View From the Balcony

Some days the View from the Balcony brings pain for some, hardship
for others.

Friday, while doing my laundry, I expressed concern for a good
neighbor's planned move for Saturday ... did she have enough help?
Her sister is in a wheelchiar - victim of a brain tumor. They had
loads of promised help.

Saturday am began with a small voice in such pain. "I hate you! I
want my daddy!" Later in the day, this same little stressed voice was
trying hard to play happily with a sibling on the balcony above mine.

I wrapped myself in work - I did not know the circumstance and I
was not able to help the child. That hurt me. Two e-mails and three
reports later - designed to back up the start of a new series for our
subs, I still could not get over that little voice.

I signed off my computer and went out for a night of Texas Hold 'em
poker. I sure learned the difference between knowing when to hold
them and knowing when to fold them. Fun game. Totally
distracting.

It's Sunday - and I am again listening to a little voice scream "No
daddy ... No daddy" over and over again. The father this little boy
wanted so badly on Saturday is now his terrible mentor. The voice of
the father is not loud or screaming - just droning on - the adult full of
demanding expectation of the child.

The pain is broken with need. Someone is moving in and is in need of
help. It quiets the noise from the balcony above. My young g'son
Jake lends a hand and is rewarded with a nice cash bonus for doing
so.

I am thankful that the mover changed the motion upstairs. But it is
a temproary fix I am sure. Did the father stop his harangue because
of whom he thought might hear? How about the child? Will he be
all right?

It's Sunday - a day of rest - but little peace of mind for the View from
the balcony.

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged, sympathethic with the striving,
and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday
in life you will have been all of those."
--- George Washington Carver

2005-07-28

Why Does Time Management Bother You?

How pleasant it is to take five with a tasty cup of coffee, and explore my view from the balcony. I find as I age, I need that extra tlc just for me. It can be so rejuvenating to get away from the work demands even if just for a few minutes.

That sudden feeling of euphoria got me thinking ...

What came first - down time or time management efficiency?

If you work offline, you know the pressure to produce. Some office type is watching you like big brother, waiting to pounce.

If you work a factory job, the pressure is greater when it comes to line production. Supervisors watch you so much you learn to respond with a thumbs down or a frown.

Why? Why does any company for any reason feel the need to turn you into a robot?

I have worked both positions in my life and found the need to regenerate was far more important to my good health then meeting the expectations of a job demand.

If the company was employee conscious at all, they knew it was very important that the employee have both the ergonmoic conditons and the space and the lack of interruption to become a good producer.

I was watching a program where all of those conditons are now being monitored using very expensive equipment to learn how you respond to daily interruptions of your work time.

Your focus, your internal reaction via heartbeat, muscle retraction and brain wave patterns for learning are under the microscope.

Is their focus designed to make you a better robot? No way, the whole concept is learning how to give you good downtime that will allow you to regenerate and to find out just what kind of working conditions the human mind needs in order to be a better worker. BUT the key here, is not from the perception of the company but from you, the worker expected to produce.

Online promtional pressure

Within minutes my focus on that concept took me to you and I as we struggle to design a system that allows us to meet the rigorous promotional demands of our online business efforts.

Have we brought all our bad habits from offline work to our desk online? Are we turning outselves into even bigger robots? Are we working for our betterment or trying to keep up with the online Jones'?

What is the driving force that keeps you glued to your monitor every day? And, most importantly, how are you helping you to find a system that lets you plan your work and work your plan keeping your very own personal needs right up there front and center?

For me, I think I'll pour me another cup of coffee, put my feet up and take an extra 15 minutes to let this whole concept of time for me begin to sink in. How about you? Care to join me for some much needed tlc?

2005-07-27

Dealing with extreme heat and dehydration

Dealing with extreme heat and dehydration

Oppressing heat has been the tall order of the day for both Canada amd most of the United States. The twin menaces of heat and humidity present dehydation dangers we may or may not give much attention to at the time but need to be addressed.

The main thing is to hydrate your body both inside and outside. The best way to do this is water - and lots of it.

Sodas, juices pops and other methods are not as effective nor as healthy for you to use in extreme heat as cooling agents.

Since your body is a good 75% water to begin with, try to understand when more fluids go out, such as sweat, urine and body heat, then comes in, your body begins to break down, can make you very ill and in some cases result in death.

If you suffer gastrointestinal illness then you need to take particular care as vomiting and diarrhea can put you in extreme danger. As you will have very little interest in food or liquids during bad times, try ice chips when drinking water seems to much to do.

Dealing With Dehydration

For most of us, that feeling of forever thirsty is the way we begin to recognize dehydration. But that is an advanced stage and by the time we begin to pay attention to that red flag, we are in trouble.

