Self Improvement

Mentoring Children Of Prisoners

icamm — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:48:55 +0000

The Importance of Mentoring for Children of Prisoners

It is estimated that there is approximately 2 million youths in the United States that have an incarcerated parent. It is also estimated that there are over 7 million children with one parent who is under the supervision of the Federal or state correctional authorities. The figures indicate that there are nearly 200 children out of every 1,000 who are in dire need of guidance and mentoring from relatives, concerned parties or the government. Any mentoring organization in private or government practice has a high likelihood of encountering at least one of these children, making it extremely essential that the needs of children of prisoners must be considered and integrated into specific mentoring practices.

Children with special needs

Children of prisoners undergo plenty of physical and emotional challenges that other children who live in normal households won't. Some of these challenges include:

- Having to cope with being separated from that parent for long periods of time, with some children having to deal with repeated incarcerations of his or her parent/s.

- Having to deal with infrequent visitations or the experience of going through procedures in prisons just to visit the parent.

- Having to deal with social stigma that usually accompanies children with parents who are incarcerated such as teasing, name-calling, guilt, etc.

- Having to live in conditions or environments that are unstable, unreliable and often less than ideal.

The problems of allowing children of prisoners to cope without any extra help often increase depending on certain factors, such as:

- the age of the child

- the presence of another parent or authority figure

- the quality of time spent by the child in the care and guidance of this parent or authority figure

- the economic status of the child's family

Without the availability of an effective mentoring program for children of prisoners, there is a high risk that they will develop problems both personal and social, such as:

- using and abusing drugs and alcohol at a young age

- irregular attendance in school

- developing problems with their peers

- finding outlet in destructive behavior or developing relationships with questionable individuals or groups

Using mentoring programs for children of prisoners

To help improve this group of children's chances at experiencing success in school and in their social interactions, certain mentoring programs are being made available in both private and government organizations, such as those funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Some of the mentoring resources that children of prisoners can look forward to include:

1. Access to a wide variety of educational, counseling, guidance and healthcare services that include the children, their siblings, other family members or caregivers. Many of these programs may even include the incarcerated parent/s.

2. Access to the appropriate resources that children of imprisoned parents can use, such as books, data and other information that will help them cope with the absence of either or both parents.

3. Access to mentoring and counseling services that can assure high levels of confidentiality to protect the child's identity.

4. Access to realistic and non-judgmental services from mentors and volunteers who also have the right background, training and experience to assist the children.

5. Opportunities to maximize their natural capabilities and experience new activities that will help them learn and cope in their environment.

6. Opportunities to experience leadership roles with their peers.

7. Assistance in terms of guidance and even financial services to help caregivers of children of prisoners cope with the financial burdens of running a household in the absence of one or both parents.

Counseling For New Directions In Life

icamm — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:27:55 +0000

The employees assistance program provides counseling to employees who face family and marital problem. It also helps to get rid of drug abuse and alcohol. If the employee has any problem in his work place, counseling will help him to resolve his problems. Thus counseling will help the employees to get new directions in life and to concentrate on his work better. If the employee has got relief from his entire problem, he will help to achieve the organizational goals.

Counseling will help the person to know how to cope up with work and family. The person can get relief from management stress and thus can balance family and work well. People are suffering from distress because they feel that there is no one who can hear and understand his problems. A counselor will listen to him carefully. This alone will reduce the stress level. The counselor again helps him to make strong decision and to get rid of stress.

If you lack communication skill, avoid your colleagues, meet with accidents often, feel anxiety or anger more in your life time, and if you feel unhappy, then you definitely need counseling. A counselor will help you to overcome all your fears, stress and marital conflicts. All the matters discussed are kept confidential by him. Your counseling period will not extend six sessions.

Unlike the past century, today's world is full of challenges. Facing challenges is a daily process and as a result individuals develop stress and anxiety. So they need counseling to get new directions in life. Most of the counselors provide emotional and spiritual counseling. Some experts may also give organizational counseling. This will help improving the organizational efforts. Individual counseling will help to achieve organizational goals.

Counselors also help you to get self identity. If you are self confident, you will achieve your dreams. Counselors help in this issue. If you have any marital and family problems it will surely affect your career. So counseling will get relief for you. Marital, pre marital conflicts, misunderstanding with the children, etc may require counseling. So you can strengthen your family relationship and thereby your career. Counseling helps you to know your strengths and weaknesses. Self study will help to achieve your goals. Counseling will thus change your life style, your behavior and character.

Thoughts on How to Increase the Compensation for the Work That You do

icamm — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:15:05 +0000

Wouldn't it be great if you could increase the compensation for the work that you do - no matter what the work is?

Rendering service is the adaptation of your work to meet human needs in such a way that it will better humanity. Service is the relation of your work to other people, whether your work consists of making, handling, or creating things; or of using words; or of managing or directing people. The world does not pay for service. Slaves serve. The world pays for service rendered. You do not pay a grocer for the goods he has. You pay him for the goods which he delivers. So, no matter how much, or how many years, you work, if you fail to render your service to others, it is just that the world should withhold its compensation.

You can always increase the compensation you receive. It is very easy to do so. But, it must be done by an increase in rendering service.

If you are making a thing, you can make it render greater service by making it (1) better, or (2) more enduring, or (3) cheaper, or (4) different in size, or (5) different in action, or (6) of greater beauty. Of course, there are other factors. You can render greater service by creating or improving a thing, so that it is possible for man to do things more quickly and more frequently.

Then also, you can render greater service by extension of the use of the thing you make.

Every increase of service rendered brings increased compensation, and the highest degree of service rendered-the greatest good to the greatest number-brings the greatest compensation.

There is a basic principle which determines whether or not your work will render great service. It is the principle of adaptation to definite human needs. Unless you change a thing, or your work, in such a way that you secure greater adaptation to human needs, you do not render greater service. The greater the service, the greater the increased compensation.

