Help! I Cant Write!

Writer's Block can strike like a King Cobra, paralyzing every little golden nugget you try to create. What can you do to lick it? Below are some fun suggestions to crack the nut! (write about each prompt for twenty minutes)

1) Take yourself to the local coffee shop and eavesdrop. Write in present tense the overheard conversation.

2) Take a walk in nature. Breathe deeply. While outside, write about: weeds blowing in the breeze, bees buzzing, flowers blooming, leaves rustling, or rain, sleet or ladybugs! Just write in nature.

3) Open the dictionary to any page, pick five random words and incorporate them into a story.

4) Make it fun -- go out for Chinese food-write in response to the fortune cookie

5) Tune into a country western radio station. Using the lyris from a song as prompt, begin writing.

6) Go to the spice rack. Grap a couple of spice containers and put them on the counter. With closed eyes, smell one spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, curry powder) write about the first thing that pops into your mind.

7) Check your local newspaper and write in response to an ad in the personals.

8) Grab the family album. Find a picture and write for twenty minutes. It can be fiction, creative non-fiction or non fiction.

9) Make a list poem-beaches, sand, ocean, periwinkles, starfish, etc., then pick one noun and write for twenty minutes.

10) Maybe it's time for a pity party. Get together with a few other writers and cry over dangling participles!

Cindy Fisher-Luck, MA, CPCC is a coach who specializes in helping writers do just that--write. She works with her clients to find their inspiration, make their writing a priority and reach their personal and writing goals. Usually this involves getting one's life in balance and deciding what's most important and making the changes needed to live the life you want. In addition Cindy coaches women and men in finding meaning and work/life balance. She can be reached at 925-648-3115 or at visioncoachcindy@aol.com

Six Good Reasons to Take a Family Vacation

When I was young, family vacations with my parents consisted of driving for a week from place to place in a hot stifling car. My parents had the knack of picking the hottest week of the summer to do so. In spite of that, we still had fun, managed to find interesting sites to explore and those are the memories that I still have.

I discovered the joy of travel to far reaching destinations on my own by the time I turned 18. Jumping on a plane and heading off to Brazil, Europe or cruising the Caribbean, has turned into a life long passion my whole family now enjoys with me.

Family vacations have evolved over the years. There have never been more choices, more variety and more options available for family vacations as there is today. Especially since 9/11, the focus on family and community and played a strong role in our society. The travel industry has noticed and has geared up for families. From all-inclusive vacation packages and cruises, which are equipped with kids clubs and special activities; to resorts that supply a nanny for your stay, it's never been a better time for families to travel.

Still not sure? Here are just a few of the benefits of taking a family vacation:

1. The family that plays together, stays together.....

It is a time to get away from it all. Away from work, the phone calls, the kid's activities, the daily to do list. This is a great opportunity to spend time as a family and get to know each other. Go for a hike, build a sandcastle, explore a museum. There is more time to talk and spend time together without the daily distractions.

2. Teach your children well....

Travel is an excellent learning tool for kids. They can have the opportunity to learn about things first hand they may have learned in school, read about or saw on TV. Any destination can offer this learning experience whether it is a few hours drive away from you home or in Europe. Family vacations will teach children about different cultures, food, history, geography, climate, environment and so much more. The best part is that it's way more fun for them then learning it through homework!

3. New experiences they will never forget.....

Family vacations provide a whole new venue for experiences that your kids never would have had otherwise. We took a family cruise last winter, and it was my 9-year-old son's first cruise. We told him all about the ship and showed him pictures but I don't think he could quite grasp what it was really going to be like. We landed in Fort Lauderdale and as we were driving to the port, we could see our ship in the distance. He was excited but still very nonchalant. Once we got to the port and pulled up alongside the ship, he looked up and up and up at the enormous ship, his mouth dropped open and he gasped in amazement. That reaction was worth the price of the whole trip and is something I know our family will always remember.

4. Life is an adventure, especially on vacation....

Even if you are not particularly brave there are still many ways to experience the adventures that lie in every corner of our planet. It may be as simple as going to the zoo at your destination and seeing the animals that are local to that habitat or taking a jungle tour though the Amazon. There is so much to see and do, pick the adventures that appeal to your family and do them together.

5. You kids won't be kids forever....

Doesn't seem like yesterday that the teenager that just borrowed your car, was in diapers and day-care? Most parents agree that time seems to fly by quickly and those babies are grown before you know it. There will come a time that your children will have lives of their own and sad as it may seem, spending time with Mom and Dad will not be anywhere near the top of their list. Take the time for a family vacation while they still want your company.

