Do you want to rediscover a natural source of happiness that many of us tend to overlook in this modern hectic world? It’s available to all of us, twenty-four hours a day. It’s free. It’s as close as your own backyard. And best of all, it works. I’ll reveal it to you in just a second, however first I need to point out one potential problem. Unfortunately this source of happiness is so obvious that many of us take it for granted. Many of you reading this article will dismiss the idea as too simple, and will just continue on with your search for happiness elsewhere. WRONG! Happiness is simple. I challenge you to try this approach and to see for yourself whether it works for you or not. Take action. You’ve got nothing to lose. Ok, so what is this source of happiness? Nature! That’s right, the natural environment. It’s here right now for your own enjoyment. And personally, I find it to be one of the most effective ways to change your focus away from yourself and your problems, and direct it out to the world around you. Depressed people tend to mope about the house complaining, worrying or stressing about their problems. Happy people will get out and enjoy life. So let’s pretend for a moment that we’re happy, and make a determined effort to get back to nature. I promise you won’t be pretending for long. Happiness waits outside. Rediscover your own backyard, or your front porch. Sit and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of nature. Watch the birds and insects busily go about their lives. Watch the trees sway in the breeze. Pack a picnic lunch and head off by yourself or with some friends to a park with a nice view. Take a trip to the mountains where you could sit for a lifetime and never get sick of the view. Ride a motorbike on the open highway, or drive in your car with the windows down, and enjoy the countryside. It doesn’t matter where you live. Nature is there right alongside you. And beauty can be found everywhere. Even in the inner city. Find the local park areas and make use of them. Or sit on a bench and watch the pigeons. Or watch the clouds pass overhead. What if you don’t like your surroundings? What if you live and work at an open-pit mine site, for example. Simple! Narrow your focus down to one single point. Perhaps one single stone or blade of grass? Look at it with amazement and wonder. Enjoy the experience. And when you’re ready expand your focus slightly and gradually to take in larger and larger areas. The truth you will discover is that nature is never ugly or disgusting. It’s just that YOU chose to perceive it that way. Now you know better. Anywhere you can find nature, in any form, you’ve found a potential source of happiness. The key is where you focus your thoughts. Don’t sit on the beach worrying about your financial problems or the latest drama with your friends. Whatever problem your mind is focussed on, just turn it off for a short while. Take your mental focus off yourself and direct it to your natural surroundings. Watch the waves roll in. Listen to the sounds of the waves crashing on the sand. Watch and listen to the children playing in the water. Feel the cool sea breeze on your skin. Take your attention away from yourself, and focus it on your natural surroundings. Look at the world with love and gratitude. Say “thank you” to the life that exists all around you. It’s impossible to be depressed while you’re expressing true love. It’s impossible to be sad while you’re expressing true gratitude. So get out and enjoy nature. And be happy! By Lance Beggs Copyright 2005 Lance Beggs. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
5 Ways to improve workplace morale
Increased turnovers, costly decreases in productivity and overall employee dissatisfaction are all ramifications of low morale in the workplace. Moral is a vital component of any organization or business for it to thrive and achieve success. Here are five ways to improve workplace morale easily and inexpensively that will boost your team's performance and lower levels of tension and stress. Install a Humor Board Most every office has several memo boards for important work-related information, some pleasant, some not so pleasant. Install a memo board in a neutral location that is specifically for people to post jokes, cartoons, funny pictures or amusing anecdotes. This way everyone can get a little laugh after arriving for work on a dreary Monday morning. Adopt Flextime Schedules If possible, work out a way for employees to have more flexibility in their schedules. You may be surprised at the amount of stress that can be alleviated by this one thing. With daycares and households with two working parents, and possibly only one vehicle, this small move can be monumental to some people. Work out a schedule or system for employees to leave an hour early or come in an hour late on certain days. Alternate days and times so that everyone gets an opportunity to benefit if needed. Get Away From It All Hold meetings and conferences at a location away from the office if at all possible. A restaurant or local park would be a welcome alternative to a stuffy boardroom on a clear, spring day. People may be more alert and more receptive to the specifics of the meeting in another less stifling environment. Share the Wealth Offer employees incentives to "coach" their co-workers on their lunch or break times. Incentives could come in the form of paid time off, gift certificates to stores or restaurants, movie tickets or even small, simple mementos to show appreciation. This is a morale booster in a few ways; firstly, new or confused employees can glean valuable information from their more experienced colleagues and secondly, it may make the "coach" feel better about their job, themselves and their performance. Offer Contests and Awards Special days such as "Ugliest Outfit Day" or "Best Disguise Day" or "Funniest Story Day" can be a way to lighten the mood for a bit and encourage communication between employees. Offer "awards" which can be simple prizes and certificates given to the winners to display. Boosting employee morale doesn't have to be expensive or involved. Even contagious cheerfulness on a regular basis can mean the difference between a dour workplace and a welcoming, productive one. Ask the employees for their ideas and listen to their thoughts. Work out a viable plan that will motivate them and make them more productive and happier at the same time.
