Marriage and Commitment – by: Spaventa Impego

Let us reiterate the fact that ‘Man is a social animal’. So, to keep the society going there are several social institutions like marriage. Yes, marriage is essentially a social institute. For as long as we think of human existence marriage has been there. Perhaps it started with Adam and Eve. However, above all this, marriage is a life long commitment of love, respect and belongingness. It is the ultimate sacrifice of love, an entire life of commitment, and the true sign that you have and give unconditionally all of yourselves to that one person.

Marriage is a big gamble. You are sort of taking chances of committing a lifetime to someone who might turn it into a joyous smooth journey or just simply make it a burden to carry. Marriage is not just part of the Karmic cycle giving a license to reproduce. It is a very important aspect of one’s life. It is important to get married. Research shows that people who don’t’ get married at the right age or don’t marry at all suffer from a kind of emptiness that leads to frustrations. With marriage comes family and with family comes responsibilities. These responsibilities effortlessly become the goal of life, giving direction to our work. Thus, it’s a complete cycle, a sequential flow of facts of life.

Like every relationship and aspects of life, marriage also has its own share of rough patches. But it is up to us as to how we keep this relationship going not just smoothly but also healthily blooming into a bond. The very foundation of any marriage is love. Now, love is out of mutual respect and trust. So, trust your spouse and most importantly respect him or her as an individual.

Many times the spouses get too possessive. Every relationship has to have its own intimacy but at the same time allowance for a personal space is a must. Also, remember there would be times when both of you fight and find it just so impossible to stand each other. Even in these situations keep out the third party involvement. It is both of you who have to solve and keep the bond afresh. Arguments and fight are also important for a relationship to flourish since it rinses out hard feelings but never let it go out of hand. Do not get to the limit of bring in your egos.

Don’t let sex and intimacy die out. At times you can move away from being “Man and wife”. Try to be those proverbial lovers. A touch here, a kiss there, and a few gentle caresses – all make up for momentary connections that draw you together. Sex should not be an activity, a mundane work part of daily routine, or once a day, once a week regime. Lot of foreplay and lot of sensitivity with lot of attention to what you both want and like and surely the fire is going to blow off the lids.

You must spend as much time together as possible. Do a lot of thought sharing. Be proactive to each other’s needs and desires. Do not argue on money. Do not ever fight in front of kids. Never hide anything from each other or develop a communication gap. Mix up all these small little recipes of great moments of togetherness and strong relation and you get a melange of a timeless bond and a relationship envied by many.

About The Author Spaventa Impego is the prorpietor and delegate of ABC Marriage, your source for your marriage questions. To find your answers visit: http://www.abcmarriage.com

You Can Be An Author – by: Crystal Paine

“You should write a book.” For years, I had been hearing this comment. Writing an entire book seemed completely overwhelming, and so, for a long time, I contented myself with writing short articles. One day, inspiration for an article hit me and, as I started writing, paragraphs began flowing out at an enormous rate. Before I knew it, a rather lengthy piece was developing. It was too long to be an article, so, I decided it would not hurt to try self-publishing a little booklet. Was I ever surprised! The first printing of this 32-page black and white booklet sold out within a week.

All of us have an area which we have more knowledge and experience than the person next to us. What many do not realize is that there is often a hungry market out there ready and willing to pay for the information we have to offer. Yes, it takes a tremendous amount of effort to see a book to completion and printing, but it is well worth it.

Some things I have learned through the experience:

1. Start small. Don’t attempt to tackle a 400-page work for your first publication. You will also save yourself a bundle on printing if you keep it small. I recommend a booklet under 50-pages to launch your career as an author.

2. Enlist the help of others who are more experienced. If you know someone who has published anything, ask their advice and help. You will gain invaluable information from them and save yourself many headaches. In addition, request assistance from others for editing and proofreading. No matter how meticulous you are, it is always good to have other eyes review the final draft before it goes to the printer.

