Magazin On The Secrets Of Selling

Eighteen year old Catherine had everything: the most supportive family, a loving boyfriend, awesome set of friends and a comfortable life. But all of these things took a backseat when she was diagnosed with depression. From the bubbly chatterbox that she was, she morphed into a melancholic girl who had nothing in mind but to kill herself. “There is nothing left to live for. I’m worthless and hopeless.” That statement ran in her head over and over again. She wanted to jump off the bridge or drink formaldehyde on a whim.

She was suicidal.

It took a lot of trips to the doctor and support from her family and friends before Catherine bounced back to normalcy. Now, the melancholia and suicidal thoughts are gone. She has just finished college and is about to start her dream job.

Suicide is defined as the act of killing oneself intentionally. It stems from severe depression, an illness that intervenes with the mental, physical and emotional aspect of a person.

The majority of depressed people do not actually die from suicide. But depression does trigger a higher suicidal risk. New data has reported that two percent of depressed people who have received treatment for depression in an outpatient scenario might die by suicide. Four percent of those who were treated in an inpatient hospital setting might also die by the same method. Those who have suicidal attempts before are also likely to die by suicide later on. Another research shows that 7 percent of men with a history of depression will eventually kill themselves whereas only 1 percent of women with history of depression will do.

Those who have had mood disorders commit suicide. The clinically depressed younger ones often turn to substance abuse to kill themselves.

The most common method of suicide is by the use of firearms, as it makes up the 60 percent of suicides. From a study of the National Institute of Mental Health, about 80 percent of white males commit suicide by shooting themselves. This pushes the resolve that a firearm must be removed from the home if a family member is discovered to be at risk for suicide.

The next most common method for men is hanging where as drug overdose or self-poisoning is the second most common suicidal method for the women.

Other than depression, there are other risk factors for suicide:

1. Impulsivity. There are people out who do things on a whim. If one has a gun in hand, he might shoot himself out of an impulse.

2. Traumatic life events. A death of a loved one, financial rut or other adversity might compel a person to kill him or herself.

3. History of suicide in the family. There is such a thing as “suicide contagion” in which a person is exposed to suicides and suicidal attempts often. This can become a risk factor for killing onself.

4. Family violence If one is physically or sexually abused, he or she might turn to suicide to end the ordeal.

5. Suicide attempt before He has done it before, why not do it again?

6. Alcohol and drug abuse An alcoholic or drug addict will reach a point when he will have no qualms on killing himself.

Depression is a problem that has to be uprooted to keep suicidal thoughts at bay. If a person is suicidal, it is a must that he receives professional treatment. Usually, those who are thinking of killing themselves do not know they need help.

Preventing suicide is no easy feat, either. It is in this light that a broad and extensive suicide prevention program must be established. These programs must zero in on the treatment of depression and drug abuse. Before being launched to the public, they must be scientifically assessed and tested first for effectiveness and safety. They must also be extensive and complex enough so that the effects will last a long time and eventually banish all suicidal thoughts. They must also be carried out according to the age, culture and gender of the suicidal patients.

Depression and suicide do go together, but if one works hard to combat depression thoughts of suicide will be banished.

Dr. Isaac Schumann brings to you a life time of experience in the mental health field
www.depressionhelpguides.com

According to most people, there are two types of hard drives: those that have failed and those that will fail. But for folks who use Data Recovery Services, there is a third type of hard drive: one that does not fail.

A hard drive is the most vulnerable part of a computer; it has moving gears and is hence prone to wear and tear. So when you need hard disk data recovery, you must deeply consider the service and practice of the various repair companies in your area. A company that has been around the block more than a few times is ideal.

But more importantly, experts that ask questions and appreciate your situation are a necessity; companies that approach your needs in an impersonal way simply cannot diagnose your computer problems properly. For example, an expert who is on hand to ask specific questions about your hard disk will know whether or not to go about repair with mere software or through more professional means.

There are a variety of problems that lead to hard drive failure. If the hard drive is part of a mirror set, mirrored stripe set, or stripe set with uniformity, then all you will need to do is replace the drive – any lost data will mechanically regenerate.