But, no matter how perfectly you adapt things and words, and your work with people, to human needs, you do not deserve increased compensation unless such service is marketed. If I were a novelist, I might write a novel capable of uplifting humanity. But, all the inspiration of the novel would be of no value to humanity unless the book had been published and distributed in such a way as to reach a large number of people.

There is still another factor which determines increased compensation. Since service is activity of human beings in relation to each other, the degree of service rendered to others by adaptation of the thing or work, depends on the degree to which it is humanized-if I may use that term.

The humanizing factor in increasing service and compensation is not limited to things. It applies also to the use of words, and to the leadership of people.

First, to increase compensation, render service-market it so that it is of value to others.

Second, extend the service you render so that it shall benefit the largest number possible.

Third, increase the value of your service by adapting it to meet more human needs.

Fourth, secure greater adaptation, by making your service more humanised.

And now, consider the means which humanizes service-vivid imagery, and unselfishness.

Rendition of service brings success. Rendition depends on marketing. Marketing your service depends (1) on your non-selfish attitude; and (2) your capacity to work harmoniously with others.

All things work together for good, and all service increases your abundance. The wealth of the world is the expression of the riches of heaven. And, when rendering service from the heart-that is, giving service-the actual compensation for the service rendered, is augmented.

But, the man who attempts to give all his service to the limit of his capacity often fails, because he is unjust to himself and unjust to society. It is only when a man gives service in addition to the service he renders, that he succeeds.

Compensation for services given-material compensation- conies indirectly, but it always comes!

If you want to lose out, let others do your kind of work better than you do it.

If you want to hold your own, do your work as well as others do the same kind of work.

If you want to advance, do your work better than others.

If you want to mount to the temple, idealize the way in which you do your work so that you become the outstanding leader in doing it.

-BROWN LANDONE

The Basics Of Goal Settings

icamm — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:24:55 +0000

Setting Your Goals - Easier Said, Easily Done

The basics of setting a goal is an open secret known by top-caliber athletes, successful businessmen and businesswomen and all types of achievers in all the different fields. The basics of setting goals give you short-term and long-term motivation and focus. They help you set focus on the acquisition of required knowledge and help you to plan and organize your resources and your time so that you can get the best out of your life.

Setting clearly defined short term and long term goals will enable you to measure your progress and achieve personal satisfaction once you have successfully met your goals. Charting your progress will also enable you to actually see the stages of completion leading to the actual realization of your goals. This eliminates the feeling of a long and pointless grind towards achieving your goal. Your self-confidence and level of competence will also improve as you will be more aware of your capabilities as you complete or achieve your goals.

The basics of goal settings will involve deciding what you really want to do with your personal life and what short term and long term goals you need to achieve it. Then you have to break down goals into the smaller and manageable targets that you must complete in your way to achieving your lifetime targets. Once you have your list waste no time in tackling your goals.

A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals. By doing this you will be always in the position of going towards you life plan goals. Everyday will give you the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal giving you the feeling of accomplishment.

Here are some pointers that should be taken into consideration in setting goals and achieving them.

Attitude plays a very big role in setting and achieving your goals. You must ask yourself if any part of you or your mind holding you back towards completing your simplest goals? If there are any part of your behavior that is being a hindrance or puts your plans into disarray? If you do have problems in these areas then the immediate thing to do is to address this problem. Solutions may include a visit to a doctor or psychiatrist to control your emotions.

Careers are made by good time management practice. Failing in a career is often attributed to bad time management. Careers require a lot from an individual which often makes the career the life of the individual. Plan how far do you want to go into your career.

Education is key in achieving your goals. If your goals require you to have a certain kind of degree or require a certain specialization or demand a certain skill to be developed, make plans in getting the appropriate education.

Your family should never be left out of your plans. If you are just starting out then you have to decide if you want to be a parent or when you want to be a parent. You also have to know if you really would be a good parent and how well would you relate to extended family members

Personal financial situations also play a major role in achieving your goals. Have a realistic goal on how much you really want to earn. You also must be able to create plans or stages by which you will be able to reach your earning potential.

Physically gifted individuals may be able to achieve sports related goals like being in the National Basketball association or National Football League. Determining your physical capabilities should be one of your priorities. Physical limitations could however be conquered with proper planning.

As the saying goes -'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy', or something to that effect, is by all means true down to the last the letter. Giving yourself a little pleasure: should be included into your plans.

To start achieving your lifetime goals, set a quarter of a century plan, then break it down to 5 year plans then break it down again to 1 year plans, then 6 month plans then monthly plans, then weekly, then daily.

Then create a things-to-do list for the day.

Always review your plans and prepare for contingencies.

The basics of goal settings should not be so difficult once you get to be familiar with them.

Evaluating Anger

icamm — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:55:52 +0000

When we evaluate our thoughts and emotions, we can often find the answers to our problems. If you are prone to erupt when your emotions are threatened, it might be you are acting irrationally in most instances. When we evaluate we are studying a problem, the value of the problem, the solution to fix the problem, and the significance of the problem. When we evaluate our mind slows down and thinks before it acts. If you are lacking in this area you might want to start practicing now since anger only leads to real problems. Some examples can be seen in the following paragraph. Kerry realizes that her job is creating an emotional interruption, simply because her skills succeed the jobs requirements.

Kerry realizes that she is underpaid and this is causing another problem in her life. Kerry's situation is real, since Kerry realizes what the problems are and they truly exist in her life. Now Kerry can procrastinate and allow the problem to increase rather than reviewing her resources and problem carefully. If Kerry decides to evaluate her mind, she might decide to apply for another position or job while continuing to work at her present job. This will allow her to assume her life and have a steady flow of income while she waits for a better position. Once she lands a better career, she can then relax after the rush of the moment has ended.

However, if Kerry acts out on her emotions, blows up at the boss and storms out the door. Kerry because of her anger out burst will not have a job, no money, and her future is at risk. The boss will be called when she lands another job and will likely tell the new employers about Kerry's behavior problems. Therefore, Kerry did not fix the problem by evaluating her resources and emotions; rather she added fuel to the fire. As you can see from an example that emotions out of control and anger in action will increase your chances of failure and reduce your way in life. Decisions are an everyday part of life. If you are evaluating your life and making good decisions, you will almost never get off the course of life's journey to success.