The hunt for the right toothbrush
You just brushed your teeth and you noticed that your toothbrush is all worn out. Worse, you feel like your teeth are totally not cleaned and your gums are a bit sore because of the hard bristles. You are again confronted with the ever recurring dilemma of trying to find another toothbrush. The almost unlimited types and designs of a toothbrush make choosing the right one seem very complicated. Even the shapes are that varied. There is the plain straight toothbrush, colored, hard, medium, soft, disposable, foldable, pocket sized and of course the expensive electric toothbrush. I. Essential For Clean Teeth No matter how hard it is to find the right toothbrush, it is necessary to clean our teeth by brushing. Regular brushing maintains healthy teeth and gums. It removes food particles between your teeth that can eventually form hard to remove plaque. Without the proper toothbrush, you can have teeth and gum problems. This will lead to bad breath, tooth decay and teeth extraction. This in turn will affect your social life, your work and your health. Everything about you could really be connected in choosing the right toothbrush. 1. Get A Grip Find a toothbrush that could reach the ends of your molars, gums, teeth crevices and any hard to reach areas. This should always be the first criteria 2. Manual or Electric The American Dental Association has no preference on which is the better toothbrush between manual and electric. The most important thing to consider is that if it can clear every area of the teeth. 3. ADA Approved A toothbrush that is approved for use by the American Dental Association is a safe basis in buying a toothbrush. ADA undergoes all products to rigorous steps in every part of production to assure its quality. 4. Size of the Toothbrush The usual straight toothbrush is always a safe choice in terms of reaching the ends of your teeth. Also, the size of the toothbrush should be proportionate to the size of the person using it. For example, if a person has a smaller teeth structure, a small toothbrush will fit the best. A big man definitely has a large set of teeth and would need a big toothbrush to clean them all. 5. Head of the Toothbrush Areas between the lower molar and the tongue are hard to reach areas; the ends of the mouth are always hard to clean. Smaller headed toothbrushes can really clean and reach the ends of the mouth. 6. Bristles Soft bristles is safe in cleaning the mouth because there is a lesser chance of chipping of teeth and enamel and wounding the gum. Medium on the other hand can have more pressure and more area cleaned at a lesser time. Large size toothbrushes are just made for the naturally bigger people like athletes. As a rule, adults can usually use a toothbrush with its head size similar to that of a 1 dollar coin. 7fort Our natural senses can usually tell us what the right toothbrush is for us. If it hurts, change the toothbrush. If you cannot feel the bristles rubbing your gum, change the toothbrush. Do this until you find the most comfortable brush. 8. Best toothbrush choice The best combination to find in a toothbrush is the head that is angled or tilted because it can reach the grooves and curves of the teeth. 9. Three month toothbrush Since toothbrush usually rubs with leftover food, it is susceptible to germs which can affect the health of the person using it. Therefore, do not prolong the toothbrush for more than 3 month. No matter how conscientious you are in cleaning your toothbrush after using it, germs could still accumulate in time. For 0 to 2 years old The head size of this toothbrush is 15mm which is about the diameter size of Hong Kong’s 10 cents. 2 to 6 years old Toothbrush-size should be like the 20 cents coin of Hong Kong or 19mm. 6 to 12 years old The size of the toothbrush head is like the 50 cents Hong Kong coin or 22mm. 12 years and up The size of the toothbrush head is like the one dollar Hong Kong coin or 25mm.