A local service company can handle all your concerns though. Fixing a hard drive yourself is a tedious process, requiring lots of time and even research. Your next-door neighbor might be a computer geek, but that doesn’t mean his or her advice is remotely accurate. After all, a computer can fail for many different reasons and they are not always easy to pinpoint.

The ideal solution is usually to replace a failed drive and re-establish your backup. This does not always work though, as many people find the necessary backup is outdated or sometimes, non-existent.

If a hard drive is beyond repair, data recovery is obviously not an option. So prepare for unexpected charges; you might have to buy a whole new drive. In this case, just be careful when replacing it, as you don’t want to lose your data.

Stu Pearson has an interest in Business & Technology related topics. To access more information on data recovery or on file recovery, please click on the links.

Family traditions are as old as the family itself. They represent a comforting routine that many of us look forward to year after year. But in the age of scheduling conflicts and commercialism have families become too modern for family traditions?

Luckily, the answer is no.

A recent survey of more than 200 parents showed that family traditions are still an important part of the holidays. In all, 61% of respondents said that family traditions are “very important” in their family, and another 35% said they are somewhat important. Only 4% considered family traditions unimportant in their current families.

The biggest reason for this seems to be the emphasis placed on family traditions while growing up. As the Generation Xers now start families of their own, they are reminded of the family traditions they shared with their parents and want to create similar memories for their children. In fact, the majority (74%) have even started new family traditions since their children were born.

In the words of one mom - “My husband and I want our children to experience some of the same family traditions we grew up with, that created so many cherished memories for us. We both have memories of Santa visiting our house at Christmas, it’s nice to think that our sons will be able to have those memories as well.”

When asked the single most important reason that they practice family traditions, 64% said it was to create special memories for their children, 22% said to bring the family closer together, 9% said because they enjoy them so much and 4% want to give their children a connection to past generations. Only 1% of respondents did not practice any family traditions.

This holiday season the traditions celebrated in each family are as individual as the families themselves. But many of the old favorites from times gone by remain popular. Visiting family and friends, decorating a Christmas tree together and having a large family meal are all important to the majority of respondents. Other popular traditions that are a result of our modern times are driving around the neighbourhood looking at Christmas lights and watching a favorite Christmas movie together.

It seems that no matter how hectic our lives get, most families still take time to slow down and enjoy the holidays. Regardless of religion or belief systems, the family remains an important part of our culture. Much of the holiday season may seem to focus on gift giving and expensive decorations, but at heart it really does remain a time for family.

One mom said it best - “I think people’s lives are becoming increasingly busy and it’s important to have some family traditions that you can count on being the same regardless of how crazy life gets.”

Jennifer Kirkpatrick is the owner of the online baby store, Pipsqueak Boutique. If you’re looking for special gifts for the little members of your family, visit http://www.pipsqueakboutique.com You’re guaranteed to find something that will make them giggle!

Mortgage lenders have an obligation to give you a good faith estimate of the closing costs that will be due when the time comes. This estimate is required thanks to the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. A good faith estimate can also be called a GFE and this document needs to be given to you after no more than three days after you have applied for the loan. This document does not necessarily have to be in your hands after three days but it does have to have been mailed in that time.

Closing fees are something that every home loan will have to deal with. These too can go by another name: settlement costs. These fees are the accumulation of all the costs of the expenses of the sale of the home and the mortgage. These costs can be pretty hefty adding up to as much as 5 percent of the entire sale price of the home. It is in your best interests not sign ay loan contracts until you see what they are going to ask for the closing costs.

Not all lenders have the same closing costs and if you want to make sure that you are getting the best deal at closing you are going to want to get closing cost estimates, good faith estimates, from more than one lender. If you notice that one lender has a much larger closing fee than the others ask them why this is.

