How to Prevent Wrinkles - How You Can Get You Young and Beautiful Skin Back Once and For All

Even though there are now hundreds of products available to prevent and eliminate wrinkles for good, it is equally vital that you know the practices that will prevent lines and other unattractive marks on your face, neck and hands. You should take care of yourself using a few healthy habits. Your diet and nutrition will also matter a lot and you will find that you get more benefits, rather than just great looking skin. Here are some more tips and tricks.

Getting Protection

Wrinkles are included in the natural aging process. Clouds and haze may seem to block sunlight well, but these are usually not very great for the skin because these can boost the effect of UVB rays and harm the skin. Ultraviolet rays can also intensify, depending on the angle of the sun. The brightness and heat of the sun has little to do with the effect of the UV rays. Tanning beds and sun lamps give majority of the UVA rays. A number of experts also know that spending 15 to 30 minutes inside a tanning salon can be very dangerous.

Preventing Wrinkles

People should primarily stay away from direct sunlight during its hottest moments and avoid too much exposure to the sun to avoid damaging the skin. Sun exposure should be avoided from 10 am to 3 pm since sunlight tends to give about 80% of the UV rays during this period. Reflective surfaces should also be avoided, such as white painted grounds, sand and concrete.

Sun block and sunscreen can be used to keep skin from aging and avoid skin cancer. Avoid sunscreen since this can cause deep skin damage and wrinkles without the person having to have sunburn. Sunscreen can be used safely, provided that this is used together with other helpful agents like oxybenzone, methyl anthranilate, octyl methoxycinnamate and dioxybenzone.

Use of Sun Block

Sun block can prevent almost all UVB and UVA rays from penetrating the skin. The good ones include titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. The SPF you see on the label may be 15, 30 or even 75. The SPF refers to the amount of UV radiation needed to make the skin red after it has been treated. Babies below 6 months old are at risk when using sunscreen. It is best to apply sunscreen or sun block 30 minutes before you go outdoors. Reapply every 2 hours or after going for a swim. You can also get extra protection by using wide brim hats and umbrellas.

Using Creams

Anti-aging creams and moisturizers are now available for you to keep your skin fresh and moisturized even during the hottest days. These can be applied before you sleep at night too, depending on the type and ingredients. Try to aim for products that use all-natural ingredients. You can also visit web sites and discuss with others online to know more about the available creams and lotions that you apply on your face.

My Husband Can't Even Maintain Eye Contact With Me After His Affair

I often hear from wives who indicate that their husband is having a lot of trouble facing them after he has been caught cheating or having an affair. Often, he's either ashamed, embarrassed, nervous, awkward, humiliated or a combination of all of these things. So, it can be quite difficult to deal with him in the aftermath of the affair, much less to improve your issues or to save your marriage.

I recently heard from a wife who said: "my husband did not admit his affair to me. I actually told him of my suspicions very frankly and he denied them with everything he had. In fact, he acted injured, as if he were appalled that I would suspect or accuse him of such a thing. Still, something was telling me that things weren't right. I still suspected that he was cheated on me. So I hired a private investigator to follow him. And sure enough, the investigator quickly caught him cheating. Once I was told where he was, I waited for him and confronted him as soon as he emerged with the other woman. Needless to say, I made quite a scene. I know that my husband was very embarrassed but he completely deserved it. Since that time, I have told him what a liar I think he is. Still, there's a small part of me deep down inside that doesn't want to let go of my marriage. I expected my husband to immediately apologize and beg for my forgiveness but he has not done that. Instead, he can't even look at me in the eyes now. He avoids me. He cuts me off when I try to talk. He basically makes it clear he's not going to talk about the affair. How can we even begin to heal when he acts like this? And why is he acting this way in the first place?" I will try to answer these questions in the following article.

Sometimes, Your Husband Can't Look At You After The Affair Because He Is Embarrassed, Ashamed, Or Is Unsure Of What To Do Or Say: I didn't have the opportunity to talk to the husband in this scenario. But I've corresponded with many men in this situation on my blog. Many will tell you that they are embarrassed and ashamed. They will also tell you that they do not know what is the right thing to do or say and they are scared of their wife's reaction. In this particular scenario, the husband was probably even more humiliated by his own behavior because he so adamantly denied the affair in the first place.

