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Don’t Just Start a Business — Start the Right One

A Be My Guest Author — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:17:05 +0000

This Be My Guest Author Article is by Peri H. Pakroo J.D., Author of The Women’s Small Business Start-Up Kit: A Step-by-Step Legal Guide.

Most prospective entrepreneurs I meet already know they want to be self-employed, but they’re less sure of exactly what kind of business they want to run. (Sorry, “One that makes a lot of money” or “One where I can set my own schedule” are not specific enough answers.) Most people have a general idea of what business they want to start — say, a yoga studio or a health care consulting business — but they don’t always know the specifics of what will make it a success (more on how to define “success” below).

The truth is, no business idea is ready to go right out of the gate. Every entrepreneur needs to poke and prod their idea to varying degrees and usually tweak it a little (or a lot) before it’s ready to launch. But folks new to the worlds of small business often wonder exactly how to go about this.

Here’s the nutshell version of the advice I give to my students and clients. At the most fundamental level, every business has two basic elements that will either help it succeed or drag it into the ground: the business idea itself, and whether the owner(s) are well-suited to run it. If either the idea is flawed or the business isn’t a good fit for the folks running the show, failure (or at least some serious stagnation) is probably just a matter of time.

Let’s look a little more closely at each of these in reverse order, starting with the “you” part of the equation, then looking at the business idea.

What kind of business is a good fit for you?

Here’s the easy advice first: The best business for you is generally one in which you have key skills or experience. The more skills you have — either general business skills like sales or financial management, or skills specific to the business, like software engineering, jewelry making or running a café — the better you’ll be able to handle the key tasks and systems involved in running the business without having to rely on others. And experience in an industry will shorten your learning curve, giving you a head start in figuring out how to turn a profit.

But here’s some advice you might not hear as much: Business success isn’t just a matter of profits. It’s also incredibly important that your business supports the life you want to lead. While some Type A overachievers might disagree, my opinion is your life matters. I think this is especially true for entrepreneurs who are putting in the effort and taking the risks inherent in starting their own venture. Why bother to take this all on if not to nudge (or even shove) your life closer towards your ideal vision?

Remember, you are starting the business, and you get to define what success looks like. For some people, success means big profits, but for plenty of others it means freedom and ample personal time. If you neglect to consider the bigger picture of your life and how the business will serve it, who’s going to do it for you? That’s right: no one. It’s up to you.

There’s a tradeoff dynamic here that I think is very helpful to understand: Generally speaking, a business that offers short-term freedom and lower financial risk tends to come at the expense of greater long-term freedom and a higher potential for big profits. For example, starting a simple freelance business with no employees typically involves very little start-up money and allows a lot of personal freedom since you don’t have to worry about managing an office or staff. The downside, however, is that the business truly can’t run without you. If you take time off, the business essentially shuts down. And this will continue to be true unless and until you transition the business to one with staff (either employees or contractors) that are well managed, requiring policies and systems to be implemented.

Contrast this with a business that is started with a higher investment of both capital and time — say, a retail store with a couple employees. It will be a more intense start-up experience, involving more money and risk, and a much greater time commitment since it will be essential to train employees well and build systems that will help the business run like a well-oiled machine. But the reward is that in a year or two if things go well and you implemented systems successfully, you’ll be able to leave the business in the hands of the employees and managers you cultivated during the intense start-up phase. Hello 4-month (or longer) vacation!

The main point here is to include life planning in your business plan. It’s crucial to take the time early on to really examine your vision of your ideal lifestyle, and develop your business so that it fits into that vision. If you’re aiming to build an international empire and willing to give your business your all for at least a few years, great! But if you’re starting a business in order to get more balance, control, and enjoyment from your life, then you’ll need to consciously build a business that supports that.

Is your business idea a good one?

To put it very, very mildly, some business ideas are better than others. As a consultant and teacher I have heard some doozies! Some ideas are truly confounding — but the good news is that the problem can always be traced back to issues in defining the market.

You’ve undoubtedly heard all sorts of advice and guidance about “the market.” As in, “Know your market.” Or, “Target a profitable market.” Or, “Make sure there’s a market for your business.” But what exactly is “the market”? A lot of folks use the term as shorthand for your customer base — but they’re leaving out some important elements.

As I tell my clients and students, your market includes three key components: customers, competition and industry. I actually encourage people to visualize a market like a farmer’s market or flea market. To “know that market” means more than knowing who’s shopping there, right? You also need to know about the other vendors, and about the general background of the products being sold, like knowing price ranges for collectibles at a flea market or knowing which organic produce sells best at the farmer’s market.

So, when developing a business idea, think about these elements:

What customers will you target? What are their buying habits — for example, do they prefer to shop online or in local retail stores? Are there enough of them and do they spend enough to support your idea?
What competitors will you face? How do their products or services differ from yours? Are they targeting the same customers as you?
What’s going on in your industry? Are there trends that your competition isn’t taking advantage of that you can?

Be brutally honest when evaluating your business along these lines. If you don’t believe there are enough customers to support you, there probably aren’t. If there’s a ton of strong competition, success may be very difficult — or at least very expensive — to achieve. If the industry is constantly changing (as with technology industries), you may find it difficult to keep pace.

Bottom line: There’s no substitute for evaluating your business idea by solidly assessing these aspects of its market. And besides careful market analysis, be sure to put conscious thought into the life you want to build by starting a business. By addressing both, you’ll vastly boost the chances of finding success on your own terms.

Peri Pakroo is a business and communications consultant, specializing in legal and start-up issues for businesses and nonprofits. She has started, participated in, and consulted with start-up businesses for 20 years. She is the author of The Women’s Small Business Start-Up Kit (Nolo) and top-selling business books. Her blog is atwww.peripakroo.com.

For more information, please visit www.nolo.com and follow the author on Twitter and Facebook.

Go to WomensSmallBusinessStartUpKit to access an e-galley of The Women’s Small Business Start-Up Kit on NetGalley. It can be read on the Nook, Kindle, Sony e-reader, or on your computer.