Good faith estimates are made up of many different fees. The following are just some of the fees that you will see on your estimate:

Mortgage broker fee
Discount points
Rate lock
Tax related service fee
Property appraisal
Origination points
Lender’s inspection
Credit report

Title examination
Notary
Wire transfer
Assumption
Application
Attorney
Commitment
Pest inspection
Document preparation
Condominium application

Insurance

Remember that your good faith estimate is nothing more than that, which means that when closing actually does roll around the cost could be much higher. Not all of the closing fees will come straight from the lender but these are the ones that you will need to keep track of and compare closely with the other estimates that you have received. Some parts of the closing will be government regulated so no matter who you choose as your lender these fees will be exactly the same.

The fees that the lender controls are:

Origination points
Discount points
Assumption
Rate lock
Underwriting
Credit report
Taxes services
Application
Commitment
Wire transfer fee

It is these fees that are somewhat negotiable. If you think that you are being charged too much then talk to the lender about it and see what they are willing to do for you. There are even some lenders that will cut some of their fees out completely. But if you don’t ask they won’t, so don’t be afraid to bring it up.

Third party fees are not controlled by the lender, in fact lenders are not supposed to have anything to do with these fees at all besides giving them to you. They are not permitted to tamper with them at all for their own gain.

Third party fees include:

Examination
Settlement
Preparation of documents
Service fees
Lawyer
Title search
Appraisal
Title insurance

These fees are not as negotiable as some of the others but if you see a huge different between a couple of the lenders you are considering then ask about it. You have nothing to lose.

Some of the above fees can sometimes be ones that you can shop for yourself. And this depends also on the state in which you live since some of the states in America attorneys are a necessary part of the closing process. The service that you choose to use for the closing is something that you have control over as well as your insurance. By shopping for your own insurance you can save hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

Some of the fees that are part of closing are non negotiable such as the recording fees and some tax related fees. These are regulated by the government and there is nothing you or the lender can do to lessen these fees.

It is important that you not trust every single thing that your lender is trying to tell you concerning the fees. DO the research yourself to see if you are getting the best rates and terms. Comparison is the only way to go when trying to decide which lender to choose for your mortgage. Check every item on the estimate list and if you see anything that seems wrong make sure to bring it up with the lender. IF it is a national lender that you are working with you will have to be much more careful when it comes to the estimate because they can sometimes have trouble coming up with accurate estimates. This is due to the fact that they are dealing with borrowers in all different states and each state has its own way of doing things and its own costs as well. These fees can even differ from county to county.

Ask your lender about all of your options for paying the closing fees. Some of the fees might be able to be split up over time rather than paid all at one time. These types of questions are important and they can make the entire process much easier.

Martin Lukac, represents http://www.RateEmpire.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies! Visit http://www.RateEmpire.com today

The ebook market on eBay has changed a little over the last few years. The bad news for those interested in selling ebooks is that they will be facing more competition for sales than previous “generations” of sellers. The good news, however, is that consumers are now familiar and comfortable with the idea of purchasing digital information and the number of potential buyers is increasing.

These two factors have led many in the ebook selling field to realize that one key to success is offering never-before-seen products on eBay. By providing new ebooks to a market segment increasingly apt to purchase new quality information, sellers can still reap considerable profits.

Finding new material has become increasingly difficult, though certainly not impossible. It does take a talent and skills to find new ebooks with master resale rights available, however. One trying to find ebooks written by others to use for resale on eBay need to be able to spot potential winners quickly and to get them ready for market in record time. “Staying ahead of the curve” can produce awesome results, but it does require speed and efficiency. It also means that a product’s “shelf life” will likely be short as others pick up on the new information and offer it at auction, too.

This has led many savvy ebook sellers to produce their own ebooks. They understand the market and its needs and can envision the perfect ebook to exploit underserved niches. Writing your own ebook can produce spectacular sales and provides you with the opportunity to control, to a large extent, the supply of the product and to differentiate yourself from the slew of other ebook sellers.

Unfortunately, writing your own material requires significant expenditure of time and effort. It also requires solid writing skills. Not all ebook sellers have the necessary time, patience and skills to produce the winning ebooks they can visualize. As such, many expert sellers seek out freelance writers to produce ebooks for them.