On the other hand, we must realize when we are evaluating life that problems will arise and that we all must face the problems head on. Keeping a good outlook on life can help you to deal with your anger. If you realize there is no mountain we cannot cross over then we can see a way out of trouble. Let us evaluate mountains. If we are crossing a mountain, we know we need tools, rope, confidence, and a strategy to climb over. Likewise, if we are dealing with anger then we need tools, strategy confidence and hope to endure the road to recovery.

We will only need a rope to hang our self with if we do not learning to manage our emotions and anger properly. Think of life as a roller coaster ride where there will be bumps along the way. In reality, the ride is intense, exciting and challenging. If you are challenging the potentials by evaluating your anger and emotions, you are taking control of a rocky situation. Again, most our problems are stemmed from our own decisions and if we learn to stop and think before acting we probably will have less problems along the road to life. If you feel like you are loosing control stop and think.

Take a few deep breaths and gather your thoughts and emotions. Review the situation in front of you to see if there is a better way to deal with the problem. The only real way that anger becomes useful is if you are in a situation that is risky and there are no way out. For example, if you are in a fight and the person refuses to comply with your positive behavior then it is obvious something has to give since the other person is not reasonable. We can think of anger as a good force or bad force to see that anger either benefits or leads to a major problem in our life.

How to change your bad habits

icamm — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:30:07 +0000

Every single one of us has at least one bad habit, it could be something such as smoking, drinking or being habitually late for appointments. Some of us have more bad habits than others do and some of us are able to break our bad habits and leave them behind, however not everyone finds this easy to do and many need help if they are to change.

Habits can be classed as either good ones or bad ones, good ones could be helping someone or being kind and getting a kick out of it, good habits bring about a feeling of happiness and contentment. Bad habits are classed as anything which is annoying or harmful to your health and have a negative effect on your life.

We all have the power to change our bad habits, either just let them go and move forward or replace them with more positive good habits. This isn't always easy; sometimes you need help, so here are some tips to help you kick your old habits.

First of all you should analyze yourself and find out what it is that you enjoy or get out of your habit. Many times a habit is just that, habit and people don't necessarily get enjoyment as such from doing it. Note down all the feelings your habit brings you in two lists, good and bad. Next list what you could gain and how you feel by kicking this habit out of the door.

If your habit is something which you do get enjoyment from doing, then consider what you could swop your habit for that wouldn't be classed as bad. For instance if smoking is your bad habit then consider how much money you could save and use this as an incentive. In order to help you give it up take up a sport or activity that you enjoy doing and try to replace your bad habit with this new one.

Visualize the changes that would come to your life and how it would affect you and others around you if you gave up your bad habit. Sit down close your eyes and picture your future with the changes in it, note what differences there are for the better.

The most essential thing to remember when trying to break a bad habit is that habits take time to develop and you could have had this habit with you for many years. If you have had this habit for any length of time then it is going to be hard to break and let go of. Habits take around 6 weeks before they are classed as a habit, however you will find that it will take much longer to break than it did to set in, so you must have patience and persevere in ridding yourself of what has been around for a long time.

Keep busy, when trying to break a habit no matter what that habit is it is essential that you keep busy. Sitting around and brooding, having a lot of time on your hands leaves you wide open to going back into old habits.

Mentoring Relationships

icamm — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:29:55 +0000

Effective Mentoring Relationships

The Mentor-Mentee Relationship

The role of a mentor is to aid the mentee in reaching his goals. While the mentor can certainly learn a lot from teaching and leading others, the relationship between the mentor and the mentee should be mentee-centered. So the mentor should listen, guide, and even challenge the mentee to do his best in his job.

The mentorship program requires frequent contact between the mentor and the mentee for the communication line to remain open. Mentoring is an interactive relationship wherein both parties can contribute to each other's grow as a person. You should take note that mentoring is far different from counseling and neither is it being buddies because mentoring is a tool that is used for personal and professional development.

Formal and Informal Mentoring

Anyone can be a mentor or a mentee without joining any mentoring program. For example, just riding a bus and then conversing with a stranger can be a form of mentoring if you learn something important from him; this type of mentoring is known as informal mentoring. Informal mentoring usually just occurs even if you don't plan it, this can be just as important as a formal mentoring program.

On the other hand, formal mentoring is having an acknowledged relationship between the mentor and the mentee. Formal mentoring would require the commitment of time and effort between the two parties so that they can share and learn from each other. This type of mentoring program can be for a specific project or for a specified time period.

Finding a Mentor

Having the wrong mentor can be even worse than having no mentor at all. For this reason, everyone should take the time and effort to look for a mentor that will suit their needs, personality, and learning style. You need to look within yourself and the environment around you; then, ask yourself what you really want to learn. Oftentimes, you need to consider the following questions before deciding on a mentor:

* Would the mentor provide me with good and accurate information?

* Would he support me in reaching my goals and objectives?

* Would he respect my dreams, my decisions, and my goal in life?

* Would he challenge me when it is necessary?

* Can the mentor actually be trusted?

* Am I willing to listen to this mentor's ideas and suggestions?

Asking these questions before you commit to a mentoring program is essential for you to reap the best possible benefit. It is also important to have a clear communication line between you and the mentor. Even at the start of the mentoring program, you already need to specify your expectations and your goal so that the mentor will know which direction to take.

Ending the Mentoring Program

However, all good things must come to an end. You cannot continue with the mentoring program forever; sure, you can still communicate with your mentor from time to time but being in a commitment to be each other's mentor and mentee can become more like a burden rather than a privilege after the mentoring program ends.

Both parties should acknowledge what they have learned and thank each other for the time and effort that the person has spent for another's well-being. Even after the mentoring program ends though, the mentor can still support the mentee and be there for the mentee when he is needed.