3. Be prepared to deal with disappointment. When you put your heart into something only to hear, “We’re not interested,” it is easy to take it personally. But, you must continually remind yourself that this is part of the package deal in self-publishing. For every “yes” you receive at least five “no’s” (or so it seems). Learning to humbly and graciously accept rejection, not let it get you down, and keep pressing forward is an absolute must in self-publishing, especially at the beginning.

4. The more you market, the more you sell. You can publish an excellent book, but unless people know it is available, you cannot expect many buyers. The possibilities for marketing are endless. Check out all the books on marketing your local library offers. These will give you some great starter ideas. Send out an e-mail to friends, family, and business associates announcing your book’s publication date and offer a limited-time pre-publication special. Join self-publishing groups and let them know about your book. Ask others to promote your book. Be pro-active and do not be afraid to try novel ideas!

About The Author Crystal Paine is a 23-year-old homeschool graduate and the owner of Covenant Wedding Source, LLC (an online retail bridal business). She writes articles on a variety of topics and is the author of The Merchant Maiden: Earning an Income Without Compromising Convictions. She lives with her husband in Kansas. For more information on her business and booklet, visit her website: http://www.covenantweddingsource.com. contact@covenantweddingsource.com

Misplaced Allegiance – by: Wayne and Tamara

Direct Answers – Column for the week of June 23, 2003

I am male, 30, married for seven years. I have two small children. The past several years of married life have been trying. My wife and I fight a lot, always about money, work, or sex.

We used to be very passionate, in a shy sort of way, but that has all but vanished. My wife attributes it to my work ethic. If I was home more, she says, she would be more romantic. I am not sure I agree. It seems the more I am around the more bored I become with her. I still love her, but there is a giant void.

Now the bigger problem. I hired a recent college grad at work, a smart beautiful 23-year-old woman. She sparked something in me that has been missing. There was an obvious physical attraction on my part from the first day. I work long hours, and she worked alongside me.

We spent many evenings talking to each other and just hanging out. She knows I am married and unhappy. I found myself thinking of this girl constantly on the weekends, and at night while being intimate with my wife. Unfortunately, she recently turned in her resignation. Over lunch she explained she is leaving for legitimate career reasons.

She was very emotional about her career change. I was devastated. We went out with co-workers the next night to drink, have fun, and say farewell. We spent most of the night in each other’s arms, dancing closely and whispering into each other’s ear. When we left, we started with a hug, moved to a peck on the lips, and ended in a deep passionate kiss.

This girl left on a trip for three weeks overseas, but when she gets back we need to talk things out. I have been thinking of separation or even divorce for over a year, but my biggest fear is my kids. I don’t want them to be without a father, nor do I want to be unhappy anymore. I am so torn I don’t know what to do.

Oscar

Oscar, one of the most common letters we receive starts with a litany of problems in the marriage and ends with a new person coming into the writer’s life. In these letters there are two questions, independent of each other, but the letter writer invariably sees it as a single question.

The first question is, Should I leave my wife because I don’t love her and don’t want to continue the marriage? The second question is, Will my relationship with my new love work out?

If your marriage is bad enough to end, it should be bad enough to end without another person coming into your life. A year ago talks with your wife might have led to separation and both of you feeling your way back into the world while adjusting to the fact of divorce.

Now your wife will feel there weren’t issues between the two of you. It was another woman. Your wife will feel you have your next fish on the line, and she doesn’t even have a line in the water. Your wife will be hurt, angry, and contentious.

You, on the other hand, will know your new love is a woman who can become involved with a married man. How much cleaner and more honest it would have been to have separated from your wife a year ago. For you, your wife, and this new woman, everything would have been less complicated.

We hear your concern for your children and the other woman, but not for your wife. Don’t firm up the new relationship before talking with your wife. Talking with your wife, not the other woman, is the most important thing now.

The first question to resolve is whether you and your wife love each other and want to remain married.

Wayne and Tamara

About The Author Authors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com. Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.

