Best gambling movies ever made

The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

In a town where high rollers have preceding reputations, two characters stand out: "The Kid" and "The Man"

The Kid is overly confident he can beat Lancey (AKA "The Man") at his own game: Stud Poker. But Lancey is an experienced player who has seen just about everything and won't be scared of any hand thrown at the table.

The Kid is not inexperienced, though. He’s great at remembering and counting carts and he can beat just about anybody. Anybody, except Lancey, that is. In fact, Lancey's words to him are:” You’re good kid. But as long as I'm around, you're second best".

The actual game scenes in this movie are very well created so that the viewer can understand what's going on and how the players think. At the final table, all the players can be analyzed.

For one thing, every player, except The Kid and Lancey shows a few nervous ticks. One guy is calculating all the odds like an accountant. There's a shaky sweaty nervous guy, too, called Pig. And there's a guy who seems to be more relax - but folds consistently. The two men left standing are The Kid and The Man. They both go all in. The Kid shows his hand: 9 to A straight. With a high hand like that, he's eager to take the pot, when Lancey puts his cards down: full house, nines and aces. The Kid walks away and Lancey keeps his reputation undefeated.

What you can learn: When playing poker, keep it together. By being too confident and underestimating your opponent, you can become your own worst enemy.


Rounders (1988)

"Why do you think the same five guys make it to the final table at the word series of poker every single year? What are they?! The luckiest guys in Las Vegas? It's a skill game. People insist on calling it luck."

A young man, reformed gambler, must get back into playing poker intensely to help a friend pay off his debts. Unlike his reckless and cheating friend, Mike plays fair, bets smart and "reads" the other players.

Mike: "They wear their "tell"'s like signs around their necks... facial ticks, nervous fingers, a hand over the mouth, the way a cigarette is smoked, little unconscious gestures that reveal the cards in their hand. We catch everything."

In the final and most important game, he has to win against KGB, the big player he once tried to beat, but failed. He approaches the game with a newfound confidence after he figures out KGB's "tell" and wins fair and square. What you can learn: When playing poker, there are a few signs you can give to the other players. Even a dilated pupile at the sight of a good hand can be spotted by a composed and experienced player.

Maverick (1994)

This movie won't teach anyone how to play poker, but it is a fun film that captures the old-west image of back-alley bars, cowboys, and cards. Maverick, played by Mel Gibson, travels with the original Maverick, James Garner, and Jodie Foster to the biggest poker tournament of the day -- a riverboat five-card draw winner takes all contest.

Maverick is recreated from the character James Garner created in the 1950s TV program. Maverick is a gambler who would rather con someone than fight them. He needs an additional three thousand dollars in order to enter a Winner Take All poker game that begins in a few days. He tries to win some, tries to collect a few debts, and recover a little loot for the reward, all with a light hearted air. He joins forces with a woman gambler with a marvelous, though fake, southern accent as the two both try and enter the game.

Maverick rides into the fictional town of Crystal River intending to collect money owed to him, as he is $3000 short of the poker tournament entry fee of $25,000. His efforts to make up this $3000 provide some plot motivation, as well as diversions caused by, and in the company of, three people he encounters at Crystal River-an antagonist named Angel (Alfred Molina), a young con-artist calling herself Mrs Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster), and legendary lawman Marshal Zane Cooper (James Garner, who played Bret Maverick in the original TV series). The first two are also rival poker players.

A Big Hand for a Little Lady

The biggest high-stakes game in the West draws the attention of a man named Meredity, who stakes his whole family fortune to get into the game. His wfe, Mary, a tightwad, is none too happy about it, but when her husband suffers a heart attack during the game, Mary steps in and takes up his hand.

It was produced and directed by Fielder Cook from a screenplay by Sidney Carroll, adapted from their TV play Big Deal in Laredo which aired on the DuPont Show of the Week in 1962.

Communication - “the lubricant of organizations…”

The art of being able to structure and transmit a message in a way that another can easily understand and/or accept

Types Of Communication

1. EXTERNAL 2.INTERNAL

Two types of communication are essential - external and internal.
External communication reaches out to the customer to make he or she aware of your product or service and to give the customer a reason to buy. This type of communication includes your brochures, various forms of advertising, contact letters, telephone calls, Web sites and anything else that makes the public aware of what you do.
Image is extremely important in external communication! Your logo should represent who you are; your letterhead should be a selling tool; your telephone message should reflect your professionalism.