Healthy Tips for Restaurant Eating

icamm — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:45:03 +0000

Healthy eating tends to be much easier at home, when you have beforehand control over how your food is prepared, and portion control. When it comes to eating out, keeping your habits healthy does not always appear to be quite as easy. Are you serious about being healthy? There are steps that you can take when eating out at a restaurant in order to both eat a nice meal, and to do it healthily. Making healthy eating choices is a step by step process which will eventually become a routine, and a way of life. Here are some tips for eating healthily while eating out.

1. When asked for your drink order, choose water or tea over sugar-laden or alcoholic drinks. If you insist upon having soda, opt for diet over regular in order to save on calories and sugar.

2. Whenever possible, try to order a salad first. Salads are low in calories in fat, but are loaded with healthy nutrients and vitamins. Eating a salad first will allow you to fill up on healthy vegetables before you tackle your main course. Just remember to request your salad dressing on the side, that way you will be in charge over how much is added.

3. Opt for grilled vegetables or fish whenever possible. You can usually specify that the meal not be grilled in oil or butter, or at least that it is prepared with very little. Oil and butter is essentially just unnecessary fat, so avoid it whenever possible. There is a really good chance that you will not even realize that it is missing from the meal.

4. If you do not opt for salad at the beginning of your meal, consider a bowl of soup. Soup can be a healthy choice before your main course, but you should try to avoid soups which are cream based because they tend to be higher in fat. Soups make great appetizers because they tend to be healthy and low in calories, but can fill you up fairly quickly.

5. If you are in the mood for a baked potato, request salsa which is a healthy option instead of choosing the sour cream, bacon, butter or cheese that normally comes on a baked potato. Salsa is a low calorie option which packs a serious amount of flavor without all the calories and fat.

6. If instead you are in the mood for a pasta dish, you should pass up cream based sauces and opt for tomato based instead. Tomato based sauces tend to be significantly lower in fat, making them a great alternative for healthy eating.

7. When your main dish does arrive, eat slowly. A great way to ensure this is to take one bite at a time, setting your fork or spoon down between bites. Because the eating process is slowed down, you will know that you are full before you end up eating too much. It can take as many as twenty minutes for your brain to receive the signal that you are full. Take your time while eating out, and make a point to savor every single bite.

8. Never forget that you can easily ask for a doggie bag so that half of your meal can come home with you. You will not be wasting food simply by controlling how much you eat. Cutting your meal in half right off the bat will make sure that you make two meals out of one.

Your 7 Days Program To Self Improvement

icamm — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:56:55 +0000

"A Better You" Your 7 days program to self-improvement

I seem to lost count on how many times I've read and heard of celebrity marriages failing almost left and right. Not that I care (and personally I don't), it seems strange that we often see movie and TV stars as flawless people, living the fairytale life of riches and glamour. I suppose we all have to stop sticking our heads in the clouds and face reality.

There are many ways to lose your sense of self-esteem despite of how trivial it could get. But whatever happens, we should all try not to lose our own sense of self.

So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Here are some of the things you can think and improve on that should be enough for a week.

1. Know your purpose

Are you wandering through life with little direction - hoping that you'll find happiness, health and prosperity? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time.

This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. But there's always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

2. Know your values

What do you value most? Make a list of your top 5 values. Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals for 2005 - check your goals against your values. If the goal doesn't align with any of your top five values - you may want to reconsider it or revise it.

The number shouldn't discourage you, instead it should motivate you to do more than you can ever dreamed of.

3. Know your needs

Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. List your top four needs and get them met before it's too late!

4. Know your passions

You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honor the people who has inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be.

5. Live from the inside out

Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. For most of us city slickers it's hard to even find the peace and quiet we want even in our own home. In my case I often just sit in a dimly lit room and play some classical music. There's sound, yes, but music does soothe the savage beast.

6. Honor your strengths

What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three - if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others.

7. Serve others

When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit - your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you is indeed rewarding, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done to them.

Self-improvement is indeed one type of work that is worth it. It shouldn't always be within the confines of an office building, or maybe in the four corners of your own room. The difference lies within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better.

The Interruptions Of Anger

icamm — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 22:27:52 +0000

Interruptions is stopping or hindering, by breaking out in actions. Anger is an emotion that interrupts when a person is displeased with someone or something. There are many reasons a person can feel anger. However, when a person has an un-controlling anger problem, then in many cases there is no justifiable cause for the outbursts. One example can be seen when a child becomes aggressive when his brother goes in his room. The angered child might yell, cuss, call the younger child names, and even become violent attacking the child. The cause of his anger is unjustified to a degree; however, his behaviors appeared to everyone else that his reasoning was condemned.

The child that violated his rights is ignored now, since the perpetrator is the angry person involved. If the child would have acted differently, then we could justify his reasoning for anger. Now we are looking at unjustifiable and justifiable combined. However, when a person gets angry and attempts to kill another individual simply because this person refuses to be with the angry person, we know we are dealing with unjustifiable anger. We all get mad at times, and all of us lose control sometimes, but not all of us hurt others when our control is out of our hands. Anytime a person is violent, it is not always a result of anger.

Some angry persons most likely have underlying mental illnesses. This is when we look at unjustifiable anger. To deal with anger when a mental illness is involved we must first dig up some bones. In other words, anger management is not going to work until we find the source that caused the person to explode when angry. We can look at examples of one individual that exploded out of anger, attacking another individual because that person could not hear. We analyze both sides of the story carefully to see what resulted the angry interruption.

We can see that the child has mental illnesses, since he has been professional diagnosed. We know that this is an instigator of his behaviors. Now, the deaf woman was assaulted according to the person that assaulted because she could not hear. The fact is, this woman kept the child in her home for a few months and she was controlling. She would often get angry with him when he wanted to go home. The child obviously was abused mentally by her controlling behaviors. However, it was noted by an individual that child molestation might have been in the picture, which would increase his anger.