6. Time to kick back and relax......

Now this part is important. One of the main reasons to take a vacation is to get some rest and recharge. It is important for everyone so don't over do it. Try and schedule an active day followed by a more relaxing day. It's hard to do in some destinations where there is so much to see and do like Disney World, but trust me. The kids will be less tired and cranky and it will give you a reason to come back to the destination again!

I know this all sounds so good, it makes you want to book that trip you've been putting off doesn't it? Well, I will add in a dose of reality here and include a few negatives. There are some natural stresses to travelling. Planes get delayed, kids get cranky, families can have too much of a good thing and get on each other's nerves. The list can go on, but don't let that discourage you, the advantages are too numerous to ignore.

So whether you choose to pack the kids in the car or fly to more exotic destinations, the benefits are the same. As far as memories go, we tend to remember the good things; the time spent together as a family, the new things that were discovered, the new friends we made, the places we saw. This is what your children will remember and, the fact that you were there with them to enjoy it.

Jolana Klobouk is a former travel agent who has traveled extensively for work and vacations with her family. For more travel information, visit her travel websites: http://www.best-family-beach-vacations.com and http://www.FlyFromCanada.com

Wealth Catchers: Discover Wealth and Prosperity with the Angels of Abundance

Did you ever know somebody who easily accumulates wealth? If it rained money and you each put pots out to catch it, would yours be likely to hold the half inch or so that was predicted to fall and theirs overflow? How could it happen that way? The money energy falls equally on each of you just as rain would and your opportunity to stand in the flow of money is equal as well.

I wondered the same thing and, oddly enough, the Angels brought the answer to me as I flipped through a catalogue of earth friendly products. The answer is rain barrels; they used rain barrels to catch the flow of money. They didn't simply set their small pot out in the yard to catch the rain money, they figured out a way to direct the flow of the downpour so that it fell into their huge barrel.

All the water on your roof flows to the gutters. If you arranged all of the gutters so they flow to only one or two downspouts and put a barrel under each downspout, you'd catch all the rainwater that falls onto your house.

Furthermore, what if you managed to put a tent over your entire property and caught the flow that would certainly stream down in torrents from the huge span of canvas?

Rich in the energy of money is what you'd be, that's what. If that water were cash falling from the sky you'd have so much you'd have to obtain more barrels for the next time it rains. You'd probably study all the data on weather patterns to discover where it rained the most and you'd pick up, lock stock and barrel and move there.

If everybody caught on to the secret and everybody had barrels to catch the flow, would you wind up with less? Nope. The rain falls where it falls. Thunderheads don't accumulate over your neighbor's house and not yours, they're just too big.

The Angels tell us that money is just one way among many ways that the energy of God manifests. The love of Father/Mother God is everywhere and equally, freely available to all. So, how do we arrange our lives to be the barrels that catch the flow of God's energy manifesting as money? We do it by applying the body, mind and spirit aspects of our triune beings to our financial affairs.

With the part of you that is Spirit-Recognize and acknowledge the spiritual wealth you already stand in the flow of. Take a notebook and list the many and varied ways Father/Mother God has manifested in your life. Count such things that are easily taken for granted such as the air you breathe, the sounds you hear the love you receive from family, friends and pets. Count the answers you get when you pray. Count things such as that peacefully safe state of mind you slip into when you think about how very much God loves you. List the talents and gifts that God has given to you.

With the part of you that is Mind-Recognize and study the various financial opportunities as they are presented to you. Which opportunity to collect money would suit your personality? Would it be working for someone else and if so, full time or part time? Would you prefer to work for yourself, buying a franchise or starting your own business? Will you be involved in marketing a product or offering a service? Ask yourself what you're doing now to stand in the flow of money. Ask yourself what else you could do to make money. Brainstorm. Record the numerous ways you are already catching the flow and manifesting financial abundance. Do you have money in your piggy bank, in investments, in the equity of your house? List it all. Do you have a good mind, a healthy body, an education or anything you could conceivably use to make money with? List it.

With the part of you that is Body-Decide where you will place your figurative rain barrels. Look at the lists you made when you considered the spiritual and mind levels of catching wealth. Now, make a third list by discerning how you can use the gifts and talents that you have in your spirit by manifesting them through your mind and body to create a product, service or business with which to harvest money. Your gifts and talents make you individual and unique. They are your rain barrels; your wealth catchers. How can you use them in the work you already do in innovative ways to create a new business? God manifests his/her energy through your use of your gifts and talents. They figuratively, like the huge tents we spoke of earlier, cover the entire property you own. How can you create opportunities to catch wealth? What action steps that are in harmony with the use of your innate gifts and talents can you take to be of service to the world and thus, place yourself smack dab into the flow of making money?

