Cool Beans SF

The number of diesel powered cars on North American highways has been dropping steadily ever since their peak in the mid 1980s. For many motorists, diesel engines conjure up images of pollution, poor power, and unreliability. However, one generation later and all that is about to change. New diesel powered vehicles will soon be arriving, in fact one is already here and receiving critical acclaim from auto enthusiasts.

Who can forget those diesel powered Chevrolet Caprices and Oldsmobile 98s that suddenly became very popular 25 years ago? If you are like many car owners, you want to forget those cars. What GM did back then was to take existing gasoline engines and convert them to diesel engines. These converted engines were loud, smoky, and very unreliable. They were unreliable to the point where GM had to pay tens of millions of dollars to replace failed engines with gasoline engines.

The memory of GM’s diesel fiasco was never lost on drivers who have spurned diesels to the point where many automakers are no longer producing diesel engines. Mercedes, a strong seller of diesel powered cars in Europe, no longer sells a diesel powered car in North America. VW is the lone importer of diesel engines while the U.S. manufacturers only place high performance diesel engines in their larger vehicles such as pick up trucks.

Another area that has stopped diesel engines cold is air pollution. Very stringent emission regulations have all but wiped out the possibility that many of the smaller diesel engines could be sold in the U.S. However, a change is in the wind as new technology is now in place that will make diesel powered cars cleaner. In addition, with the high cost of gasoline now prevailing, a diesel powered car has much more of an appeal to it especially since fuel savings of 20-30% are possible.

DaimlerChrysler recently introduced a Jeep Liberty with an optionally equipped diesel engine and this compact SUV is selling well with the optional engine. Its new 2.8L diesel delivers fuel improvements as high as 32% over a comparable gas 4×4 model and pollution is kept to a minimum. In addition, the added torque is a favorite with some, especially those who need to pull a boat or a camper with the Jeep.

Volkswagen will be bringing additional diesel powered cars to the North American market over the next few years. Diesel powered Golfs, Jettas, and possibly several larger model VWs will soon be traversing the highways and byways of Canada and the U.S.

BMW and Mercedes are both likely to be importing diesel cars over the next few years. Both automakers are studying the market to see if compact models could sell in North America. Each proposed model line is currently sold in Europe and diesel engines are a popular option with these cars.

GM is also considering tapping its relationship with Isuzu to import engines to be placed in several compact models. Long a producer of diesel powered vehicles, Isuzu has pretty much exited the North American market, but could return in the form of Isuzu powered cars sold by GM.

Chrysler will likely take its favorable experience with its Jeep division and begin to offer diesel engines on other trucks and SUVs. At the same time the all new Dodge Caliber, a replacement for the Neon, may eventually offer a diesel engine too.

Ford seems to be content with expanding its hybrid offerings and no other Japanese or Korean manufacturers appear ready to jump into the diesel movement…yet. Regardless, within five years the number of diesel cars on American and Canadian roads will likely triple. This can be a good thing for people wanting better fuel mileage, more torque, and a highly reliable engine.

For older diesel powered cars, they will continue to serve their purpose as owners discover how to extend their lives through useful aftermarket parts such as Bully Dog and competing products. With their rugged durability and well known reliability, a diesel powered car can easily reach a half of million miles or more before quitting.

Copyright 2006 - Matt Keegan, is The Auto Writer, who covers a variety of automotive topics including
Bully Dog Diesel products and other handy aftermarket parts and accessories.

A woman phoned me the other day to ask me about a product that someone else was selling. It was something she really wanted.

She said that it was an excellent deal but wouldn’t be able to afford it as she was having too many challenges in her life. She even mentioned she could see how it could make her money, but needed to make some money first.

I am a believer that we connect with the people that we need to, whether it is for a minute or a lifetime as the other person can help or even remind us of a truth that we already know deep inside. For this woman it was “there is always away” and how you believe and communicate to your self will affect the out come of your life.

I have heard many successful people say, if you take 2 identical men the same age, background and financial level and one says he can and the other says he can’t, they are both right.