Internal communication is essential to attracting and retaining a talented staff. You must provide the direction for the company by consistently communicating that message; you must motivate your staff through various forms of communication, which can include awards, newsletters, meetings, telephone calls and formal and informal discussions.

Communication can also be classified as

1.VERBAL

• Oral
  Written
  E-mail

2.NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION

• Expression
  Expressive behaviors
  Body language

Non verbal communication :We are often unaware of our nonverbal behaviour. We often process other people's nonverbals without conscious attention. It may be difficult (an not always useful) to make this conscious.
In understanding other people's feelings, however, there are some overall patterns which can be used. Large-silhouette postures, advancing gestures, threatening facial expression, loud volume, sustained eye contact together may indicate aggression. Small-silhouette postures, retiring gestures, troubled or masked facial expression, low volume, and avoidance of eye contact together may indicate appeasement or withdrawal.

One of the most common typology relates to the size of the social group or the number of people involved in the experience of communication. Such a typology ranges from the intrapersonal and interpersonal and transpersonal, to the group and the mass.

1.INTRAPERSONAL COMMUNICATION 2. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION 3.GROUP COMMUNICATION 4.MASS COMMUNICATION

Intrapersonal communication : You can probably guess that this means communicating within yourself. When you think, daydream, solve problems, and image, you are in the realm of intrapersonal communication. Some investigators also include in this area all physical feedback mechanisms, such as the sensations of hunger, pain, and pleasure.Intrapersonal communication is individual reflection contemplation and meditation. Transcendental meditation, for instance, is an example of such communication. Conversing with the divine, with spirits and ancestors, may be termed “transpersonal” communication. This is a vital experience in the religious and monastic life, in ashrams and places of prayer, and among aboriginal and tribal communities.

Interpersonal communication : This form of communication describes the interactions of two or more people. The most significant setting for interpersonal communication is direct face-to face communication between two persons. An interview, a conversation, and intimate communications come under this heading. It is more persuasive and influential than any other type of communication, for it involves the interplay of words and gestures, the warmth of human closeness and in fact all the five senses. Feedback is the key word here. Feedback is instantaneous.

Group communication : Group communication shares all these qualities, though in a much less measure. The larger the group the less personal and intimate is the possibility of exchange. In fact, as the group grows in size communication tends to become more and more of monologue, for participation becomes problematic. The degree of directness and intimacy, therefore, depends upon the size of the group, the place where it meets, as also the relationship of the members of the group to one another, and to the group leader. Group communication requires the following conditions: leadership, equal sharing of ideas, peer pressure, roles and norms, and focus on a common goal.

Mass Communication : When a message needs help to get from its source to its destination, mass communication begins to function. Usually some form of medium- one meaning of which is ‘between’- is needed to connect the sender to receivers. These media may be print (newspapers or magazines) electrical (radio, TV or video), or even electronic (computer modems). Mass communication powerfully affects our attitudes and beliefs, as well as our perspective on social life. Today mass communication is a major source of information, companionship,and entertainment.

Ten Tips on Writing and Creativity

1. Don’t think. Creating a story or book has little to do with the intellect or language when we first begin. Our best ideas will emerge as a spark or image. Like dreams, they will make little sense. Followed, they will hold the key to the creative unconscious.

2. Creativity is cyclical. You cannot and will not be creative all the time. What is full must empty and what is empty will fill. Creativity has its own internal rhythms. Learn to listen to yours.

3. Nothing kills creativity faster than criticism. Don’t share your work-in-progress with people who are critical or those whose opinions leave you vulnerable, no matter how much you love them. Good critiquing should leave you inspired, not deflated.

4. Spend time listening to your inner critic. He or she is not comfortable with the risks demanded by a creative endeavor. By becoming aware of the foul jabber of your inner critic, you can see how your own mind puts up roadblocks to your creativity.

5. Being a creator is risky business. Don’t underestimate the tremendous emotional and psychic risks the journey demands. Learn to push ahead even when you are afraid. Learn to love the risk.

6. Don’t be afraid to fail. Every successful creator has failed hundreds of times. Failure is an integral part of creativity. It doesn’t mean you’re wrong or stupid. It only means you’ve uncovered a path or technique that does not work.

7. Don’t be afraid to write garbage. Every successful writer writes mounds of garbage. Give your work time to percolate. Play the What If game. For example, if you’re writing fiction and a characters is sweet and loving and you’re stuck, have the character mean and hateful. In the world of the imagination, anything can happen.

