Cleaning Up The Clutter With Help From The TV

It is no wonder with the busy, hectic lives we are living today that many times our homes interior and exterior suffer the consequences.

It does not take very long for messes to accumulate and suddenly we can find ourselves overwhelmed by all the clutter in our house. There is a new booming business that has developed recently and it is called professional organizers. Evidently we are in terrible need of them!

If you and your spouse work full time jobs, or if you are a single parent and either case involving children, it can be extremely challenging to keep up with all the housework that has to be done. Some families will make up cleaning schedules, but they never seem to work very long.

These new professional organizers have become so popular because they can go into a home and put things in order quickly. The most important thing after the initial cleaning out is that they provide workable solutions that will help keep your home clean and organized if the changes necessary are made.

On satellite and cable television channels there are several reality type programs that deal with the home organizing issues of real people. One of the most popular shows is simply titled, Clean House. One of the hosts of this show, Niecy Nash, has a personality that is so unique, that everyone loves her.

She is an actress who has played on many television shows and a few movies. She is very flashy in appearance, very funny, but also very outspoken with the people that she is helping.

The Home and Garden television network, HGTV, also has a great home cleaning show called, Mission Organization. It is hosted by Gail O'neill who is well known for her professional organization skills. This program is entertaining as well as beneficial.

Just by watching these shows you will find yourself inspired by the results that can be had by following the advice of these professionals.

One of the most fun parts of watching these shows are the before and after results. The transformations that take place in the people's homes are absolutely real and amazing.

They can be life changing for some of them. It just goes to show what a little effort and a little routine can do for the way your home can work. Deep down we all want to be organized in our home life because it is defiantly no fun living in a cluttered space.

Ignore PR at Your Peril!

If you do, it means:

you don't value tracking the perceptions of important outside audiences whose behaviors could sink your ship: you don't care about setting a public relations goal designed to correct misconceptions, inaccuracies or rumors that can hurt you; you care even less about strategies to get you from here to that PR goal you already don't care about; and you certainly don't value the persuasive messages you need to convince your key outside audiences that their damaging perceptions of your enterprise are dead wrong.

Man, that's risky and an awful lot not to care about!

Actually, I don't believe you don't care, and I don't believe you're really ignoring public relations. If you were, by now your organization would be on its last legs, Kaput!, Morto!

In fact, you may be a closet PR person who knows better. Why you may even buy the fundamental premise of public relations:

"People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action those people whose behaviors affect the organization, the public relations mission is accomplished."

I'll bet you're also pretty darn good at monitoring what that #1 external audience thinks about you and your organization. And that you regularly interact with them asking questions like What do you think of us? Why? while watching for negative undertones, wrong-headed beliefs or misconceptions.

And that means you'll be anxious to create a public relations goal that corrects such misconceptions because they can lead directly to negative behaviors that will hurt you.

In practice, your goal may be focused on pacifying an activist group, reinforcing prospect interest in your product or service, or even countering a painful rumor.

You're probably ahead of me in forming the strategy you need to reach that goal. For better or worse, there are only three ways to deal with opinion or perception problems. Create some all-new opinion where none exists, change existing opinion, or reinforce it.

With goal and strategy both in hand, you now have some real work to do. What will you need to say to your key audience members to persuade them to your way of thinking? You must be clear about what should be corrected or clarified. You must also be persuasive, and your facts and figures believable. And if appropriate, try to be compelling, perhaps with a certain sense of urgency.

Your "foot soldiers" - communications tactics - can now carry that hard-won message to the attention of your #1 target audience, and there are scads of them just waiting for you to send them into action. For example, speeches, news releases, brochures, special events, radio interviews and one-on-one meetings.

One question remains. How do you tell whether or not you are making any headway with your public relations effort?

You again interact with members of that key audience of yours. And yes, with questions very similar to those you asked during your original information gathering exercise at the start of the program. Only this time, you are more interested in whether your communications tactics have moved perceptions in your direction.

Do the new responses show signs that your were successful in changing that inaccurate belief? Or correcting that misconception? Or killing that dangerous rumor for good?

Not enough movement? Take another look at your message to see if it is really compelling. Is it honestly persuasive? Are your facts supportive of your goal and strategy? Is it written clearly enough?

I want to reemphasize that what you are looking for at this stage is a strong indication that your efforts have clearly moved perceptions and target audience behaviors in the desired direction.

When this second monitoring drill allows that conclusion, you will have good reason to value highly your public relations goal, strategy, message and communications tactics.

Together, they will have made it possible for you to say, as promised in the fundamental premise,"My public relations mission is accomplished."

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly © 2003

Backyard Chickens Part 1 - Warm and Cozy

Well, the chicks have arrived. I went down to the feed store because they had told me they were getting the chicks in this week. So, I went down there and picked out 2 nice Araucanas. They are a nice, mellow breed that lay blue and green eggs. We already have 2 of them, so I thought I would try and stick with the same breed. I had picked up 2 from a neighbor, 1 Barred Rock and 1 Rhode Island Red. We had some serious roommate issues and those 2 left us for another family.

So, I figured if I was going to do this again, I might as well share. Here goes. First off, chicks don't need much. They need to be warm and cozy, eat and drink, poo and sleep. To provide this, you will need some supplies.