So much of what we can and cannot do has a lot more to do with our belief systems and our attitudes than by our financial or life’s challenges around us.
Telling the universe that you want it to supply you with money, before you spend any is like looking at a woodstove and saying to it, “as soon as you give me heat, then I will give you wood.” If you are doing this, you will have a long cold wait.

This is one of the reasons that many people teach tithing. It is not about getting your money, (and yes, I am sure there are people who do want to get it, but I don’t attract them into my life.) It is about teaching you one of the greatest prosperity secrets out there. However, it must be done with a loving heart and not with, well I’ll try this, but it better work. If you are doing that, you are wasting your time and money.

I am living proof that you can have many things go wrong, face challenge after challenge, and still come out a head.
I kept a can do attitude through out all of my barriers and would repeat, there is always away. I have it up on my wall, because the message that I want to give myself is that nothing can stop me that I have made a commitment to achieve.

Remember it is important to ask yourself, what message am I giving to myself AND is it a message that I want to give myself. If you don’t like the answer, ask why am I saying this, what is my belief around this. If you find that it doesn’t work, throw it out and replace it with a new message.

One of the easiest ways to realize what you have been saying is to look around and notice what you have on some level attracted to yourself. This is not about any blame or judgments, it is about saying, if I don’t like what is in my life then I need to communicate what I truly desire to be and have in my life.

Words are very powerful. That is the good news and that is the bad news. All depending on how you use them. With words we can hurt, destroy, and spread hatred or we can build confidence, give encouragement, or even attract success happiness, and joy into our lives.

One other poster I have on my wall says, “When you are thinking a thought, ask yourself…

Would I be willing to have THIS thought manifest into solid form or real effect in my life in the next three minutes?

If not, change your thoughts.

All the Best!
Maria Boomhower
The Master Communicator
http://www.falconfreedom.com
http://www.mariaboomhower.blogspot.com
Ezine sign-up Click Here

P.S. If you like what you’re reading in here, you’ll love, “Perceptions, How to discover what you are really seeing and how it affects your belief system.” It’s an interactive manual that takes you through the steps to help you overcome challenges in communicating and connecting with others.
Perceptions-Understanding What you are Really Seeing.

Affiliate Marketing: Another Way to Win
Copyright 2004 Jude Wright All Rights Reserved

You have a nice looking website, full of content. You have links to all your favorite affiliate programs. But - no one is clicking. What else can you do to get someone interested enough to click on the product’s sales page?

Did you know that you can have your own affiliate program even if you don’t have your own product? Well, you can! Simply join programs that have a 2-tier affiliate program.
.
Here’s what to do:

When you add the link from your website to the affiliate program’s sales page, also add another link saying “Join this Affiliate Program.” The affiliate programs that are 2-tier will provide you with a second link for signing up
your own affiliates. Now, when your “affiliate” sells a product, YOU get a portion of the commission.

Of course, the commission won’t be as high, but it’s still a commission. And if you have enough affiliates signed up under you, they can be significant.

Sometimes the people who sign up using your send tier affiliate program link will end up purchasing the product themselves. Now you will get a commission from this sale plus you’ll commission from any sale your affiliate should make in the future.

Want another idea?

Create a mini-site for just ONE of your affiliate products. Make sure it is one that has an excellent commission structure and a 2-tier program. You won’t need to create a lot of different pages with a lot of content because this is a “sales” site - your sales site.

All you need is two pages. On the first page, create your sales copy. Do not use exactly the same sales letter that is used on the sales page for that product. Make it unique. Make it yours. Give it your own twist, your own personality. On this page you will have a link to your affiliate program
to page 2.

Create page two. This page will describe the affiliate program for this product and will have a link to the affiliate program sign-up page for the affiliate program product.

Now, promote this page - your product’s affiliate program. An affiliate marketer will sign up for this affiliate program under your affiliate ID. And he or she will make sales. If you can get many “good” affiliates, ones who work hard to promote the product, you will make more on commissions that by actually selling the product yourself.

Another thing to think about is that you could receive residual income from your affiliates. Even if an affiliate stops promoting your affiliate product, it is likely he or she has written articles using their affiliate ID in the resource box for that article. When the article has been submitted to numerous article directory sites, and used by other websites in ezines or as website content, that affiliate ID will still be active. So, you win again!