How To Stay Slim During The Holiday Season – by: Melanie Mendelson

The majority of people find themselves carrying additional fat once the holidays are over. Worst of all, most of them never lose this extra weight. Over the years, few pounds gained over the holidays here and there add up to 10, 20, 30 pounds of excess fat!

To avoid falling into the holiday fat trap, follow these simple tips:

1. Don’t deprive yourself. Munching on a green salad while everyone is feasting on turkey and stuffing is just not worth it. You will end up miserable, and chances are you’ll binge at home or on the next party. Depriving yourself once is likely to cause you to eat everything in sight the next day to “compensate” for your suffering.

2. Don’t stuff yourself. You are not a turkey, after all! Remember, this is not the last time in your life that you can eat.

3. Eat a small meal several hours before the party. This will prevent you from being too hungry when faced with abundant menu. When you are not starving, you can think with your brain, and not with your stomach.

4. Eat slowly. It takes our body about 20 minutes to realize that we are full. Also, the slower you eat, the less food you’ll eat as opposed to eating fast in the same amount of time.

5. Be aware of what you are eating. It’s easy to get carried away in conversation, and eat way too much before you know it. Don’t automatically go for more helpings while you are talking to someone.

6. If you are cooking the food, prepare healthier versions of traditional dishes. Don’t go too far by trying to completely cut out the fat. Just make some slight changes such as mashing potatoes with low-fat milk, adding less butter to the food, and serving more salads and veggies. Or make the stuffing in a casserole dish outside of turkey, so it does not soak up the extra fat.

7. Deal with the food-pushing hosts by complimenting them. When they try to force more food on you, smile. Say how much you love their food, but unfortunately you are so full, you can’t get in another bite. And that you’ll be delighted if they gave you some of this food to take home, if there is anything left after the party!

8. Choose the turkey breast meat, since it has fewer calories then dark meat. Also, most of the fat in a turkey is contained in the skin. So, if you can, don’t eat the skin. Skinless turkey breast is actually a healthy choice. But go easy on a fat-laden gravy!

9. Eat small amounts of various foods, as opposed to large portions of few foods. Sampling everything on the menu will leave you more satisfied since you’ve tried everything there is. But remember, moderation is key.

10. Eat that dessert. The trick here is to eat a small piece of it. This way you can have your cake and eat it too!

About The Author Melanie Mendelson is the author of Practical Weight Loss – the healthy way to lose weight and keep it off. Visit Melanie’s site at http://www.practical-weight-loss.com

Enemy At The Gates (DVD) Review – by: Britt Gillette

For all the widespread critical acclaim that surrounded the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan (which portrayed the D-Day invasion Normandy landing), little is said about the opening scenes of Enemy At The Gates. Just as lifelike and certainly as, if not more, compelling, Enemy At The Gates paints a vivid picture of the Battle of Stalingrad.

As Nazi forces besiege the city, Russian peasants are shipped across the river in undefended boats. As Luftwaffe swoop down from the skies and rain bullets on the men below, only the mountain of bodies that topple on top of a man can save him from being shot himself. Those who do survive and make it to shore are armed with a single Kalashnikov – but not every man, only every other man… The unarmed men are instructed to follow a man with gun, and when he is killed, to pick up the weapon himself and fight the enemy valiantly.

Sharp-shooting farm boy Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) finds himself thrust into this bloody environment. As part of the initial wave of the Russian advance, he is forced to play dead and hide among the mangled bodies of his countrymen when the Germans annihilate the Russian offensive. Using the bodies as cover, he puts his sniper skills to work, not against the animals he used to shoot for food, but against German officers exposed to his crosshairs. Vassili’s brilliant talents are immediately recognized by Commisar Danilov (Joseph Fiennes) who ends up befriending the man.

As a powerful figure in the Communist propaganda machine, Danilov uses his skills and connections to transform Vassili into a larger-than-life hero, creating the impression that he is capable of defeating the German army all by himself. It’s Danilov’s hope that by creating a recognizable face for the war effort, he can raise the morale of the Russian forces and turn the tide against the advancing German armies.