8. Nurture your creativity. It is as fragile as a budding flower. Open to the dance. Listen to music that makes you feel like flying. Go for a walk. Laugh with a friend, child or lover. Creativity is about feeling.

9. Be passionate. Creativity is passionate. Passion is always creative.

10. Learn your craft. And write, write, write! The more you write, the better you will get. Discipline yourself. Successful writers are disciplined writers.

“Favorite animated movies of all times”

The Lion King
This classic Disney animated film tells the story of a lion prince's quest to rule the pride lands.The story centers on a lion cub named Simba who, blaming himself for his father’s death, leaves his tribe to live with a meerkat and warthog. Sadly, it was Simba’s evil uncle who actually committed the murder so he could become king of the tribe.But The Lion King also tells us that we can learn from the past, that tyrants should be overthrown, and that we should own up to our mistakes in the end. This also makes The Lion King one of Disney's most adult movies.The Disney crew did wonderful job , inviting viewers in Simba’s journey from childhood to adulthood and in preparing them for the climactic showdown.

Aladdin
Loosely based on the tale of the same name from 'The Arabian Nights', this captivating toon tells the story of street urchin Aladdin.Aladdin who lives in a large and busy town long ago with his faithful monkey friend Abu. When Princess Jasmine gets tired of being forced to remain in the palace that overlooks the city, she sneaks out to the marketplace, where she accidentally meets Aladdin. Under the orders of the evil Jafar (the sultan's advisor), Aladdin is thrown in jail and becomes caught up in Jafar's plot to rule the land with the aid of a mysterious lamp. Legend has it that only a person who is a "diamond in the rough" can retrieve the lamp from the Cave of Wonders.

Aladdin might fight that description, but that's not enough to marry the princess, who must (by law) marry a prince.The story goes interesting after this.It was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, both of whom had just finished writing and directing The Little Mermaid. The musical score was created by Alan Menken, which received the 1992 Academy Award for Original Music Score for his work, and the song lyrics were written by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.

Toy Story
Toy Story is about the 'secret life of toys' when people are not around. When Buzz Lightyear, a space-ranger, takes Woody's place as Andy's favorite toy, Woody doesn't like the situation and gets into a fight with Buzz. Accidentaly Buzz falls out the window and Woody is accused by all the other toys of having killed him. He has to go out of the house to look for him so that they can both return to Andys room. But while on the outside they get into all kind of trouble while trying to get home.

Shrek
It took three years and over 275 artists and computer geeks to bring Shrek to the big screen.The film's main character is the titular Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers, Austin Powers), a big green ogre who loves his privacy and lives in an isolated swamp far away from just about everybody.Shrek's dream lifestyle comes to a screeching halt one day when his swamp becomes overrun with fairytale characters that have been banished from a nearby kingdom. Everyone from the Little Gingerbread Man to the Three Little Pigs have nowhere else to go after being given the boot by the diabolically short Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow, 3rd Rock From the Sun), a man intent on creating the perfect empire over which he shall rule like a king.
To do so, Farquaad is told, he needs to marry a princess, and we see him as a contestant in a very amusing animated version of The Dating Game. Farquaad settles on Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz, Charlie's Angels), who is, like every decent princess should be, locked away in a dragon-guarded tower as she eagerly awaits her first kiss. Because Farquaad has Short Man's Syndrome, he has decided it would be better to get someone else to rescue the princess and bring her to him.
Enter Shrek, who is willing to do just about anything in exchange for the removal of Pinocchio and Goldilocks from his piece of landThe title character (Meyers) is a large, green ogre who values his privacy above all else. Since he's ugly, scary, and has a personal hygiene that would make most 13 year old guys seem tidy, alone time really hasn't been a problem for him. That all changes when tiny Lord Farquaad (Lithgow) decides to banish all the fairy tale "things" in the land to Shrek's swamp.Shrek does slow down in a few spots, specifically during some of the songs. But for the most part, it's a giggle-inducing ride through a land of warped fairy tales and broken clichés.
The scenes in which the animation takes place are immense and the actual scale and quality of the animation has never been this good. The creators have managed to push the computer hardware to its absolute limits to create this masterpiece.

