As we reach the end of June, we are coming upon the half-year mark. This is a wonderful time to take stock of how far you’ve come with your goals for 2009 and plan how to leverage your time and align your actions to follow through on all your goals with joy and confidence by the end of the year.

Does this sound familiar to you?: Very often, by the time June rolls around, not only have you gotten stuck around our yearly goals, but sometimes you even forget what they were!

I’m going to take you through a special exercise that will help you take stock of where you are with your goals, see what has been in your way of accomplishing them, re-focus them if they are no longer resonating with you, and then create a clear and easy action plan for reaching success:

1. Write down each of your New Year’s Goals that you set at the beginning of the year. If you can’t remember your New Year’s Goals, write down the general area of your life that you remember making your goal around last January. For example: Health, Business, Relationships.

2. Give each goal a percentage (a ballpark figure) of how far you’ve come along in completing it. (For example: If you set a goal of exercising 3 times per week, had started the year not exercising at all, and are now consistently exercising once per week, perhaps you’re percentage would be a 60%; if you are now exercising twice per week, it might be an 80% or 90%, and if you are now exercising occasionally perhaps it’s a 30%).

3. Is there any part of you that is actually scared to reach your goal? Often, we sabotage or avoid completing what we really want for ourselves because there is something – some relationship, situation, held-belief, job, etc. – that is at risk for us if we were to follow through on our goal. Take note and acknowledge if that’s what is happening for you right now. The simple act of acknowledging your fear will empower you to begin to move past it and onto the road to success.

4. Next, ask yourself why you haven’t reached your goal yet. Write that down, and then place it in the appropriate category:

a. You haven’t created the appropriate action plan that will help you reach your goals
b. You haven’t made your goals a priority in your life, and therefore have chosen (consciously or not) to use your time in ways other than towards your goals
c. You began carrying out your action plan and got stuck on a certain point
d. Your goals and priorities have changed, but you haven’t realized it

If You Chose – “You haven’t created the appropriate action plan that will help you reach your goals”: It’s time to create a more effective and efficient action plan. The best action plans are devised by getting super clear on your larger goal and then dividing that goal into smaller, easier to handle steps. Looking at the remaining 6 months of the year, identify the next 6 mini-goals or steps that will get you to your yearly goal. After you’ve determined what your mini-goal for July, August, September, etc is, then break each of those mini-goals down to even smaller, easier to accomplish steps that you can do each week.

If You Chose: You haven’t made your goals a priority in your life, and therefore have chosen (consciously or not) to use your time in ways other than towards to your goals: It’s time to manage your time better. If you are committed to successfully achieving the goals you have created for yourself, then create time in your schedule for them! One way to do this is to actually create appointments in your calendar for your goal or project.

For example, if you have been wanting to create a newsletter for your business, set aside every Monday from 1-3pm for newsletter writing and formatting. And then treat that time as if it were an appointment with a client or an important person! Don’t cancel, or show up late, or check your email while you work on your goal.

If You Chose: You began carrying out your action plan and got stuck on a certain point: The first piece here is not to let this obstacle bring your spirits down or keep you stuck! So often, when we hit an obstacle, we allow it to derail our plans and make us feel badly about ourselves. Instead, I suggest you look at this obstacle as the perfect opportunity to find a more easeful and joyful next step that will get you to your goal! How can you move past this obstacle? What is an alternate path you can take to get you where you want to be?

If You Chose: Your goals and priorities have changed, but you haven’t realized it: It’s time to define some new and juicy goals for yourself! Get connected to your heart and ask yourself what it is you really want to be working towards in your life right now. And then create a step-by-step action plan to get you there. It’s 100% OK to let go of an old and unfinished goal if it is no longer aligned with what you really want for yourself and your life. In fact, it’s wonderful to be able to acknowledge what isn’t working for you anymore and move forward to what is!

All in all, you CAN get back on track and move through the next six months of this year with purpose, ease, and joy to reach your BIG goals. Just take some time to gain the clarity and then move forward!

My coach’s request to you is to take time to really explore the exercise above and take charge of your life and your important goals.

About the author

In 10 minutes time you can have a sense of relief and empowerment by taking the first two steps away from debt and towards wealth. Taking positive action to address a problem is a big part of the solution.

This positive action is the only way to experience the power of the secret key to wealth creation. The key is found in step three and four. But you must do step one and two to get there.

Step One.

