ZXZ Foundation

Goddess Seeks God

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:41:08 +0000

She sighs as a flute, softly emitting silver echoes of her rapture. This is the sacred song of a female, a woman, whose fragrance is rising to the mind, where petals fold back, releasing a white-gold energy into infinity.

The rushing of the red transforms through the heart to higher thought, where sexual feelings become Goddess and God fused. They exchange their buds of desire, mouth to mouth. The membrane of self-protection splits, and the fluids of love rush out with delight. They possess.

The cries of divine utterance settle to frail weeping, as a rose who has received a full shower of dew. In the pleasant half sleep that follows, she cannot completely realize that she has partaken of the Goddess. She was, for a moment of time, a Goddess. Did she not leave her mortal body and flee to the habitation of spirits? Was she also spirit? Then is she not Goddess? Why did she return to earthly flesh after drinking with him? Perhaps, as two serpents of love they weave and dance around each other, until their heads and eyes see as one. Their fangs pass on to each other the venom of ecstasy, and they reach across the limitless space in a blurred dream. Therefore, in this life they are able to touch briefly the Goddess and God they are and glimpse what they might be if they awaken.

She lies with the leaves on the forest floor, struck by love, and left to continue her days. Another time she will meet him with whom she shares the eons of the spirits, and they will writhe, unchained to the passages of flesh. Peace is hers because she sought her male and he called for her name to the mountains and the winds, and requested the mermaids to deliver to him the woman he needed to show him how to be a God.

There is much misery for a woman who cannot find the balm of their soul in all the countless males she ventures upon. Emotionally, she believed she was not a fortress, she was weak, and therefore met the beasts of the world defenseless. Why didn’t she see that she was a Goddess and born to the earth to take her throne? She let many men enjoy her honey, her precious nectar. There was no price for it except a pledge of love. As the morning came, her liquid had been robbed; her face in the reflecting mirror was as the ebb tide. Over time, she became the comfortless hag. Her beauty, once as a translucent magnolia, withdrew into the deep cracks of the desert. Waterless, she could only offer prairie prickles to those who went by, and, equally, no one gave her a chalice of hope.

Yet, beyond the rivers and woods, another Goddess spoke with a perfumed spirit. A Goddess who waits for her lover, flouncing through many gardens of bleeding flowers so she can understand the pain of intimacy. Her feet are bruised from running away.

Patiently she has kept her sweet ointment in a golden jar seeded with pearls. No man had satisfied the value, for which she asked divinity. This Goddess beheld herself in an inner mirror… the secret voice whispered of mysteries, which are to be seen within the crystals. Observing the men of the earth, she saw searing hot auras of red passion and proud phalluses that spun off energy to the four directions like bolts from the hand of Thor. Rapidly, these unattached flames imploded, unable to shoot across the dimensions. They were nothing of themselves but a primitive urge. So, the Goddess knew the bursts of man, and wished to meld with a selected one. A God, who would be searching for a higher entrance; not to moisten the earth with his fertility, but fire himself through the veils of the universe while she sang on the flute of her expression.

If there seems to be a shortage of Gods, it may be the fault of the woman you presently are. You must work with attention for your desire to manifest. You have to dine with the spirits of the upper realms to become at one. Light their candles, drink willingly of their wine and devour their food with all honesty. Command your Higher Self to direct your compass. Open your front door and sweep the steps sadistically, for today you caught sight of yourself. There shall be no more mercy for the pitiful, godless being you were. Write your advertisement in the air so every spirit may assist you: Goddess seeks God.

Victoriana, Victorian Swoon & Erotica, Goddess Romance & wisdom.

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How to Recognize Stress Before it Turns Into Anger

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:37:23 +0000

After a stressful day as a computer programmer, Jim pulled into his driveway. The children’s toys were scattered on the walkway to the house.

He immediately began noticing slight tension in his muscles and apprehension in his stomach. Entering his house, his wife ignored him while she talked with her sister on the telephone. His heart started beating a little faster.

Looking around, he noticed disarray; nothing was picked up, the house was a mess. Irritation and frustration started to settle in. Finally, as his feelings grew, he exploded and began yelling at his wife and children.

Stress may trigger anger:

Stress is often the trigger that takes us from feeling peaceful to experiencing uncomfortable angry feelings in many common situations such as the one described above.

Stress is most easily defined as a series of bodily responses to demands made upon us called stressors.

These “demands” or stressors can be negative (such as coping with a driver who cuts in front of you on the freeway) or positive (such as keeping on a tour schedule while on vacation).

Stressors may be external to you (like work pressure) or internal (like expectations you have of yourself or feeling guilty about something you did or want to do).