Finding Nemo
Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) and Coral (voiced by Elizabeth Perkins) are a couple of clown fish who are proud parents of a new litter of baby clown fish, still in their egg stage. Marlin wants to name half of them Marlin Jr. and the other half Coral Jr., but Coral wants at least one of them to be named Nemo.A tale which follows the comedic and eventful journeys of two fish, the fretful Malin and his young son Nemo, who are separated from each another in the Great Barrier Reef when Nemo is unexpectedly taken from his home, and thrust into a fish tank in a dentist's office overlooking Sydney Harbor. Buoyed by the companionship of a friendly but forgetful fish named Dory, the overly cautious Malin embarks on in a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic journey to rescue his son. Meanwhile the young Nemo hatches a few daring plans of his own to return home safely.There is beauty and brilliance in every frame. Tasked with creating an undersea environment, the animators have excelled themselves, capturing textures, light, shade and movement that could be photo-real, were it not for the clever way the makers have subtly caricatured landscapes, as well as characters, lending a warm cartoonish quality to the stunning visuals.

Testing and Fine Turning Your Web Traffic

Getting visitors to come to your Internet site is the fuel for success of your home business online marketing promotion. You can build the greatest home business Internet site but if its marketing and promotion doesn’t bring users to the site it’s no good. Once those visitors are coming to your site your tracking software can let you know which pages they view and for how long and what brings them to the site and what page they are on when they exit the site. All this information helps you improve your site and the online sales process for your home business Internet marketing and promotion.

Your online marketing and promotion plan for your Internet home business should include the following goals:
* To get instant low cost traffic to your site so that these users can let you know if your Web sales copy works, if the order form is right, if the navigation is easy and if the opt-in e-mail offer is productive.
* To test whether the sales process you have set up online does the optimal job of converting your home Internet business - Web traffic into the greatest number of sales.
* To bring the greatest number of consumers to your Web site in the least amount of time.
* And to assure that putting your Web traffic marketing and promotion campaign on autopilot successfully grows your Internet home business.

When it comes to testing your Internet site prior to home business online marketing promotion a lot of entrepreneurs don’t know how to test and what to test. The basics that you need to look at are the ordering process, the sales copy, the opt-in e-mail offer and the navigation of the site. The ordering process must be designed with the assumption that the consumer who buys from you has never done so online before. Make it so easy to navigate that the Web novice won’t give up in frustration.

When looking at the sales copy on your site you want to pay close attention to how captivating your headlines are, how clear and influential the benefits are spelled out, that the guarantee is prominent and clear and that there is a strong call to action.

The opt-in offer must be prominent and inviting. If you are getting the contact information from the consumer you know it’s working.

The most important thing to look at when testing your site’s navigation is to make sure that someone who wants to buy your product or service online can do it in two easy clicks. More than that and you start to lose the interest of this instant-gratification audience - especially if your market is under 35 years of age.

Large Posters is the Best Means of Promotion

Anything informative can help you in telling the public about your ideas and thoughts. Disseminating information is not a difficult task, if you have the right pathway to go about it.
In this case, large posters can be really helpful as they have that clarity of message which small or medium sized posters do not have. Because of the size of large posters, the message printed in them can be read easily without any hassles. This is the reason that large posters are considered as one of the best form of medium for promotion of goods and services. After all, it is the target audience that you have to hit and cannot miss out on any medium that takes your message to them.
Large posters can be placed at a variety of places, so that every sort of person can read the message that you want to tell them. You can place them at shopping malls, bus stands, busy markets, movie halls and many other places. The main aim of the placing large posters is to tell others about something new that has been launched by your company. Suppose, you have launched a range of perfume and would like to tell people about this, large posters will surely help you in this regard. You can put some images that signify the use of that perfume. This will help in a good promotion of your brand.
Promotion of a particular brand has to be done in a different way and large posters have the tendency to promote in a better way. First of all, you have to take care that the punch line printed on the large posters has to be really catchy and needs to express the theme of your message. After all, you have to say so many things and need to use the words that fit the bill. After the message has been finalized, what you have to do is search for images that go with that message. The images should be such that they have the clarity when printed on large posters.
The main advantage of large posters is that they can also be used for fund raising process. If you want to promote AIDS campaign and wish to inform people about the precautions that can be taken to avert it, then large posters have the space that can be used to print the dos and don’ts. And if you are willing to promote for the family campaign, then the large posters would display the note that tells about the measures to have small and healthy family. Advertising has always been considered essential for establishing the trustworthiness of an individual or company. It is a known fact that nothing in this world can grow without popularity.
There are numerous large posters manufacturing companies that design and make the posters for you. All you have to do is sit with them and discuss about the thoughts and ideas that you want to reflect in your message and those large posters. Apart from brand promotion or fund raising causes, large posters can be of your favorite actress or actors. You can put them either on the walls of your room or even in cupboards. After all, you have the right to show your likes and preferences to others.