Also, it will be easier to sign up new affiliates to your affiliate program than it will be to sell the product. Why? Because the affiliate marketer is motivated to make money. And the more money he makes for himself, the more money he makes for you! This is a good thing!

So, don’t only think of affiliate marketing websites as content sites. Keep an open mind. Find new ways to promote your affiliate programs - and your affiliate program’s affiliate program - to get even more choices for your multiple streams of income.

About the Author

—————————————————–
Jude Wright has been an Internet Marketer for three
years. She has just created a product that will help
other Internet Marketers keep all their marketing
information in one database. Check it out at:
http://i-marketingorganizer.com/organizer.htm

Twenty years ago only the rich and famous, mostly in Hollywood, had cosmetic surgery to keep them looking younger. Today, the avenue of plastic surgery is open to just about anyone who has credit card. The cosmetic surgery industry is flourishing as the mob of Baby Boomers starts to creep into their 50, 60, and 70’s. Leading the way are face lifts, eyelid lifts, liposuction, breast implants and breast augmentation, botox injections, the famous tummy tuck, and the list keeps getting longer and longer. The questions we all ask ourselves is the one about safety. Will I come out looking better? We all remember the law suits regarding breast augmentation. With any surgery there are risks, the question is, are you willing to take them.

There is so much pressure on both men and women to be skinny, wrinkle free, no grey hair, fit and list goes on. In order to achieve these loft goals, they are turning to procedures such as liposuction, which is basically the removal of fat from deposits under the skin using a stainless steel tube and a high powered vacuum. Another popular choice is the face lift where surgeons actually cut the skin, pull it up and stitch it back in place with the goal of reducing visible lines and wrinkles. Many women are also turning to breast augmentation and breast implants. Increasing or decreasing their size depending on the challenge they face.

Finding qualified surgeons is no longer an issue. They are in every major city around the world catering the needs and desires of men and women. They are constantly doing research and experiments on new procedures and drugs that will be the next generation to the likes of botox. Younger and younger people are also interested in plastic surgery. Reality tv shows such as the Swan are taking cosmetic surgery to new heights. We highly recommend that if you are considering getting liposuction, a tummy tuck, face lift, breast implants or breast augmentation, you get a number of expert opinions. Remember, not all surgeries go as planned and the results are ever lasting. So do your research first and talk to existing patients before you proceed.

Amy-Jo Strutt is a successful beauty writer and regular contributor to anti-aging-skin-carecentral.com, providing information on skin care and cosmetic surgery.
http://www.anti-aging-skin-carecentral.com/cosmetic-surgery.html

Are you looking for “Hot Items” to sell on your eBay Auction? Are you having trouble deciding on a category? Being an active eBayer, I am often asked about what products to sell. As explained in my book “eBay Marketing Wholesale SourcePak” finding the right product in the right category is cruical.

Many people ask me whether jewelry is a good item to sell on their eBay auction. My opinion is yes, it can be. For the most part jewelry is easy to package and easy to ship. And provided you have done your research first, you should be able to make a good profit selling it. One of the points you will need to research before adding any jewelry to your eBay auction is, what are eBay shoppers looking for in the jewelry niche? Knowing this will help you to decide just what type of jewelry you could include in your auctions. Below you will find the “Top Ten Buyer Searches for Fine Jewelry on eBay” (at the time of this writing).

10 - Earrings

9 - Turquoise

8 - Sterling Silver

7 - Cameo

6 - Italian Charms

5 - Vintage

4 - Gold

3 - Diamond Rings

2 - Designer Jewelry

And the Number 1 jewelry search at the time of this writing is…

Italian Charm Watches.

So, there you have it, the “Top Ten Buyer Searches for Fine Jewelry on eBay”. By knowing what people are searching for you will have a better insight of what items are popular, and what items should sell well on your auctions. If you decide to sell jewelry on eBay, finding items that fit into one or more of the above categories will see your number of bids increase substantially. Always remember to do your research before listing any item for auction. Know what categories are “Hot!” Do a price analysis of your product. Know what the item costs you and what you can potentially sell it for. Then sit back and watch the bidding heat up!