Whether the stressor is external or internal, scientists have discovered that the major systems of the body work together to provide one of the human organism’s most powerful and sophisticated defenses; the stress response which you may know better as “fight-or-flight.”

This response helps you to cope with stressors in your life. To do so, it activates and coordinates the brain, glands, hormones, immune system, heart, blood and lungs.

Avoid Jim’s destructive behavior toward his loved ones. Before your stress response turns into anger or aggression, use these strategies to get it under control:

Read your personal warning lights: Becoming aware of your stress response is the first step to managing it. This means listening to your body, being aware of your negative emotions, and observing your own behavior when under stress.

For instance, notice muscle tension, pounding heart, raising voice, irritation, dry mouth, or erratic movements.

What you see is what you get: For a potential stressor to affect us -stress us out – we have to first perceive it or experience it as a stressor.

Gaining a new perspective on the stressing situation can often drastically change the effect it has on us. Our stress response can indeed be a response (something we can control) instead of a knee-jerk reaction (which is automatic).

Examples: Cut off on the freeway? “It is not personal. That guy has a problem. I will stay calm.” Bullied by a co-worker? “If I react, he wins. Later, I will privately let him know how I feel about what he did. If that doesn’t work, I’ll discuss it with our manager.”

Stress-Guard your life: You can also make many life-style changes to reduce or minimize feeling stressed-out, even if you can’t change some of your actual stressors

For instance, manage your time better, establish priorities, protect yourself from toxic relationships, and find a way to manage your money better, or consider changing your job or occupation.

Other stress-guards include those you have probably heard before, but maybe need to do more frequently such as:

getting adequate rest,
eating a healthy diet,
avoiding excessive alcohol intake,
living in a way consistent with your core personal values,
developing social networks of friends and support.

Stress is most easily defined as a series of bodily responses to demands made upon us called stressors. It’s important to recognize these stress responses and develop techniques to lessen the impact.

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Health, Vitality, and Courage

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:19:58 +0000

During the dark years that followed my diving accident, I deviated from my wholesome eating habits. This deviation was partly due to my limited control over my diet, as I lived in a hospital or a group home. It was also due to my reduced health-consciousness. Largely disgusted with life, I was proportionally hedonistic and suicidal. I sought consolation in gustatory pleasure at the risk of undermining my health. To be more precise, I often overindulged my fondness for fatty and savory foods or sweet ones, with the result that I gained weight and lost my edge – that is, part of my vitality. This loss was ominous. It took a wealth of vitality to accept and overcome the difficulty of attaining happiness. The more I was devitalized and consequently weak, the more I was likely to be daunted by this difficulty.

Devitalization was the worst form of impoverishment. In a state of weakness, it was tempting to deny that happiness was possible or worth the effort and choose the easy option: idleness and carelessness or death. I never gave in to this morbid temptation, but my overindulgence in fatty and savory foods or sweet ones caused my vitality to lessen and my depression to worsen, thereby reinforcing my hedonistic and suicidal tendencies. I had entered a vicious circle, or rather a downward spiral that led to hell.

Fortunately, before it was too late, I became disgusted with my way of life, as opposed to life itself. I was less a victim of circumstances than a fool who brought about his own misery, on account of his negative attitude and self-destructive behavior. I began my uphill journey to wisdom and health.

Health is the basis for every human achievement, even when it is poor, in which case it provides a lot less vitality and longevity than when it is good. I pledged to do everything possible to be healthy to maximize my potential to live and love.

In fact, health is not just a matter of vitality and longevity; it is also a matter of sanity. A sound mind is a complement to a sound body. Furthermore, the one is dependent on the other. This dependence had dawned on me with dazzling clarity a few months after I had moved into my apartment and improved my diet. By then I had studied many health books. They had helped me define and meet my nutritional requirements much more wisely.

My body needed a balanced and moderate amount of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, minerals, and vitamins to function well. Correlatively, the foods containing these nutrients had to be properly chewed to aid digestion and absorption (this did not apply to fiber: a type of carbohydrate that the body can neither digest nor absorb). Proper chewing reduces foods to mush and proportionally increases the effect of the digestive juices on them or the availability of the nutrients that are ready for absorption. I thoroughly performed this simple chore, at the center of life.

To start with, carbohydrates are simple or complex sugars that I generally obtained from fruit, honey, milk products, beets, rutabagas, potatoes, legumes (beans, lentils, or peas), nuts, seeds, whole grains, and the bread, cereal, or pasta made from these grains. Simple sugars and digestible complex sugars serve as an energy source and participate in the synthesis of DNA and RNA molecules: the genetic information and the genetic messengers that enable the organism to regenerate and reproduce. Indigestible complex sugars, better known as dietary fiber, are capable of promoting the elimination of waste through the intestine. Refined foods are depleted of this fiber, without which constipation is a predictable outcome that bodes ill. Except on festive occasions, I resolutely avoided them.