A quality freelancer can produce the ebook you need to your specifications. Generally, talented freelance writers work very quickly and do not require extensive direction to produce the kind of materials a smart seller needs. There is, of course, an expense involved, but the cost of hiring the freelancer to produce the product can be easily recouped by a successful ebook sales campaign.

A custom ebook can put a seller in a fantastic position. They will own all rights to the ebook, allowing them to initially exploit demand for the information itself. When the seller believes the time is right, they can then offer the now already-successful product to other ebook sellers along with master resale rights. This enables you to exploit initial consumer demand and subsequent reseller demand!

Do you think you could grab a significant share of one or more niches within the eBay ebook market if you had a custom-designed ebook that you knew met otherwise underserved demand? If so, it may be time to consider hiring a freelance author to build your ebook to match your needs. The end result will be a product uniquely yours that can produce mammoth sales numbers.

John Thornhill is an eBay powerseller and trades on eBay under the username planetsms…
For more advice on how to succeed on eBay visit http://www.planetsms.co.uk

The question, “Is God Dead?”, first entered my consciousness when I was ten or eleven years old. I saw it on the cover of a Life magazine, and it’s lingered in my mind ever since. At the time, though, I wasn’t too concerned with His possible demise. I had pretty much determined that God lived inside each of us. No matter how hard I tried, I hadn’t been able to find God in the lukewarm rituals of the Protestant faith. Instinctively, I knew God wasn’t dead, He was just hiding within each of us, waiting to be discovered.

I became interested in Freud in high school and entered college as a psychology major. After several years studying psychology, I underwent an existential crisis: I couldn’t bear the thought of my future career as a psychologist consisting of continuously instructing strangers about how to live their lives. It would be too boring to endure. So, I transferred to art school (a Nietzchian choice, I now see). For years, the question languished in the back of my brain: “Is God dead?” Or was the idea only yellow journalism or intellectual coffeehouse chatter? But all this background is bringing me ahead of myself.

It wasn’t until last month that I finally learned God’s death was first announced by and perhaps directly attributable to the philosopher Frederic Nietzsche. Only now am I beginning to understand the enormous impact of those three little words.

As a newly-renewed psychology major, I am fascinated by Nietzsche’s bold declarative question, “Who among philosophers before me has been called a psychologist at all?” (Nietzsche, 16), and how his thoughts anticipate, influence, and in fact, define modern psychology. Therefore, in this essay, I am attempting to interweave the death of God with the mission of contemporary psychology, and to offer some of my own thoughts and experiences. If I have added a distinctly personal spin to the proceedings, forgive me; I believe Nietzsche would have accepted the voice of personal experience.

“Whither is God” he cried. “I shall tell you. We have killed him—you and I. All of us are his murderers” (Nietzsche, 95). Thus, in 1882, Nietzsche created a madman who announced the end of Christian tradition and in so doing, the beginning of modern life. In conclusion, the madman proclaims to the listening crowd: “This deed is still more distant from them than the most distant stars—and yet they have done it themselves” (Nietzsche, 96).

Nietzsche could be mistaken for an atheist, but no man can kill something he doesn’t believe in. Even if man could kill God, God is a Supreme Being who possesses the power to resurrect Himself. Nietzsche’s point, then, seems to be that mankind cannot destroy God for all eternity, but that men can banish God from their lives. The death of God, serious though it may be, is a metaphor.

The metaphors flooding my mind are these: Man has murdered God, been tried and found guilty, and is currently serving a life sentence without Him. God first threw us out of the Garden, now we’re throwing him out of the asphalt jungle. We have replaced original sin for man-made guilt, anxiety, and despair. The reality of God’s death may be too much for man, a mere mortal (and now, more mortal than ever), to bear, as also is the lack of meaning in life. But every metaphor and consequence arising from the original theme begs the question, “God is dead, long
live . . . ?”

* * * * *

Nietzsche qualifies his metaphor and hints at some answers. First, he states that ” . . . the belief in the Christian God has ceased to be believable” (Nietzsche, 447). Second, he describes man’s life after God’s death:

“Indeed, philosophers and ‘free spirits’ feel as if a new dawn were shining on us when we receive the tidings that ‘the old god is dead’; our heart overflows with gratitude, amazement, anticipation, expectation. At last the horizon appears free again to us, even granted that it is not bright, at last our ships may venture out again, venture out to face any danger; all the daring of the lover of knowledge is permitted again; the sea, our sea, lies open again; perhaps there has never yet been such an ‘open sea’ (448).