Do you know what Podcasting means??

The word Podcasting is becoming popular these days among the common man too. But what is Pod casting??
Podcasting is a method of delivering audio and video over the Internet using an aggregator or feed reader capable of reading feed formats such as RSS .It is similar to Internet radio. The difference is that one can subscribe to a podcast, have it downloaded and listen to where ever one would like.

The term podasting has been derived from Apple's iPod.To create a Podcast or even to listen to one, you don't need to own an iPod, or any portable music player for that matter. In a nutshell, Podcasting is a new type of online media delivery.You publish selected audio files via the internet and allow your users to subscribe via an RSS feed to automatically receive new files. Podcasting lets you create your own syndicated online talkshow or radio program, with content of your choosing.
There are thousands of podcasts available, ranging from general interest entertainment shows to those which focus on specific topics (e.g. computers / music / education).

You can usually listen to podcasts directly on the websites of those people who make them (see below for some examples). However, you can also "subscribe" to podcasts using software like iPodder and iTunes. These programs will automatically download the latest shows, and you can then listen to them on your computer and / or mp3 player.

To subscribe to a podcast, you need to know the RSS feed (this information should be on the podcaster's website). iTunes has its own directory, where you can subscribe to a show, simply by clicking the "Subscribe" button.Transferring audio and video is not a new idea. But the technology used in downloading is different. It allows users to take audio programming away from web and listen to it privately on portable music players. Podcasting is spreading quickly because of the rapid adoption of MP3 players, and the desire of owners to have fresh content. They can be listened to on nearly any computer.You can use devices like Microphone, Laptop, Portable recorder, Head set for Podcasting.To get a more clear picture of what podcasting is you can start learning about ‘RSS feed’.

Heard of ham radio???

Ham radio is basically a wireless communication technology, which enables one to establish one’s own two-way radio station often with another ham or with a group of hams in an informal roundtable. The operator is called an amateur radio operator, who comes from various walks of life. It is a hobby and a service.

This mix of fun, public service, friendship and convenience is the main feature of amateur radio. It is also for anyone who enjoys experimentation.

These radio enthusiasts have personal radio communications station to communicate with people around the world. While they increase their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory, it is a sheer joy and thrill. Amateur Radio is a never-ending journey, because its aim is not the destination, but the journey itselfHam radio provides the opportunity to gather knowledge and exchange on air in an informal way. Ham radio is not used for commercial purposes. Ham radio can be very portable and affordable.The best ways to learn about Amateur Radio is to talk to hams face-to-face. You too can become a Ham by joining a supportive amateur radio club near you. But remember.. You need take a License.

Counter the Effects of Media Violence on Children

Despite the fact that their own ratings systems found the material appropriate only for adults, the motion picture, music, and video game industries practice "pervasive and aggressive marketing" of violent movies, music, and electronic games to children. - Federal Trade Commission finding regarding child entertainment

The values depicted on TV and movie screens are a far cry from the values you want your children exposed to in their formative years. For example, the average American child will have watched 100,000 acts of televised violence, including 8,000 depictions of murder, by the time he or she finishes the sixth grade. In a typical American home, the TV set is on for over seven hours each day, and the average child spends more time watching that TV than they do in school, or doing any other activity besides sleeping. And, while your children are glued to the tube watching so-called child entertainment, they will see between 1,000 and 2,000 television ads promoting alcohol every year.

It's difficult to control parental outrage in the midst of that kind of media influence. How do you teach your child the concepts and character traits that translate into better learning habits at school, better behavior at home, and better citizenship in the world? How do you define loyalty to a five-year-old? How to you teach a four-year-old about bravery and respect? And how do you explain love?

These aren't simple words that can be taught to your child by rote. They're complex concepts that your child needs to know, understand, and adopt at an early age if they're to succeed in life.
The key to teaching children sophisticated character traits - such as courage, loyalty, justice, respect, hope, honesty and love - is character-based education. The heart of character-based education is guiding your children toward TV shows, kid movie, and books that reflect positive values. While you may not be able to give your child the words that explain diversity, you can exert and control parental influence by giving him or her any Winnie the Pooh book, which demonstrates that theme in ways a child can easily understand. Pooh Bear also interprets the concept of family and the value of friendship.

Thomas the Tank Engine teaches lessons about cooperation, sharing, and the value of hard work. Your child may not realize that they're being taught a lesson while reading about or watching Thomas and his friends, but by the end of the book or TV show, they will have learned a complex concept - and been entertained in the process.