Lipids include two main subdivisions: saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated fats (with a phosphoric component in some of them – i.e., in phospholipids versus triglycerides that are pure fats) and cholesterol, which is a singular fatty compound. Like simple sugars and digestible complex sugars, saturated fats and monounsaturated fats serve as an energy source. In addition, they contribute to the integrity of the body tissues. Polyunsaturated fats and cholesterol also contribute to this integrity and are used for a variety of vital functions involving the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, and immune systems.

A distinctive feature of polyunsaturated fats is their instability. When exposed to heat, light, or air, such as in processing, intense cooking, or prolonged everyday use, they can suffer damage and become harmful. In view of this fact, I was careful to eat the foods that contained them – for example, walnuts and seeds, and the oil extracted from either – in their most natural (unprocessed and if possible uncooked) form and fresh (unspoiled) state. When cooking was necessary, as in the case of fish or tofu, which numbered among these foods, I resorted to steaming or baking in preference to frying and proceeded with caution, while avoiding the pitfall of undercooking. I applied the same basic principles to the foods that contained monounsaturated fats, like peanuts, almonds, olives, and avocado, and the oil extracted from any of them, though these fats are less unstable than their polyunsaturated counterparts. As for cholesterol, found exclusively in animal products, and saturated fats, found mostly in land animal products, they have a reputation for causing arterial blockage and organ dysfunction if consumed without restraint. I limited my intake of them by following a largely vegetarian diet where animal flesh was the exception, not the rule. Actually, I exercised restraint in my consumption of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats as well. The opposite, like any lack of moderation, is a health hazard.

Now for proteins. They are various macromolecules that comprise a large number of amino acids (nitrogenous molecules that occur in twenty-two different forms). In the course of digestion, these macromolecules are broken down into these molecular components, which act thereafter as raw material or building blocks to produce new molecules or new macromolecules (polypeptides, smaller than proteins, or proteins) that suit our physiological needs in many areas: the metabolism, the blood, the mucous membranes, the skin and the tendons, the muscles, plus the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. These molecular components act so if the body has enough carbohydrates and fats to satisfy its energy requirements. Otherwise, they are stripped of their nitrogenous part and mobilized into satisfying these requirements. This constitutes a waste of precious amino acids and a burden to the kidneys, in charge of eliminating the free nitrogenous part after the liver has transformed it into urea. As it happened, my main sources of protein – namely, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and the bread, cereal, or pasta made from these grains, together with milk products and eggs – were also rich in carbohydrates or fats. Here the fats that mattered were saturated or monounsaturated, whereas the polyunsaturated ones were not a favorable means of satisfying my energy requirements, given the many other important roles they played.

Lastly, minerals and vitamins are a group of some thirty substances that complement carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. A deficiency in one of them can hamper a bodily function and jeopardize in so doing the health of an individual. Collectively, as precursors or components of useful agents, or as useful agents themselves, they assist in numerous processes: vision, nerve impulses and neurotransmission, muscle contraction, digestion and absorption, regulation of blood sugar and of the metabolic rate, respiration, energy production, regeneration and reproduction, formation and maintenance of bones and teeth, coagulation, protection against free radicals (noxious atoms or molecules), and immunity. My usual sources of carbohydrates, lipids, and protein already supplied me with minerals and vitamins, all the more since they were unrefined. Refining is a terrible refinement that depletes fibers and nutrients in foods. Nevertheless, to make sure I got enough minerals and vitamins, I rounded off these usual sources with additional vegetables: carrots, radishes, cauliflower, red cabbage, green vegetables, leafy or non-leafy, garlic, and onions. I drank plenty of water to boot, though not during or immediately after meals lest I interfere with my digestion by flooding my stomach. Drinking water typically contains a minute quantity of minerals. Much more importantly, it has the ability to replenish the bodily fluids and cleanse the system of undesirable substances.

The best thing about my improved diet was that in a few months my state of mind had taken a turn for the better in a big way. Never before had I thought so clearly and felt so enterprising. I was brimming with vitality and soon became immersed in the writing of my book on “vital efficiency.” It appeared I was a lot more capable of rationalizing and embracing the challenge of leading a fulfilling life, because I was a lot more alive. My energy level had risen dramatically. I could sleep three hours, rest another two hours, and go about my business for the remaining nineteen hours. In conjunction with this rise, my morale was unusually high. Circumstances alone could not account for this boost. My relationship with my girlfriend (the extremely kind and gentle, and rather pretty nurse) was in the doldrums and on the brink of termination. My new apartment, on the other hand, was a significant improvement; but what changed for the better during the few months in question was primarily the condition of my body, which impacted my state of mind. I was vibrant with health, notwithstanding I still experienced bladder problems that somewhat weakened me on occasion. This health was both physical and mental. I had a vigorous and joyous sense of purpose that kept me going and especially writing.