Why Positive Thinking is Bad for You

A Be My Guest Author — Sat, 29 May 2010 12:00:18 +0000

This Be My Guest Author Article is by Srikumar Rao, Author of Happiness at Work: Be Resilient, Motivated, and Successful — No Matter What

Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie. Many persons swear by positive thinking and quite a few have been helped by it. Nevertheless, it is not a very effective tool and can be downright harmful in some cases. There are much better ways to get the benefits that positive thinking allegedly provides.

Perhaps the statement that best exemplifies positive thinking is “When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” It seems so self-evident that this is a good thing that we never question the wisdom of the adage. But it does not take a whole lot of digging to unearth the flaws in this reasoning.

First, did fate really hand you a lemon or was this merely your initial, unthinking response? Second, is a lemon really a bad thing, something that you would rather not have, but now that you do have it you will somehow salvage something by making lemonade? Finally, it is quite stressful to be handed a lemon until such time as you figure out how to make lemonade. Do you really have to go through this phase?

No matter what happens to us in life we tend to think of it as “good” or “bad”. And most of us tend to use the “bad” label three to ten times as often as the “good” label. And when we say something is bad, the odds grow overwhelming that we will experience it as such. And that is when we need positive thinking. We have been given something bad, a real lemon, and we better scramble and make some lemonade out of it and salvage something out of this “bad” situation.

How tiring and tiresome!

Now think back on your own life. Can you recall instances of something that you initially thought was a bad thing that turned out to be not so bad after all or perhaps even a spectacularly good thing? Like the time you just missed a train and had to wait a whole hour for the next one and it was horrible except that your neighbor also missed it so you talked for the first time and a beautiful friendship developed. You will find many instances in your life, some of them very significant such as the job you desperately wanted but didn’t get only to find that a much better one came by and you would not have been able to accept it if not for the earlier rejection.

Now let’s propose something radical and revolutionary. Let’s propose that, no matter what happens to you, you do not stick a bad thing label on it. No matter what. You are fired from your job, your mortgage lender sends you a foreclosure notice . . . your spouse files for divorce . . . or whatever. This seems so far-fetched as to be laughable. Of course these are horrible tragedies and terrible things to happen. Or are they? Is it possible, just possible, that you have been conditioned to think of these happenings as unspeakable tragedies and hence experience them as such?

Viktor Frankl in his book Man’s Search for Meaning narrates the tale of the beautiful girl of privilege who was grateful to be in a concentration camp because she was able to connect with a spiritual side of her that she never knew existed. Observations like this led Frankl into his life’s work of determining why, when faced with extreme adversity, some persons positively flourish while others disintegrate.

Many who rise so triumphantly never label what they go through as bad and lament over it. They simply take it as a given as if they were a civil engineer surveying the landscape through which a road is to be built. In this view, a swamp is not a bad thing. It is merely something that has to be addressed in the construction plan.

And if you never label something as bad, then you don’t need positive thinking and all of the stress associated with getting something bad and experiencing it as such till you figure out how to make lemonade out of it simply goes away.

That is the huge pebble in the positive thinking shoe. “This is bad. Really bad. It’s a lemon. But somehow I will make some lemonade out of it and then perhaps it won’t be so bad.” First you think its bad and then you think you will somehow make it less bad and there is a strong undercurrent that you are playing games and kidding yourself. Some people succeed. Many don’t. And those who don’t are devastated that the model they were trying so hard to build caved in on them. That’s why positive thinking can sometimes be harmful.

Can you actually go through life without labeling what happens to you as good or bad? Sure you can. You have to train yourself to do this. You have been conditioned to think of things as bad or good. You can de-condition yourself. It is neither easy nor fast but it is possible.

Lets say you break your leg. There is stuff you have to do like go to an orthopedist and get it set and go to therapy when the cast comes off. But all the rest of the stuff you pick up “Why did this have to happen to me? Bad things always come my way. I am in such pain. Who will hold the world up now that I am disabled?” is simply baggage. You don’t have to pick up this load and the only reason you do is because you were never told that you didn’t have to.

I am telling you now. Don’t pick up that useless burden. Don’t label what happens to you as bad. Then you won’t need positive thinking and much of the stress in your life will simply disappear. Poof! Just like that.

Srikumar S. Rao is the author of Happiness at Work: Be Resilient, Motivated, and Successful — No Matter What (Published by McGraw-Hill). He conceived “Creativity and Personal Mastery,” the pioneering course that was among the most popular and highest rated at many of the world’s top business schools. It remains the only such course to have its own alumni association. His work has been covered by major media including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, TIME, Fortune, BusinessWeek, the London Times, the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph. CNN, PBS, Voice of America, and dozens of radio and TV stations have interviewed him.

Please visit www.srikumarsrao.com for more information. You can also follow him on Twitter @srikumarsrao or join the happiness community on Facebook: Facebook | Srikumar Rao.

Finding Your Buffalo

A Be My Guest Author — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:22:33 +0000

This Be My Guest Author Article is by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, author of the book Rebel Buddha, which is scheduled for release in November 2010.

There is a story about a farmer who owns a buffalo. Not knowing that the buffalo is in its stable, the farmer goes off to search for it, thinking it has strayed from home. Starting off on his search, he sees many different buffalo footprints outside his yard. The footprints of buffalo are everywhere! The farmer then thinks, “Which way did my buffalo go?” He decides to follow one set of tracks and they lead him up into the high mountains, but he doesn’t find his buffalo there. Then he follows another set of footprints that lead way down to the ocean.

However, when he reaches the ocean, he still doesn’t find his buffalo. His buffalo is not in the mountains or at the beach. Why? Because it is back home in the stable in his yard.

Like the farmer, we search for happiness and peace of mind outside ourselves. We search for freedom from our troubles high up in the mountains, at pristine, beautiful beaches, and in the serenity of retreat settings. In all of these places, there are footprints everywhere, signs of like-minded seekers searching for happiness and a more enlightened existence. In the end, you might find traces of the contentment and illumination they realized. What you will not find, however, is the one thing you are looking for — your own happiness, peace of mind, and enlightened nature. You may find someone else’s version of it, but it is not the same as finding your own.