While this was never proven a series of patterns, fell into place, making it obvious. Therefore, although this child had mental illnesses, coupled with angry outbursts as a problem, he had a root and a justifiable cause. The proper way for this child to handle the situation is telling a trustworthy adult what was going on in the home. Instead, he struck the woman, claiming it was because she could not hear. The child went to court and was looked down on, and the system only displayed pity for the victim. Not in all cases does this occur, since the victims of violent crimes are often persecuted.

Now we can go back through the child's history and see before this incident that he encountered other angry outbursts. Therefore, the act committed is totally on his shoulders. The problem is this child again has dangerous diagnosis that interrupts his ability to function in society. Therefore, to deal with his anger we must find the root of his diagnose and find a solution for dealing with the emotions involved, including all the areas that caused his anger to explode. We can look at another example were a child becomes aggressive and assaulting in school, attacking his teachers regularly.

The child was also diagnosed with mental illnesses, yet at school is where most of his behaviors displayed them selves. At times, his behaviors were justifiable, yet irresponsible, and at other times his behaviors was completely out of control. Since the child hears voices in his head it caused confusion when others would speak to him, and he felt everyone was persecuting him or out to get him. Now we are dealing with unjustifiable cause of anger explosion.

Create Your Professional Speaking Portfolio

icamm — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:41:55 +0000

All professional speakers will need a promotional kit in order to market themselves effectively and obtain more and higher paying jobs. Speakers fail to achieve the desired incomes because they fail to properly market their skills and talents. No more failure! Reach the income you've heard and dreamt about by using a promotional kit!

Speaker bureaus and meeting planners expect to see certain pieces of information in order to see if you are the professional speaker they are looking for. These pieces of information include a content sheet highlighting the material you'll be presenting, a speaker biography, testimonials / reviews, a list of the services you provide including educational materials and fee schedule, a sample client list, a demo video and a business card with contact information. You can also include a letter on a personalized letterhead stating your interest in the event and why you feel they should choose you.

1. Content sheet - include a general outline of the presentation you'll be making. Your material should relate to the theme of the convention or seminar being hosted.

2. Speaker biography (bio) - highlight certifications and qualifications in your 2 -3 paragraph narrative. Each paragraph should be about 2-3 sentences long and should tell give bureaus and planners an idea of who you are and what you're about. This bio may also be used as part of the advertisement of the speaking engagement and may be shortened to a short paragraph. You should also send a picture of yourself.

3. Testimonials / Reviews - This information helps to build your credibility as a speaker because it tells what others are saying about you. In order to build this area effectively, you should also consider requesting feedback after each speaking engagement whether they are free or for fee.

4. List of services and products - This section of information includes a price list of books, CDs or videos that you produce related to your speaking topic. This section can also include other types of speaking engagements that you do along with the respective prices that you will charge.

5. List of the clients you've worked for - you can combine this with your testimonial and review sections however, keep in mind that not everyone will respond to your request for feedback. Either you didn't ask for a review or they didn't take the time to fill out your review sheet. You can still keep a running list of the people who have used your services.

6. Demo video - This should be on the subject you are being asked to speak on. It gives your prospective planners an idea of what they will be getting should they choose to hire you. This should also be professionally done.

7. Contact information - include information on the various ways that speaker bureaus and meeting planners can get in touch with you should they decide to hire you.

Successful marketing ensures that you are on the path to becoming a successful professional speaker. It also presents you as a professional and an established leader in your field. Create your portfolio and get to marketing yourself today!

Improve a Financial Situation

icamm — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:00:03 +0000

Financial problems cause a lot of problems in people's lives. Relationships can suffer when finances are in trouble, and experts cite financial woes as one of the biggest reasons for divorce. Even single people suffer when finances are out of order; stress from financial problems can cause actual physiological problems because of the constant stress a person can feel from constantly worrying about money. For this reason, self improvement should always include a hard look at finances.

People often accept the fact that they have debt, and many people are willing to live with the idea of living paycheck to paycheck without much worry. The problem with this line of thinking, however, is the fact that one emergency : whether and illness occurs, the car breaks down, or an unexpected job loss happens : can result in financial tragedy for people who are not prepared. So what is the best thing to do? When examining a financial situation, people need to try to get to a point where they are not merely "making it," but instead strive to reach a point where there is a little bit of wiggle room. This means that if an unexpected financial hiccup does indeed occur, it does not result in dramatic consequences such as car repossession or home foreclosure.

People should take a long, hard look at their money situation, and when they find the aspects which need some work they should go about setting the goals necessary to make things better. If there is a lot of debt, there needs to be a plan to pay it down. If there is no money in savings, a plan needs to be made to bulk up the savings account. If money is floating in and out of a person's hands without any accountability, then some detailed financial records need to be created. Setting a budget is imperative. Even though budgets can be a lot of work, they work to people's advantage in a few ways. First, a budget may tone down spending a little as people realize how much money they have been spending on non-essentials.

Secondly, many people find that when they set an actual budget they might spend less simply because they do not want to have to sit down and reset their existing budget after having gone over with their spending. Thirdly, budgets tell a person exactly where their money can go, showing the person where he or she might be able to cut down some spending. If, on paper, it appears that there is not enough money to get a daily latte from the coffee shop without having to dig out a credit card, then this might help a person to wake up to the fact that he or she should pack a coffee from home instead of stopping every morning to purchase one. Little changes like this can make a huge difference in the long run.

Improving a financial situation will improve a person's overall quality of life. Keep finances on track and stay on a budget, and soon financial woes might become a thing of the past.

How to Choose a Health Insurance Company

icamm — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:45:03 +0000

Working at home or even for someone else can be scary when health issues arise. With medical costs having skyrocketed over the years, and health insurance coverage having decreased in response, it's no wonder that people panic when illness and emergencies arise.

As a result, careful planning and preparing ahead of time are needed to help make life more affordable and manageable during illness and emergencies. To help with choosing the right health insurance coverage for your families' needs, here are top concerns to discuss ahead of time.