This alone can make it quite difficult to look someone in the eye. It's important for the wives in this situation to remember that they have not done anything wrong. He is the one who is wrong and frankly, his reluctance to face you and make full eye contact is a good indication that he is fully aware of this.

His Inability To Look You In The Eye Can Be An Indication Of Guilt Or Remorse, Which Can Be A Positive Sign: Frankly, the fact that your husband can't look at your face or make full eye contact can sometimes be a good sign. Men who are indignant and deny any wrong doing or who blame their wives for their actions are more likely to repeat those actions because they almost feel justified in their cheating.

Conversely, a man who is so ashamed or uncomfortable that he can't look you in the eye may well be having the difficulties that he is because he knows how gravely he has messed things up. He is having the strong reaction that he is because he is very well aware of how huge of a mistake he has made. And, this makes him more likely to not want to repeat the same actions because he does not want to feel this way ever again.

How To Handle It When Your Husband Won't Look You In The Eye After His Affair: Although there can be valid reasons why your husband is having a hard time facing you, it can be very frustrating and it can delay your healing if in fact you have some interest in saving your marriage. So you might want to address this the next time that it happens. A suggested script might be something like "could you please look at me when we're talking? We're not going to make any progress if you won't even meet my gaze. I know that is uncomfortable for both of us, but in order for us to move forward we are going to need to be able to communicate and this includes making eye contact with each other. I know this is awkward, but if you care about me and our marriage, I need for you to do better. And you can start by looking at me when I am talking to you."

Hopefully, as be begins to see that making eye contact can actually be the start to improving things and that he needs to take responsibility for what he had done and be man enough to handle the fall out of his own actions, you will see some improvements. And some eye contact.

How To Establish Trust, Credibility and Enthusiasm To Your Interviewer

If you use your voice to get attention, you use your eyes to hold attention. People tend to believe you, trust you, and listen to what you say if you are looking at them.

Direct eye contact is not just preferable; it is essential to effective private conversations and public addresses.

In most cultures, the act of looking someone directly in the eyes is a symbol of sincerity. Failure to meet another person's gaze when speaking implies disinterest, lack of confidence, insincerity or shiftiness. The same psychological associations are found in public speaking.

In one study, speakers who established eye contact were judged more truthful, honest, credible, friendly, and skillful than those who did not. Only by looking at your listeners as individuals can you convince them that you are sincere, that you are interested in them, and that you care whether or not they accept your message.

There are two basic ways to use eye contact to your advantage:

Look the Listener Straight In the Eyes

Looking someone straight in the eyes while you speak has a similar effect to that of shining your car headlights on a deer: he is transfixed; you have a captive audience so long as you maintain the beam. The eyes are the meaningful targets - foreheads, lips, and chins are not good enough - and the other person's eyes can tell the difference. Direct eye contact assures your listener that you are sincere, that you care about what you are saying. Direct eye contact enables communication to take place.

Let Your Eyes Talk for You

Your eyes are the best indicators of your emotions. If you talk about courage and perseverance while your eyes show fear and indecision, your listeners will probably stop listening, and will certainly stop believing you.

Best Leather Conditioner - How To Choose The Best Conditioner For Your Leather Upholstery

It seems that as the years roll by, leather is becoming more widely used for upholstery covering than ever before. And a question that is frequently asked is, "Which is the best conditioner to use on my leather?"

After all, there as so many different leather conditioners available on the market, choosing the right product can be rather confusing, to say the least.

Unfortunately, most people don't realize, many of the available conditioners will, in fact, speed up the deterioration of your leather!

And that's what this article is about, helping you cut to the chase and find the best leather conditioner for your upholstery.

So, before you rush out and buy the first leather conditioner that catches your eye, here are 4 very important points you need to consider:

1: New Leather Contains Natural Oils

When leather is made in the tannery, natural oils are infused into the hides to maintain a certain level of moisture, and to reduce the friction between the fibres.

The natural oil content directly affects the leathers' pliability and softness.

Now, that's all very well with brand new leather but here's what happens when 'wear and tear' and direct sunlight get involved:

2: The Natural Oils Evaporate

Once exposed to direct sunlight, these natural oils evaporate, causing the moisture content to diminish, resulting in lost softness and pliability.