For older readers, The Wizard of Oz follows a similar theme. When the Scarecrow complains of his lack of a brain, the Cowardly Lion discusses his lack of bravery, or the Tin Man wishes he had a heart, your child learns what intelligence, bravery, and love are, and why they're so important. Dorothy tirelessly tries to find her way home, and in doing so surrounds herself with new friends who work together to overcome their weaknesses and harness their strengths. Even though your child is engrossed in the story, the concepts of family, courage, cooperation, home, and love are made clear.

When you look at the values presented in the media, it becomes clear that positive character traits are poorly defined for children. What one child learns about bravery and loyalty from watching two bank robbers in a kid movie is much different than what another child learns about bravery and loyalty through reading about or watching Winnie the Pooh helping a friend out of a jam.

As parents, combating the negative influence of media by filtering the content to which our children are exposed - such as looking at a movie rental review - may not be enough. Even if our children are an exception to the national average - over six hours of daily exposure to the media - it's safe to assume that their peers have internalized negative media messages and will influence our children. To counteract negative media and peer influences, we must take charge of our children's character education. That's not easy, given that our active lives and hectic schedules leave little time for reviewing and selecting appropriate reading and viewing material for our children.

Still, you should do what you can to guide your family toward materials that reinforce values that you hold dear. Evaluate the content of each children's book, television show, and movie rental review for positive and negative examples of the following ten traits: self-discipline, compassion, responsibility, friendship, work, courage, perseverance, honesty, loyalty, and faith. Also, look for negative behavioral influences, such as violence, profanity, nudity, sexual content, scary elements, and the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Then, make your selections according to the messages that each book, television show, or movie sends your children.

Creating Your Vision

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one" Albert Einstein

I feel that one of the most important ingredients in your formula for success is having a clearly defined and vivid vision of where you want to be. At first the “how” is not that important, you need to create a vision that gets you so excited that you develop the mentality that you will stop at nothing to get what you want. Many people first focus on the how than very quickly find themselves overwhelmed with too many details and just as quickly talk them selves out of pursuing their goals. You have to take a leap of faith and trust that the how will be shown to you as you go along. Do you remember the days as a kid with dreams of epic proportions? What happened those dreams? You got older and domesticated by a society that says that having those dreams is foolish. That’s nonsense, why wouldn’t you want to accomplish the things that even as a kid you knew would make you happy. I encourage you to dream like you once used to.

“Shoot for the moon…even if you Miss you’ll still be amongst them stars”- Beanie Sigel(rap artist)

One way I keep myself motivated and keep my vision alive is through my picture book. In my book I have everything that I want and every morning I look at it to remind me what I want in life. Go right now and get some magazines and cut out every picture of the things you want and places you want to visit, don’t be thinking if you can actually get those things now, dare to dream. Remember your mind thinks in pictures, look at your picture book until in becomes as vivid as possible in the theater of your mind. Your mind cant tell the difference between something you remember or something you experience in real time.

Visualization Exercises(meditation):
(Please read this whole section, I will explain why almost all self help fails to produce the results people want)

You can think of meditation as conscious sleeping. Just as you sleep to gain energy for your daily functioning, meditation is conscious sleeping that gives you all the energy(creative abilities) you need for what you intend to accomplish.

I also use lucid dreaming as another way to increase creativity, I will soon write a hub on lucid dreaming.(Lucid dreaming is when you actually become aware in your dream that you are dreaming, once properly trained you can control your dreams) Use the power of meditation to help you achieve your goals. Strive to everyday meditate one minute for each year of your current age. I am 24, so everyday I try and meditate at least 24 minutes. If you are new to meditation check out this website on transcendental meditation .There are many techniques find something that feels good to you.