Interview Prospective Insurance Companies and Agents

Begin by calling around for information packages to be mailed to you. Don't accept email packages, because you'll want hard copies to hold in your hand and refer to - often. And you shouldn't have to pay to download everything and print it out yourself. Insurance make more than enough money to afford their own marketing materials, otherwise you don't need them on your families' team.

When an agent is hooked up with you, make sure you can communicate OK. Some have zero product knowledge and may be too new to know much. Pass these agents up if you like and ask for more experienced and knowledgeable people. Nothing against newbies, but this is serious financial information for your family and you want it handled appropriately. Newbies can sit in on discussions but you want a qualified, experienced, knowledgeable agent there as well to discuss all available products.

A couple things to check with regards to the insurance company you are considering going with are the company's rating and its accessibility. First check with the Better Business Bureau at BBB.org to make sure there are not excessive complaints with the company. And since this is insurance, check with your state's Department of Insurance. They have a regulatory system in place to monitor insurance activities and complaints.

And contact the company a couple of times before committing to buy. Make sure someone answers the phone -hopefully human and not robotic menus. Plus see if you are sent all over to report a claim or discuss one. In short, make sure they have customer service - and that it works.

Just the Facts

Then discuss product details. Discuss pre-existing conditions to see which ones are not approved by the companies. See if there are add-ons like dental or eye wear options. See if there are co-pays, what limits are, what out-of-pocket expenses there are.

Tips for Dressing for Success in the Workplace

icamm — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:15:06 +0000

Are you frustrated with the way that your clients, supervisors, or coworkers view you at work? If are, you may be interested in making a few changes. If you are looking to improve your professionalism at work, you may want to take steps to dress for success.

When it comes to dressing for success in the workplace, your first thought may be to go right out and start shopping. Of course, this is your decision to make, but, before doing so, there are a number of points that you may want to take into consideration. A few of those points are outlined below for your convenience.

Before you start shopping for professional dress clothes, namely those ideal for the workplace, you will want to take time to review your company's dress code policy. In today's society, many companies have starting imposing rules and restrictions, concerning what employees can and cannot wear to work. To save yourself time, money, and embarrassment, it advised that you examine your company's dress code before you deicide to go on a shopping spree.

You may also want to examine what is currently being worn in your workplace. Examining your coworkers and bosses is a great way to get an ideal of what is fashionable in the workplace, as well as what is not. If you are interested in dressing for success to make yourself stand apart from everyone else, you may want to go one step higher. With that in mind, it is advised that you display caution when doing so, as you do not want to unintentionally "ruffle," any feathers.

Using your best judgment, when shopping for dress for success clothes for work, is another important point to remember. You should know your office, your coworkers, and your supervisors quite well. Although you should not necessarily worry about what others think of you and your appearance, especially just your coworkers, it is common for us to be concerned with talk and gossip. That is just something that you will want to take into consideration, when dressing for success in the workplace.

Should you decide that you would like to dress for success in the workplace, it is important to remember that you have a number of different options. In addition to buying new clothes, you can also buy used clothes. Many do not realize that some individuals only wear elegant or formal clothes once or twice before selling them to consignment shops or donating them to local thrift stores. If you are carefully with where you shop and what you buy, you may be surprised with what you are able to find for sale locally, in terms of used clothing.

In addition to shopping for work clothes locally, you may also want to do so online. Online shopping is nice, as it much easier to find deals and discounts than it is to do so locally. You may also find retailers that offer you discounts for making multiple purchases. These multiple purchase discounts are great if you are looking to buy matching accessories to go along with your new dress for success clothes.

The above mentioned points are just a few of the points that you will want to take into consideration, when looking to dress for success in the workplace. As a reminder, it is best if you use your best judgment, as it is a good guide when determining what you should or should wear to work to make a good, professional impression.

How to Set Goals in a Public Sector Organization

icamm — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:15:05 +0000

Goal setting intervention in public sector organizations has become a crucial topic on government websites and scholar articles of recent. State and government personal agencies are very concerned with high rate of retirements and are preparing themselves for the upcoming highly developed 21st century and recruiting and developing their potential workforce.

The main focus of goal setting intervention in public sector organization is to ensure that this organization continues to operate competitively and effectively even as leaders leave or pursue other ventures. This is frequent part of social work organizations whose focus is aimed at fostering client growth. It involves the process of systematically identifying, assessing and developing organizational leadership to ensure that all important positions in an organization are filled. By having goal setting intervention plan, managerial decisions, daily operations, and resource allocations can also be set to improve the performance targets offered by such agencies.

The first step in goal setting intervention in a public sector organization is to know what the customers think is important. This is a salient factor which drives goal setting intervention and performance measurement in agencies and government establishments.

A big question to be asked is if goal setting intervention applies to the federal government? Well, don't be alarmed, because it covers the federal government too. In fact, it has satisfied about 300 million customers. These agencies that are part of the public sector organization must have goals set through the President's Executive Order 12862. This order is called "Setting Customer Service Standard" which requires agencies to offer customer service that is equal to the quality business processes.

The federal government faces challenges that are not unique to the public sector, rather a combination of both which makes the fundamental performance improvements harder to achieve than expected.

A small amount of factors can affect goal setting interventions and management efforts, but customer needs, stakeholders concerns and corporate resources must be put into consideration. The following are some of the critical success factors used for goal setting in public sector organizations:

- The involvement of stakeholders must be present so as to help in the improvement program.

- There should be a measure of their performance and use it as a yardstick against other organizations performance and business needs.

- They should systematically link improvement goals to the organization's objectives and core business culture: this way a clear vision of the outcomes must be achieved at defined milestones.

- Improved goals to day-to-day decision making activities at operational level must be supported by educational training programs.

- Ambitious and realistic goals must be set which should be a basis of the mission, customers' needs and current performance levels which will challenge the organization to achieving great performance improvements.

Vital information to take note is goal setting intervention and process in public sector organizations requires careful consideration. In order to avoid negative consequences, the performance goals must be realistically achievable, at the same time, setting goals which are too modest can lead an organization to stick to the current work process which would be difficult to change in the long run, thereby creating counter productivity.