Wedding weekend activities
Wedding Weekend Activities Weekend weddings are becoming more popular, particularly as families are spread further apart. They usually begin on Friday night, continue with the wedding Saturday and conclude with a post-wedding breakfast on Sunday before everyone returns home. Planning activities for these weekend-long celebrations doesn't have to be difficult; in fact, it can be quite a bit of fun if you keep everyone's needs in mind. First, consider the wedding. Will this be a formal wedding with a sit-down dinner at its center? If so, you might want to ban a formal rehearsal dinner and replace it instead with an informal barbecue dinner or picnic. But how will you keep people occupied during the long weekend? There are many activities to consider. Will the wedding be near a lake? How about planning a day at the lake on Saturday, filled with pre-wedding activities like swimming races and beach volleyball. One popular pre-wedding activity is a scavenger hunt. Prior to the wedding weekend, a list of meaningful items should be drawn up, and guests placed in two teams. The list should include things like "get a brochure from the jewelry store where (groom) bought (bride)'s ring" or "take a picture of the group at the location where the couple got engaged". You will have to tailor the scavenger hunt list to the location of the wedding and the energy of the guests who will be participating. You can even offer lavish prizes for the team that wins the scavenger hunt, such as gift certificates or gourmet food and wine baskets. It might seem an obvious choice to divide the teams into groups who know or are related to the bride and teams who know or are related to the groom, but it might be a little more fun to mix it up a bit. You can create teams of friends versus family, or men versus women (always a popular choice). Another activity that's popular during wedding weekends is a competitive sport activity, such as baseball or flag football. Again, add a special twist. Offer prizes for performance (first home run gets a kiss from the bride) or make silly rules, like members of the bridal party have to wear tiaras while running bases or members of the groom's family should always have their shirts on backwards. It's important that during the wedding weekend, planners keep in mind that the weekend itself might be expensive for some guests, particularly those who had to fly in for the occasion and many of the activities should be free, or inexpensive. If they are more expensive, and planned for the entire group, they should be paid for by either the bride and groom or their families. But there are plenty of activities that don't have to be expensive, but can provide big bang for the little buck, such as the scavenger hunt suggested above. If the wedding weekend guests will mostly be family, you can schedule a home movie-viewing event, including home movies from both the bride and groom's families. For even more fun, consider an activity where the movies are mixed up and the guests have to guess which family's videos they are watching. This might sound easy, but depending on the contents, it could be hard, particularly if the bride and groom are babies in the photos. Word count 552
Campers shoes a carefree way to enjoy adventure
Are you a camping freak? Do you go out for camping with your friends frequently? If yes, then you can't do without campers shoes. Campers shoes allow you to have a great camping experience. This is the reason you should go in for a good pair of campers shoes before even considering going out for camping. Camping include several activities such as fishing, hunting, canoeing and sightseeing. These are just some of the activities. There are several activities that require you spending good time on your feet such as hiking the trails or hiking from your tent to the car. For all these activities, you require a good pair of camper shoes. Without camper shoes you can injure your feet or even damage them. Remember that a good pair of campers shoes are a must have when you consider spending some time with nature. All campers shoes are not created equal. Hence, prospective campers require to be careful when shopping for camping footwear. First and foremost, you need to consider the kind of camping activities you will be involved in during your camping adventure. If you are simply going to be walking around the campsite, then a pair of light weight, comfortable campers shoes will solve the purpose. You can also purchase a shoe that is mid-rise or high style. The higher top will let you keep dirt and sand out of your shoes. It provides additional stability that is required badly for uneven ground. There are people who are interested in going for long hikes along riverbeds or streams. There is nothing wrong in it. However, you require water-resistant shoes. Here, water-resistant does not simply mean 'waterproof'. Here water-resistant implies that the shoe will actually resist water but it is not impervious to water itself. You must be aware of the amount of discomfort one may face due to cold and blisters due to wet feet. Hence, it is necessary to keep in mind that the campers shoes you purchase are water-resistant if you consider going out on a water adventure. In case, you are going to be walking along rocky trials or climbing along jagged rock surfaces, then campers shoe with a steel shank will best suit your requirements. Rocks are beautiful to look at but abusive for your feet. A steel shank has the tendency to absorb energy and protect your feet. This will also keep you comfortable and pain-free. In case, you plan to walk along well marked and well traveled paths and a rocky trial, campers shoes with a steel shank will be not be able to save your feet. You should opt for a light weight shoe. This will be inexpensive for you and protect your feet well. Never, ever settle for cheap quality campers shoes. Cheap quality campers shoes may be lighter on your wallet but tend to damage your feet in due course of time. These campers shoes are not durable and do not withstand problems faced by campers during camping. Try to find out campers shoes that are really worth spending your hard-earned money on and let you enjoy your camping experience. You can visit some of the best online companies in this regard. These companies will provide you affordable deals.
Search engine scoring system
: Search Engine Scoring System Brought to you by: Nerd Lib Software Labs This article covers TITLE TAGS, MAIN BODY CONTENT, and META TAGS (which is what you see below). Search engines give more importance to some items in their ranking algorithms. Following is a list of what items are given the most importance to items that have the least importance, in search engine rankings. TITLE . 2.0 LINK POPULARITY . 2.0 THE MAIN BODY TEXT . 1.5 DOMAIN NAME . 1.0 KEYWORD PROMINENCE . 1.0 HEADING TAGS . 0.5 PROXIMITY OF KEYWORDS . 0.5 BOLD or ITALIC . 0.4 FOLDER or FILENAME . 0.3 META DESCRIPTION . 0.3 ALT TAG . 0.2 TITLE ATTRIBUTE . 0.2 META KEYWORDS . 0.1 TOTAL HIGHEST SCORE POSSIBLE = 10 TITLE TAG . 2.0/10 The title tag is an important part of a website. It is basically a short description of the page, and the most important words should go first. Every HTML (web page) should have a title tags and all tags should be unique. It is recommended that you do not use the same tags for multiple documents. Some tips to keep in mind when creating title tags are: * It should always appear immediately after the opening
tag * It should be specific keywords and phrases * If you use the same keyword twice, do not use it right next to each other. (eg.