The open sea is our psyche. But before I become too blithe in my interpretation, I must remind myself that the death of God tormented and tortured the philosopher. He sailed on through dark and into mostly uncharted waters to explore the human mind and human behavior—in a word, psychology. With prescient references to various Freudian concepts, Nietzsche discusses sublimation, instinct, repression, guilt, and ego. Still, we may worry that he’s left us behind and half-jokingly wonder, “Is there nothing sacred anymore?” Nietzsche would answer, “No. God is dead, long live psychology.”

Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi neatly summarizes the connection between Nietzsche, ‘the first psychologist,’ and modern psychology:

“After all, at least since Nietzsche concluded that God was dead, philosophers and social scientists have been busy demonstrating that existence has no purpose, that chance and impersonal forces rule our fate, and that all values are relative and hence arbitrary. It is true that life has no meaning, if by that we mean a supreme goal built into the fabric of nature and human experience, a goal that is valid for every individual. But it does not follow that life cannot be given meaning” (215).

Just as there was “no psychology before him,” it is highly doubtful there could have been any without Nietzsche. Csikszentmihalyi not only accepts Nietzsche’s premise that life is meaningless, he also offers this insight on the link between the “first psychologist” and the role of modern psychology:

“If values and institutions no longer provide as supportive a framework as they once did, each person must use whatever tools are available to carve out a meaningful, enjoyable life. One of the most important tools in this quest is psychology” (16).

The highest calling of modern psychology, then, is to recognize our instincts, repressions, guilt, and the like, and to ask, “How can mankind be improved?” Modern psychology accepts God’s death, doesn’t mourn His passing, and goes on to acknowledge Nietzsche’s logical implication of personal responsibility (”All of us are his murderers”) and the “superman” who seeks perfect personal transcendence. Modern man can depend on himself and only himself for rewards and satisfaction, and his inner quest requires great discipline. Suffering may still impart meaning to life, as Nietzsche postulated (453), but we are secular victims, not religious martyrs or Greek tragic heroes. Besides, we don’t have the time; instant gratification is our goal, if it can be said to be a goal or if we have any goals at all.

* * * * *

The purpose for modern man is to find purpose in his life. He must re-create himself in his (small “h” intended) own image. Attractive and repellent, unprecedented and overwhelming, our task may be more than we can bear. We have our doubts about ourselves and are also suspicious of science; the science of psychology may be more an art than a science. Nietzsche might have predicted our misgivings. He might also have pointed out that, in the end, we are human, all too human, and perhaps we cannot transcend ourselves or science without God.

By looking at the death of God, the mission of modern psychology, and my thoughts about both, I had hoped to reach some definitive conclusions. I have not. I have, however, suggested a number of questions that will continue to interest me as a fledging environmental psychologist. In summary, I have only this to say: If God is truly dead, may He rest in peace.

Sources

Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Portable Nietzsche. Ed. and trans. Walter Kaufmann. 1954. New York: Penguin, 1982.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper & Row, 1990.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For more than two decades, P J Smith has been motivated to write and writing to motivate. Today, she’s the motivational word spinner in residence at http://www.wordbrains.com. Her work has also been published in newspapers and magazines, and seen on public television. She’s a student of psychology, Reconnective Therapy, Flower of Life — and life. Let P J inspire and inform your audience. Find out more at http://www.wordbrains.com.

In the times of yesteryear when Prophet Muhammad banded together the followers of Islam into a single economic and political group people associated their livelihoods with their tribe. Purchasing, selling, earning money was predominately transacted through the ideology that the tribe must thrive and dominate. As Islam became more important it was evident that it superceded any consideration to the needs of other entities. Islam became the new standard of economic activity. As the borders of the Muslim world increased so did its economic strength. Eventually it was the most powerful entity on the Earth.