In conclusion, agencies need to make concurrent progress on important factors thereby agreeing on the missions and goals and defining the outcomes by building data systems and staff. With these in progress, goal setting intervention in public sector organizations will be achievable and attainable.

Deeper Into The Mind Of Anger

icamm — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:13:52 +0000

Many scientists, so-called experts, philosophers and so forth tell us all about anger and anger management, but do they really give you the inside stories? We have people all over the world with anger issues, some mild, some extreme and some within the normal emotion of anger. We hear all the symptoms of anger, which include kicking, fighting, slapping, verbally abusing, mentally abusing, and so on. We hear reports around the world about the many episodes related to violent in the criminal system. Finally, we hear the many reports about how to deal with anger.

First, anger is an emotion that acts on impulses. Anger is good, until it becomes unmanageable. This happens when a person feels displeasured and acts out on the impulses of his or her emotions radically. However, there are some persons angry as a direct result of negligence. We can see an example with the person that strikes out against a cable company. The person for more than three months dealt with the issues involved with the company, self, and another party. The person was paying a bill in someone else's name and the company refused to give her rights back to her, by putting her service, which she ordered in her own.

She went through a series of changes, and finally when she did as instructed the company advised her that she would take full responsibility of the property belonging to the company. This meant that the service on the bill, which she did not order, rather only one portion of the order belonged to her, yet she was asked to take full responsibility of the property. Now, she was in no position to get her hands on the other portion of the property since she did not live at the residence. Finally, she erupted and told the company off, walking hasty out the front door, mumbling you stupid idiots. This person was pushed to anger and this happens too many times in society, yet the world only views the angered persons. We can look at other theories about anger, and see that the blanks are not filled in. When a person has an anger issue, he or she does not act out everyday.

Rather, in most instances the person builds up to the point of exploding. Often a person will go for a week, month, or longer before they explode in anger. If the person has mental illnesses, alcohol or drug problems this contributes to the anger issues, however in many cases the person does not act out every day. Therefore, we can see that not only do we need to teach anger management against the anger; we also must teach the persons to approach each problem as it occurs. Procrastination comes in many forms and it includes putting off emotions to the boiling point. Many persons that are violent because of uncontrolled anger often have a dangerous mental illness underlying the anger.

Many persons that are angry because of negligence have a degree of control, and it usually does not include violence. However if the person is pushed hard enough this may occur. Anger is the process of expressing emotions, however when a person is angry they may have difficulty relating to the underlying reason for the anger. If the person can see the problem, addresses it, and receives no results, obviously this person has a right to feel angry. The person may have said to the company worker never mind I will be talking with my lawyer.

After going through many problems with the company, it is obviously that the person needed a third party to intervene. Now, if this person hires a lawyer the first noted report will be the woman's behavior regardless of the months she spent talking nice to these people without results. Her rights were violated and ignored and no one was listening. This is definitely enough to make anyone angry. The system is always dishing out garbage and it is often frustrating. Most people in the world listen to what they want to hear and ignore what is said. This is also frustrating. We need to listen to all the details before talking anger.

Internet Counseling For Couples

icamm — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:36:55 +0000

Internet counseling is very convenient as it has a lot of advantages. Firstly the counselor does not know you; second you do not have to face the counselor unless it is a very serious matter, third the counselor does not asks for a very high fee unless he is a quack. But mostly internet counseling helps a lot because you can express yourself freely and don't have any fear of your identity of being compromised so that an embarrassing situation is easily avoided. You can get the best of the counselors for any problem that you and your spouse have between yourself.

There is not a single type of therapy that can be called most effective or successful. It depends on the individual need of everybody and the wishes of the couple. There are some techniques that have been found to work best for the counseling of couples but still there is no such method which can be called ideal for couple counseling. But the most important factor is the relationship between the couple and the counselor.

There are some methods that are use for the counseling of couples. They are as follows:

1. Psychodynamic/Ego Psychotherapy

This method is used to help the couple understand themselves fully. The theory behind this method is used for exploring the pasts of the clients i.e. their childhood experiences and unconscious conflicts.

2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy uses a combination of both cognitive and behavioral therapy. This method discovers both the thinking patterns and harmful or self-destructive behaviors. The therapy helps alter the thinking and behavior.

3. Solution Based Theory

Solution based therapy helps by providing the methods that help people to change the unwanted behavior problems. This technology helps the couple to cope up and be more resourceful.

4. Structural Therapy

The basic parts of the structural therapy are concepts, boundaries, subsystems and alignments. A structural therapist considers the individual, family and social problems while counseling a couple. The most important thing for the therapist to understand that every family has a structure and the therapist must work on it for the counseling.

Important Elements Of Time Management

icamm — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:45:04 +0000

There is a lot to be done in your life and it is only through proper time management that you can hope to achieve your objectives since the available time is limited. Similarly even in your day-to-day chores it is essential that the important elements of time management are understood and orchestrated in the right direction so that you can find success in your ventures. Although it is true that no one knows what will happen the next moment, there is no reason why you should not endeavor to make the most of the present. It is necessary to give due importance to the various elements of time management.

Planning

The basic element of any task, big or small, is planning and nothing can succeed unless the task is properly planned at the very outset. This is also applicable to time management. Planning is the visualization of the different elements of a task and arrangement of these elements according to their importance. Detailed planning will also include the anticipation of the possible problems and obstacles that might come up along the way and the contingency arrangements to deal with these problems. In the case of time management, it is essential that the various elements of the job to be done are properly listed and arranged in order of their importance and priority. It is also important to estimate the amount of time that each element might need to be completed. You would also need to eliminate unnecessary wastage of time.