Happy Selling!
Joe Clare

Joe Clare is a successful eMarketer and Author. He has written numerous articles on how to make money on eBay. Check out his Articles, Hot Tips and Free Auction Mini Course and discover for yourself, how you can make a Serious Income with Online Auctions. http://www.ebooksnsoftware.com

Do I believe there is a secret to happiness? I’ll bet you expect me to say “NO, there is just no simple secret.” While it is true that there are many factors that affect our happiness, I believe there is one secret that determines whether those factors will work for you, and that is the secret to happiness.

But first, allow me to share a some history. In 2001, I published the first edition of Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness. I did all the things authors do, right up to getting myself some media interviews. Being an old hand at media relations (actually, Canada’s send-most-quoted consumer advocate at the time), you would think I would have been superbly prepared for the question that almost every journalist would ask me:

“So, which of the 9 habits is most important?”

What?! Which one is most important? Why, they are all important, of course. That’s why I wrote about them all. I was obviously too close to the forest to see the trees. Or, in this case, the tree.

After being asked this question a few times, I was forced to think, and think hard. And out of nowhere, I had an “Aha!” moment that stands the test of time five years later.

One of the 9 habits I wrote about is more important than the others. One of my 9 habits activates all the others. One of my habits is the secret to happiness. It starts on page 83 of the second edition.

“Count Your Blessings”

It sounds so simple, and so, well, almost corny. But let me give you a concrete example of how this works.

Count Your Blessings for Happiness

Have you ever bought a new car? Remember the pride you felt and the excitement when you made the choice? When you signed the papers? When you drove it off the lot? Do you remember that “new car smell”?

Then something happened. Where is that pride today? Where is that excitement now? What happened to that “new car smell”?

Simple. You stopped counting your blessings. When you bought the car, it was a step up. Perhaps it was a better car. Or a bigger car. Or simply a car that would spend less days on the hoist. You were grateful. You were appreciative. You were counting this blessing.

It does not take long for a new blessing to be taken for granted. And the new car becomes just another thing in your life that you take for granted. Consider this incredible set of statistics:

- 99% of people in the developed world take shelter for granted.
- 99% of people in the developed world take breakfast for granted.
- 99% of people in the developed world take lunch for granted.
- 99% of people in the developed world take dinner for granted.
- 99% of people in the developed world take clothing for granted.

At the risk of sounding trite or glib, most people in the developed world take cars, televisions, computers, vacations, toasters, freedom of speech, paper clips and thousands of other conveniences for granted. In fact, a TV remote control that requires a battery change or a web page that takes more than five seconds to load are considered serious irritations.

Who is happier, the person grateful to be able to change those batteries and wait for that web page? Or the person grumbling about the time it takes and the inconvenience and the bother and why can’t things work better? (Why don’t they make things like they used to? Why does the lineup have to be so long? Why is it so cold outside? Why do I have to go to work today?)

Of course you have every right to complain any time you choose. Nobody wants to take away your right to be unhappy. But I would love to take away your unhappiness, if you are willing to take action.

Arithmetic is not all that easy

This is where “counting your blessings”, simple and even corny, is not as easy as it sounds. Our knee-jerk reaction is to complain, to grumble, to be frustrated, to feel almost offended when things don’t work out “perfectly”, just the way we want them to. Imagine poor God, sifting through the millions of prayers he receives daily. Despite the cornucopia of blessings we receive, I am willing to bet that he receives ten times more “Gimmee” prayers than “Thank you” prayers.

Counting our blessings in this day and age of entitlement is not as simple as it sounds, and it sure is not easy to do. In fact, billions of dollars of advertising conspire to reinforce the belief that whatever we have is not good enough and that we deserve better. Who is there to tell us we have enough? Who can help us feel happy with what we have?

You. Only you. Are you ready to give up your own natural knee-jerk reaction and choose to be happy?

You can have all the confidence in the world, but if you do not actively feel grateful for the fruits of your confidence, it will not bring you happiness. You can have immaculate health, but if you do not think about how wonderful that is, it will not bring you happiness. You can smile, build friendships, achieve success, win the lottery, or do whatever you desire, but if you are not saying every day, “Wow! This is wonderful. This is grand. I am the luckiest man (or woman) alive because of this,” don’t expect it to bring you happiness.