In modern times Muslim countries live in great poverty. Even though there are a number of wealthy pockets to be found, the vast majority have a difficult time feeding their children or building necessary infrastructure improvements. Why is this so? The reasons lie in the assumption of nationalisms superiority over Islam. In Islam’s past there was no concept of country and national currency. Instead each city was viewed as a small state that lived and worked in the collective of the Muslim world. At that time the concept was revolutionary and lead to a great many economic changes. The Christian world was still squabbling and fighting wars against each other, furthering the economic drain on their local economies. They therefore, could not compete against Muslims effectively. The Muslims had a central authority that made great strides in reducing internal squabbles. Therefore, when they acted they could do so in a uniform manner.

Today the situation is reversed. The wealth countries of Europe have banded together in terms of economic treaties and military collaboration. The United Nations, the European Union and FTAA are all examples of this collaborated effort. This spirit of working together mitigates any internal structures they have by virtue of utilizing one of these larger organizations to arbitrate. The Muslim world, to its dismay, has reduced itself to internal squabbling and the active “undermining” of each other.

The only way to reverse the Muslim misfortune is to change our entire way of viewing business. Islamic principles of fairness, hard work and collective effort need to evolve. The concept of nationalism needs to be viewed as outdated and the concept of the singular “Ummah (community) should take its place. By working together the people can utilize their untapped wealth in terms of knowledge and natural resources to develop something for the betterment of all. Countries like Saudia Arabia, who desire a more secure food source, could invest in those countries with fertile soil but little capital wealth. Trade barriers between nations can be reduced to assure that easy flow of goods and money is possible. Leadership could be made accountable for the increasing the viability of not only their nation but that of their neighbors.

In essence the promotion of a singular Muslim currency and governmental body is necessary if any meaningful reform is going to take place. The structural governmental body would be much like that found under the European Union but with substantial Islamic improvements. Individual and national agendas would not be given full weight nor shall economic improvements be subject to corruption. Internal control would have to be developed that would help solve some of those problems that thrive in the Muslim world.

Murad Ali is a two time published author of “A Call to Greatness” and “An American Mecca”. He works full-time in labor relations, is developing an heirloom farm, runs a small consulting business, is working towards his PHD, and edits the Muslim Times. If you are interested in more articles written by Murad please visit www.muradenterprises.org

1. Stop Leasing Lines

Prior to VOIP, you had to lease lines from your local exchange carrier. For
example, each line often has a small start- up fee, and there is a monthly access
cost to use each line. Furthermore, each month, there are usage charges for local
and long- distance calls.


The charge is relatively small, perhaps around 40 cents a minute.
That certaintly sounds small, but think about how many lines your company has,
and how often each line is used. It’s easy to see how small charges can quickly add
up to millions of dollars a month.


The good news is that with VoIP and Avaya Phone Systems, the leasing
fees can be greatly reduced or eliminated completely.



2. No More Extra Regulatory Fees

In addition to leasing fees, traditional telephony models also have other
regulatory fees. Unlike the leasing fees, which are collected by your Local Exchange
Carrier, these fees go to various governmental entities. They include things like a
911 fee, and the Federal Line Surcharge. The total cost of the which can range from
4 to 7 percent of your total phone bill.


When you make the switch to VoIP, these fees are paid in
conjunction with the data network, eliminating excess charges.



3. No More Charges for Calling Features

If you want more features than the ability to make calls, say voicemail,
call transfer, or call forwarding, you’re going to have to pay extra, when you use
traditional telephony.


Not so with VoIP and Avaya Phone Systems: you get all the standard
features and a plethora of advanced ones that help increase productivity and
efficiency.



4. Eliminate Charges for Changing the Network

Under the old model of circuit- switched telephony, if an employee
moved to a different office, or a new employee was hired and had to be added to the
network, expensive technicians had to be hired, to the tune of $150 an hour.
Networking addresses had to be changed or added, and port numbers had to be
reprogramed. Major changes and moves were expensive and time consuming.


But VoIP has an intuitive intelligence. Devices like phones or
computers know where they are: move them to your new office and it will
automatically connect to the network.