Quantum Mind Power Daily Routine:
1. Pick a nice comfortable place where to meditate. Have an intention on what you plan to meditate on before hand. Ex. A destination you want to visit.
2. Find a comfortable position to sit. Sitting on a chair or on the floor, does not really matter as long as it is comfortable for you.
3. Cross your legs, clasp your hands together.(this helps make your own energy circuit and gives stability)
4.Close your eyes, than stop inner and outer chatter.
5. Relax, begin thinking that your whole body is becoming extremely relaxed. 6. Eyes should be closed.
7. You will notice that your mind is full of many thoughts. Your mind will than begin to ask questions to those thoughts and try and come up with answers whether they are known or unknown. This is why your mind(ego) can be your enemy if it mostly thinks in negative terms. 8. You will need to transcend your mind and thoughts in order to meditate. Your mind and thoughts are what separate you from your higher self, you can also think of your higher self as your subconscious mind don't worry about the labels.
9. You transcend your mind by simply observing your breath. Don't inhale/exhale consciously just observe your natural breathing. Don't go behind your thoughts, if you catch your self drifting just always come back to your breathing. Slowly the amount of thoughts reduces and your breathing becomes thinner and shorter. If you are able to keep all your focus on your breath, you will get to the point of no thought and no breath. This state of no thought is your connection to your divine being and energy body. The more you meditate the more benefits and energy that you will receive. Your own self awareness and consciousness will also expand.
10. You will feel a very pleasurable feeling meditating. If you feel any discomfort in your body these can be possible areas of disease or illness. If you meditate everyday you will heal your body naturally.
11. Now that you are in a state of no thought and total relaxation. Begin to think only on your intention. Remember whatever you think now is in a state that will be impregnated directly into your subconscious. It is incredibly important that you don't color any of your thoughts with any lack,limitation,dis belief or doubt. This is why almost all self help material does not produce the results people expect. Wishing for more money(or anything else) never works, the thought of wanting more money also has the thought of doubt attached to it. Ask your self how many thoughts that you think about have been modified in a way that is not beneficial to you. You just never realize that you are programming your sub conscious all day. This is why meditation is so powerful. You are able to make suggestions to your subconscious where the thought is not modified in any way shape or form. So if you want to make things happen fast you need to get rid of the concept of attaching time to yourthoughts. You have to remember that everything you get in your life comes based on the conditions that you set up and time is usually one condition that cuases the most frustration with people. Just as a computer programmer gives a computer instructions to complete a task, you program the most powerful computer you have which is your subconscious. Your conscious mind acts as the gate keeper as to what thoughts you let in. Now that you know this choose to become more aware and conscious about what you think all day long. Learn to see the world in a non linear way, remove time from your consiousness and watch how things show up in your life faster than you ever thought. Thoughts = feelings = actions = results (just like that you can begin to shape your life)
12. Mentally rehearse every moment of it with all your senses. Dare to be like Peter Pan :)
13. Visualize in vivid detail, your intention as established fact. Also make sure you meditate only on days you feel good. Remember you want your thoughts to be as pure as possible. This also means that you really find out what you want, make sure its not something you want solely for ego purposes. Thoughts that involve the ego are usually always colored with negativity.
14. With time you will begin to be able to hold vivid pictures of anything(you will develop you third eye). The more you are able to hold onto an image in your mind the more power you give it.
15. Get up and go have a great day :) notice how much energy you have the rest of the day. As you advance in your discipline, you will have a lot of fun basically creating your day before it starts.

Beliefs:
To start making that vision a reality you will have to change some of your beliefs and adopt beliefs that will help you reach your goals. Because if you have this great vision of you retiring on your own private beach but deep down you don’t believe you can do it, you have already sabotaged yourself. Your desire and your belief are in conflict with each other and therefore you will not manifest what it is that you want into your life. If you want to be a good leader one day but you currently have the belief that you are a shy person, it will not happen. You need to truly make a decision to adopt the belief that you are really outgoing. When you truly decide to do something you will find a way to do it.

“Nothing happens unless first a dream” – Carl Sandburg

Some Ways to shape your beliefs:
1. Always think Success- as soon as you think about failure forget about it and don’t let anymore negative thoughts snowball. The more attention you give a thought the more powerful it will become than you will make it harder for yourself to get back to a productive mind state. The only way to change how you feel is to think about something else. Whenever you feel doubt, fear, and failure creeping into your mind have a default thought that you can use to avoid giving attention to mental poison. As soon as I feel I am entertaining thoughts of negativity I immediately begin to think about relaxing on a beach and affirm to myself that “I attract abundance to all areas of my life”. The more I try and have the feelings of being on the beach with no worries and remind myself that I am in complete control of how I feel, I immediately feel the negativity begin to melt away as I begin to focus on my new positive thought.
2. Develop the belief that you are better than you currently feel- don’t look at your weaknesses as a burden but as an opportunity to improve your self. When I find something I don’t like about my personality I don’t get down on myself for it, I just realize that now I have something I can work on to make myself better. Most importantly love and accept who you are, not who you will or should be.
3. Believe that sky’s the limit- if you have little goals you will have little success, the bigger your dreams the more potential for your possible success. Even If you think your dream is too big, strive to reach that dream, because you will end up at a better place than if you would have set your sights on a smaller goal. The trick is to really believe you can do it, this just isn’t wishful thinking. Wishful thinking never got anyone anything, you need to find out what you want and get out there and get it. If you really want that house on the beach your mind will come up with ways to help you get it.(develop faith in your self)