The answers are unique to each one of us and that which suits you might not suit somebody else. Your gifts and talents are different from the next person's. Turn inward to your own spirit to find out what it is you want to use to catch the rain of abundant money and let it pour!

Affirmation: I am a wealth catcher. I easily and enjoyably use my unique gifts and talents to place myself in the flow of money energy.

Copyright 2005, Catherine M. Kasper

See Catherine Kasper's dynamic new book, Angelic Abundance Treasure Maps: Discover the Wealth Within You, at her web site http://www.angelicabundance.com for powerful revelations on wealth and prosperity.
Receive 6 valuable, complimentary BONUSES when you have a delightful, hour long, expert Angel Reading with Catherine and the Angels of Abundance. The schedule for Angel readings fills quickly, so hurry. Click Here Now to schedule an Angel reading.

Why Write a Sales Letter for Each Product?

Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know their products. But after the initial one-year honeymoon, sales slow down. To counter this make sure your ebook, product, or service you offer will keep on selling from the first day, the first year, even for life. Write a short sales letter for each product or ebook.

Whether you have a Web site or not, you can write a first class, must-buy-now sales letter. Write one for each teleclass, eBook, product, or service. I even write one for my bookcoaching services.

If you are like me and have a Web site, it is content driven. Why? Because that's why people come to any site-to get free information. You must also give them a reason to buy. Most home pages say too much about the author or the book instead of intriguing their potential buyers with a benefit-driven headline, which in turns leads them to the benefits of their books--the sales letter.

My first Web site had many fine books and kits in personal growth and book writing and marketing. Sales never went over $200 a month. To correct that, I created a new site and paid special attention to its sales language (without hype) for each teleclass, eBook, and book coaching opportunities to suit each income and need. Sales were $75 the first month, and in four months they reached $2265. The next year they went around $3000 a month.

What Every Sales Letter Needs to Pull Orders and Profits

You can write each sales letter in less than four hours the first time. As you practice, you can write them in two hours.

1. Start the Letter with a Benefit-Driven Headline.

Include these headlines throughout your sales letter. "Want a quick and easy way to quadruple your Online Income in Four Months?

If you answered, "yes" to yourself, the headline succeeds, because you will keep reading. If you said "No, I don't believe this, " but I'm curious where this is going," the headline still succeeds. You win when your headline seduces your potential customer to read on in your sales letter to discover your product[']s benefits and features, some fine testimonials, and finally to click "buy now" which takes them to the order page.

2. List the Top Five Benefits of your Product or Service in bullet form.

To define your top benefits start with a list of problems your client or customer wants solutions for. Each specific problem you answer can be labeled a benefit. If you are not rock sure of who your audience is, your sales copy dribbles away and doesn't meet its target. Keep redefining your audience and know as much about them as you can.

Remember that one benefit is the top undeniable benefit-usually more money easier, more clients faster, more profits from Web sales, better relationships, and health.

If you have more than five benefits collected in a list, sprinkle the rest throughout your copy. How will your book make someone's life easier, richer in time or money, help their personal growth, provide additional income, entertain them? How will your product or service make them a better business person, more attractive, feel better, avoid catastrophe, sickness, or surgery?

3. Address your Potential Buyer's Resistances.

Remember to tell a background story of where they are NOW so they will emotionally connect with your solutions (the product or service). Let's say they want to write an eBook or print book to make themselves the "expert," make life-long passive income, or share their unique message.

Many people don't write a book because they doubt it will sell well enough for all the effort, it may not be significant enough, it will take too long, cost too much money, and they really aren't writers. One, by one, your sales letter addresses their concerns and shows these potential buyers how they can become an excellent author and make their books more saleable, while building their profits.

4. Sprinkle Testimonials Throughout your Sales Letter.

Potential buyers who visit your site or another one that sells your products are more pulled to buy when they think other people have already. If other people are happy with your product or service, they will be too.

Include testimonials from experts in your field, celebrities, man/woman on the street, and other people who have profited from your advice. Learn how to approach influential contacts through email friendly notes and requests. Ask them to look at and give their opinion on your table of contents, one chapter, and your back cover or sales letter information

Make it easy to buy. Add a few sample phrases and benefits they can use to save these busy people time. They want to help, but consider it's difficult to create testimonials, or it will take them away from their priorities.

Give as you receive. Give that person something of value. Study their Web site or read their ezine, and send them a short helpful tip or joke.

