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of OnlyHangers, a leading online provider of href="http://www.onlyhangers.com">wooden hangers, href="http://www.onlyhangers.com">plastic hangers, and many other forms of clothes hangers. For more information, please visit href="http://www.onlyhangers.com">http://www.onlyhangers.com.

Sometimes clothes hangers are the most overlooked store fixtures, even though they are perhaps the most important fixture for any retail clothing store. It is extremely important to make a wise purchasing decision when it comes to clothes hangers because using the correct hangers will protect your clothes on display as well as make it easier on customers to find the items they want, rather than spending their time untangling hangers or digging through the racks. Finding the right hangers can make all of the difference, and there are a few considerations that will help you order the right hanger for you and your clothes.

The types of garments your clothing store provides greatly impacts the type of hangers needed. Fine cashmere coats and expensive sport jackets should obviously not by displayed by flimsy wire hangers. Instead, they need sturdy wooden hangers that recreate the molding of a human’s shoulders, helping the coat or jacket keep a good shape. However, these nice wooden hangers would not be a practical solution for hanging t-shirts or undergarments. Lightweight plastic hangers work well for t-shirts, and hangers with clips or nice padded hangers are good for displaying undergarments. It is really not any more expensive to be sure that each type of clothes in your store has the correct style of hanger. It just takes some planning and forethought on your behalf.

The particular clothing store atmosphere is also a valuable consideration when buying new clothes hangers. The type of clientele and the style of your clothes will contribute to this evaluation. A high-end boutique would obviously need a different style of hanger than a booth at the county fair. What do your customers expect? What kind of decoration do you currently have? The answers to these questions should quickly provide some direction to the style of hanger that would be right for your specific retail environment.

Whether or not you have a policy to give away your hangers with the clothes that are purchased will influence your clothes hanger buying decision. Some retailers print their name or logo on the hangers to create reminders in the homes their customers. This can be effective, and most customers appreciate the hangers, as long as the hangers are nice enough to go in someone’s closet. Some stores give the customer a choice of keeping or leaving the hangers. Those more expensive hangers often stay with the store because giving away expensive hangers can add quite a bit to overhead costs. Most customers understand this fact and don’t expect to walk away with higher-end hangers.

These factors will help you decide on the clothes hangers that are right for the clothing in your store. There is no reason to have the wrong hangers for your store. You will have to buy hangers anyway, so buy the right ones the first time by taking a few moments to think about your decision.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of OnlyHangers, a leading provider of href="http://www.onlyhangers.com"> wooden hangers and plastic href="http://www.onlyhangers.com">hangers. For more information, please visit href="http://www.onlyhangers.com">http://www.onlyhangers.com.

If you have a bunch of extra wire clothes hangers that need recycling, because you finally made the step of buying plastic or wooden hangers, then here is a fun craft project for you. You will need an afternoon with nothing to do, a 3 to 4 cm in diameter wooden dowel that is 90 to 100 cm long, a couple of wooden clothes rail sockets, eight wire clothes hangers, two pieces of plywood at 2 x 35 cm, wooden screws, pliers, a hand drill, a saw, and a ruler. Now this may seem like a pretty serious craft from the list of necessities, but what craft worth doing isn’t pretty serious. This is not just a way to recycle old clothes hangers, but to make something out of them that you can enjoy and be proud of. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Once you have everything you need, take the wire clothes hangers and bend the hooks of the hanger where the hook meets the twists over so that it is laying flat (or perpendicular to the rest of the hanger. Use your hands or pliers, whatever necessary. Then bend the top of the triangle, right below the twists slightly in the same direction (later you will use a bottle to place in the hanger and correct any angles that need it). Now pull the two wings of the hanger together on the same side as the hook was bent. At this point your hanger looks kind of like a person on their knees from the side view. Now take the bottom of the hanger triangle and bend a circle where it has been folded in half. To give you a better picture, a bottle should be able to sit in the circle and the neck should go through the hook, while the wings of the hanger have basically been wrapped around the bottle.

Now, mark a place on the top/center of both plywood pieces. This is where you will mount the rail sockets. Drill two wood screws from the outside of the plywood, through the sockets and into the rail. If you want to make this job a little simpler, just drill some holes to guide you before you get started. Now put notches in the rail with the saw (or hacksaw). This will keep each of the 8 bottle holding hangers in place. The notches should be equidistant which may look like about two and a half centimeters apart. Then fit the hangers into the notches you just made. The twisted neck of the hanger should support the neck of a bottle.