Know your exact debt position.

Write a list of all your debts, credit cards, personal loans,car loans,store cards etc. Why is this important? This allows you to see the facts and stops the emotional roller coaster of fears and anxiety of the unknown.

We actually feel better when we see the problem. An example of a good debt list. Simple clear and easy to see the facts. Write the following headings across the page and fill in the details under the headings.

1) Bank/Lender.
2) Bank limit.
3) Balance.
4) Interest rate.
5) Monthly payment.

You will need two balances to be able to complete the steps. The other information is so that you have a clear picture on your present situation. You now have very valuable information in two of the columns.

1) The total outstanding balance on all loans.
2) Total monthly loan repayment.

Step two.

Get a quote for a consolidation loan through a Mortgage Broker, not the Bank.

Why is it important to use a Mortgage Broker? This eliminates dealing with your problems in a hostile environment. The bank office. A Mortgage Broker can give you the options and take the steps towards fixing the problem. This is a great confidence builder.

Tip, if you go to the Bank they will sell you what they want you to have, not necessarily what’s good for you. A Mortgage Broker will ascertain if you need a personal loan or a refinance of your mortgage. The principle is the same with either your mortgage or a secured or unsecured personal loan. The Mortgage Broker will provide a complete summary of the proposed loan.

1) Amount to be borrowed.
2) Name of lender.
3) All loan fees.
4) Loan interest rate.
5) Loan monthly payments.
6) Term of the loan.
7) Restrictions or costs on early repayment, extra monthly payments.

Step three.

Do this confidence builder, and gain control of the future.

So few people do this next step and never get near to the key and so waste the opportunity to create real wealth. You may not see why you should do this but in six months you will look back and see it as a major turning point in your life.

Calculate the consolidated loan surplus. This is the difference between your old monthly loan repayments and the new monthly loan repayment, on the outstanding balance.

Lets assume that your debt consolidated surplus is $190. Now you can make a quality decision based on the facts.

Step four.

Take control, tell the Mortgage Broker and the lender what you are going to do.

The next step is vitally important and will change the way you see debt, wealth creation and your future forever. This is the key.

Insist the $190 surplus is added to the normal monthly repayment that you would have been quoted by the Mortgagte Broker. If they resist, ensure you deposit the $190 into the loan on the same day as the loan repayment.

They may want to charge you a transaction fee for this. A no fee mortgage or personal loan is so important. The banks want to take savings on your loan through fees, denying you the full power of the secret key.

Step five.

Be part of the few who are creating wealth every month in their lives by eliminating debt.

By adding your consolidated surplus to the quoted monthly fee will have an amazing impact on the time it will take to pay your original debt on the credit cards and personal loans. Your Mortgage Broker will take you through the actual amounts but with the consolidated surplus added you will pay it off in half the time and if you add another $200 it will take half the time again.

The amount of time you spend with a Mortgage Broker will greatly motivate you to move forward in the process of wealth creation.

A good exercise to keep you focused is to say to yourself repeatedly, every dollar I put into the loan over and above the minimum repayment is a dollar in wealth I have created.

This is the secret in wealth creation.

About the author

Now I understand that many people take vacations in summer – a week or so here and there – but they are working all the other time aren’t they? Even if your particular business slows down during the summer months (trade show, etc.), that doesn’t mean you can’t pre-book business or build relationships, or get referrals, etc..

The fact is, top 20% producers still find ways to make their quotas in summer, and they also find ways to set up the end of the year so they exceed their revenue goals, earn their bonuses and have a great holiday season. And you can, too.

Here are five ways to make sure your Summer Sales Sizzle, and ways to make sure you end the year strong as well:

#1) Have a Strategy. 80% of your competition approach summer like they approach everything else in their sales career – they ad-lib their way through this season and hope to run into business. The top 20%, on the other hand, know exactly what objections they may encounter, they are prepared for them, and they have a specific selling strategy in place before they pick up the phone.

Do you have your “Summer Special” ready to counter the “Slow summer price objection?” Do you have your “Pre-Fall Purchase Special” together to get pre-orders from those companies who are waiting until mid September? What is your compelling reason for your prospects to act now? Will they increase market share while other companies are sitting on the sideline? If you don’t have a compelling reason as to why they should buy now, then develop a pitch today. Whatever you do, don’t go in blind.