Cameron Elliott is an Telephony specialist at avaya voip phone systems where he extols the benefits of Avaya
Phone Systems

As the name suggests, airline credit cards are credit cards associated with air travel. Airline credit cards are becoming popular as more and more people are opting for air travel. They can be used for a particular airline or for several airlines and is also an excellent means for saving on travel expenses. A variety of airline miles credit cards are available in the market. Understanding certain basic factors of airline credit cards can arm you to get a better deal.

Why Should I Opt for An Airline Credit Card?

The simple reason why people opt for an airline credit card is that it saves on travel expenses. Often times, it works best for a frequent traveler. The benefits offered vary from one type of credit card to another. The primary features of the card also varies with each airline miles credit card.

Apart from saving on travel expenses, there are several other benefits involved. Several types of insurance associated with travel are offered by most airline miles credit cards, including lost baggage insurance and car rental insurance. The coverage provided under travel accident insurance is far above what would be considered normal coverage. Occasional freebies are also offered by some airline credit cards.

How Does an Airline Credit Card Work?

Most airline miles credit cards follow a method of giving points for the dollars spent on the card. The way the points are counted differs from one card to another, but most of the airline miles credit cards follow a point system which is quite similar. To make use of the points, you need to have a minimum number, which varies with each card. When you have the desired amount of points, you can substitute the points with airline miles. Now, how the points are substituted again depends on the type of credit card you opt for.

Certain airline credit cards offer bonus points. Bonus points are offered when you make use of an airline credit card with other products, services and merchandise purchases.

How to Select an Airline Credit Card?

The key to selecting an airline miles credit card depends on the way you travel. If you are in the habit of traveling by a single airline, you can choose a credit card that does business with your favorite airline. Things are a bit tough if you are in the habit of frequently changing the airline you travel. Then you should choose a card that can match with your traveling habits.

Two important things to keep in mind while selecting an airline credit card are the annual fees and interest rates. You should make sure that the annual fee does not wash away all the other benefits you get from the credit card. It is a well known fact that airline credit cards carry a high interest rate. The APR can even be increased if you make even a single late payment with some airline credit cards. So make sure you keep up with your monthly payments.

The freebies and benefits offered by each airline credit card vary. You should take into account all the benefits offered by the different companies before selecting your credit card. Some of the benefits can be very handy while you are traveling.

The best place to search for an airline credit card is the Internet. Information regarding a huge selection of airline credit cards is available online where you can compare for the price and benefits offered by each company.

For more on airline credit cards, Robert Alan recommends that you visit CreditCardAssist.com

What is a Hero? And what is a Coach? How can a man be sure he’s found a woman he can trust to coach him in the direction that is right for him?

And how does he take advantage of her special abilities to help him achieve his dreams?

In sports, an athlete needs a coach because athletes don’t see how they do what they are doing, when they are doing it. They need feedback from someone who really knows them, who can see their strengths and weaknesses.

Heroes also may not see the relationship between, say, their nutrition and sleep habits, and their achievement. Or they may overdo their exercises, and hurt themselves.

The coach is a caring observer who provides feedback from a small physical and emotional distance. Then the athlete can achieve his or her goals.

A Hero is on a quest, a search, an effort, a long-term project to do Something, to become Someone. (The Coach has a quest, too, but it is usually fulfilled, or fulfillable, within the context of her marriage partnership, as it develops over time. It often happens later in the marriage, because her now-heroic Hero truly loves and appreciates her, and wants to do all he can to encourage and support her personal fulfillment)

Who do you, the Hero, become? The true and unique you! There is no one like you in the world; only you can be the complete you.

And if you don’t do what it takes to fulfill your quest to do or be Something or Someone, then you, your marriage, and the world will be poorer for your cowardice—for that’s really what it is.

Each Hero must come to that Something themselves, finding its resonance in their heart of hearts. The Coach can help, but it is the Hero’s quest.

Always remember: Your wife is meant to be your Coach—not your contender, competitor, or critic. Encourage her to be your Coach by listening and repeating back to her what she is telling you. She is part of you, and you are responsible for keeping her in good working order. In fact, in a larger, deeper sense, your wife is you.