No matter how much you may admire and long for the happiness and freedom of mind you perceive in someone else, whether it’s a great spiritual master, a bestselling self-help guru, or a true, modern-day hero or heroine, finding your own wakefulness, your own enlightenment within, is much different. It is like finding your own buffalo. Your buffalo recognizes you and you recognize your buffalo. The moment you meet your own buffalo is a very emotional and joyful moment.

In order to make our own discoveries, we have to start right here where we are. We have to search inwardly rather than outwardly. From the Buddhist point of view, ultimate happiness — the state of freedom, or enlightenment — is within our minds and has been from beginningless time. Like our buffalo comfortably resting in its stable, ultimate happiness has never left us, although we have developed the idea that it has left home. We think it is somewhere outside and we have to find it. With so many footprints leading in different directions, so many possibilities for where it could be, we may start to imagine things. We could think that it was stolen by a neighbor and is gone forever. We start to have all kinds of misconceptions and mistaken beliefs.

From the Buddhist point of view, there is nothing within our ordinary life that we need to reject or leave behind, and the state of enlightenment is not a place we go to from here. It is not a place that is found outside of where we are right now. If you wanted to find a perfect get-away from all your stress and unhappiness, where and how far would you go? To the other side of the world, to the International Space Station, or just the nearest bar? Your body would be somewhere else, but still, you would be taking your stressed, unhappy mind with you. What we are actually trying to leave behind is the mind’s confusion, which keeps us from being happy. It is how our minds function when we are in those mountains, at the beach, at work or at home, that determines whether we are happy or unhappy, awake in our life or sleeping through it.

According to the Buddha, the actual point of all our efforts on the spiritual path is simply to return to the state of complete wakefulness, which is the true nature of our minds. Our minds are brilliantly clear and aware naturally, but that brilliant wakefulness is hidden from our view by clouds of confusion. These clouds are caused primarily by the turbulence of our thoughts and emotions. There is so much commotion going on in our minds that our view of who we are and what the world is like is distorted.

If that’s the case, then how can we recognize the wakeful nature of our minds? The Buddha taught many methods of meditation, which bring stability, peace, and clarity to our agitated minds. Through the practice of meditation, we begin to relax; we feel like we’re waking up and coming to our senses. It’s a very ordinary, but profound, experience that deepens over time and transforms our view of life. When we start to work with our mind in meditation, there’s a sense of effort, but as we go along, it becomes more effortless. A good example of this is a bird taking off from the ground. When the bird wants to fly, it first has to run a little bit and then push down against the ground, so it can leap up into the space of the sky.

So long as we are looking outside of ourselves, there is no place to go, no end of the road, where we will one day find perfect happiness. Ultimately, the awake and peaceful mind that we are looking for is with us right now, in this very moment. We don’t have to pack our bags or follow someone else’s trail to discover the true nature of our mind — the buddha within us. That buddha is always within our reach.

Do you see it? Where are you looking for your buffalo?

© 2010 Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is a widely celebrated teacher known for his skill in making the full richness of Buddhist wisdom accessible to modern minds. A lover of urban culture, Rinpoche enjoys writing poetry and creating art of various kinds in his leisure time. Based in the United States for the past 20 years, he devotes much of his energy to his vision of a genuine American, and Western, Buddhism, free from the cultural trappings that sometimes distort the Buddha’s essential message of wakefulness. Born in 1965 in northeast India, Rinpoche received comprehensive training in the meditative and intellectual disciplines of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism under the guidance of many of the greatest masters from Tibet’s final pre-exile generation. Among the many organizational roles he juggles, he is the founder and principal teacher of Nalandabodhi, an international network of Buddhist practice centers. His latest book is Rebel Buddha (Shambhala Publications) forthcoming in November 2010. For more information please visit Rinpoche on Facebook, Twitter and his Website.

Punctuating Appositives

David Bowman — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:42:47 +0000

Punctuation isn’t complicated once you know what you’re looking at. I see many writers making errors when punctuating appositives. This may be a new term for many folks, so we’ll take a look at what I mean by “appositive,” and then we’ll figure out how to punctuate them correctly.

WHAT’S AN APPOSITIVE?

An appositive is a word or phrase that:

renames something you have written and
can serve the same grammatical function as the word or phrase it renames.

If the word or phrase passes these two tests, it is an appositive.

FIRST EXAMPLE OF AN APPOSITIVE

Here’s a sentence with an appositive. Let’s take a look at the phrase “a harsh and stubborn woman.” Is this an appositive?

The committee chairwoman, a harsh and stubborn woman, scorned the director’s request.

First test: In this sample, the phrase “a harsh and stubborn woman” renames “The committee chairwoman.” It means the same thing. This satisfies the first test.

Second test: “The committee chairwoman” is the subject of this sentence. However, if we leave out this subject, then “a harsh and stubborn woman” will serve as the subject (minus the commas around it). In this way, “a harsh and stubborn woman” can serve the same grammatical function as “the committee chairwoman.” This satisfies the second test.

Another way to perform this test is to leave out one phrase and then the other, resulting in two sentences. If they are both grammatically correct, then the phrase passes the second test. Using this example, we have the following two grammatically correct sentences.

The committee chairwoman scorned the director’s request.

A harsh and stubborn woman scorned the director’s request.

Based on these two tests, the phrase “a harsh and stubborn woman” is an appositive. We say that this phrase is in apposition to “the committee chairwoman.”

SECOND EXAMPLE OF AN APPOSITVE

Here is another sentence with an appositive:

My brother, a violin player, is coming home.

The phrase “a violin player” is an appositive. It is in apposition to “My brother,” and it passes the two tests: 1) it renames “my brother;” 2) it can serve the same grammatical function.

THIRD EXAMPLE OF AN APPOSITIVE

Most appositives follow the word or phrase they rename. Here’s a sentence in which the appositive is before the word it renames.

A streak in the sky, the eagle raced overhead.

The appositive is “a streak in the sky.” It renames “eagle” and can serve the same grammatical function. We can write “The eagle raced overhead” or “A streak in the sky raced overhead.”

HOW DO I PUNCTUATE AN APPOSITIVE?