Yes, there is a secret to happiness. The secret is gratitude. The secret is appreciation. Or, as I call it in Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness, the secret is to count your blessings.

This is an excerpt from 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. David Leonhardt is a freelance writer from Ottawa, Canada and also runs a happiness personal growth website.

Did you ever wonder how some people manage to find time for ‘hobbies’ and ‘pastimes’ when you are only JUST fitting in everything you HAVE to do in the space of each 24 hours?
The answer is passion.

It’s been said many times before, but the phrase ‘ if you want something badly enough you’ll get it’ is 110% relevant to our everyday lives.

Are you passionately committed to keeping a clean and tidy house? Then I would hazard a guess that your house is clean and tidy most of the time.

Are you passionately committed to your job and promotion prospects? The chances are you are on your way up that ladder right now.

However, the majority of us live our lives according to the passions and sometimes the whims of everyone around us. Why?

Because we never stop to think what we actually WANT, what we actually LOVE or what we are actually passionate about.

Do you really, deep down in your soul, believe that the world will fall apart and no-one will like you if you don’t keep your house clean? If so, then take a few tiny baby steps out of that box for a moment and remember the dust will always be there tomorrow… your friends or your dreams may not. Phew.. Now there’s a kick in the teeth.

I often imagine I would like a clean and tidy house fit for a royal visit. But I’m never able to commit myself to the time and energy it requires - Why? Because I’m NOT passionate about housework. Never have been, never will be. I would rather spend time with my family and friends, chatting on the phone, going for long walks or dancing the night away. And guess what - a royal has yet to turn up on my doorstep un-announced!

Sometimes our passions get mixed up with will power or focus or even concentration.

I said I should give up smoking for years. Course I should. It’s bad for you. My problem was that I DIDN’T WANT TO. No, I enjoyed smoking, so I carried on doing it.

Funny how it’s easier to carry on doing the things you enjoy isn’t it?

So we come straight back to passion… what do you like to do? Make a list. Write it all down. Even the stuff you know you ’shouldn’t’ do. You can sift that out later when you WANT to.

But before you start your list, consider each passion carefully.

Do you really want a clean and tidy house for YOU or is it just so the neighbours won’t say bad things about you when they drop in for coffee? If you are using your precious time to keep on the ‘good’ side of other people, pause for a moment and remember that those other people are definately NOT perfect. There will be areas of their lives you will not agree with - I guarantee!

I once had a neighbour who informed the world and it’s mother she believed cleanliness was next to Godliness and spent all day every day cleaning her house.

In the 12 years I lived next door to her, I don’t believe I ever saw another person step over her threshold, apart from her family. Her passion was to have a clean and tidy house. Well, I guess that was okay for her, but I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her family who were not allowed to invite friends home, make a mess, or get dirty when out playing.

Her passion became an obsession. The reasons behind her actions were her own, but I didn’t see her smile very often and laughter was a long way from her face. So why did she behave in this way? Perhaps she believed that was her place in the world and no-one could fault her if she performed her duties to the utmost of her ability.

Her children moved out as quickly as they could and her long-suffering husband moved in with a lady who cared more for him than the dust bugs. And who could blame him?

Winding down?

Most of us are committed to spending a certain amount of hours every day working, often for someone else, just to earn enough money to get through to the next paycheck. Does this sound like you?

At the end of the working day, we need to find somnething to make us feel good, to enable us to endure the next day’s hard graft.

Governments are wise to this formula and have enabled the average working man/woman to be able to afford entertainment in their homes. Television keeps us sane - or does it? Television helps us wind down - or does it? Television makes us happy - or does it?

I don’t watch television. I’ve always felt, although there are some great programmes and lots of learning to be gained, the television companies are determining WHAT we watch and WHEN we watch it.

I want to decide those things for myself.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a cold sales call one evening. The woman trying to sell me their latest phone package deal referred to a television advert. I told her I was unaware of this advert because I don’t watch TV. She kept me talking for approximately 10 minutes during which time she referred me to this particular TV advert a further 4 times, and each time I assured her I had not seen it because I don’t watch television. She DID NOT believe me. Or she just wasn’t listening.