#2 Make more calls before noon. In summer, most people can’t wait to leave the office and enjoy the sunshine while it’s here. It’s a proven fact that during summer most of the work, and attention given to that work by employees, takes place during the morning hours.

You need to capitalize on that work flow energy and dedicate yourself to making as many of your calls as you can before noon. That doesn’t mean you stop calling after noon, but try to put off your other activities like paperwork, quotes, etc., until later in the day and do the bulk of your calling in the morning.

Also, try to make an additional 5 calls per day. If you can accomplish that, you’ll put in over 315 additional calls this summer. That, combined with morning calls, will pay off for you big time…

#3 Be prepared to talk vacation. Need an instant rapport builder? Ask your prospect where they are vacationing this summer and then let them talk! Did you notice that I used an assumptive question here? I didn’t say to ask, “Are you taking a vacation this summer,” rather ask “Where are you vacationing this summer?”

After you listen and ask some questions about their vacation, it’s time to get back to business. Try a good transition sentence like, “You know _________, many of my clients are taking vacations as well and they are making sure to get all the business done that they can ahead of time so they can relax and enjoy their time off. I’m taking orders now for (your product or service), how many (your product or service) do you think you’d like to order before you leave?”

Adapt that script to fit your selling situation, but use it after talking vacation – you’ll get more order than you think…

#4 Set your prospect up for the fourth quarter. Many fourth quarter deals are set up – and sometimes even completed – during the summer months. Here’s the key, though: Don’t do what 80% of your competition does which is simply to get a time to call back in the fall, but rather, get a “pre-order” from your prospect up front.

What you do is get all the information on a possible order size, need, circumstances, dates, etc., and then tell your prospect that you will “Have that order ready,” and that you’ll leave it open in case they need to add or subtract from it when the time comes.” Then go ahead and send your prospect out the order form, contract, P.O., etc., along with a date of follow up or fill.

While I recognize that not everyone will go with this, just imagine what an impact you’ll make to begin assuming sales this way! Plus, there will be a percentage who will go along with this. Believe me, this is Top 20% selling all the way!

#5 Invest in your own training. Now that the summer is here, if you’ve got some additional time (or your team does), this is the PERFECT TIME to invest in their development. The smart companies use the summer months to improve their team’s selling skills so they are sharp and ready to take advantage of the fourth quarter.

Remember, if you’re not doing something to improve, then you probably aren’t improving.

So there is your summer recipe for sales success. Use any of these five ideas to improve your results and you’re sure to have the best summer (and fall) yet!

About the author

Think about the resources, the software, the meetings, the forecasting, the managing and measuring you do, and the time and effort you give it. If you’re like most CEO’s or VP’s or sales managers, your sales pipeline is your life blood. It’s what you run your company by; it’s how you make decisions, and often times it even drives your stock prices.

While the pipeline is a vital part of the sales process, it is also where the most fundamental mistake is made, and this mistake costs companies millions (if not billions) of dollars every year.

The problem is that most companies spend too much time, money and energy on measuring and managing the pipeline rather than managing and improving the quality of leads that go into, and ultimately come out of, the pipeline.

In other words, most of the leads that go into your pipeline are never going to close, should never have been put in and, as a result, your company wastes hundreds of thousands of dollars generating and then chasing, and measuring and managing leads that will never close. That’s the real problem.

Ask yourself: “What is my sales department’s closing ratio?” I’ll bet you can answer that, can’t you?

A typical company will report that it takes an average of 50 cold calls or contacts with decision makers to set 15 appointments out of which 10 will turn into proposals or pitches, which will result in 1 or 2 sales.

And once this metric is established (as measured by the sales pipeline, of course) the sales strategy is set – to get more sales, you just have to set more appointments. And if you want more appointments, then you have to get your sales team to make more calls! Suddenly everyone works harder, goes out on more appointments, and…and…the desired results don’t come, do they?

And here’s why: until you address the fundamental problem- the quality of leads that go into your pipeline – you won’t improve your close ratios or your sales. Remember, you can’t close an unqualified lead, so stuffing more of them into your pipeline isn’t going to get you the results you want. In fact, it will just cost your company more money, frustrate your managers and wear out your sales team.

You’ve got to stop managing your pipeline and start training your sales teams how to generate more qualified leads. That’s the only real answer.
In fact that’s the secret of all top sales producers. Look at your own top reps. What are their closing ratios? I’ll bet they are the highest in your company, aren’t they? They would never consider setting and running 15 appointments because they don’t have the time to waste.