Now, what are the rules for punctuating appositives? How do you punctuate an appositive? Now that we know what appositives are, let’s figure out how to punctuate them. To answer this question, we first have to decide what type of appositive we are using: non-restrictive or restrictive.

Non-restrictive appositives: By non-restrictive, we mean they are simply renaming something. We are only referring to one thing, a category with only one thing in it. When appositives are non-restrictive, they are set off with commas. The examples above are all non-restrictive.

In the first example above, only one woman is the committee chairwoman. We don’t need to restrict the category to indicate which woman because it only has one woman in it; we’re just providing additional information about that woman. As such, the appositive is set off with commas.

Restrictive appositives: By restrictive, we mean that we have used a name for a broad category with many things in it. We want the reader to know which thing we’re writing about, so we need to restrict the broad category to a narrow category that only contains one thing. When appositives are restrictive, they are not set off with commas.

Here is a sentence with a restrictive appositive:

The belief that he was alone led him to depression.

The restrictive appositive is “that he was alone.” This phrase renames “the belief,” and, as a noun phrase, it can also serve as the subject (though this will sound awkward to native English speakers).

Why is this restrictive? The category “belief” has many things in it (i.e., contains many individual beliefs), and we want to indicate the one belief to which we are referring. We are restricting the broad category to a very narrow category, the broad category of beliefs to the narrow category of belief that he was alone. As such, this appositive is not set off with commas.

EXAMPLES FROM ONLINE REFERENCE SITES

Let’s look at two examples of appositives taken from the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue ( http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/596/1 ).

My brother’s car, a sporty red convertible with bucket seats, is the envy of my friends.

The appositive is “a sporty red convertible with bucket seats.” This is in apposition to “car.” It is renaming “car” inasmuch as it means the same thing. “Car” = “a sporty red convertible with bucket seats” (first test). Also, it can serve the same grammatical function as “car.” In this sentence, “My brother’s car” is the subject. However, if we remove the subject (and fix the punctuation), “A sporty red convertible with bucket seats” becomes the subject (second test).

[This one is non-restrictive. My brother has only one car. As such, the appositive is set off with commas.]

Your friend Bill is in trouble.

“Bill” is in apposition to “friend.” “Bill” is renaming “friend” inasmuch as it means the same thing (first test). “Friend” = “Bill” (first test). Second, the appositive can serve the same grammatical function. The sentence “Your friend is in trouble” has the same grammatical structure as “Bill is in trouble” (second test).

[This one is restrictive, assuming you have more than one friend. We are narrowing the broad category of "friend" to a narrow category called "friends named Bill." As such, the appositive is not set off with commas. The broad category has many things in it, i.e., many friends, so we need to restrict it to point out the one we're writing about.]

The Center for Writing Studies (CWS) at the University of Illinois ( http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/appositives/ ) provides a decent definition: “Appositives are two words or word groups which MEAN THE SAME THING and are placed together. Appositives identify or explain the nouns or pronouns which they modify.” Here is one of their examples:

Our teacher, Professor Lamanna, loves grammar.

The appositive they identify is “Professor Lamanna.” This appositive renames “our teacher” and can serve the same grammatical function if “our teacher” (and the pair of commas) is removed.

WHAT DO I DO?

Find your appositives. To determine whether or not a word or words are appositives, look at what they mean and how they are used.
Decide whether the appositive is restrictive or non-restrictive.
Once you have done these two tasks, use the punctuation rules above to determine whether or not to set them off with commas.

David Bowman is the Owner and Chief Editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editing, proofreading, and document analysis service for authors, students, and businesses. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

Who is Your Audience?

David Bowman — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:32:50 +0000

Many people will read what you write. We call these people your audience. When you write, your document or manuscript is the tool you use to communicate with them, so understanding them helps you communicate in an appropriate manner. However, unlike some other forms of communication, you actually have two audiences, which we call “primary” and “secondary” audiences. We’ll look at each in turn.

Your primary audience is the person or group of people who will directly receive, or buy, what you write. For example, if you write a book, your primary audience is the person who buys the book. If you are writing a financial report, the primary audience is the person to whom you deliver the report. If you are writing text for your website, the primary audience is the website visitor you are most trying to attract.

When you write, you are trying to communicate information, ideas, impressions, emotions, etc. Whether you are writing fiction, nonfiction, technical documents, or poetry, you have to determine what to include in your document and how to deliver that information.

Once you have figured out who your primary audience is, think about what that person wants or needs. This is one of the most important issues to consider when you are writing and editing. Think critically about that audience and ask a number of important questions, including

a. Why will this person read my document?
b. What problem will this document solve?
c. What does this person want from my document?
d. When and where will this person read?
e. What knowledge does this person already have about the topic?
f. What will this person do with the information in my document?

Answers to these questions (and others you may think of) will help you make decisions about such issues as topics in general, specific content, length, complexity, format, use of headers and footers, use of headings and lists, and word choice. As you can see, knowledge of your primary audience affects not only what you write about but also how.

These are marketing-type questions that will help guide the development of your product: your document. You may have a specific goal to accomplish with your document. However, only through aligning your document with your readers’ needs will you accomplish that goal.

Now that you have created a profile of your primary audience, let’s consider your secondary audience. Your secondary audience is the person or group of people who receive the document from the primary audience. In many cases, though, the document itself is not transferred to the secondary audience-only the information from or about the document is passed on.

For example, if you write a financial analysis of a new program, your primary audience may be your supervisor or contracting agent. If that person takes specific information from the report and uses it to create his or her own report, or if that person passes on the document to another person, then the document or information moves from the primary to the secondary audience.

For another example, if you write a fiction book, the person who buys the book is the primary audience. However, if that person passes the book on to another person, if the original buyer talks about the book to someone else, or if the book is read with a child or another person, then the child or other person is the secondary audience.

Why is this important? Nearly every document or manuscript will have a secondary audience. The needs of that person may be different than the needs of the primary audience. Create a profile of this person, as well, using the same questions listed above. To ensure the effectiveness of your writing (or the widest distribution of the content), identify the secondary audience and consider that person’s needs.