But the relationship between the two men becomes complicated when Vassili and Danilov both fall in love with the same woman, a female soldier named Tania Chernova (Rachel Weisz). Will Danilov’s jealousies turn him against his friend? The man who made Vassili is certainly capable of tearing him down, and in the Soviet Union, no one is above the wrath of Stalin… Vassili’s problems are further accentuated by the announced arrival of his German counterpart, Major Konig (Ed Harris), winner of the Iron Cross and the most celebrated sniper in German history.

Based on the true story of the two real life soldiers, Zaitsev and Konig, Enemy At The Gates sticks closely to the historical record concerning the showdown between these noted wartime figures. Were they mere creations of propaganda? Or was this the individual battle of the century? Only history can make that distinction. Meanwhile, Enemy At The Gates makes a place for itself among the great war dramas of our era. A well-cultivated screenplay, coupled with an unparalleled visual display of the destructiveness of war, makes this a must-see film – both for its educational and historical value as well as its edge-of-your-seat excitement.

About The Author Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one. Source: http://thedvdreport.blogspot.com/2006/02/enemy-at-gates-dvd.html

The Power of a Referral Script – by: Glen Hopkins

The key to the success of e-commerce is in the combination of the power of viral marketing, permission marketing and one to one marketing.

Have you ever heard of Amazon.com, Bluemountain Cards, or Hotmail? Of course you have! Why? Because the all use varying degrees of the above mentioned marketing techniques. In particular, they use viral marketing.

How can you use viral marketing?

With referral scripts!

First of all, you need to make sure that your ezine has a referral, ‘Tell a Friend’ link in each and every issue. You can say something like:

“If you enjoy our newsletter a think a friend might also benefit from it, please click here.”

or

“Please help us share our message with others by telling a friend. It’s easy, just click here.”

The ‘click here’ should be a hyper link to a web page with your referral script. You can find free referral scripts on various sites such as http://www.bignosebird.com or http://www.hotscripts.com. I use an amazing script that I had put together by a programmer. It cost me $1,600 but you can use it for free and make money while doing so — no kidding. It is easy to implement. You can see how it works by visiting http://www.listopt.com and clicking on the ‘Tell a Friend’ link. If you want to use it too, go to: http://listopt.com/affiliate_taf.html

There are other third party referral services out there such as http://www.recommend-it.com that are VERY easy to use and offer your readers incentives of $10,000 to tell a friend. The down side is that it is not as professional looking when you use a third party.

So get out there and set up a tell-a-friend script now and get those word of mouth referrals via one of the best viral marketing techniques available.

You have permission to reprint this article provided you include the following resource box:

About The Author Glen Hopkins is the director of ListOpt Publications Inc. If you’re looking to build your newsletter subscriber base quickly, easily and inexpensively, visit Glen at: http://www.listopt.com and learn what hundreds of other publishers are saying about ListOpt’s amazing List Builder service.

Best Recipes: Spicy Vegetable Smoothie – by: Donna Monday

Looking for a vegetable smoothie with some kick to it? Well, you can’t go wrong with this recipe for Spicy Vegetable Smoothie. It has a very savory taste and you’ll really appreciate the various flavors that go into making this one healthy drink that has a lot of pep!

Why have the same old boring vegetable smoothie when you can have this? Be aware that it does contain scallions so you may want to have a mint after drinking this tomato wonder, but it’s worth it. Makes a great before dinner non-alcoholic cocktail.

Spicy Vegetable Smoothie

• 2 cups tomato juice
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

About The Author Copyright 2004 Donna Monday Easy to make – fun to drink http://www.1st-milkshake-n-smoothie-recipes.com

The 10 Warning Signs of Suicide – by: Anne Wolski

In a time when suicide has become a culture in society, it is important to be able to recognise the warning signs. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in people aged 15 – 24 with young males four times more likely to succeed due to the lethal ways in which they choose to kill themselves.