5. Offer your potential clients three or four chances to buy.

They may have already decided to buy before coming to your sales letter, so offer a "Click Here," "Buy Now" near the top of the letter. Offer more buying opportunities along the way after a list of benefits, what's in this book (features), and testimonials.

6. End your Sales Letter with your 100% Money-Back Guarantee.

When you offer an ironclad guarantee, people see your book as so valuable that you put yourself on the line for it. They will be more likely to buy and be satisfied with their purchase.

"This product comes with a 100% Money Back Guarantee. Read the book cover to cover, and if the strategies don't work for you within 60 days, we'll cheerfully refund your money, and you can keep the product too!"

7. Make your Sales Letter Credible.

To boost sales, authors need to add free bonus reports related to their book. Make sure your free bonus reports do not cost more than the price of your product. Would you believe this offer "order this for $49 now and receive 4 special bonus reports worth $395?"

8. Share the downside of your book to create empathy.

For example, "this ebook won't write the book for you, or even get it published, but it will show you the steps and resources to write compelling copy, finish fully and sell well."

9. Include your expert credentials

"I spent 6 months researching this book and 3 months writing it. My background includes 23 years coaching, presenting 70 writing seminars a year, and 43 published clients since 1999."

Without a sales letter to guide your potential buyers on your Web site, you leave them bored, uninspired, without enough information to make that decision to buy. Your Web site and ezine must entertain, inform, and give enough benefits to convince your readers to order your book.

For all email promotion campaigns, without a short or long sales letter for each product, your unique, useful and inspiring information will not get read, people won't know you as the expert, and you won't make the sales you want.

Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach, Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," and "How to Market your Business on the Internet," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com

Dont Pay for Radio Interviews

It used to be that all you had to do was pitch a great idea with a clever hook, and you'd be booked as a guest on a half-hour radio show.

These days, however, hang onto your wallet. A new breed of radio host is insisting that guests fork over a few hundred dollars--sometimes more--for the "privilege" of being on their show. Some guests, desperate for exposure for a new book or project, willingly pay the money. Then they're disappointed when they get little feedback from listeners, or the show leads to no product sales.

There's nothing wrong with the concept of paying money for air time. But there's a name for it. It's called advertising. Joe Sabah, author of the book How to Get on Radio Talk Shows All Across America says that if you want a legitimate interview, no money should change hands.

"With more than 740 radio shows all over the country willing to book guests for free, there's absolutely no reason why anybody should have to pay," Sabah said.

A different twist on the same theme involves a radio station approaching someone and offering them their own weekly show on a particular topic, then telling them they must charge guests to appear. That means that if a host comes across someone who they think would be a great guest, they can't book them if the guest can't afford to pay.

Why, suddenly, are some radio interviews no longer free?

The radio industry has been going through sweeping changes in the last several years, with many stations being bought or sold for hefty amounts, and that means they're trying to entice people like you into paying the freight.

Joann McCall has an interesting perspective on the problem. As president of McCall Public Relations in Portand, Oregon, she specializes in generating publicity for authors. She also has been a radio host, interviewer and newscaster for 18 years and hosts a radio show with her partner, Debb Janes, called "Janes McCall & Co.," on KKSN radio in Portland.

McCall says the practice of charging guests has become acceptable-even though it isn't right.

"Having someone approach you to pay for an interview is like buying a radio infomercial," she said.

McCall advises that guests don't pay. Instead, when you hear a sales pitch, simply reply, "Pay for an interview? I don't need to. Thanks anyway."

"Don't be bullied by these people," she said.

Joan Stewart, a.k.a. The Publicity Hound, shows you how to use the media to establish your credibility, enhance your reputation, sell more products and services, promote a favorite cause or issue, and position yourself as an employer of choice. She publishes "The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week," a free ezine on how to generate thousands of dollars in free publicity. Subscribe at http://www.PublicityHound.com and receive by email the free checklist "89 Reasons to Send a News Release."

What Might Surprise You About Childhood Obesity

The formula is pretty straightforward: energy in/energy out. This is the term nutritionists use to describe the intended balance between calories consumed and calories burned. If the level of physical activity is not great enough to burn the amount of calories taken in, weight increases. If this imbalance continues, overweight and possibly obesity result.

Given our fondness for fast food (an ever-growing fondness, due to ever-busier lives) and our tendency to "supersize," it's easy to imagine that caloric intake is the crux of the obesity problem. And certainly it is part of the problem, especially considering the quality of the calories consumed. (Recent evidence indicates that children get a full quarter of their vegetable servings in the form of potato chips and French fries!) But the greater problem lies with the second half of the equation: energy out.