How to remove junk beliefs:
1. Meditate on your old belief and tell the truth about it. Now replace it with a belief that will better serve you. Meditate on it until you feel you have changed that belief. Now when you accept these beliefs it means you will have to raise your standards and develop a strategy that will put you on the road to accomplish what you set forth. Do whatever you have to do. Read any books that will spark your interest or help you discover any distinctions that will point you in the right direction. Find a role model, a person who has already accomplished what you want. Find out what some of their beliefs, interests, body language, image, etc. is and adopt them as your own. Your role model can serve as a blue print, the goal is to cut down on the trial and error so you can get where you want faster than you ever thought possible. You can take all the qualities from all the people you admire and add your own personal touch. Just think of if it as if you are trying to build the person you want and know you can be. Thomas Edison is one of the greatest inventors in history, he was able to elaborate, modify and adapt on other peoples ideas. You don’t have torecreate the wheel just constantly be aware of any success ingredients you come across and make them part of your identity. Think of your mind as a warehouse the more you learn and store will eventually serve as an inventory for future reference, which will breed new ideas and perspectives. Consistency is key we are all creatures of patterns and habits. In order to become the person you desire to be, start by changing your patterns. Think of all the quality traits you must possess, make a pattern which uses those traits efficiently than strive to be consistent. Consistency will develop into habits and this is key because if you fail to be consistent with your actions you will not be consistent with who you desire to be. This lack of confusion between your actions and what your mind knows you are capable of leads to tremendous amounts of stress, confusion, and even depression. Many other consequences also come from a lack of consistency. This is why awareness of self is critical; you need to be constantly evaluating your self. Decide if the persona you are currently displaying is the reality that you want for yourself,because with enough time thats what your reality will become.

Freelance Writing Is flourishing

The word freelance was first coined by Sir Walter Scott, a renowned Scottish historical novelist and poet when he wrote his novel Ivanhoe to refer to a medieval mercenary warrior. In 1903 the word was officially recognized by etymologists and made it to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Simply put, a freelancer is a person who is self employed. Freelancers seek out different projects which vary in their size, scope and variety. In case of freelancing writing, projects may include article writing, book writing, ebook writing, Technical reports, editing, proofreading, white papers, direct mail, copywriting, newsletters, Ezine writing… and much more.

A Look at Current State of Industry
The freelance industry has literally boomed. $60 billion of work is now outsourced to specialists’ worldwide. According to the US Department of Labor “35 million Americans class themselves as independent professionals.”
In the past three years, companies have increased their outsourcing by 22% A survey done predicted that companies using freelance services will more than double from 20% to 50%.
This trend is not a localized trend to be seen in USA or a few countries but is slowly becoming a global phenomenon.
This trend is not a localized trend to be seen in USA or a few countries but is slowly becoming a global phenomenon.
Looking at it ,being part of a $120 billion industry won’t be bad!

But why exactly has freelance writing boomed?
Though there are many reasons behind this phenomenon ,two reasons which clearly stand out above the rest.

The explosion of the Internet
The Internet is a relatively new medium when you compare it to other mature mediums such as television and radio and is still in its Wild West days. Apart from being a huge information resource it is also a huge advertising medium where companies get their businesses from.

Shift in business practices:
Back in the good old 60’s and 70’s you could set up a successful business and could expect to reap profits for a long period of time. Businesses could afford full time employees in all areas. With hyper competition and large fluctuations in technology, businesses have adopted a different model. They only do the thing which they do best and outsource all other activities to specialists.

So rather than having a full time writer on the company’s payroll, it’s more efficient to find a writer who specializes in a particular type of writing. If a company needs articles written for their website they would post a bid on a website such as Elance.com for a web content writer, get it done and move on. Another time they need a good copywriter they would post a bid for a copywriter, get the job done and move on. The key point to understand is that companies now place more value on specialists - freelancers who are more skilled in a narrow focus of work. For freelancers, this literally means a world of opportunity.

You can work from home, doing interesting and rewarding work, working with customers all over the world. You can be paid directly into your bank account, and earn more than you ever dreamed possible in your 9-5 day job.