In the effort to be healthy, a reasonable diet is not everything. Fresh air and regular exercise ought to form part of this effort. There are two types of exercise; both require stretching, before and after, plus warmup and cooldown periods, to avoid injuries.

The first type of exercise is anaerobic, not dependent on the intake of oxygen. An example of anaerobic exercise is weightlifting. Done frequently, in vigorous workouts, it strengthens muscles and bones. The second and most beneficial type of exercise is aerobic, dependent on the intake of oxygen. An example of aerobic exercise is jogging. Done every day or a few times a week, for at least fifteen minutes (enough to markedly and sustainedly increase the activity of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, responsible for delivering oxygen to the body tissues), it yields numerous health benefits. Besides strengthening muscles and bones, it raises endurance, improves the handling of stress, promotes good mood, boosts the immune function, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, and helps to prevent obesity together with disorders like diabetes and hypertension that often accompany this condition. In a nutshell, fresh air and regular exercise are important aspects of a wholesome lifestyle. They result in someone being stronger, feeling better, and probably living longer.

Official web site: http://laurentgrenier.com/ARFL.html

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The Power of Inspiration

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:00:04 +0000

INSPIRATION can be a powerful thing. It can keep you going when all around you cries out “quit!” It is even more powerful than motivation,as motivation gives you your basic reasons to keepgoing–it tells you why you want to do what you do, because motivation is based on goals. These, in turn, may be based on necessity want or desire. But inspiration fills those reasons with hope, possibil-ity and enjoyment and keeps the “grind” from becomingtoo grindy. But just what does inspiration consist of? Iposit two elements: vision and mission. Proverbs29:18 says ‘Where there is no vision, the peopleperish.” A vision is the first step toward turningyour motivation into inspiration. A person with a vision sees down the road. He can sense what itwill be like six weeks, six months, a year, twoyears, five years and more ahead. But how do you get a vision?, you ask. Firstof all, you need to narrow your perspective. You can’t attempt to “ride off in all directions at once,”so to speak. Try to decide what it is you arelooking for, so you’ll know it when you see it.In other words, try to have in mind some generalgoals as to where you want to be six months a year,etc. from now. These goals will not only form thebasis of your motivation but should also serve to limit to an extent the scope of your activity. Next, try to locate and choose an opportunity(buisness, career or job) which you feel is right for you.This may be easier said then done, as there are many choiceswhich sound good. You may come upon an outstanding oneright away, purely by chance. If so, latch onto it. Butyou will probably have to pick several at first andstudy the things which each one offers and try to evaluate the potential of each one as you see it.Settle on the one which you feel has the mostpotential with the least amount of hassle (preferablyone that is totally Internet driven as opposed to one where you have to spend time calling potential prospects by phone). Once you have chosen your company, stand behindit in every way and don’t quit or change your mind.B.C. Forbes said “Without loyalty, nothing can beaccomplished in any sphere…” Think of yourself as being in it for the long haul, no matter what. And try to envision, based on what you know, how things will be down the road. Keep that picture before yourmind, and never doubt. Napoleon Hill said “What themind can conceive and believe it can achieve,”and the Bible says, in Hebrews 11:1 “Faith isthe substance of things hoped for, the evidenceof things not seen.” Once the vision is firmly implanted in your mind,let it become your driving force. Let the vision exciteyou with the possibility of its fulfillment and you willautomatically begin the next step–you are on a mission. Your mission is to bring about the realization of thevision. If you keep the vision in mind, you will moveforward in the mission, accomplishing enthusiasticallystep by step that which is necessary to bring the visioninto reality. You will have developed a sense of excite-ment, importance and urgency which will keep the fires ofinspiration burning in your heart and moving you ever onwardand upward.

Article written by Rev. James M. Becher, Bible teacher, author of “OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM, A Novel of Biblical Times,” (http://www.publishedauthors.net/jamesmbecher/index.html), and publisher of the bi-weekly Ezine, “Inspirational Success Tips” (inspirationalsuccesstips@Freeautobot.com)

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If There’s Money in a Dead Mouse…

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:44:58 +0000

My 4 year old son was very excited. I had promised him
to tell a wonderful story tonight.

As usual, I got engrossed in my work till late evening
when I suddenly remembered about my promise.

I hurriedly searched my personal library to find a suitable
story for my loved one.

But, what I found astonished me…

I’d never read that book before. I might have bought it
a couple of years ago but never managed to read.