They would rather spend their time qualifying (I call it disqualifying) out the non-buyers so they can spend their time finding, qualifying and working with real buyers. And they know how to do this because they understand sales. Unfortunately, 80% of your sales team doesn’t.

And that’s why sales training is your only real answer.

But sales training is what most companies don’t do well. In fact, if you want to know how well your own sales training is working, simply shop your sales team. Either call in, or get on your lead list and have some of your reps call you. Try throwing them some objections and see how they do. If you’re like most companies, you’ll be appalled by the results.

Again, this is the real problem. Until you solve this basic problem of training your sales team, having them generate and stuff more unqualified leads into your pipeline won’t get you the results your company needs. That’s why most companies end up spending so much time and effort managing and measuring the pipeline. It’s something they know how to do.

If you want to get out of this unproductive cycle and actually start improving your sales and revenues, then here’s what you need to do: Get back to the basics of sales training and redefine what makes up a qualified lead. Identify all the elements and create a qualifying checklist. Make your reps fill it out completely before any leads are generated. If you’re not sure of a lead, have a manager re-qualify it for them.

The bottom line is you must train your sales force (and sometimes your managers) how to find and qualify real buyers. The more of these you identify and put into your sales pipeline, the more meaningful it will become.

So take the emphasis off managing your pipeline, and start training and managing your sales team. If you do it right, I guarantee you it will finally give you something you’ll be happy to measure – more sales!

About the author

Michael Joseph Jackson was born August 29, 1958. He had started performing at the age of 5 and by the age of 8 he was touring the Midwest extensively with the Jackson 5. He finally made his debut on the major music scene in 1968 as a member of the Jackson 5 at the age of 10.

Story Number 1: Childhood

It was in the first television interview that Michael Jackson had given since 1979 that he first spoke of the stories of his alleged childhood abuse. Michael Jackson admitted that he had often felt lonely and persecuted as a child and cried as a result of this. He revealed that he was physically and emotionally abused by his father in several different ways; enduring incessant rehearsals, beatings and verbal abuse.

On one occasion their father, had apparently, climbed into Michael’s room wearing a scary mask and proceeded to scream and shout. Their father’s reasoning for this behavior is that he wanted to teach his children not to leave their windows open whilst they were sleeping.

However, this quite obviously did more to damage Michael than teach him a simple lesson. The singer revealed in an interview that this incident resulted in nightmares centered around kidnapping for years after.

In an interview with Martin Bashir, which was released in 2003, Michael said: “i didn’t have it that hard, he used me as the example, “do it like Michael” … he practiced us with a belt in his hand and if you missed a step then expect to be hit…he would tear you up if you missed… really get you”. Although Michael did admit he had been abused by his father, in extra footage he suggested that ‘he hurt me with his love, be he is a genius, the man is a genius”.

Story Number 2: Thriller

On November 30 1982, Jackson released his sixth studio album produced by Epic Records; Thriller. Thriller was the follow up album to ‘Off the Wall’, 9 of the tracks were written by MJ himself and it explored several different genres including funk, disco, soul, soft rock, R&B and pop.

At its best the album was selling a million copies a week worldwide, and in just over a year it became, and still remains, the best selling album of all time. It is estimated that the album sold an excess of 60 million copies around the globe. Seven of the songs were released as singles and all reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The album broke records, winning eight Grammy Awards in 1984 in three different genres – pop, R&B and rock. It was Thriller that sent Jackson soaring into super-stardom and cemented him as one of, if not the, predominant pop star of the late 20th Century.

The album ranked number 20 in the Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003 and was also listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers at number three in their ‘Definitive 200 Albums of All Time’.

Story Number 3: The Moonwalk

The ‘Moonwalk’ or ‘backslide’ is a dance technique that presents the illusion that the dancer is stepping forward while actually moving backward.

Michael Jackson’s first ever public moonwalk was supposedly in 1983 at the Motown 25th Anniversary whilst performing “Billie Jean”.

Jackson was not the first person to perform the moonwalk and older stars have claimed that they taught him the move, but there is no doubt that he popularized the moonwalk and the robot dance moves and made them his own. The dance gained worldwide popularity after Michael Jackson performed it and soon became considered his signature move. The moonwalk has since become one of the best known dance moves in the world.