When you are done, filling the rack up with bottles will cause the hangers to become nice and straightened out. So the rack will look even better with time. Not a bad way to get rid of some old wire hangers.

About the Author: Ron Maier is the owner of OnlyHangers, a leading online provider of href="http://www.onlyhangers.com">wooden hangers, plastic hangers, and many other kinds of href="http://www.onlyhangers.com"> clothes hangers. For more information, please visit href="http://www.onlyhangers.com">http://www.onlyhangers.com.

Almost every single person both you and I know wants to have something more than what they have now. Some wanted more money; others wanted more time. There are also those who dreamt of bigger houses, more luxurious cars or designer clothes to fill up their closet. But how many times have you seen them work towards it? More often than not, these people are just dreaming of it, hoping that one day what they want will appear right in front of them. We both know that that day will never come. Knowing what you want is not sufficient. You need to work towards it and right away.

People who became rich did not just dream of being rich. They study them and learn what they know. They spent time with those who think and act like the rich. They communicate like a wealthy person. They behave like what rich people behave. They learn to speak with confidence and make critical decisions. The point is do not stay what you are right now and hope for results. You wouldn’t break a glass and try to put it back together by slamming it on the floor again. You would only break the glass more. You need to take a different approach by gluing the glass back together. The same goes for you.

When taking a different approach, you need to know what you are doing exactly and not blindly. Staying focused is the key to achieving what you desired. The Wright brothers did not just invent airplanes overnight. They did not succeed after their first try too. Instead of giving up, they tried various method while keeping in mind what they are trying to invent. That is focus. Eventually, after countless efforts put into their work, they succeeded and achieved their dream of bringing humans up into the sky. Rich people did not gain instant wealth because they worked harder. Of course they worked hard to get to where they are, but it is much more than just being industrious. It is what they worked hard on, the they things they thought about while working on those things and what they focused on while creating that wealth.

Fear is one factor that sometimes prevent us from achieving our goals. Our fears can hold us back from doing many things that we can and want to do most in life. For example, a person may want to set up a company, run it and be its own boss. He has been dreaming of it his whole life and that opportunity appeared right before his eyes one day. However, for fear that he might encounter the many difficulties that most companies might experience, he decided to give that golden opportunity a miss! Because of fear, he had given up the chance to finally do what he had wanted to do initially. Fear has been defined as False Evidence Appearing Real - F.E.A.R. So, my advice is to just face it. Just remember that you get one step closer to your goals of being a more confident less fearful person each time you face your fear.

You cannot get what you want just by dreaming of it. Take action now and confront all your fears. You will eventually turn out a better person in life, one that is another step closer to success. And if you are one of those who aspire to become rich and successful, why not visit http://www.achievesuccessonline.com You are now on your way to success just by the click of your mouse!

A recent survey conducted by Forbes magazine shows that majority of its readers would prefer becoming a billionaire rather than a Nobel prize winner, a renowned scientist or a famous athlete. It is a common fact that most of the average people dream about getting rich albeit very few makes any real effort to become one. That’s what makes those rich and successful people different from this ordinary group of people. They dare to dream but they went on to pursue their dreams. The journey to success is not an easy one. However, those that manage to endure the arduous route eventually reach their goals and become what they are today - a rich and successful person.

The truth is, these group of people are no different from us. They started out on the same par as us, having the same status as us and living a similar kind of lifestyle like us. They too have dreams, visions and goals. The dreams may seemed impossible but you never know whether it really is impossible unless you try it. The Wright brothers had a dream what many thought would never come true. It is their determination and persistence that proved the people around them wrong and that was how the world’s aviation industry started.

The rich and the successful don’t usually come from a good background. Stephen Pierce, a highly respected internet marketer for instance, was living on the streets - barely surviving, living from moment to moment before he decided to try starting a business on the internet. Adam Khoo, a self-made millionaire at the age of 26, is another person many thought was doomed to failure when he was a kid as the only thing he knew was fighting. It is often this kind of situations that spurred people to get out of their own rat race and prove to their masses that they too can succeed in their own field.