This is evident in leather car upholstery, especially the top of the rear seat which get 'hammered' by sunlight, day in and day out.

3: Leather Conditioner Should Replace Evaporated Oils

The best conditioner replaces the oils which have been lost through evaporation. Furthermore, these oils should be exactly the same used originally in manufacture.

You should also be aware that silicone, beeswax and petroleum-based products and even oils sold for saddles etc, will in fact, seriously harm your upholstery. Because what happens is, they leave an acidic residue on the surface of the leather which eats into the finish and eventually destroys it.

This brings me to my next point, which ensures you select a conditioner that will replenish your leather with the correct, natural leather oil.

4: The Best Leather Conditioners Should Pass Leather Testing Standards

There are a number of independent leather testing authorities used by tanneries, world-wide, ensuring that leather and leather products meet international standards. These standards are to help protect you, as a consumer, from dodgy products.

Many conditioners available on the market have never been tested. Others have been tested but have failed and are not recommended for consumer use.

So before you buy any leather conditioner, make sure it contains the exact same oils used in the tannery for new leather, and check it has been tested and approved by an independent leather testing authority.

How To Start A Club, Group Or Organization

Starting a Club

There are tens of millions of active clubs in the United States alone. There are as many club types are as there are mutual interests among people. There are clubs for socializing, advocacy, raising awareness, school activities, volunteering, information sharing, sports, professional development, religion, cultural, financial, etc. While the variety of clubs is nearly infinite, there is some commonality among clubs as to how to best create them and run them. Many clubs ideas never get started or never truly get off the ground because some common mistakes are made - mistakes made literally millions of times. While no two clubs are the same, we encapsulate many of the best tips and tricks in starting a club in this posting - so you can learn from the backs of others in forming your own successful club.

Realize the time commitment is always more than you think The excitement and fun of the idea of starting a club is always closely followed by the reality of the effort it will take to make it succeed. Just as in business or in any other venture, a great idea works as long as it can be executed well. Who wants to create a failed club no matter how great the idea? In nearly every club, the leaders, organizers and key participants need to "donate" their own spare time and effort to make the club carry out its mission. Limited time, limited resources, the overwhelming drag of inertia of making people take action are just some of the big reasons why clubs end up failing. Of course, clubs are often started because of a strong interest, and so you need to leverage the strong interest level into successful action for the group.

Define the mission and goal for the club

Most eyes roll when they hear they need to create a mission statement. Many have been involved in a corporate exercise in creating a mission statement where you often end up with a bunch of vacuous words that have no real meaning and everyone forgets about. Often people "feel" they know what the mission is but when they try to articulate it, they can't. That's not to say a group can't be successful without a mission statement - however, in coming up with the goals you can help clarify in your mind what the long term goal is and help communicate that to others. Your mission may be to advance a political agenda, or to raise environmental awareness, or it might simply be to socialize and find future dates - it may be all of those things -- whatever it is, the more clearly articulated the vision, the more that you direct your efforts towards reaching that vision.

Create the structure you need

Some groups are so well organized that they institute officers, create a constitution, even create processes for amending the constitution and nominating, electing and removing officers. These types of processes are useful, even critical when a group scales - otherwise anarchy ensues. However, most groups starting out don't necessarily need a mini-government in place. Many groups just start with a few lighter weight processes:

Officers: usually there's a president (the leader), vice president (2nd in command and often leader of several important initiatives), treasurer (who handles the funds), secretary (who takes care of meeting minutes, next steps, etc.). Depending upon your group's need, you may also institute a publicity officer, webmaster, historian, etc. It is very helpful to define the roles as well, especially who has the right to decide what. For instance, some groups will require the treasurer to co-sign any checks with the president. In this way there is a check and balance within the group on the money.

If you are fairly serious, you may consider incorporating oftentimes as a nonprofit. Incorporating has many benefits such as limiting liability of members from debts and responsibilities. Incorporation also provides increased levels of "permanency", and it may help you with funding.

Meetings: usually a periodic meeting or event helps to keep things going in the group and to increase activity. It's also a great way for group members to help participate in events and to get to know each other better and share information. If you are holding meetings, pay particular attention to how meetings are run which leads to the next section.