1. Previous suicide attempts:

Previous suicide attempts are the biggest risk factor of a person successfully completing suicide. The more attempts the person makes, the more likely that he or she will eventually die by suicide. Often people say that people who attempt suicide are only looking for attention. This may be true but it is also true to say that the person is obviously in a state of pain and needs help and understanding. The reality is that suicidal behaviour is usually a last resort when the person feels that all else has failed. Normally, they are trying to resolve their inner pain rather than trying to manipulate those around them.

2. Recent suicide of a friend or relative:

Sometimes, when a close friend or relative dies by suicide, others adopt a copy-cat attitude and follow the deceased person’s lead. It is not uncommon for suicide of a friend or relative to trigger attempts by friends or others.

3. Threats of suicide:

Many believe that people who talk about suicide won’t actually do it. The reality is that, in the majority of cases, people have spoken of their intent before killing themselves. Often it may have been a single statement such as “Life’s not worth living” or “I wish I were dead.” Sometimes the person is preoccupied with death through a genre like music, art, or poetry.

Talking about suicide or exhibiting unusual interest in death through other themes generally means that the person is considering suicide as an option and that they really need and want some help.

4. Depression:

A lot of people use the word ‘depression’ to describe feelings of sadness and loss. These feelings often pass within a few hours or a few days. During this time, people are able to carry on much as usual. However, if you feel sad much more intensely and for longer and your feelings start to interfere with your work, social life and family life, you may need to seek professional advice. There are a number of symptoms of depression and it’s very rare for all symptoms to occur in one person all at once. You might feel it come on slowly, from sometimes feeling blue to deeper feelings more often. It is hard to accept that symptoms like sleeping badly or feeling worthless are depression. After all, don’t we all feel that way sometimes?

That’s the key – sometimes. It’s not normal to feel that way for a long time. For some people, the feelings of hopelessness and despair that accompany depression are more than they are equipped to cope with and, as a result of this lack of coping skills, some take the option of suicide.

5. Changes in personality or behaviour:

There may be changes in the person’s behaviour including withdrawal, loss of interest in personal care and appearance, angry outbursts, and absenteeism from work or school. Their performance at work or school will often decline as well.

6. Increased use of drugs and/or alcohol:

People who have difficulty in coping with problems will sometimes turn to substances such as alcohol or illicit and prescription drugs for relief. Abuse of these substances tends to lower inhibitions leading to an increase in risk-taking behaviour. Drug and alcohol abuse is often linked to suicide.

7. Behavioural disturbances:

Behavioural disturbances such as anger, aggression, stealing, impulsive behaviours, isolation, and drug and alcohol abuse can be a sign of increased suicide risk. Sometimes, people who are particularly vulnerable may act out their feelings in a potentially destructive manner.

8. Psychiatric illness:

In some illnesses such as schizophrenia, it is not uncommon to hear voices. This can be a contributing factor in suicide if these voices are telling the person to take their own life even if that person does not want to die.

9. Preparation for death:

Preparation for death often includes such things as making a will, saying goodbye to people, apologising for past misdemeanours, and giving away their possessions, particularly their favourite things. They may also acquire the means to kill themselves such as a gun, rope, or pills.

10. A sudden lift in spirits:

If a person has a sudden lift in spirits, particularly after depression, it is often a significant factor. It can mean that the person is relieved because he or she has made a definite decision to take his or her life and that the problems and their resultant unhappiness will soon be ended. They will often have more energy at this point to end their life.

Although not everyone displays these warning behaviours, a large percentage of people do display some of them. Encouraging the person to talk about their feelings, including their intended suicide, can be just what they need. No matter how uncomfortable you feel about the subject, it is important not to judge. A listening ear can make all the difference.

Copyright 2005 Anne Wolski

About The Author Anne Wolski has worked within the health and welfare industry for over thirty years and has a passion for health and social issues. She is one of the directors of http://www.magnetic-health-online.com and also http://www.pharmacybyweb.com.