Self confidence is another key attribute that makes the rich and the successful. It is concerned with how a person feels about his ability. A successful person believes in his abilities. He is not scared to explore un-chartered territories, take risk and make difficult decisions. When faced with obstacles, overcoming them is crucial. At times, it is easy to be demoralized, frustrated and resentful if one lack self confidence. However, this is not a personal trait that either you have or you don’t. A person can have high self-confidence in one situation and totally lack in another. This is one of those skills that can be developed by training. Hence, self confidence is something one need to possess if you aspire to succeed.

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If you had noticed, most people around you always yearn for more time. Some wished for 36 hours each day while others just cannot figure out why they simply cannot finish what they hope to accomplish that day. If you were more observant enough, you find a small group among this people who are very contended with the hours they are given everyday. They are able to finish what they set out to do that day and yet still have spare time to do what they like to do. But what is the difference between this two distinct group of people? How did they manage to do what most cannot accomplish even though all of them are doing the same thing?

The answer is simple - time management. It refers to the tools and techniques for planning and scheduling time, with the intention to increase the effectiveness and the efficiency of personal and corporate time use. Management is the process of getting activities completed efficiently and effectively with and through people. With proper time management, you will be able to make better use of the 24 hours given to you each day, instead of asking for more hours everyday. Stop complaining for more time because that will never happen. Instead, think of how to manage the hours you have.

Being organized is one key factor to good time management. Studies have shown than a person who works on a messy desk spent one and a half hour each day looking for things, when this 90 minutes can actually be put to better use. Being organized is also a form of stress relief as you know where things exactly are. Looking for them will be piece of cake compared to a disorganized person who do not even know which is where. As such, having a good organization skill couples your time management ability. It saves time knowing where to get a specific thing and how to get it.

Health also play an important role in time management. When you are tired, go get a nap or a good sleep instead of dwelling on the project. You will not be making significant progress and time is going to get wasted. Our mind needs to take a break every now and then to recharge its mental batteries. Only after you are refreshed will be able to produce quality work. The break can be considered a well-spent quality time and this is part of time management too. Incorporating breaks in between tasks is necessary to ensure maximum efficiency in whatever you do.

The bottom line is that for you have more time to yourself, you need to look at the big picture itself. Your health and organization skills contribute to how you manage time. Either one not taken care of properly will affect your time management capabilities in creating more time. So don’t waste anymore time now. Change your lifestyle right away and you are on your way to be part of the group who do not have to worry having not enough time doing whatever he/she yearns to do.

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Feeling frustrated and demoralized that people are just not coming to your website, despite the amount of effort you have put into setting it up? Well, here are a few of done by little yet effective tips that will definitely boost traffic to your website way beyond what’s possible with most traditional traffic building methods.

1.The Use of Videos

The world is currently going crazy over videos posted onto the internet. As internet users get bored with reading pages and pages over the web, the introduction of videos instantly aroused their interest. Visitors to websites containing videos skyrocketed. It is thus no surprise that YouTube became one of the biggest and most popular website online within a short period of time. What keeps traffic coming to YouTube is that new and interesting videos are uploaded frequently, so that viewers are constantly exposed to new things. The traffic potential of video is enormous and given the fact that you can pretty much promote your site freely in your videos, why not try it? You will see a remarkable difference in your opt in rate a few weeks after you started uploading videos onto the internet.

2.Register With Popular Search Engines

Before doing that, you need to have a content rich website, one that arouse people’s interest as content is the most sought after commodity on the internet. By choosing the right keywords and optimizing the content properly, search engines will love websites like yours. It will immediately put your website on top of their list and let the world know about it. This has a huge impact website traffic. However, this alone is not enough as they will never put you up there forever. Maintain your website and continuously updating it is the key to remain at the top of the search engines’ list. This way, you are creating a passive traffic to your website.

3.Be Active In Forums

There are many popular and active forums in the world. You can easily find aplenty just by searching on the internet. Be hyperactive in them. Let them notice your presence so that they will take an interest in you and look into your profile. That is where you input all your website details and the things you want the world to know about. Signatures are also an important part of forum marketing. Always end of a comment with a simple signature that directs them to your website. This increases the chances of people seeing your website.

Generating traffic to your website is not as tough as you think it might be. It just takes time and effort to do it. Update your website whenever you can, as often as possible so people would want to visit your website to see what’s new in it. Leave comments wherever possible so people notice you. That way, you are on your way to achieving your goal in no time.

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