This was a collection of short stories called
“The Jataka Tales”

One of the stories was so good and full of great stuff,
I wanted to share it with all of you.

– Sidebar–
The Jataka Tales are based on the folklore,
legends and ballads of ancient India. Although no definite
date cannot be assigned to the tales, taking into account
the archeological and literary evidence, it appears
they were compiled between 3rd century B.C. and 5th
century A.D.
–Sidebar–

Here goes the story…

In the city of Varanasi, a young man was once on
the lookout for a suitable job.

It so happened that the King’s Treasurer, accompanied by
a friend, passed by.

“The King values your work. The treasury is overflowing
with riches. What is the secret of your success?”
asked the treasurer’s friend.

“Initiative & Enterprise. I’ll explain what I mean…”
replied the wise treasurer and continued, pointing to a
dead mouse on the street…

“Do you see that dead mouse?… Yes?… Even without
any money, anyone with initiative could just pick up
that mouse and start a business”

“A dead mouse as capital?!!!… Ha..Ha..Ha..”
laughed the treasurer’s friend and the duo went away.

The young man stopped and gazed at the dead mouse.

“It sounds like an absurd idea… But the treasurer must
surely know what he is talking about!” thought the young
man and hesitantly picked up the dead mouse.

“But what can I do with it? Who would want to buy
a dead mouse?”

“Hey, pussy cat, come back! Ah! Now I know what has
attracted him” yelled a man who was passing by with
his pet cat.

The cat, attracted by the dead mouse, had jumped out
of it’s owner’s arms.

“My friend, will you sell your mouse to me?
I’ll pay you one coin for it.” asked the cat owner.

“The mouse is yours!”

“The first coin I’ve earned!” the young man was excited.

“But what can I do with this small coin?… The wise
treasurer has said one must have enterprise…Hmm”

“Oh! I’ve got it. I must find out if there is a
demand for something and then arrange to supply it!”
thought the young man and went into a grocery shop…

“Give me one coin’s worth of jaggery (sugar) please…”

The next morning, the young man filled a pot with drinking
water mixed with jaggery and went to the outskirts
of the city.

“I’ll wait here for the flower-gatherers to
return from work”

In the forest, workers were busy collecting flowers.
It was late in the afternoon when they finished their work
and began returning to the city.

“It’s so hot! and I’m so thirsty! There won’t be any water
to drink till we reach the city”, the workers felt.

“Ah! here they come!…” stood up the young man.

“Brothers, you must be tired. Have some sweet-water…”

“Thank you, friend… May you live long… All we can
give you is this bunch of flowers from each one of us.
How refreshed we feel after drinking that water!
May these flowers also make you happy…”

Each of the workers gulped some water and gave him a
bunch of flowers in return. “Bring us water tomorrow as
well, my friend”–the workers left.

The young man took the flowers to the temple in the city.
There he sold sold them for eight coins.

With the money he earned, the young man bought a bigger
pot and larger quantity of jaggery (sugar).

The next day he went back to the forest to give drinking
water to flower-gatherers and even further away,
to the fields where grass-cutters were working.

“Is anybody thirsty?”

“You won’t find anyone here who is not thirsty.
Give me some water, son…” the grass-cutters gracefully
drank the sweet-water.

“Brother, you are kind to us. What can we do for
you in return?”

“Nothing at present” replied the young man.

“But… don’t hesitate to ask us when you need our help”

A month passed by.

One evening, the young man was returning home when a
storm broke out.

Everywhere the wind blew down leaves and dry branches.

“If there’s money in a dead mouse, there should be money
in these leaves and branches, too!”

The next morning he went to the palace garden and spoke
to the gardener.

“You look worried, uncle. Can I help you?”

“How can you? The garden is littered with branches…
And the King is expected any moment now… I don’t know
how to clean the mess before he comes” wailed the gardener.

“I’ll help you if I can keep the fallen branches”
offered the young man.

“Take them, son… Only take them away soon”

“I’ll be back in a minute” the young man left
the messy garden.

He didn’t have to go far to find a group of playing kids.

“Would you like to have some sugar candies?”

“Candies? Oh, certainly!” the kids shouted.

“Then come on, boys. I’ll give you some. Everyone will
get his share… “

The little kids were happy.

“Would you like to have some more? But you must earn it”

“Tell us what we should do! We are ready!”
shouted the excited kids.

“Then come with me. You must collect all the fallen
branches in the garden and heap them outside.
That’s easy! and fun too!”

Quickly they gathered up the fallen branches and heaped
them outside the garden. The garden now looked
clean and fresh.

“Ah! you have finished! here’s your reward, delicious
sugar candies! Thank you friends”

Just as the young man was wondering what he should do
next… a potter came by and stopped his cart.