Story Number 4: Bad

In his autobiography Jackson said that the song was about the street. A kid from a bad neighborhood who goes away to a private school. He comes back and the kids from the neighborhood start to tease him. He sings “I’m bad, you’re bad, who’s bad… etc”. Michael paradoxically suggests that when you are strong and good, you are bad.

Michael Jackson’s album ‘Bad’ was released on 31st August 1987 followed closely by the single ‘Bad’ which was released on September 7 1987, which was MJ’s seventh number one hit single over all. Bad remained in the top spot for two consecutive weeks from October 24th 1987.

Twenty years after the album was released it had sold over 30 million copies worldwide and shipped 8 million units in the United States. It was the first and currently only album ever to feature five songs in the Billboard Hot 100 number 1 singles.

In the late 80’s the album won two Grammy’s, one for Best Music Video for Leave Me Alone and one for Best Engineered Album. Bad was also ranked number 43 in the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time of the MTV Generation in 2009 listed by VH1. It was also ranked number 202 on the Rolling Stone magazine 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Bad became the first of Jackson’s albums to debut at number-one on the Billboard 200 where it remained for the next six consecutive weeks. In the UK the album sold 500,000 copies in just five days and is currently certified 13x platinum, for sales of 3.9 million making it Jackson’s biggest-selling album in the UK.

Globally, it is Jackson’s overall third best-selling recording, with 30 million copies sold. Five of the album’s songs hit number one, which was a record in itself. Bad was the 9th best selling album in British History and this was announced in 2006.

Story Number 5: Bubbles and Pets

Bubbles is the name of the chimpanzee that became associated with Michael Jackson. He rescued the chimp from a Cancer research clinic in Texas in 1985.

Michael Jackson was reportedly quite close to the chimp but the media mocked this friendship; as they mocked many aspects of his life. The relationship was portrayed as weird and Jackson as a ‘bizarre eccentric’, obsessed with recapturing his lost childhood. It was this incident that lead the star to be named ‘Wacko Jacko’.

Bubbles sat in with Jackson when he recorded Bad, and was obviously a big part of his life for a while; Bubbles even made a cameo appearance in “Liberian Girl” a track from the album. The chimp was moved to the Neverland ranch with ‘Jacko’ in 1988 and he slept in a crib in his bedroom. Sometimes the Chimp wore a diaper and on other occasions he was allowed to use Michael Jackson’s private toilet – something which the star was also scrutinized for.

Jackson has been reported as once said “My chimp bubbles is a constant delight.” Kenny Rogers once said of Bubbles: “..[he] was so human it was almost frightening. He would take Christopher [Rogers' son] by the hand, walk over to the refrigerator, open it, take out a banana, and hand it to him. Christopher was amazed…we all were.”

Bubbles is reported to still be alive today after he was removed to an animal century because there were fears he may attack Jackson’s newborn son, Prince Michael II.

About the author

Broken windows are the norm in the country. Petty thieves abound. The migration to criminal syndicates is a matter of time. Broken plates are another issue. Any motorist in the metropolis can see vehicles that go around with barely legible license plates. Worse, you see license plates which are covered or smudged deliberately. The regulations clearly require that plates at all times should be visible even at night, especially at night. Traffic enforcers instead of pulling over drivers for the flimsiest violations ought to train their sights on the plates. Anecdotal evidence points to a number of hit-and-run cases that are difficult to track down. No clear license plate, no travel policy?

Police cars are not to be tinted. This is to ensure trust and transparency including the literal kind to the occupants police officers. Never mind the heat and the extra gas usage, the security and safety of Juan is paramount. In some other countries, no heavy tints are allowed in all kinds of vehicles to prevent their abuse.

Then you have the series of FX or shuttle van hold-ups. In a sense, it is easier to hatch because the van is enclosed like the bus but with several doors; the number of passengers is less and more manageable like the jeepney; the relative affluence perhaps a bit like the taxi-rider. It is a marked improvement that lately bank and restaurant robberies are not as prevalent or violent. Perhaps we are writing too soon.

Summer is ending and the work of Secretary Ace Durano remains a big challenge. For every tourist robbed or gypped, it is a black eye that no amount of billboards or promotion can cure. In a recent case, a scuba-diving European couple who lost their laptop and wallets ran to the police only to be milked by a few thousand pesos for police action or inaction. The famous Filipino hospitality seems to have taken a back seat to the economic needs of the times or is it a breakdown in our national culture?