Is this what we have come to, - everyone in our region watches the same adverts, the same programmes, the same news stories every single day or night? Yep, I guess we have. The masses are kept under control. We are all thinking the same thoughts. Our brainwaves are tuned to the exact same brand of fish fingers being the best thing for our kids since sliced bread - hmm a debateable point! And we have no time left for ourselves.

Step out of the box.

Find your passions in life. Make a list and seriously consider each thing you write down. Is it what you want or is it what you think other people want from you. Remember your life is yours alone.

You may be responsible for the care of others, children, parents, the sick or needy. But ultimately this is YOUR life. You only get one shot at it.

Don’t waste another minute watching those adverts - you can watch the exact same ones tomorrow if you so wish. Believe me they won’t go away!

Television is one of the biggest time-consumers. And every moment you are watching, your life is ticking away. Scary huh? But true!

This article is not written as an anti-TV commercial. There is a place for TV in our lives and it is after all the fastest way of absorbing news from around the world. BUT, and this is a big but, most of us grab the remote control, and settle for the least boring channel of the moment.

And each minute you spend watching that boring channel could be spent enjoying one of the passions in your life.

Every moment you watch that grinning fisherman feeding the latest shape fish in breadcrumbs to a bunch of kids, is a waste of your life.

Try this experiment to find time for YOU in your life…

1. Make a list of your passions - remember they MUST be YOUR passions, no-one else’s

2. Pick one and find time for it.

Now how easy is that!!!

Many years ago I learned to knit. Knitting has had a bad press for as long as I can remember. -Knitting’s for grannies - well, I am a granny now, and I knit less than I ever did! - Knitting is boring, time consuming. Who needs to spend three months making a jumper you can buy down the thrift shop for pennies.

But I enjoyed the challenge. New yarns and stylish pattern designs make knitting fun and fast, and I can knit even if I am watching TV, albeit a rare occurence for me personally! Knitting can be picked up during the adverts and worked at for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. The equipment takes up very little space. It’s cheap - often costing nothing - to set up.

And best of all, for me, knitting is completely incompatible with eating chocolate. I like to get out my knitting during the adverts rather than diving into the fridge!

Knitting is my passion, and over the years I have learned to design my own clothes, toys and many practical household items. And, although at moments in my life I have had to live within an incredibly tight budget, I have always found the materials needed to be able to continue with my hobby.

Knitting is MY passion….what’s yours?

Reading? Writing Poetry? Stamp collecting? Scrapbooking? or maybe your passions lie outside your four walls - Gardening? Tennis? Gym Club?

Find your passion and you will find the time AND resources to carry it through. You may even turn your hobby into a thriving business. Books have been written on the subject. I am on my way to creating a knitting empire at the moment…. Look out for me!!

Linda Gray is a freelancer writer and has spent more than 10 years nurturing a neglected acre of woodland and turning it into a beautiful family garden. For pots of gardening support drop in at http://www.flower-and-garden-tips.com anytime.. Bring a cuppa!

Did you know that freedom is not only better for your wealth, it’s also better for your health?

According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal, life expectancy is significantly longer and infant and maternal deaths are much lower in democratic countries when compared to repressive regimes.

A team of Spanish researchers at the Universidad de Alicante compared the health statistics of 170 countries, representing 98% of the world’s population. After adjusting for national wealth, population and inequality levels, researchers found free enterprise countries to be the healthiest and totalitarian countries the least healthy.

The researchers based each country’s relative freedom status on published rankings done by Freedom House, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. 45% of the countries were rated as free, 32% were partially free and 24% were not free.

The researchers suggest that the reasons for the democracy-health correlation may be because democracies typically allow more social networking, empowerment opportunities and access to information.

For both our health and wealth this freedom of information (and expression) is essential. But, as far as each individual’s results are concerned, success is based on how well you evaluate and use the wealth of information that’s available.

So, it’s up to each of us. Because we live in a great free society, we all have the opportunity to be happier, healthier and wealthier. All we have to do is put our minds to the task, be persistent and work smart.