Other symptoms of dehydration include:

* feeling dizzy and light-headed
* having a dry or sticky mouth
* producing less urine and darker urine

If you must go out, then wear loose fitting clothes of natural product fibre that will absorb the sweat.

Make sure you are wearing a hat, carry a water supply and take several breaks in a shaded area if at all possible. No shade, try a walk around an air-conditined mall.

However, do not put yourself in one extreme to the other for short periods of time. It does not help to shock your body from hot to cold and back again.

if you are determined to maintain your workout schedule, do take extra care- continuing to run when dehydrated can lead to heat stroke and death.

Children the Elderly and the Long-term Ill Person ...

They all need special attention during extreme and prolonged heat periods. Watchout in particular for whiny attitudes, fatique, no interest in anything, will not eat or just pick, dry lips and tongue, and other tips that will let you in on what is happening.

Both heat exhaustion and heat stroke require immediate care. Heat stroke is a medical emergency that, when untreated, can be deadly. Any child, the eldery or ill, with heat stroke should be rushed to the nearest hospital.

2005-07-16

Challenging Emotional Responses

I started my site and my eZine because I realized quickly that hundreds of newcomers to the Internet were not properly prepared to even consider starting their own business. They severely lacked the necessary basic knowledge and skills to do so.

Whenever there is a business issue or tug of war between program owners, that lack of knowledge pounds its way to the fore in highly charged emotional 'I'm for you" response.

There will always be problems and concerns between business owners for one reason or another, BUT airing their dirty laundry in public is the biggest turn off for any experienced marketer to have to read about. It creates division and mistrust by the very members who should know better. It is fed by a severe lack of information and reflects itself back on you and your associates.

The lack of professionalism shown by any owner in handling their business issues reflects badly on the trust and credibility any sane person needs to consider holding for them.

What really gets to me, is the base projection that airing this diatribe online is supposed to be the right way to go. If they can push your emotional button, you will jump on board and get involved.

While that emotional response may sound fine for the moment, give a real thought here people. Six months down the line while they are moving off in other directions, you have shot your business plans and direction in the foot with a howitzer.

Neither you nor I can ever stop the kind of people who take advantage of others to better their cause, but we can use our smarts and take the time to think these issues through properly before we do untold damage to our own credibility.

When we join any program, our responsibility is to spend whatever time it takes to learn everything we can about it. To educate ourselves in order to be a product of the product.

In other words, we need to learn leadership skills that will allow us the excitement and motivation to make the program work for us and our people who trusted us enough to join us.

In times of strife, it is time for all good leaders to come to the aid of their business and make sure their team gets ever bit of solid help to keep focused on their dreams of success. NOT get hung up on 'he said she said' garbage gossip.

Anything less is a pox on you, NOT the program owner. And looking for a way to pass on blame for your lack of success is a cop out.

Posted at 07:26:18 AM | Post Comment | Read Comments (0)

2005-07-13

Mail Call

What is the real value of access to actual proven and profitable keyword lists?

I have a couple of software programs on my pc that help me find the kind of keywords that are searched for often and then the associated keywords that might work just as well as the competition is not as stiff in pay per click usage.

Some of the people right into Search Engine optimization are out there building portal pages or niche sites a dozen at a time. They spend hours searching for the right keywords for those sites.

Right off the top, I see several problems here for the average marketer.

** You need to have a firm handle on copywriting
** Grammar, structure, content value, ideas, creativity
and a hundred more musts fly to instant recognition.
** You need software that churns these pages out.
** Your own creativity MUST come into play to

this work?

Have you got the experience to know what keywords you should be using? Do you really know how to avoid the top keywords usage that will put you in debt trying to outdo the competiton that does successfully use pay per click for these top keywords?

For those of you creating portal niche work and adding adsense to your work, you are familiar with a lot of the problems of turning your hard work into dollars and 'sense' and know it is not a cake walk to do so.

If you have received the e-mails that promote your buying proven lists of keywords, take the time to learn first what keyword optimization involves.

A good way to do that, to learn the basics is right in 3step in the Tsunami Gold spends area in your tool box. If you have been faithfully doing the 30-30 then you have loads of credits you are wondering how to use.

This little venture in testing will cost you some credits but the learning curve is worth the time as you learn pay-per-click, and it will give you some experience in choosing and bidding on keywords.

If you are determined to play with the big boys, then at least give ourself a fighting chance. Check it out.

2005-07-12

Somebody's Tapping at My Door

The conference was going along well. Just when I was
about to get the answer to a pressing problem, I heard
the light tapping at the door.

It never fails, story of my life really, that every good
point seems to invite an interference of some sort.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I answered the door to find
Tom there, looking as if I took my sweet time just to
irriate him.