There are bigger crimes and bigger criminals. The broken windows theory seems to be effective for solving street level crimes. In financial crimes, a fraud triangle model is used. The three angles stand for opportunity, pressure and rationalization. These three factors considerably explain why a crime is committed. But there is no single approach to why people go wrong from molesting minors to stealing money. Anyone up for discussing original sin as the cause?

In another case in a remote town in Cebu island, a girl was gang-raped, killed and thrown into a pit by the beach. The obvious thing to do was to swab fluid samples from the girl’s body, compare it with the known suspects to hold the guilty ones accountable. The lack of forensic kits and maybe awareness of the key role of forensics notwithstanding the famous CSI television series meant that the crime had to be solved in the traditional way – question and answers, affidavits and alibis instead of science and common sense.

In the latest sex video scandal, our legislators are calling for the passage of anti-cyber porn laws and the like. This is an immediate reaction to the headlines. We are pushing for the passage of the comprehensive cybercrime bill pending at both houses of Congress to provide the framework for fighting technology crimes. Broken windows or broken plates, what matters is to focus and act on what is important and essential even if they may not appear so for now. A response that dwells on what is popular and expedient will result to more brokenness. And we don’t need a theory to understand this.

About the author

There are many simple online money making ideas that can be followed easily by all. Anyone can make money fast online with some guidance and support. You must have a clear idea regarding what you are going to do and must be persistent so that you can be successful in your efforts. Many small and home businesses fail because of giving up mid-way. People often get confused as there are plenty of money making ideas that can be found online. They get confused because of the overload of information.

First of all, you must have a unique or niche product or service to run a business successfully online. The product must be in demand, only then will it succeed. By having more traffic to your website, the business can truly flourish.

You can use the internet which is the easiest way to learn how to make money online. In some of the work from home businesses, no big investment is involved. You also need not have an office space or buildings to maintain or any kind of additional expenses. You can also get traffic easily for work from home businesses. You need not advertise much also as several people browse the internet. Running a business is easier on the internet since this is a better advertising medium than radio or television.

You make money online by running a money making website. Having a website with a domain name will only cost a few dollars. You can promote whatever you want by learning more about building a website. You can also make use of affiliate links and sites to promote your business. In this method, you can earn a commission from the sales you help to generate.

There are new ways coming up everyday using which those interested can make money easily. The online money making opportunities are endless and anyone can easily work from home to make money. You should however be careful and take up research to identify the opportunities that would suit you well. You must choose such opportunities that make use of your skill and talents. Given below are 3 ways you can consider using for making money online.

Write articles is the best way to make money online. There are plenty of article directories which have incorporated a revenue sharing arrangement to pull more writers to their site. Through such a program, you can earn a percentage of the revenue that gets generated from the Ads placed near your articles. You can start making more money by writing more articles.

Blogging/writing is another time tested way to make money online. Millions of online users make money through this method. This method of online money making does not require you to make an initial investment and you just have to possess good writing skills to get started. You can also double your income by working for several clients at the same time. Many people also offer translation services, copy writing and proofreading work to earn money from home on the internet.

Article Directory.You can also start your own article directory which has the potential to help you earn lots of money. This is achieved through placed advertisement, such as google ads, near the articles listed in the directory. Article writers will be more than willing to post articles on your site as article marketing has become very popular and is very lucrative too. You can make more money by ensuring more article submission on your site.

You can also make money online through selling product information. This is because people search for information online constantly. People will definitely buy a product if it offers a solution for a problem. It is not necessary that you must make some product from scratch. By finding a PLR product you can redesign it and promote it in a few hours. PLR products are ideal products because you need not take up elaborate research and can create and sell an information product easily and conveniently.

About the author

The following rules concern who can drive the minibus. These ensure that drivers may use a Section 19 permit because they meet the following requirements.

All permit drivers must be aged 21 or more.

If a driver passed the ‘car’ driving test (category B on a photocard licence) before the 1st January 1997, he or she will hold the automatic category D1 entitlement to drive a 9 to 16 seat minibus. This will allow such a vehicle to be driven under the permit for as long as the driver holds the D1 entitlement.
When the licence expires, the driver, having proved he or she meets the required health standards by passing a compulsory medical examination, may receive a renewal of D1 entitlement lasting 3 years.