A Hero is not a Hero because he has achieved his quest, but because his thoughts and actions are heroic; they are:

• Responsible

• Honest

• Loyal

• Faithful and true

• Humble

• Sincere

• Loving

• Moral

• Focused

• Patient

• Positive

If you do not already exhibit all these qualities all the time—welcome to the club! This is why we need coaching. Remember that you are still a Hero-in-Training.

The most important thing for every Hero to remember is that his life is his movie. He is the director, and determines what will and will not happen. So one of the most important things to do is learn how to take responsibility, and learn how to take blame. Why?

Taking blame for everything empowers you to stop acting like a bystander or a victim. You can take charge and change things once you make them your responsibility. I’ll talk about this from time to time from different points of view as we go along.

Here are seven pitfalls every Hero must watch out for:

Victimhood: It’s easy to forget that everything is your fault, Mr. Hero. But remember: It’s your movie. The Coach is just your mirror. If you look at her and don’t like what you see, don’t try to clean the mirror; clean what it is reflecting. The good news is that since it is your fault, you have the power to make it better.

Rivalry: Your wife/Coach is not in competition with you. She is you. Are you in competition with your hand? Or your ear? No? Then don’t compete with your Coach. She is equipped to help, but not to compete with you. You can’t do what she can do, and she can’t do what you can do. You’re a matching set, not identical twins.

Idolatry: Just because she has intuitions and insights that you lack doesn’t make her your god. She is your Coach; but the decision to act on her suggestions, and all the consequences of those actions, are entirely up to you. You alone are responsible before God and man for your actions. Setting someone up as an idol is usually just preparation for gleefully knocking them off their pedestal. Don’t do it!

Self-pity: Growth is difficult. In fact, overcoming difficulties is the main way we grow. Are you sad? Exasperated? Discouraged? Don’t have a pity party! Ask your Coach to encourage you, to tell you your favorite joke. N’omi and I save a particular knock-knock joke for just such occasions:

“Knock-knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“The interrupting cow.”

“The interrupting… “

“Moo!” (The “moo” has to interrupt.)

Pride: My grandmother used to say, “Don’t pat yourself on the back; you might break your arm.” N’omi’s grandmother used to say, “Pride was the sin of the fallen angels.” It’s good to experience a sense of progress, and of accomplishment. But don’t allow yourself to get puffed up about it. That just makes it that much harder to accept the Coach’s next suggestion.

Negativity: You know enough to avoid general negativity. If you don’t, let me remind you: The surest way to stop any progress toward your goals is to start being negative and cynical, not just about yourself, but about anything.
But I want to warn you once more against an even more insidious variety of negativity: Saying “no” to your Coach (see Chapter 27, “Shutting Her Out”).

Make it a policy simply never to do it. If she says something that sounds outrageously weird, thank her, and tell her you’ll think about it. If it still seems strange, open a discussion with her about it. Not everything she tells you is right; she may be lacking a vital fact or experiencing hormonal challenges.

It’s your job to protect her and cherish her, while taking what she says under consideration.

But if you cut off the flow of her help with any variety of “no,” you are in trouble. And if you make it a habit, you will do real damage to the relationship, and to your entire life.

Your relationship with your Coach, in some ways, is like caring for a plant: The plant may not complain loudly if you forget to water it; it may just quietly dry up and die.

GIVING UP: Don’t even think about it! There is always something better to do than give up. And giving up never makes anything better.
If you’re really thinking about doing it, read the next chapter of this book on Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.

Then get the book—or just read it standing or sitting in your local bookstore if you can’t afford to buy it. (Sorry, Gary, but it’s that important.) That book, or the next chapter of this book, may save your life and the life of your marriage. No kidding. You are a Hero. Don’t quit.

http://AwesomeMarriage.com - Dr. Joel Orr, “The Marriage Fixer,” has counseled married couples for over 25 years. Joel’s most recent book is “Every Man a Hero, Every Woman a Coach” (http://www.everymanahero.com). More at http://www.joelorr.com.