Ten Tips to Help You Finish Writing Your Novel – by: Ann Roscopf Allen

1. Set aside a time to write and keep it sacred.

Make this a time when you know you are at your best and feel most creative — Saturday mornings, late at night, whatever works for you. Make writing a priority and arrange other parts of your schedule around it.

2. Remove all distractions while you write.

Turn off the television. Don’t answer the phone. You may need to set your writing time at a time when no one else is around to help you avoid being distracted.

3. Outline your plot.

Know generally where you want your story to go. Sometimes stories and characters develop in unexpected ways, and you need to allow for that. But keep your guiding plan in mind.

4. Avoid the intimidation of a blank computer screen.

Just start writing. Try freewriting about the plot of the story or a character to get “the flow” started. Begin a dialogue between two characters and see where your flow takes you. Sometimes that ends up in an embarrassingly bad scene, but that bad scene may just have the seeds of something a lot better in it. Once you’ve got something written, you can always improve it, but you have to get something, anything, written first.

5. Keep a draft mentality.

Nothing you write has to be permanent. Everything can change. If you get into a good flow and there’s a word that you just can’t think of, don’t interrupt the flow by pondering over the word or going to the thesaurus. Leave a blank space and keep writing. There will always be time to go back and look up that word. At this stage, spelling and grammar don’t matter; just write and create.

6. Don’t feel compelled to begin at the beginning.

You don’t have to write your story in chronological order during the drafting phase, especially if you know the main events you want your novel to cover. Work on the chapter you feel like working on. The first sentence and the first chapter will probably require the most work, so don’t get frustrated by trying to get them perfect before you write anything else.

7. Organize your files, especially if you are not going to write in order.

Create a different file for each chapter you write. That way you can dip in and fool around with a few words or draft a scene and then save it, close it up, and move on to a different section of the story. When you can easily work on what you want, you are also preventing writer’s block.

8. Revise, revise, revise.

Someone once said, “Writing is revising.” Change and polish and delete and rearrange and change some more until you like the sound of the words. Often the best way to revise a sentence is to delete it.

9. Don’t be afraid of putting yourself out there.

Make a list of writers who have written mediocre books (the incentive: “If HE can do it, so can I.”) Be emboldened by writers whose works don’t impress you much. The only thing they have over you is their persistence. There will always be critics, but you have to separate the wheat from the chaff: some people’s criticism means something; most people’s criticism is just so much noise. People keep writing novels despite the criticism. You might as well be one of them.

10. Only you can determine when you are finished.

Show your writing to a trusted friend, preferably one who knows about writing. Friends are likely to tell you how wonderful your novel is, as friends will do, and this of course is not helpful at all. Read between the lines of their compliments. Ultimately, you have to be the judge of your own writing.

Make up your mind to finish your novel, and you can do it. The only thing standing in the way is you.

About The Author Ann Roscopf Allen is a college writing instructor and the author of the historical novel A Serpent Cherished, based on the true story of an 1891 Memphis murder. Visit her website – http://www.aserpentcherished.com/pages/1/index.htm info@aserpentcherished.com

8 Ways to Fill a Workshop in a Bum Economy – by: Suzanne Falter-Barns

Yes, you can fill a workshop when spending is down and buyers are wary. If your topic is clear, your marketing materials well-done, your product solid and your title catchy, success shouldn’t be tough. The fact is that people are as hungry as ever for the inspiration and stimulus a workshop provides, even when they’re nervous about money. And even though most bum economies recover over time, you may find the following tricks helpful enough to keep using even in good times!

1. Tailor the workshop to the economy. In other words, acknowledge the problem. So if your workshop is about helping women over 50 live their dreams, change it to Living Your Dreams Over 50 … Even When the Economy is Down. Or make it about finding your dreams after being laid off, or managing fear while pursuing your dreams in a poor economy. Your fundamental message doesn’t have to change … you just dress it up in slightly different clothing.