“Is that heap of firewood for sale?…”

“Yes of course…”

“Here are sixteen coins. Please help me load my cart.
Now I have all the wood I need to fire the pots specially
ordered by the King”

The young man then went with the potter to the market.

“Have you heard? The horse dealer will be coming tomorrow”
the young man overheard a conversation in the market.

“Yes, yes, I hear he will be bringing five hundred
horses to sell”

The young man thought for a minute…

“Aha! that’s useful information…”

Hurriedly he went to the grass-cutters and said “Friends, I
seek a favor from you”

“At last! tell us what we should do” replied the
grass-cutters.

“I want a bundle of grass from each of you”
told the young man.

“We are five hundred in all. So, as many bundles
of grass will be delivered to you tonight”
the grass-cutters happily agreed.

The young man continued…

“And I want you to promise that till tomorrow afternoon
you will not sell anyone any grass at all”

The grass-cutters replied, “You are our friend.
You have given us sweet, flavored water when we
were thirsty without getting anything in return.
We will do what you ask without question”

The next morning the horse dealer arrived with five
hundred horses at the outskirts of the city.

“Strange! no one has come yet to sell me grass
for my horses”

He went to the market.

“No grass in a city like Varanasi?”

“Where have all the grass-cutters gone?”

Just then the horse dealer came across the young man’s
house and saw a big heap of grass bundles.

“Grass! At last! Young man, will you sell all
this grass to me? I’ll pay you well for it”
enquired the horse dealer.

The young man said, “The grass is yours, Sir”

“Good! then help my man load the cart”

“Here you are Sir, five hundred bundles of grass”

“And here’s your payment–one thousand coins”

The young man was excited.

“One thousand coins! I can put these to good use”

A day later…

“Why is it so quiet here today? Is anything the matter?”
enquired the young man, while strolling in the city market.

“Everyone is away making preparations to receive the boats
that will be arriving tomorrow” replied a passer by.

“Boats… arriving tomorrow?”

An idea flashed like lightning. He bought new clothes
and then went to hire a carriage.

“Send the carriage to my house early tomorrow morning.
Here’s some money as advance”

Very early the next morning, the young man rode in style
to the river harbor with his two friends and waited
to receive the visiting merchant.

He was, naturally, the first to greet the visiting merchant.

“Welcome to Varanasi”

“I’m happy to meet you, Sir”

The young man continued, “I want to buy all the merchandise
you have brought”

“Right. It’s a pleasure to do business with you”
replied the merchant.

The merchant quoted a price to which the young man readily
agreed and said, “I need time to arrange the payment.
Meanwhile, here’s my signet ring as a token of
advance and security”

Then the young man set up a small tent and said to
his friends, “When the city merchants come, bring them
in with due courtesy”

At day break, a hundred city merchants came to the harbor
and met the visiting merchant.

“My friend, we have come to do business with you!”

“I’m sorry, Sir. I’ve already sold everything”
said the visiting merchant.

The city merchants were taken aback, “When?? To whom??”

“To that young merchant over there” came back the reply.

The city merchants were shocked…

“He’s not one of us! We can’t let any new persons into
our trade or we’ll be ruined! We’ll lose our precious
customers! let’s buy him out! We’ll make him an offer
he can’t refuse!” discussed the city merchants.

“All right, let’s go to him” they decided.

“Welcome gentlemen! Welcome! Well, gentlemen, have you
a proposal to offer?” the young man asked courteously.

“Sir, we would like to buy a share each of the
total merchandise. We’ll pay you handsomely… thousand
gold coins each… That will make it a hundred thousand
gold pieces since there are hundred merchants here.
But we need all the merchandise–all of it”

Having agreed to the deal, the young man returned home.
“I still have a big amount left after paying
the visiting merchant. And I owe it all to
the treasurer’s wisdom!”

To express his gratitude, the young man went to call
on the treasurer, taking half of his profits with him.

“Sir, permit me to present you with these coins as my
humble tuition fee for the lesson I learned from you”

“But, I haven’t seen you before! Haven’t taught
you anything!” said the surprised treasurer.

“Yes, you have! I came by all my wealth in four
short months, simply by following your teachings”
said the young man.

Then he narrated the treasurer the whole story,
starting with the dead mouse.

The wise treasurer listened carefully and thought,
“This young man is extraordinarily clever.
Just the person I’d choose for my lovely daughter”

So, he married the young man to his daughter and
gave him all his family estates and happily said,
“The goddess of success smiles on those who show
INITIATIVE and ENTERPRISE. May you always be
so fortunate, my son!”