Run Effective Meetings

Poorly run meetings reflect poorly on the leaders and are a big waste of time for the participants. While there are whole books written on having successful meetings, here are a couple of tips to make sure you are getting the most out of any meeting you host. First, define and publish an agenda. The meeting needs to have a purpose and participants may need to prepare in advance. Very few meetings require a surprise to be effective. An agenda also helps prevent you from straying off course. Many groups have individuals who want to express their opinions - leading everyone down the proverbial "rathole". An agenda helps you enforce whether that meeting is the appropriate place to address those issues or if you need to "table it" to another meeting. Always have a desired outcome for the meeting (e.g. get agreement on a particular initiative, or brainstorm and come up with 3 ideas for next year's events). You'll be often surprised at how better prepared you make a meeting by simply thinking through what type of decision or outcome you want from the meeting. Understand who needs to be there and what the roles are for the participants. Start the meeting on-time.

Many groups have a designated secretary who is tracking the "minutes" of the meeting - what was discussed and in particular, any conclusions that were made and any items to be tabled for a future discussion. This can be published so that there is a historical archive so that members can always go back and track what happened.

When you finish the meeting make sure you capture what the "action items" are. What is the next step - who does what, and by when and who is responsible for following up. Oftentimes, spending a few minutes to plan the next meeting is useful to do.

Many groups start off with a kick-off meeting to discuss the club and how it will operate. This should be your first meeting.

Funding and Budget

Most clubs need to spend money in order to perform activities, print flyers, host a lecture, etc. In order to spend money the club needs to get money and there are a variety of ways to fund the club's activities. Funding can be accomplished from the members themselves through membership dues, activity fees, donations. Funding can be also obtained through a variety of fundraising activities such as a bake sale, garage sale, car wash.

Many corporations and government institutions also fund and sponsor groups. Grant applications can be filled out to see if you qualify for this type of funding. Not all funding needs to be cash. Some companies for instance might provide equipment, or a place to hold an event or practice. They may ask for some form of sponsorship, for instance, a banner displayed at an event.

In addition, you may wish to connect with national, state and regional chapters of similar interest groups. They can be good sources of funding themselves or provide you with valuable insights on how to improving the effectiveness of your club.

Get the nuts and bolts down

Every club has a basic set of operations that help it operate more efficiently. There's nothing more frustrating for leaders and members to be in a poorly run group. Membership, and more importantly, participation will begin to sag as a result. Here are a couple of basics:

• Get an updated roster. It's important for you to know who is in the group, how you reach them and what roles they play, what their membership status is, etc.. There are several electronic and web tools to help you, such as spreadsheets, word processing documents etc.


• Get an email list group created. Communicating with the group is important and doing so easily without having to type in 50 emails each time will save you a lot of time. Getting a self-managed email group list will save you countless hours.


• Create a website. A website is important for messaging not only to the group but also to the broader community. It's a great way to let people know what's going on (future events, how to get involved, etc.), what the accomplishments are of the group so that you can strengthen the binds within the group and also to recruit more members. Again, try to stay away from solutions that require a webmaster to make any change. You may not have a webmaster in the group and plus, you don't want to bottleneck all of your activities through one person. Was it Worth It? Being a part of clubs is an important part of everyday life. Forming clubs does take effort but the payoff is clear. As an organizer, you might think it is a thankless job, but keep in mind, people wouldn't join and participate if they didn't see value in it.

I hope these tips help you to create the best clubs possible. In the next part, we'll examine how to manage clubs - a different 'beast' altogether to manage.

There are a lot of other best practices out there. If you have ideas and suggestions about starting clubs, please post your comments - we'd love to hear them and help make them available to all the other club organizers who are taking the time to follow their passions.

Tips on How to Prepare for a Photo Shoot

How to prepare for a photo shoot - What to do and not do

Through my experience with female models I have been surprised by the large number of 'models to be' that lack the very basics to make a photo shoot successful. This has prompted me to write a short straight forward guideline that it is easy to follow.

On site one can easily point out which models took the tips seriously. It only takes just that little bit to turn a fair photo shoot into an excellent one.

So do you want to arm yourself with some essential tips to feel confident and act like a professional model? Do you want to be popular with photographers in order to get more hired jobs? As a photographer, do you want to direct your models with a professional attitude? If yes, then read the following with care.