You will want to address both the primary and secondary audiences’ needs. Once you have done so, you will have the information necessary as a writer to create the document or manuscript that others will accept, understand, and appreciate. And this means you will be able to accomplish your goals.

(The content of this article was adapted from 100 Days to Better Writing: A Daily Handbook for Improving Your Writing.)

David Bowman is the Owner and Chief Editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editing, proofreading, and document analysis service for authors, students, and businesses. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

Childhood Nightmare or Past Life Memory?

A Be My Guest Author — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:34:14 +0000

This Be My Guest article is by Andrea Leininger, Co-Author of Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot.

Bringing a baby into your family is a joyful experience, filled with hope and promise for a bright and happy future. That first year is filled with learning about all your child’s developmental milestones, and having those twinges of concern when your child doesn’t reach all of them according to the time frames established in the books and websites you spend hours poring over.

Yet while the child development resources teach us about what to look for in our children’s physical, emotional, and mental growth, as well as the red flags indicating when there may be cause for concern, there is one area I have never seen addressed in the countless resources I’ve studied, and that is how to determine if your child might be experiencing a Past Life Memory.

Of the endless things we worry about encountering when we have a new baby, this is surely an issue that wouldn’t even cross our minds unless we had experienced it before. Autism, Down’s Syndrome, Deafness? All common concerns among new parents. But a Past Life Memory? It never occurred to me. That is, until my son turned two and started having nightmares and talking about the life of a man who died in a burning plane.

My book, Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot, chronicles the events my family experienced when my then two-year old son James began experiencing a past life memory. I remember the frustration I felt at the time as I tried to research what it was my son was experiencing, and how to help him. Most of the books I read about reincarnation were dry and clinical, and offered me little assistance in dealing with my son. Fortunately, I was given Carol Bowman’s wonderful book Children’s Past Lives, and I finally received the guidance I’d been searching for.

Having lived through this experience and hearing from countless parents whose children have similar stories, I believe that Past Life Memory in children is a fairly common occurrence. Many parents, unaware of the issue of Past Life Memory, may attribute their child’s fears or comments to ordinary factors or an over-active imagination. While in many instances that may be true, knowing what signs and behaviors to look for is crucial in evaluating your own child’s situation and helping them deal with this little-known phenomenon.

If you’re reading this, chances are you suspect your child may be experiencing a Past Life Memory and are looking for guidance. I’ve compiled the following list of behaviors that may indicate this is what you’re dealing with. Please read it carefully and check which items apply to your situation:

1. Vivid, recurring dreams or nightmares.

2. Unexplained fears or phobias.

3. Unusual talent or giftedness.

4. Knowledge of items, machinery, or processes from another era that they would have no way of knowing.

5. Talking openly about life in a different time.

6. Speaking in a foreign language or with a foreign accent they have not been exposed to.

7. Looking for an item or person they are convinced they had or knew, but you know that item or person never existed.

8. Repeatedly drawing a recurring scene, event, people, or items that are not a part of their daily life and which they could not be aware of.

9. Spontaneously reading or writing.

10. Suddenly speaking with much more clarity and a broader vocabulary than used on a daily basis.

If your child has experienced any of these behaviors, you may be dealing with a Past Life Memory. If so, I would advise you to take the matter seriously, and start keeping a detailed journal of events and statements as they occur. More than likely your child will make these statements randomly using a matter-of-fact tone, and more often than not, there will be something that triggers the statement. Your child may or may not be open to discussing the comment once it’s made, but remaining calm and keeping the tone conversational will go a long way towards getting your child engaged in conversation with you.

When you ask questions, ask only open-ended questions that don’t provide any information. For example, your daughter is watching you peel potatoes, and suddenly says “Mommy, when I lived before, I was a boy and we used to grow potatoes on a farm.” Say “That’s interesting! Where was your potato farm?” rather than “Was your potato farm in Idaho or in Ireland?” That way you can be certain your child is coming up with the details themselves, and isn’t just repeating what you said.

Unfortunately, very little is known about the phenomenon of past life memory in children, but if parents keep an open mind, listen to their children, and start chronicling these events as they occur, we may soon have a much broader understanding about the eternal journey of the human spirit.

©2009 Andrea Leininger, coauthor of Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot.

Andrea Leininger,co-author of Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot, lives with her husband Bruce and their son, James, now eleven years old, in Louisiana.

For more information please visit http://www.soulsurvivor-book.com

To read more from our eclectic mix of Be My Guest authors at The Cuckleburr Times, please go here to discover how varied and absorbing our exciting new Be My Guest section really is!

How to Write Your Resume Cover Letter

David Bowman — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:25:49 +0000

Given the state of today’s economy, many people are looking for work. Other than the regular crowd of job-seekers, the recent graduates, the job-changers, and the youth seeking jobs while they go to school, the job market is being flooded with people who have been laid off.

Companies with positions to fill have many applicants from which to choose. What this means is that your cover letter and resume are very important.

Your cover letter, in particular, is often your first interview with a company, the first chance for a hiring agent to get to know you. A good resume cover letter can help you make a good impression and get an interview. A weak cover letter might cause your resume to be placed in the reject pile.

Many of our clients have asked, “What do I put in my cover letter?” And nearly all of our clients have needed assistance with organizing the content of their letters. Below, we will address both of these issues. If you come seeking our help with your resume and cover letter, great. However, the brief guide below should get you started on writing a successful cover letter.

Cover Letter Content and Organization

Paragraph One: Introduce yourself and state your intentions. This 1 to 2-sentence paragraph tells the reviewer who you are and why you are submitting your cover letter and resume. For companies with multiple job openings, this paragraph also tells the reviewer which pile to put your resume in. Your name is at the bottom of the letter in the signature line, so you don’t need to repeat it here. Instead, describe the type of person you are.

Example: As an experienced sales and marketing professional, I am interested in the position of regional sales manager with the XYZ Company.

Paragraph Two: Summarize your qualifications for the position. Focus on your abilities, not your specific skills. (Abilities are personal characteristics; skills are specific behaviors you can perform. You can learn skills, if needed, but abilities tell what kind of person you are.) The description of your abilities lets the reviewer know if you will be able to learn the skills and how you will perform in a professional environment. However, be careful of using “buzz words” without illustration. You can briefly address your professional history in this paragraph as a way to illustrate your abilities. 3 to 4 sentences should be sufficient.