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Copyright (C) 2004 Raam Anand With Raam’s Joint
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Planning Your Postcard Marketing Campaign

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:54:16 +0000

Before you create your postcard, do a little planning. Ask yourself:1. Why are you doing this card mailing? Do you want to get new clients? Or do you want to stay in touch with existing clients?2. To whom are you going to be mailing these cards? Which begs another question: who’s on your mailing list? Now, you may be saying, “Martha, how can you ask such a thing? I don’t even have a mailing list!”Okay, you don’t have a proper list quite yet, but do you know anyone? I mean, do you have any friends, family, colleagues, former classmates, former coworkers, military buddies, or neighbors? I’ll bet you do.Now, all you need to do is get their names, addresses and other pertinent info into a database program like Act!, Capstralia Contact Expert, Microsoft Excel, Goldmine or Microsoft Outlook. There. Now you have yourself a mailing list.And, furthermore, you have the best kind of mailing list there is, because it’s made up of people you know. They’re going to be much more interested in what you have to offer than a list that’s made up of a bunch of strangers.Your list of people who know you may well do a lot of business with you. Or your list folks may send you business. Mine sure do!

Martha Retallick, “The Passionate Postcarder,” hails from Tucson, Arizona, USA. She is the author of Postcard Marketing Secrets, a downloadable PDF manual will show you how to put postcards to work for your business–profitably. Learn more about it at:http://www.PostcardMarketingSecrets.com

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Increase Your Response with Multi-Step Marketing

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:11:23 +0000

“There is only one way to judge the effectiveness of a marketing piece, and that is by the number of responses you get.” – Heidi Richards -

Multi-step marketing is a simple yet extremely powerful strategy when you use it to its full potential. Multi-step marketing is selling people who have contacted you and asked for information about your product or service; a great way to build your own mailing list of prospects and customers.

You are able to send multiple mailings to those same people from which you have created your own mailing list. The key to multi-step marketing is following up with the prospects using an intensive direct mail campaign. How do you develop your multi-step marketing campaign? Follow these four simple steps… click here to read the entire article.

Step One
Use some sort of direct response advertising to obtain your “leads.” Your ads should have a powerful headline directed at your target audience that causes them to read the rest of the ad and respond. The purpose of your ad is to arouse the reader’s or listener’s curiosity, getting them to call. Always offer them something for free. Your goal in step one is to generate leads.

Step Two

Your prospect reads the ad and calls – leaving her name and address or she writes to you for more information. Using voice mail almost always generates more leads because people want things quickly and easily. Thank the prospect for calling, state a couple of major benefits, and end by asking for her name and address. The message should be between one and two minutes – no more. The goal in step two is to record your leads.

Step Three

Send your direct response offer to the prospect. These prospects fall into one of three categories. We’ll call them cold, warm and hot prospects. A Cold prospect is slightly interested; she is looking and will not buy. These prospects represent a small percentage of your inquiries. A Warm prospect is very interested, but not ready to buy. They represent the majority of your inquiries. A Hot prospect is very interested and ready to buy. They also represent a small percentage of your inquiries.

Step Four

Follow up with mailings to prospects who didn’t buy. Repeat this step again and again. According to “Sales and Marketing Magazine,” 80% of all people who inquire about a product buy that product within one year, but not from the company that made the original contact. Why? Because the company didn’t follow up. It generally takes at least five contacts with a prospect who showed interest in the product or service you offer before they will buy from you. If you are successful with the initial mailing, you can expect 30 to 70 percent in leads turning into customers with follow up mailings.

You don’t have to change the entire mailing each time. Generally changing the cover letter and making minor changes to the mailing is sufficient. Remember that one of your biggest expenses is getting the prospect. By following these four steps you can watch your sales and profits sky-rocket!

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Create Your Own Rumors

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:13:13 +0000

A consultant new in the city asked me how I managed to get business so fast. Working for that marketing company definitely gave me a jump start. That’s because I already knew about press releases. Only in business a few months and I already had been in two of the local papers. However, it was my male mentors who introduced me to telemarketing.

At the suggestion of calling strangers on the phone was enough to terrify me. There was no way I could just dial up people and sell myself like a product. I was sure people would hang up. I insisted that I could not do it. Tim termed it “telephonitis.” Yes, that was it; I was scared of the telephone to use it in that way. I was given this advice. Don’t sell yourself, sell your company. Look at the company as a separate entity. Pretend you are telling people about your company.

Okay, I agreed to give it a try. I failed miserably. I stuttered, forgot what I was going to say and hung up on many people. Thank goodness, the phones back then didn’t have that return call back button. But I did realize that this is a great way to do marketing so I had to come up with a plan to jump this big boulder on my journey’s path.