Handling Emails At Work

If most of your work involves emails, you must be aware that unnecessary emails keep cropping up and if you start attending to all of them, your time management plans will burst at their seams. Moreover, your mailbox will get crammed with these superfluous mails and you will find it difficult to keep track of the essential ones that concern your contracts, customer accounts and other important issues. It has, therefore, essential that you should not divulge your email details to irrelevant agencies that ask for such information. If you do need to deal with any such agency, you should have a different email account for this purpose so that your work email account is kept solely for official work. Moreover, database accounts should be kept up-to-date and old files should be maintained elsewhere. When your email accounts have only relevant files pertaining to your business, you will find that there will be less wastage of time leading to better time management.

Maintaining Notes

An essential element of time management is to develop the habit of taking notes and maintaining the same for future use. When you take notes at every step, whether in the planning stage or when you are attending a meeting or when you are simply pondering over the events of the day, you are building up essential tips and databases for planning your next line of action. This is a great way of saving time and utilizing every moment towards gainful work.

Time management is not only about keeping yourself busy in your work but also about finding time for relaxation with your family.

Mentoring Training

icamm — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:28:55 +0000

Tips on Successful Implementation of Mentoring

Mentoring, training and coaching programs for novice teachers are excellent ways to improve the quality of skills and knowledge of a new teacher, his job satisfaction, and his professional competence. These programs available for the new teacher are also effective means of enhancing the student's abilities and the mentor's skills as well. In many US schools, these mentoring programs are mandatory to ensure that the new teacher is fully capable of handing the classes.

In some schools, mentoring programs are instituted not only to prepare the new teacher for the job but also as a way of addressing the problem of teacher shortage. A recent news published on Contra Costa Times reveals that almost 25% of new teachers in California leave their job in their first four years of teaching because of lack of support from the administration and fellow teachers. Also, the mentoring program adds bureaucratic burden both for the novice teachers and their mentors. Apart from the additional responsibilities that are given to the teachers, there's a lot of paperwork that needs to be accomplished. This includes preparing lesson plans, evaluations, and progress and accomplishment reports.

In order to ensure that mentoring programs are successfully implemented, here are some tips and pointers to remember:

* Eliminate unnecessary paperwork and requirements - this has been recommended by UC Riverside researchers after finding out that a lot of mentors and new teachers engaged in the program are complaining about the repetitive tasks and extra paperwork they need to accomplish. Aside from the fact that neophyte teachers are already overwhelmed by their new responsibilities, they are still burdened with lots of paperwork including preparing lesson plans, which usually consumes so much of their time. It is recommended that programs should focus on mentoring itself. The new and veteran teachers may engage in less taxing activities that would allow them to interact and share knowledge, skills and experiences freely.

* New teachers must be matched with the right mentors - It is important for the new teacher and the mentor to interact without any inhibition. To be able to achieve this, the administrators must strive to match news teachers with mentors who share with them same qualities and interests. This would allow the new teacher to freely ask questions and ask for tips and advices from the mentor.

* Have separate evaluators - In order for the mentor and the new teacher to focus on their main tasks, they must be relieved from doing additional tasks such as evaluation of the program. A separate evaluator who shall meet the veteran and the new teachers to discuss the progress of the mentoring program may be assigned.

* Conduct regular assessment of the whole mentoring program - Campus-level administrators should not only evaluate progress of the newly hired teachers but as well as the whole mentoring, training and coaching program of the school, which includes the mentors capability to coach neophyte teachers, the process of mentoring, the students' progress vis-

An Attempt to Define Happiness: What is Happiness?

icamm — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:00:03 +0000

Happiness is thought to be the very core of human struggle. We claim of doing things to get to the path that leads to happiness. We go beyond our lives and see why and how other people get their happiness. The sad truth though is that too many times, we have failed to recognize that happiness is always within sight. In fact, it has always been within us. But we are often too blinded to see this truth, let alone accept it. Thus, we endlessly count on external motivations that would drive us to finding happiness.

Happiness is anything and everything that would account to the feeling of elation and contentment. It is in its basic nature, a pleasant feeling. But if we are to actually describe what happiness is, we might find ourselves on our wit's end to actually create a concrete meaning out of something that man finds too complicated.

It all lies in our perception of its meaning and feeling and out of the purity of our souls. Many claim that happiness is one of the most difficult things to achieve yet what we truly are seeing here is the lack of a clean soul that would pour out happiness to the world.

Why can't we find happiness? It is because we are too preoccupied with the materiality of our happiness. It is not a stone or a whisper that you can touch or hear. But it is always there. It will definitely come as a wind when no one expects it and too many times we have overlooked it.

It wasn't intended to satisfy human vanities. It is practically everything, yes but everything excludes all things that would inflict damage to another fellow or to affect him in any negative way possible. Happiness ends where discord lays its path. Happiness ceases to exist when the last light of hope vanishes because men wish to side more on evil than in good.

There are no complex principles underlying it nor there are complex methods to accomplish before we ever achieve the state of happiness. We are just about as happy as we want ourselves to be or as we set our minds to be. How many instances in our life did our mental settings affect the clarity of our emotions? It all lies in how we see things. If we see romance in every flower that buds or joy in every good human act we hear, it is no doubt that our hearts are uncorrupted with evil.

We have mentioned about the purity of the souls. How to identify it? There are no intricate ways. Its just this- a soul that finds no happiness in any wrongdoing. A soul that doesn't tune into the devil's voice. And a soul that doesn't entertain a single rotten thought.

We have to be keen in identifying what rotten thoughts, wrongdoings and devil's voice though. Often, we find it convenient to follow what our innate beast tells us. It sure leads to the short cuts of achievements things. However, the products of listening into this beast side are passing. They only benefit you for a while and destroy you eventually. Like a chocolate coating that hides a molten poison at its core.

It takes enlightenment to know what is evil and not. But remember that you are constantly guided. However, at one point or another, we find it dissatisfying to listen to the good that lives within us. Because for some mysterious scheme, it normally drives us to longer roads, where too few roads meet because so many have abandoned this road and have taken the easier route to perdition.

Happiness doesn't ask so much yet it will provide you with endless resources of joy and contentment. The only part you have to take is not to be like the many who would rather have eaten the chocolate-covered poison for the road out front is easier but to make a difference and follow the long path that leads to happiness.