Example: I am a creative, yet focused, professional with strong managerial skills. My knowledge of system integration, coupled with my leadership abilities, has enabled me to identify and enact efficiencies in even the most complicated organizational environments. For example, in my most recent position, I created new quality control processes and instructed inter-departmental teams on their use. Although I am a “company man,” I am also an individual thinker, seeking new opportunities for the company to reach target markets and surpass financial goals.

Paragraph Three: In this paragraph, you answer this question: “Why are you applying for this position?” In answering this question, you address two issues. First, describe how this position fits your abilities and interests. In a sense, you are saying that this position is appropriate for who you are now. Second, describe how this position will help you advance your career goals. This tells the reviewer that you have a strong interest in the position and will do what you can to succeed and grow. Again, 3 to 4 sentences will be enough.

Example: The leadership and marketing perspective required for a regional sales manager align with my abilities and experiences. I am enthusiastic about expanding my broad knowledge of the market and diverse populations, two aspects of this position I find particularly exciting. Furthermore, this position will assist me to advance into progressively higher responsibilities, and it will provide the satisfaction I earn by succeeding in new and challenging responsibilities.

Paragraph Four: The final paragraph is short, 1 – 2 sentences only. In this paragraph, you bring your resume cover letter to a close by thanking the reviewer and by calling for action. You say “thank you” because that is polite and professional. (After all, the person has read this far and deserves your gratitude.) The action step is essential. Here you answer the question “What’s next?” Will you call the person? Do you want the person to contact you? Do you want to set up an interview? State the action as the final sentence.

Example: Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss how I can support the mission of the XYZ Company.

Other Considerations for Your Resume Cover Letter

Delivery: Paper, e-mail, or fax. Call the personnel agent (or other contact) to ask how to send the resume and cover letter. Although e-mail is very popular, don’t assume-ask. Fax is not recommended unless specifically requested. You cannot control the quality at the other end. Also, if the company wants a paper copy, send it by mail. If you are sending your cover letter by e-mail, send it as an attachment as a PDF file.

Fonts: Times New Roman or other serif font. This looks professional, and it is easier to read than a non-serif font, such as Arial.

Letterhead: Yes. Use a letterhead if you have one. However, don’t use one that is overly stylistic, i.e., too cute.

Layout and format: Use a standard business letter format, complete with date and recipient’s address. Remember to use a colon, not a comma, after the recipient’s name in the greeting. Use 1-inch margins for the letter content.

Recipient: The phrase “To Whom It May Concern” is not appropriate. Send it to a person by name or by position. For example, send it to “Dear Thomas Hardy” or send it to “Dear Sales Division Director.” Using the name is preferred, but the second option is acceptable if you cannot find the person’s name after a serious attempt.

Paper: (This only applies if you send the cover letter and resume by mail.) Use the same type paper for the cover letter and the resume. Choose professional, strong, slightly-off white paper. The paper should be easy to read, so avoid paper with background graphics, watermarks, or obvious design elements. The content, not the paper, will promote your qualifications.

Length: Neither longer nor shorter are preferred. The appropriateness of the content is more important than the length of the letter. With that said, though, 1/2 to 3/4 page should be enough, even if you use a letterhead. If you go over 3/4 page, see what you can cut or condense. Concise writing is persuasive, vigorous writing.

Writing Mechanics: Spelling, punctuation, grammar, and word usage should be perfect. Reviewers will respond positively to well-written content, consciously or unconsciously. On the other hand, errors in writing mechanics create an immediate poor impression of your professionalism.

Assistance: Get it if you need it. Some job seekers need someone to write the letter for them. Others need editing for clarity, organization, and persuasiveness. And some simply need help proofreading to ensure perfect use of mechanics.

Two Last Comments

The advice above is based on our work with successful job-seekers. Many cover letter formats are available, and many people and organizations offer recommendations, so don’t take this advice as the final, definitive word on the subject. This format has worked for our clients. Find what works best for you.

Finally, if you are currently looking for a job, or if you foresee the need in the near future, I wish you well. This is a tough time, but jobs are available. Don’t get discouraged. You can do it. We can help.

David Bowman is the owner and chief editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editorial service provider for authors, businesses, and students. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

Did you enjoy this? Don’t miss out! There’s plenty more valuable information right here at The Cuckleburr Times from David.

In My Opinion, I Think That I Believe This is Bad Writing

David Bowman — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 05:10:13 +0000

I recently responded to the following question: “I am trying to improve the exposition/argument I am writing in English. What can I write instead of ‘in my opinion…’?”

As an editor, I like writing that gets to the point, communicates confidently, and provides new information. Phrases such as “in my opinion,” “I think that,” and “I believe” create three problems for writers.

They delay the writer’s message.
They demonstrate insecurity.
They tell the reader what he already knows.

Let’s look at why this is, using the sample sentence, “In my opinion, flowers are better than elephants.”

1. Delayed message
The statement the writer wants to make is “flowers are better than elephants.” If that’s the statement, then the writer simply needs to make it and not waste the reader’s time with “in my opinion.” Phrases such as “in my opinion” will always delay the writer from the point he or she wants to make. My advice: Get to the point. Make the statement.

2. Insecurity
Writers use these types of phrases so that they don’t have to make clear, definitive, confident answers. When you express something as only an opinion or personal belief, you can’t be blamed later if you are wrong. After all, the statement was only an opinion, not fact. The reader will be right to wonder if the information is only opinion, in which case it can be ignored, or if it is fact. Strong, confident writing expresses information as the truth. Confident writing is more direct and more persuasive.

3. Unnecessary information
Who is writing the words? The writer is. Unless the writer is quoting or citing the ideas from someone else, whose ideas are they? The writer’s. What this means is that the statement is the writers idea, opinion, belief, and thoughts. The reader will understand this. As such, the writer doesn’t need to tell the reader that the ideas are his own.