I remembered back a few short weeks ago, when I answered the phone and was told by a female voice she was a college student, and was doing a survey. I did not feel she was being intrusive and answered her questions. At the end of the survey, she was very friendly and thanked me for my time. Therefore based with that memory, I decided to try a new approach to my telephonitis.

My first call was made to an accounting firm. I advised the voice on the line that I was a student doing research and did she have time to answer a few questions. The voice returned a polite yes. I had prepared a list of ten questions about her job title, did she work with a computer, the programs she worked on, etc. When finished, I thanked her for her time and hung up. You see with funds being limited, I needed to send flyers only to those who had computers. What I now possessed was a target market, As I got bolder with my surveys, I discovered that people were friendly and I could interject other stuff.

Many times, they were frustrated with their computer or their computer consultant. Bingo, I then would tell them all about this person I heard that had a great reputation. I would go on and on about how this consultant has many clients and they all just love her. Of course I was telling them about myself. It worked like a charm for me. Therefore I started my own rumors, and created my own tactic in the game.

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Gina Novelle is a published free lance writer. Her company sponsors the web site http://www.thirdpocket.com, a support site for the self-employed. Her book, “Business Secrets Men Don’t Tell Women” reveals how women and men view self-employment differently and will be available in 2005. She currently offers her services as an Ezine Writer to optimize search engine ratings. gina@exclusivemarkets.net

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Top 15 Food Quotations

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:43:10 +0000

“Happy and successful cooking doesn’t rely only on know-how; it comes from the heart, makes great demands on the palate and needs enthusiasm and a deep love of food to bring it to life.”–Georges Blanc

“I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage.”–Erma Bombeck

“As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, E, or U is the proper time for chocolate.”–Sandra Boynton

“Noncooks think it’s silly to invest two hours’ work in two minutes enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.”–Julia Child

“Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.”–Ben Franklin

“I prefer butter to margarine, because I trust cows more than I trust chemists.”–Joan Dye Gussow

“My mother’s menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it.”–Buddy Hackett

“Show me another pleasure like dinner which comes every day and lasts an hour.”–Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

“An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.”–Will Rogers

“The two biggest sellers in bookstores are the cookbooks and the diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it.”–Andy Rooney

“Oysters are more beautiful than any religion….There’s nothing in Christianity or Buddhism that quite matches the sympathetic unselfishness of an oyster.”–Saki

“Why, then the world’s mine oyster, Which I with sword will open.”–William Shakespeare

“So in our pride we ordered for breakfast, an omelet, toast and coffee and what has just arrived is a tomato salad with onions, a dish of pickles, a big slice of watermelon and two bottles of cream soda.”–John Steinbeck

“Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.”–Voltaire

“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.”–Orson Welles

Resource Box – © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine – A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like – love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at – http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp

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5 Fitness Myths That Are Responsible For Thousands of Fitness Failures

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:38:18 +0000

Unfortunately, many people are misinformed and are also misled by the many promises of the weight loss industry. Everywhere you look, you see or hear of people promising “Dramatic Weight Loss” with products such as “The Fat Trapper”, or “Exercise in a Bottle”.

Then you also have the hundreds of diets out there such as “The Zone”, “Sugar Busters” or “The Atkins Diet”. I’m sure you have heard of many of these yourself. You might have even tried some of them. Unfortunately, these products and diets are not the quick fix, or the miracles they are portrayed as. They are also usually very dangerous.

Below are some common misconceptions among people with regard to exercise and nutrition.

1. You need to exercise to burn fat.

The truth is you don’t gain body fat because of a lack of exercise. You gain it because your blood sugar levels exceed what you are using. Basically, you are eating too many calories at one time.

2. Your metabolism slows down once you hit 30.

WRONG! Actually, hundreds of research studies have shown that the slow down in metabolism is due to a loss of muscle tissue. And the loss of muscle tissue is directly related to a lack of hard physical activity!

3. Pasta and bread are fattening.

Anything is fattening! Lettuce can be stored as fat! Any food or drink, which contains calories, can be stored as body fat if it causes your blood sugar levels to exceed what the body needs at that time. Bread and pasta are actually great sources of complex carbohydrate! The key is how much you eat and when you eat it.

4. Eating after 7pm will make you fat.

Absolutely false! It all depends on whether or not the body needs that amount of calories at that time. Keep in mind your body is constantly burning calories, 24 hours per day, just the amount varies.

5. Strength training will make you bulk up.

Another NO! It seems as if mostly women are concerned with this one. Muscle size is primarily affected by genetics and hormone production; therefore, most women don’t have the potential to build very large muscles.

Muscle burns calories, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn which makes easier to burn fat and harder to gain it!

By no means is this a complete list! There are so many I could write a whole book just about them. The key is in education, but not by reading fitness magazines!

About The Author

info@guaranteed-weightloss.com

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