Katie Byrd will take you by the hand and teach you the skills she’s used to journey from a financially strapped, bad credit nightmare to debt free abundant living. To find out more visit: http://abundanceandwealth.bellaonline.com

Do you like cold calling? Most salespeople don’t. In fact, many people avoid a sales career because the idea of cold calling is so distasteful. And many salespeople fail in sales or never reach their true potential because they have never mastered cold calling.

So let’s look at the art of cold calling in its simplest form. Cold calling is picking up the phone and calling someone you don’t know. Most of us don’t have any problem picking up and using a phone; in fact, we do it all day long. We’re also able to talk to people. So the “stigma” of cold calling has nothing to do with the physical act of picking up, dialing or using the phone. It also doesn’t have anything to do with talking to someone.

When we look at why we avoid cold calling, it usually centers on our fear of rejection, fear of failure or fear of the unknown. We’re afraid someone is going to be annoyed with us, be mean to us, or won’t respond in the way we want.

So the first step in overcoming our fear of cold calling is to recognize that our fear is self-imposed. It’s stemming from us. It’s our perception and attitude about cold calling that paralyzes us. Of course that means that we are also the only ones that can break the shackles that we’ve put on ourselves.

There are two main qualities of fear. First, fear is imaginary. In other words, our fears are our thoughts; they’re in our head. Second, our fear of cold calling is always in the future. We’re afraid of something that hasn’t happened yet. While everyone may have fear to some extent, when we let it imprison or limit us, we have given it too much importance. Keep in mind that FEAR is “False Emotions Appearing Real.”

Changing our attitude and fear about cold calling is easier said than done. Remember, our attitudes are habits of thought so to change our attitudes will take some real effort on our part even if we consciously recognize that our fears are not rational.

To conquer our fear of cold calling, remember these three basic facts about fear:

1. We all possess fear to some extent. It’s normal. In fact, learning to channel your fear and the rush of adrenaline it causes can be very motivating. Fear is only debilitative when it controls your life to the extent that you limit or alter your activities. When you exercise your control of fear, you are making a conscious effort to choose your own path.

2. The fears that immobilize us are usually unfounded. What’s the worse case scenario? In other words, what would happen if your fears actually came through? In the case of cold calling, a prospect may hang up on you or get short with you. While it may not be pleasant, it certainly isn’t life-threatening either.

3. Fears are thoughts and you have complete control over them. You have the power and ability to replace your fearful thoughts with positive ideas and realistic expectations.

To overcome your fears, you have to change your mind. One easy way to start that process is to use your fear as a learning opportunity. In other words, you need to prepare for failure, rejection or the unknown. Your preparation will help you replace your fear with confidence.

Will Turner is the Founder and President of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group, a sales training and consulting company. Will has over 20 years of sales and sales management experience and is the author of over 150 sales-related articles and programs as well as the co-author of the book, Six Secrets of Sales Magnets. Will can be reached at Will@dancingelephants.net

If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright “yuck,” then here are some ideas to put the “zing” back into mealtime. With a little creativity your home-cooked meal can easily become a delicious meal another night. There are a six articles in this series, today we are going to look at what you can do with pork.

DINNER - NIGHT ONE: Braised Pork

Put a pork tenderloin in the oven to bake slowly in orange juice, ginger, garlic and brown sugar until it is tender enough to pull apart with a fork. Serve it with easy-to-prepare steamed rice and stir-fried brocoli. Store the leftover meat in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days.

DINNER - NIGHT TWO: Mu Shu Wraps

Using the leftover pork that you have baked, shred the remaining tenderloin, hoisin sauce and shredded carrots and Napa cabbage. Roll the mixture in warm flour tortillas topped with hoisin sauce. Serve with vegetables (jicama, carrots, zucchini, celery, Napa cabbage, green onions) sauteed lightly with soy sauce, garlic and ginger in sesame oil.

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About the Author

Michele Webb owns her own website and is a member of a number of organizations for women Netpreneurs and business owners. She currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada USA with her two dogs.

You are invited to visit her website at: http://www.ebooksnstuff.com. Or, you can email the author at: support@ebooksnstuff.com