Formal vs. informal writing
In personal writing, such as letters, diaries, journals, and private memos, the writer can write whatever he wants, however he wants. In formal writing, though, the standards are much higher. Formal writing includes academic papers, business reports, letters to colleagues or stakeholders, and journal articles.

Standards are higher for two main reasons. First, the need to communicate accurately is higher. Ideas are stated more directly and clearly. Second, the writer needs to create an image, or demonstrate a level of credibility. When a writer creates a good image, the reader will be confident that the information is accurate and that the person writing is credible. By maintaining high standards, the writer builds trust in the reader.

Answer to the question
So this brings us back to the original question: “What can I write instead of ‘in my opinion’?” Based on the issues discussed above, the answer is “Nothing.” In my response to the person asking the question, I encouraged him to remove that phrase, or any similar phrase, and get to the point. “Don’t replace it with something else,” I advised. “Replace it with nothing.”

Using our example
Instead of writing, “In my opinion, flowers are better than elephants,” the writer should concisely, directly, and confidently state, “Flowers are better than elephants.”

David Bowman is the owner and chief editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editorial service provider for authors, businesses, and students. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

Did you enjoy this? Don’t miss out! There’s plenty more at The Cuckleburr Times from David.

It’s Like My Least Favorite Word

David Bowman — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:00:45 +0000

My two favorite words are still “axiom” and “myriad.” Say them with me “ax – ee – umm” . . . “mere – ee – aad.” Good three-syllable words. Strong words. Words like “Dracula” and “Frankenstein.” Pretty words.

But this article isn’t about my favorite words. It’s about the word I have recently decided to hate.

Last week I was flying back from a week of grant writing assistance in Alaska. About 10 hours into my travels, I heard the young lady in the plane seat behind me say the following sentence. Read it aloud and try to guess which word is my least favorite: “Like I was like what’s wrong with like that and he was like I like guess it’s like ok.”

If you guessed the word “ok,” you’re wrong. My new least favorite word is “like.” And she used it six times in the same sentence. Ack!

Actually, “like” is a great word when used correctly-and sparingly. The word “like” establishes a comparison to help the reader or listener understand some topic or concept. To communicate a new idea or some characteristic, we compare the thing to something familiar.

For example: Puppies are like five-year-old children on permanent sugar highs. Just to be clear, puppies are not really five year old children. They are like (i.e., similar to, resembling) five-year-old children. This is a simile. However, it is this distinction that makes the overuse of this word such a problem. If I say, “I’m like ok,” for example, then I am NOT ok. I’m only similar to “ok.”

Sentences such as “I was like, what are you doing?” simply don’t make sense. This sentence is using “like” to create a simile, but what is being compared? Do I resemble “what are you doing?” No. When I heard that sentence I was like a dog choking on a bone.

As I mentioned earlier, using “like” to create similes is fine when infrequent. This is not an issue with the word “like” but with similes in general. When you are communicating a complex or foreign idea, they can be useful. When you are using them for no other reason than to create an artistic effect, they are unnecessary.

The overuse of similes is a sure sign of an amateur writer. A writer who uses too many similes is like a child drawing with only one color of crayon. Clever at first, but quickly becoming dull. An experienced, professional writer rarely needs them because he or she will have the ability to describe things as they are. Additionally, because direct similes using “like” are so obvious to the reader, and often sound forced when frequent, good writers will rely on implied similes.

For example, the sentence, “Our chief of staff, a wolf in disguise, fired the unsuspecting clerk” compares the chief of staff to a wolf, perhaps a wolf in lamb’s wool. This is not a metaphor because it implies that the chief of staff is similar to a lion in disguise. For another example of an implied simile, the phrase “late night yawns of death” compares the process of dying in old age to the process of falling asleep. According to this implied simile, they are similar. And the writer didn’t need to use “like” even once. Yeah!

Do I catch myself using “like” like the girl on the plane? Yes, sometimes. This abuse is so prevalent in society that it begins to sound normal, and it sometimes slithers into my speech (another implied simile). You won’t find it in my formal writing or, I hope, my formal speech. Because, like, that would be like so wrong.

David Bowman is the owner and chief editor of Precise Edit, a comprehensive editorial service provider for authors, businesses, and students. Precise Edit also offers a variety of other services, such as translation, transcription, and website development.

Did you enjoy this? Don’t miss out! There’s plenty more at The Cuckleburr Times from David.

Grab Your Reader With Conflict

Lea Schizas — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:43:45 +0000

What exactly is conflict in a story? Simple…a problem/obstacle your main character needs to overcome by the end of the story. Think of it as your engine that drives your car forward. Without one your car remains idle, collecting dust in the driveway. Give your car a super booster engine and you’ll be coasting the streets with no worries. Well, until the police stop you.

In a story conflict moves your character through various situations he must overcome. This intrigues and pulls your reader deeper into the story, connecting with your character’s predicament. A character needs to have a hurdle tossed at them, makes for an intriguing situation to find out the outcome. Without an outcome, there is no magnetic charge with your reader.

Before writing your story and making up your character profile, ask yourself these questions:

1-What will be the main goal my character will face and need to overcome?
2-Who will be my target audience?

The second question is important because it will help to focus your words and subject matter to suit the appropriate audience. For stories aimed at children, your focus will need to adapt to a child’s view of the world around them. Most of the time the story is told through the character’s point of view aged a few years older than the intended audience. For example, if you aim your story for the 8 – 10 age group then setting a story for a twelve year old character would be best since kids always like to read and associate with kids a bit older than them.

What subject matter can you write about for this age group? Middle grade readers love mysteries, soft spooky tales ( no knife-wielding maniacs, head chopping, blood and core etc, more suspenseful and ‘goose-bumping tales like in the “Goosebumps” books), magical tales (Harry Potter), even teeny bopper stories like “The Babysitters Club” or “Sweet Valley High”. These latter ones are suitable for the Young Adult market, too.

TYPES OF CONFLICTS:

Here are some examples of conflicts in some books:

- the almighty tried and successful ‘good against evil’
Think Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs…yes, these fairy tales were using the ‘good against evil’ method if you sit down and think about it. The wolves in both fairy tales were intent on overcoming their ‘so-they-thought’ weaker counterparts.