If a driver passed the test on or after the 1st January 1997, automatic D1 entitlement won’t have been granted. The driver may drive a vehicle with up to eight passenger seats. However, he or she may drive a 9 to 16 seat minibus if

(a) He or she has held a category B licence for 2 years
(b) He or she receives nothing more than out-of-pocket expenses for driving the vehicle
(c) If aged 70 or more, he or she can pass the medical examination for category D1 entitlement
(d) The minibus’s gross weight is 3.5 tonnes or less, or 4.25 tonnes or less, including specialized equipment for disabled passengers

Now for the practicalities of acquiring a Section 19 permit for a minibus. The first of these is how to apply. A permit is normally granted to a specific group, a scout group, for example. However, it is possible for an individual named on behalf of such a body to be granted a permit. With this in mind, you need to know where to apply and there are several sources of application forms, including

Your area’s Traffic Commissioner

Your local authority

Umbrella originations, which are bodies that assist with or co-ordinate community groups’ activates in the area. Examples include The Scout Association and Age Concern and these umbrella organisations are permitted to issue Section 19 permits to groups that are associated with them.

A designated body. These are national voluntary organisations and in some cases, they can issue permits to other bodies with similar interests.

Schools and other bodies associated with education, provided they fulfil the authority’s duties under the Education Act 1944.

As you can see, tracking down an application form will require some web searches and/or phone calls but there are some aspects of Section 19 permits that are easy to convey. For example, the cost. Currently, a permit sourced via your area Traffic Commissioner seven pounds. Local authorities set their own charge, but the maximum appears to be around the twelve pound mark.

A section 19 permit for a minibus lasts indefinitely and each comes with a disc, to be displayed on the vehicle, in the same way as a tax disc. The rule is one permit, one vehicle at one time but permits can be swapped from minibus to minibus, provided each comes under the small bus parameters mentioned above. You can use your permit on a hired minibus but if another non-profit making organisation rents your minibus, it cannot use your permit(s). It must use its own. Finally, if you lose your permit and/or disc, you can request duplicates. However, if either turns up, you must return them immediately.

In the final analysis, a Section 9 permit is a licence to charge your passengers fairly and legally, without a PSV licence. Taking advantage of this exemption makes sense, just as meeting the regulations to do so is easy.

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How on earth though, do you even begin to answer such a question? How about by asking yourself another question? If I were to die tomorrow, what would I most regret not having done?

Just think about that for a second, because while it might sound like rather a morbid question, it is in fact a great motivator. You see, what happens in life is that, even though we know in our heads that our time here on Earth is limited, in our hearts few of us really accept it. We take each day pretty much for granted and just expect that there will be plenty more tomorrows. If we waste a few more days, weeks, months years or even decades doing stuff that doesn’t have us dancing on the ceiling, what the hey there’s always tomorrow.

The biggest problem with that way of living can best be expressed in one little word regret. And the problem with regret is that it doesn’t just catch up with us on our deathbeds. It can be there at every turn. How often do you hear yourself saying, I wish or If only It can turn you into a bitter, moaning and very unhappy person.

As they say though, this is no dress rehearsal, it’s the REAL DEAL. It’s our one and only chance and only we can take life by the scruff of the neck, be brave, be bold and follow what is truly in our hearts.

Work plays a huge part in our lives and life really is too short to be spending so much of it doing something that doesn’t set us alight. How many more Sunday evenings do you want to waste in the dread of Monday morning? How many more mornings do you want to drag yourself out of bed feeling as though there is huge weight inside of you? No more? Then go grab yourself a pen and a piece of paper, find somewhere quiet to sit and work your way through the following questions.

Don’t restrict yourself in your answers, just let rip they are for your eyes only and nobody else opinion matters a jot. Especially at this point, don’t restrict yourself to thinking about your professional life. If your honest answer to a question involves an aspect of your current or past job, then great but don’t force it. Just dig deep, be perfectly honest with yourself and forget completely about what you think is possible.

1. What makes you feel really excited and energized?

2. What makes you feel really happy?

3. What activities do you most enjoy?

4. What is it that you could do all day long without every getting bored?

5. Which of your past experiences were most meaningful or significant, and why?

6. If you could do absolutely anything, had unlimited resources and knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?

7. If you had one hour on prime TV to talk about anything you wanted, what subject would you choose?

8. Assuming that we were all put here to address a particular issue or problem in the world, what were you born to address?