2. Use unconventional marketing methods. Advertising and flyers may not be the most effective way to enroll a workshop in lean times. For one thing, affordable ads are not usually big enough to effectively describe a workshop, unless it’s very targeted and easy to ‘get’, i.e. quitting smoking, or stress-reduction. If you’re teaching motivational or inspirational work, consider using an affiliate program, viral email marketing, distributing articles through targeted ezines, working your personal network, or making yourself available as a guest on local TV or radio talk shows. Best of all is a combination of all of the above.

3. Make your niche one with a pipeline. Be careful not to pick a tiny niche market that is hard to access. Instead, a good rule of thumb is to look for a niche market with marketing channels already in place. For instance, one successful workshop leader I know targets retirees on the RV-Camping circuit. Many US campgrounds offer classes and other stimulating perks to visitors, and since RV’ers often stay for several nights or even weeks, this makes a workshop a likely hit. She simply has to talk to management, and they put her workshop in place for her. Participants magically show! Hospitals with neighborhood ‘wellness’ programs, bookstores with evening events, and community center Teen programs are also good venues.

4. Pitch a co-operative venture with another business. One fun way to reach your niche is to approach another business’s clientele. For instance, if you’re offering stress-reduction workshops, arrange a tie in with the local health club or weight loss group. Look for businesses that attract people who would logically be drawn to your product as well. Then approach that business and offer something great. You can sell them your workshop at a reduced rate (a special offer just for their members, which they can use as a perk.) Or you could hold a workshop on their premises at your usual fee, and pay them a percentage of the gate. Or you could simply offer to exchange advertising plugs for each other’s business’s. (This works well if you communicate with your clients via an email newsletter or direct mail.)

5. Offer a FREE mini-workshop. In tough times, people need more convincing to buy. So offer a free sample of your workshop (a forty minute talk, say) at a local venue such as a public library or church coffee hour. Give participants time to ask questions, and have lots of handouts available about your bigger, more elaborate (paid) workshop to be held a few weeks later. And be sure to make the occasional reference to it in your free talk. Finally, make your free talk compelling and packed with good stuff. It can be a very general overview or ‘taste’ of your more fleshed out paid workshop. (You don’t have to give away all your goodies, of course, but don’t be afraid to share a few key pieces.) Wary buyers cannot resist excellence.

6. Lower the price. Not always the most fun option, but one that works – especially if you have a themed sale, such as Wipe Out the Winter Blahs Special or a Kick Off the New Year With a Bang. If possible, try to position your price reduction as a limited time gift for your clients … one that ties in with a particular need or time of year. This lets them know you are, in fact, thinking of them and their best interests.

7. Offer bonuses. We all love something free, so come up with some highly desirable bonuses that are just irresistible. These can be free reports that get downloaded automatically, or sent with registration info. Or it could be a tangible product, such as a book, a mug,

8. Enroll a friend for a discount. Or if you don’t want to offer a discount, encourage clients to bring a friend who can act as an on-going supporter with the work of the workshop. (And, of course, they can provide the same to their friend.) Such support is actually one of the best ways to get your material to ‘stick’, so your client’s get more on-going value from the workshop, so this plan is a real win-win. Consider tailoring the workshop to pairs such as mothers and daughters, work buddies (great for stress reduction!), married couples, fathers and sons, or best friends. If you pitch it to couples, you could market it to resorts as part of a Second Honeymoon or Mom-Daughter Getaway package weekend.

About The Author If you’re interested in leading your own workshops, but don’t know quite where to start, check out my How Much Joy Can You Stand? Facilitator’s Home Study Course. You’ll learn how to create, book, fill and lead your own workshop. Details and a FREE sample are at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/tangfacil.html Suzanne’s free ezine, The Joy Letter, brings you a crisp, fresh burst of inspiration for your dream every week or two. Sign up at http://www.howmuchjoy.com/joyletter.html info@howmuchjoy.com