Studies both here and abroad have indicated this is true. The Framingham Children's Study, for example, found that preschool children with low levels of physical activity gained significantly more subcutaneous (beneath the skin) fat than did more active children. In another study it was determined that inactive preschoolers were 3.8 times more likely than active preschoolers to have increased triceps skinfold thickness (the best measure of obesity in children) in follow-up assessments. It's also been found that children who watch more than five hours of television a day are almost five times more likely to be overweight than children who watch two hours or less ? with excessive TV viewing considered to contribute to 60 percent of the risk of obesity in children.

More specifically, in the United Kingdom, while the proportion of overweight or obese children remained the same between 1974 and 1984, there was a marked increase in the following decade. The research, reported in the British Medical Journal, determined the change was due not to increased energy (calorie) intake but rather to a decrease in energy output.

Studies in the United States have made the same determination. An increase in childhood obesity of 20 percent over the last decade (at least one in five American children is currently overweight) has occurred despite a decrease in overall fat consumption and little change in caloric intake.

According to the authors of a research article appearing in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, there is one consistent observation that stands out among the studies of energy expenditure in young children. That unfortunate observation is that children under the age of seven seem to expend about 20 to 30 percent less energy in physical activity than the level recommended by the World Health Organization.

Sedentary children? Obese children? Unfit children? They're all a fact of life in today's society. The sad irony is that in today's society we're more "active" than ever ? in terms of "busyness," that is. Perhaps we should get busy becoming more active in the physical sense. Energy out is the key to maintaining an appropriate weight during childhood. As such, exercise (mostly in the form of active play) should be a natural part of the child's daily life ? a habit as common as brushing teeth.

Said Dr. Samuel Abbate, at a childhood obesity conference sponsored by the North Dakota Department of Health: "The consequences of denying the body exercise are just as severe as depriving it of food, water, or oxygen; it just takes longer to see the consequences."

Rae Pica is a children's physical activity specialist and the author of Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activity (McGraw-Hill, 2003). Rae speaks to parent and education groups throughout North America. You can visit her and read more articles at http://www.movingandlearning.com.

SUPERLASIK- Enhance Your Vision; Safer Than LASIK

Things are moving forward and new and advanced procedures are being developed for those who originally could not receive the standard Lasik procedure. Dr. Khanna has introduced a brand new procedure called "Super Lasik" a new, safer and more stable procedure that has now been created for those who have thin or abnormal corneas. What is great about this new procedure is the effects are more precise and long term. This procedure is a culmination of the merger of benefits of both PRK and LASIK. To accomplish this cutting edge surgery, Dr Khanna uses a new FDA approved instrument called a Epikeratome. This instrument raises an approximately 50 micron flap (thinner than even an Intralase). Laser surface ablation using the latest generation of LASERS is than done. Like in LASIK the flap is riposted back. A bandage lens is than placed over the eye. This is a safer method of visual correction. There is no distortion of the architecture of the cornea. So if the cornea has a young's modulus which is low, or is thin or asymmetric this method is safer. Young's modulus= stress/strain

Anyone over the age of eighteen can benefit from corrective vision surgery. The investment pays for itself. What's really exciting is that Superlasik can even be done on patients who have thin corneas and were not candidates for LASIK. Its also safer since minimal trauma is done to the cornea. Patients leave with a new completeness and clarity with life because really, how we see things affects our total outlook on life. We have been impressed by the quick recovery following this new procedure. It has even been better than we anticipated. Most of our patients are able to drive the next day and some even return to work. People leave feeling rejuvenated and young, and in reality who wouldn't want that? What has been exciting is that this technology is even safer than Intralase or the all laser LASIK. The flap is more consistent and thinner than what the Intralase can fashion.

Can a Rose have no thorns? Superlasik may not be a panacea for all. If a patient has keratoconus or Pellucid marginal degeneration or other corneal disease than this procedure is not for them. Immunological disease and catracts may also preclude people. For more info visit www.Khannainstitute.com

Dr. Khanna, a certified Master of Surgery, specializes in only the most advanced Lasik procedures such as laser wavefront, advanced surface, multi focal lenses, refractive lens exchange and refractive cataract.

He is a current member of the UCLA faculty, where he shares his surgical skills and expertise in the safest and most effective forms of refractive surgery with a new generation of ophthalmic surgeons. He is also an active member of the top ophthalmology organizations including the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive.

With his extensive experience comes his need to make sure his patients benefit in every way possible from their procedures. Before surgery one will have pre-op consultations in which he will measure the cornea and dilate the eyes so that he can determine what procedure is right for that particular individual. With this dedication and patience comes the patient's reward; a new and refreshing persp