9. What are the values that you most cherish?

10. If you were to die tomorrow, what is it that you would most regret not having done?

From your answers to the questions, you will likely know, what you want to be and what job you really want. From here, you will find your true passion.

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But in fact, shopping online gives you extra consumer protection!

Do you often think twice about what might go wrong when you shop online? Many people feel there’s something about the lack of high street presence which makes them worry.

Some people like to have the tangible feel of a product in their hands & to be able to walk out of the shop physically holding the item that they’ve paid for. But for those that don’t, online shopping shouldn’t hold any fears.

The main concerns people have with shopping online are:

* What happens if the item I buy turns out to be faulty?
* Will I be able to send it back & get a refund?
* What if the item doesn’t turn up at all?
* How will I get my money back if the item’s lost?

For some, the fact that you can’t walk into the shop and complain to a sales assistant face-to-face gives less confidence in online shopping, than buying in a store. But lets get the facts straight about the differences in your rights between high street stores & online shopping.

Your rights on the high street

If I buy something at a high street store which either falls apart, or doesn’t work when I get it out of the box, I’m pretty sure I can take it back tomorrow and get my money back without any problems.

As a consumer you have important legal protection. Any goods you buy must be of satisfactory quality and must also be ‘as described’ by the retailer and ‘fit for purpose’.

But, unfortunately, if there’s absolutely nothing wrong with an item, you don’t automatically have the right to a refund just because you’ve changed your mind. You might find some retailers will let you have your money back in the name of good PR, but it’s not your right by law and more likely you’ll be offered a voucher/credit note that means you have to buy something else from the same store.

Your rights online

When it comes to shopping online you have exactly the same rights as high street shoppers. But and this is the great part; you get some extra protection too, under the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000!

Cooling-off

After making most online purchases, you’ll be entitled to a ‘cooling-off period’. With products, the period begins as soon as you make your order, and ends seven working days after you have received the goods. But if you buy a service online (rather than a product), the seven days starts from date you order the items.

The ‘cooling off period’ actually means that you’re entitled to a refund for any reason in this seven day window! So, even if you decide that you’re not so keen on the colour of something once it arrives, or the item doesn’t quite look right where you wanted to put it, or its not got the exact feature that you thought it had, you can return it and get your money back, no questions asked!

But, the cooling-off period doesn’t apply to all online purchases. There are some (logical & reasonable) exceptions:

* Goods made to your specification
* Perishable goods such as flowers and fresh food
* CDs, DVDs, and tapes which are unsealed
* Newspapers and magazines
* Betting, gaming and lotteries

And don’t forget with auctions and private sellers, think ‘caveat emptor’ or ‘buyer beware’, because they can refuse to accept responsibility for the quality of any goods you buy from them. They can state that the item was in full working order when they sent it, or that you already knew about that tiny blemish.

Other key rules

The other main regulations which give the online shopper, protection are:

* You must be given clear information about the goods or services before you buy
* Your goods must be delivered within thirty days, unless you agree otherwise with the supplier. If that doesn’t happen, you’ll be entitled to a refund.
* Once you have notified the supplier in writing (or another durable medium) that you want to cancel your purchase, you must be fully refunded within 30 days.

Once again there are some exceptions to this. These rules and the cooling-off period doesn’t apply to financial products bought online (the financial services industry has its own regulations), or to contracts involving the sale of land.

What happens if goods are faulty, but the seven days are up?

It’s a good idea to check that goods you have bought aren’t defective as soon as you can. But don’t worry if you haven’t had enough time to examine them properly during the seven day cooling-off period (if you bought the item as a gift & couldn’t test it within the 7 days for example). If you later find a fault, then you still have rights to a refund, repair, replacement or compensation under the Sale of Goods Act.

Additional protection when using a credit card

Using a credit card is the best way to pay for your online shopping. If the supplier of your goods breaches the contract you have with them, you can actually claim costs from your credit card company under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

This applies where the price of a single item is at between 100 & 30,000 pounds. (Note that the protection still applies even if you don’t pay for the full purchase price using your card). This protection DOES NOT apply if you use a debit card however, so make sure you’re aware of this when shopping.

Section 75 provides very useful protection. Let’s say your supplier has sent you faulty goods but has since gone out of business. It may be impossible to get a refund from the supplier, but you can pursue your credit card company for redress instead.

So, as you see you have the same (if not more) rights when you shop online, so follow these suggestions & feel safe in the knowledge that you are protected when buying from the Web.

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