In the above examples, something stood in the protagonist’s way:

Harry tries to defeat Voldemort but problems and other antagonists along the way makes this quest difficult for him.

The Lord of the Rings finds Frodo’s quest to destroy the Ring but evil and dark forces stand in his way, too.

Luke Skywalker in Star Wars needs to defeat the new order of evil, and he, too, faces many obstacles and characters along the way.

In each of these examples, these obstacles (new smaller conflicts against the bigger goal they are after) causes a reader to continue reading to find out if he’ll be successful, how he will outsmart them, and what change will this cause in the main character. Along with these obstacles, throwing in some inner conflicts alongside the outer emotions helps to cast them more as three-dimensional beings, for example:

Luke Skywalker deals with the knowledge he has a sister somewhere out there. His inner being and emotions help to make him more sympathetic, which eventually bonds the reader to him. The same with Frodo; his world has been thrown for a loop when he takes on the quest of the Ring…along the way he begins to doubt if he, indeed, is the best man for this job. Also, he questions his will power to avoid succumbing to the dark forces once he has tasted the Ring’s power.

Another example to show you what ‘inner conflict’ means:

Let’s assume your book is based on a police officer who mistakenly shoots a young child while pursuing a suspect. It’s dark in the building and the kid jumped out of nowhere with a toy gun. The police officer is suspended while the case is being investigated.

INNER EMOTIONS:

How he deals and is dealt by his immediate peers
His struggle to remove the visions of the killing
The emotional turmoil as he waits for the investigation to conclude.
His dealings with the parents of the child he accidentally killed.

Throughout all of these emotions the one factor that will bind your reader to continue will be: How will he fare at the end of this book. The way you first portray this particular character in the beginning will be totally different by the end because of the various upsets he’s had to deal with. Show him as upbeat, nonchalant, no change at the end and you will lose your reader’s interest in the book and in you as an author.

Think of real life: if you had to go through a trauma as the officer in the example above, how would it change you? A writer needs to wear his character’s shoes and get inside his head to fully understand him. Write a story with a stick person and you get stale material. Write a story with powerful emotions and you have one interesting read.

THE ALMIGHTY ENDING

By the end of your book all inner and outer conflicts need to have reached a conclusion. Whether your character overcame or failed is not as important as making sure he tried to meet them head on. You cannot place a conflict (or foreshadow) without making sure by the end of the story some sort of a resolution was made. This is cheating a reader and they WILL notice, especially if one of those conflicts was the one he’s been hoping to see the outcome to.

Lea Schizas is founder and co-founder of two Writer’s Digest Top Writing Sites since 2004 and recipients of several Preditors and Editors awards, The MuseItUp Club and Apollo’s Lyre. She is the author of the Young Adult Fantasy novel “The Rock of Realm” and the upcoming paranormal/thriller “Doorman’s Creek”. She is also the editor and co-author of “The Muse On Writing” a writer’s reference book, and the fantasy novel “Aleatory’s Junction”. This past October Lea Schizas along with Carolyn Howard-Johnson hosted the first annual Muse Online Writers Conference where over 1300 Attendees and Presenters took part. For more information on Lea Schizas, go here: http://leaschizaseditor.com

Enjoy that? Read more of Lea’s articles at The Cuckleburr Times here.

Ghosting on the Job – How to Capture Someone Else’s Style in Writing

Melinda Copp — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:20:55 +0000

When you take a job at a company, whether you’re hired as a writer or not, being asked to write a memo or some other kind of document for someone that you work with is pretty common. Perhaps the person who’s asked you to do the writing is busy or perhaps you know a bit more about the subject than they do-either way, ghostwriting requires being able to capture the “author’s” personal style on the page.

Writing in someone else’s voice can seem tricky, but really it just takes practice and a little analysis.

Analyze the Author’s Style

One of the first steps you will need to take involves understanding the intended reader and the details that need to be included-that’s a must with any writing project. Then you need to analyze the author’s style and then try to adopt it, which you can often pick up just by listening to the person talk or reading a few other pieces they’ve written.

To familiarize yourself with the author’s voice, consider the following questions:

o Does the author that you are trying to emulate use a casual, friendly tone, or is the person’s tone more formal? Also consider what’s appropriate for the material.

o How does the author usually open conversations? With a reference or salutation to the readers or some kind of other statement?

o Does the author use contractions or spell words out in full?

o Do they prefer long or short paragraphs and sentences? And do they have any favorite words or phrases that they use all the time?

o How do they usually close conversations and/or written materials?

The person’s personality that you are writing for usually comes out more in the beginning of the work than at the end, so you should try and match their opening and closing line as much as possible. This means, if possible, you should take a look at several examples of their previous work and be sure that the ones that you look at were written by the person you’re trying to copy and not another ghostwriter. However, if you can only find examples that were written by other ghostwriters, you can use those as well to learn what you can.

Be Prepared to Make Revisions, and Don’t Take Them Personally

An important part of ghosting is learning not to be upset about changes made to your copy. No matter how well you think you’ve imitated another person’s style, there will always be places where the original author is sure that they’ve got a better way to say the same thing. This can easily be taken personally, but it shouldn’t. After all, you’re trying to capture the other person’s voice-rather than be upset, you should look at changes as a good way to learn more about what is expected of you.

Plus, most original authors feel that by making some changes to the work, they have the right to retain ownership. Still, this doesn’t mean that you should take your ghostwriting duties lightly. Doing a shoddy or quick job will only make you look unprofessional and careless.

Ghosting in Your Future

Whether or not you anticipated ghostwriting as one of your job duties, writing is one of those tasks that can easily get passed along. And really, it means that the author trusts you enough to communicate his or her thoughts well in words. When you use these tips for ghosting on the job, you can ensure your author’s message comes across seamlessly.

Melinda Copp is a freelance editor, writer, and author of the e-book The WRITE Way to Author a Profitable Book, a resource for entrepreneurial writers who want to create a marketable informational product that sells. For more information about Melinda and her services, visit her online at MelindaWrites. If you have any questions about how Melinda can help you, send her an email at info@melindawrites.com.