"Why the heck can't you open the darned door yourself?" I
mumbled, closing the door and heading back to my
computer.

Tom gave me one of those looks and marched to the
kitchen.

"I had a dog smarter than you, and less of a nuisance
..." I yelled. " At least he could let himself out and in
at will."

Not to be outdone by my sudden outburst, Tom returned to
the door and with all the dignity he could muster stood
as tall as his small frame would allow.

As he looked at the door then back at me, I could swear I
heard him say, " Yeah and you know a shoe store that
makes elevator shoes for cats! Right!"

2005-07-10

Two-State e-Mail Laws

Email Marketers Beware

As of August first, it will be illegal to email to certain residents in 2 USA states - even though all subscribers are confirmed opt in subscribers.

If you're an email marketer, ezine publisher, autoresponder marketer or if you use email in any way in your business, you'd better sit up and pay attention right N0W.

Michigan and Utah have passed child protection laws that
seriously effect permission email marketers. These laws went into effect on July first and you must comply with them by August first of this year 2005.

What are these laws?

Essentially, these states have set-up Do Not Email Registries for individuals to enter minors' email addresses.

But, it's not just email addresses that belong to minors. People can also enter email addresses to which minors have access. So parents looking to stop spam are sure to input their addresses too, claiming their children can access their email.

You can read the law at their government site -

http://www.le.state.ut.us/~code/TITLE13/13_26.htm

Michigan does has their registry on line as well as information on how as email marketers can comply.

2005-07-02

"stand down" Part III

"STAND DOWN" PART III

On Saturday, June 25th I met with Veterans from as far back as the Korean conflict and their supporters who have not forgotten the cost of war - in a "Stand Down' held in the desert community of Lancaster, California.

A 'Stand Down' means "a temporary stop of offensive military action".

War affects everyone differently, yet in many ways there are underlying currents that are the same. Generally they have a hard time coping with changed situations at home, work, and in general the community. They return to the seemingly more mundane way of life that is no less still filled with a different sort of tension. Paying the bills, going to the store for food, making sure there is a roof over their families heads.

Physical and mental problems start to manifest themselves in the returned veteran. Most veterans are lucky to have someone to come back to, and then there are those that are not so lucky. They have a hard time expressing how they feel unless they are very lucky to have a spouse or friend that is willing to listen to what they are trying to get out over a long period of time. All too often, in the past, as now, marriages have ended in divorce. How does this bode for the new veteran today?

Most are just going through the motions of life. Many times hitting rock bottom and with nobody that they know ever understanding why this is happening to them.

While the vets at this stand down seemed to be worn down and just plain tired, there was alot of life still showing in these aged eyes ... life waiting to get out, longing to recover their lost dignity once more. This was the crux of the matter for many of the Veterans in attendance - no home, no one left to care or ever did care - they just need a hand up, not a constant handout.

That is the heart of a "Stand down' - help for those in need. A place to come and share the pain and the glory with 'friends' who understand.

Medical forms and supplies are given out, a few personal items to help see them through, lots of good food and comrades to share a pleasant day.

Yet there are still many more veterans to be reached. Even those that are coming Home from those many conflicts that are are still going on in our great big wide world.

If there is a Veteran somewhere in your life who needs help in any sort of way, have them go to the link below, so they too can start on that road to finally come home.

Also if there is a VA hospital or clinic nearby get them to go there to get help as so many before them have.

http://www.nchv.org/veterans.cfm

copyright © Chris Klasinski

Posted at 11:06:10 AM | Post Comment | Read Comments (1)

"Stand Down" Part II

We sat there thinking of times long gone by...
When we were young and spry...
Talking of times long gone by...
Another time - Another life...

Now we are older... grayer...
Not in the best of health...
For we gave our all...
When we heard the call...

Then we came home...
Different... changed... strangers...
Yes strangers to one and all...
Even to ourselves...

Many did more... Gave more...
But one fact remains...
We are a band of brothers and sisters...
We who served our countries flag....

Over the years many did not come home...
Buried... Lost... In some forgotten field...
Others did... Lost in themselves...
Fighting still... In some forgotten field...

Fighting... always fighting...
That unseen Foe...
For it is the most bitter foe of all...
"Aloneness"

This band of brothers and sisters...
They are the ones who understand...
They who have been there... Who did what was
asked...
Rallied together... To defeat this bitter
foe...

So gather those bitter bones...
Pile them high... Let's bury them deep...
For we are not alone...
We are a band... Let the Drums beat...

Our hearts are weary...
Our memories are steeped...
In a time most have forgotten...
Yet we never sleep without them...

So rally... Rally together...
We band of brothers and sisters...
Now is the time to Stand Down...
Lest We Forget...

================================

copyright © Chris Klasinski

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2005-07-31

It's Sunday ...

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