This is what I used:

1. Good sized box 2. Clamp light (60w-150w) 3. Mason Jar Feeder 4. Waterer 5. Roosting Stick 6. Piece of wood to set feeder and waterer on. 7. Pine shavings 8. A little newspaper

You can use any kind of box. I have used plastic tubs, but this time I went with the cardboard. This one is probably overkill for only 2 chicks, but I like them to have plenty of room

It is a little tricky getting the feeder full and then putting a full Mason jar on the top, but any spilled food will be found by the chicks and it gives them something to scratch for

This is a simple watering system. Put fresh water in the top part, screw on the bottom part, turn right side up and put it in the box. It's a good idea to check it everyday for debris. You can get the feeder and waterer at any feed store/Pet store.

OK, let's get to the setup:

Step 1:

I put some newspaper on the bottom of the box to help keep it dry.

Step 2:

I put this piece of wood in here to keep the food and water up off the floor of the warming box. This will also help to stabilize the containers.

Step 3:

Now, I cover the floor of the box with Pine shavings. This gives the chicks something to scratch in and it keeps them dry. You should change it out when it gets dirty. I would say, change it in a week, or 4 days, but it all depends on the size of your warming box and how many chicks you have.

Step 4:

Now get your food and water containers full and placed where you want them. Make sure your light is clamped into position and on. You want to keep the box warm (like 90 degrees warm). Just like Mama. I keep a layer of chicken wire on top of the box, not because the chicks can get out, but to keep things from falling in (a cat for example).

Step 5 (my favorite step):

Add chicks. Here are our new additions. You can place the roost stick anywhere you want to as long as they have a place to get up and sit on they will love it.

Here are a couple of close ups of the girls.

That should get you started with backyard chickens. Part 2 will discuss the ways I use my chickens to help out in the garden and in the refrigerator. See y'all next time.

SSI Disability

Understanding everything that there is to know about SSI disability is something that a lot of people don't put nearly enough stock in. After all, the more that one can learn about anything, the better off they're going to be. SSI disability can be quite confusing if you don't put the right amount of effort into understanding it; regardless of the situation. So long as you do take the time to look into everything, however, you'll be well on your way towards keeping SSI disability top of mind. The following are just a few things that one should think of when they are trying to understand this and how it applies to them.

This is something that simply doesn't have to be anywhere near as confusing as a lot of people make it out to be. Confusion can surely be a problem when trying to navigate the world of SSI disability, although this is only because most people don't take the time to learn as much as possible about it.

If you're wondering if this is something that applies to you, then you'll definitely want to know that it truly doesn't apply to everyone. In fact, there are more people out there that it doesn't apply to than those which it does. Understanding this is paramount to being able to make it work for you, and should never be ignored.

You'll definitely want to talk to a professional about it if it is something that you're considering. In fact, the more you can learn about it, the better off you're going to be in the long run. Fortunately, talking to someone about this is typically no more difficult than making a single phone call.

If you're afraid that this might be something that is expensive to implement, you'll be quite happy to find out that it really is not. In fact, you can very easily save a great deal of money with this. As a result, this should not be a concern.

The area that you live in does not typically have any effect on whether or not you are eligible. This is something that a lot of people don't usually realize.

Finding a book on SSI disability is something that doesn't have to be difficult. That said, you can get a lot out of reading as many books as possible, which can help you to determine whether or not SSI disability is something that you could benefit from.

Consider everything above to determine if you are a candidate for SSI disability. After all, information is everywhere, and understanding whether or not you are eligible for SSI disability does not have to be difficult at all.

5 Key Advantages To Starting A Self Publishing Business

I'm sure you can come up with all sorts of reasons for not starting your own business, the first, of many, being lack of money and uncertainty of its success. But no matter what the reasons are against starting a business, there are just as many reasons for starting one.

Actually, for the right person, the advantages of business ownership far outweigh the disadvantages. And deciding to write a book means, inevitably, that you've decided to be in business.

If the very thought of it leaves you feeling a bit uneasy, the good news is that there are many differences (and advantages) in committing to the self publishing process as a business and starting a traditional small business.

Here are just a few of the reasons why starting your own self publishing company makes sense (even if you only have plans to write one book).

1. You'll be your own boss. Having the flexibility and power to make the best and most profitable business choices for yourself is a great benefit of owning and operating your own business.

Couple those benefits with the ability to make your own production schedule, set your own publication date and the ease of print-on-demand publishing, and you've got the perfect formula for self publishing success.

2. You can become a published author in 90 days or less. Believe it or not, it would take approximately 570 days to get your message out through a traditional publisher.

Self publishing allows you to bring your message to the masses much faster than any other form of publishing, and the faster you can bring it to market means the quicker you'll make a profit.

3. Your earning and growth potential are far greater. At 6% to 10% royalties, very few published authors make any real money. But as a self published author you will keep 100% of the profits.

4. Writing a book is exciting. You can make a long time dream a reality and that will just inspire you to write and publish more.

Besides when you begin to get recognized as the expert, readers and the media look to you to offer insight and opinions to support them in achieving their life's goals and that is very encouraging and exciting.

5. Publishing a book provides endless opportunities and exposure. Gaining media exposure and credibility because you "wrote the book" on a particular subject will allow you to showcase yourself, your business and your book to a larger audience than wouldn't have been possible without it.

If you are a speaker, coach, consultant or entrepreneur looking to get more clients and add more cash flow to your bottom line, you need to seriously consider becoming an author.

And if you're an author, you can expand your reach by becoming a speaker, coach or consultant.

Whether you're running a traditional small business or you're a self published author; being a business owner is a lot of work, there are often long hours and times of uncertainty.

But the rewards are great and having the flexibility and courage to call your own shot is exhilarating and potentially profitable too.