Natural Look Makeup

Makeup should only be slightly heavier than normal. About like you might wear in the evening while foundation must be applied much heavier than usual.

Mascara should be clean and contains no clumps.

Use natural eye shadow, such as, shades of brown, blue, green and silver. Not black!

Eyeliner can be green, blue, white or black. If using black it must be very thin.

Use matte lip stick and avoid lip gloss.

Hair

Any hair style will do but I would suggest avoiding horsetails (except for theme shoots).

Finger and Toe Nails

These should be well groomed.

Natural or basic colours work best, so that they fit well with what you will be wearing.

Clothing

Stay away from striped clothing. Solid colours such as red, blue, orange, brown, green, purple or other colours produce better contrasting photos. Black clothing items ideally should not be your first preference.

Avoid large, bold brand names or words on clothing.

Vary the style. Plan outfits completely.

Shoes should match clothes you are wearing and must be clean.

It is suggested that clothes that wrinkle up very easily should be brought on hangers. Wrinkled clothes do not look nice!

Underwear

Wear golden (non-shine) tan tights, especially when wearing short skirts or dresses.

Session can be taken with or without bra, this subject to model's discretion. If wearing a bra make sure it is seamless and it fits properly underneath the clothes you are going to wear. This stands too for other underwear items. With today's thin fabrics you might want to carefully select these pieces so they do not give unsightly lines.

Tip: black coloured bra on black/brown clothing, skin coloured bra on white clothing, white coloured bra on coloured clothing

If you are doing any nude or partial nude shoots wear loose underwear and no bra for at least 2 hours before the shoot. Underwear leaves ugly press marks on the skin that take very long to fade away!

Personal Hygiene

You should never shave legs or other parts of the body the night before the photo shoot. This should be well planned beforehand.

Watch those underarms!

Accessories

No watches. No rings. Again these must be removed at least 2 hears before the shoot.

Earrings should be simple in shape and moderate in size, except for ring earrings.

Ideally no other jewellery should be worn. If wearing a necklace makes sure that's dainty.

If you wear contact lenses, bring with you your glasses in case you need to remove them.

Props

Take with you any props that you would like to use (any other item that you feel that it might say something about your character).

A hat matching one of your outfits is always suggested as a prop item.

In your personal bag you should have:

Your hair care tools and products Wipes

Brush to clean clothes Mirror

Small make up kit for retouches Foundation

Last but not least

Have a good night's sleep the night before the shoot and restrict your alcohol and tobacco intake for a few days before the shoot - it all shows in your face.

Please do not cancel without sufficient notice and for no good reason. Time is money for the photographer.

Please switch off mobile phones during the photo shoot.

It is strongly suggested that you do not take your partner/lover/boyfriend//girlfriend/husband/wife during the photo shoot. Both the model and the photographer can be inhibited from giving their best. On the other hand, if it makes you feel more at ease, a friend with the right attitude can be helpful during the session.

By following the above mentioned tips you can turn a photo shoot in one that is both productive and relaxing. If you are yet not sure on how to go about directing and posing a model, I suggest you do some homework beforehand so that you never get stuck behind the camera.

How To Get A Doctor Of Physical Therapy Degree

Physical Therapists are health care professionals who treat patients of all ages. They are called upon when a patient has a hard time to move around because of illnesses or injuries. These injuries may include sprains, strains, neck injuries, arthritis in older patients, certain strokes and conditions like Spina and Bifida. The therapist examines each case and provides lifestyle changes, diet changes and drugs that would help the person regain their ability to move around and go back to the normal way of life. Through therapy the patient will be able to keep mobility and motor skills. The Therapy also reduces pain and helps the patient gain a healthier and an active lifestyle, the therapist synergies with other physicians to provide a comprehensive recovery process.

The Doctor of Physical Therapy is a three to four year long doctorate program usually taken after a four year long bachelor's degree and requires a good high standard internship. Vision 2020, a vision of the American Physical Therapy Association, that states: "By 2020, physical therapy will be provided by physical therapists who are doctors of physical therapy, recognized by consumers and other health care professionals as the practitioners of choice to whom consumers have direct access for the diagnosis of, interventions for, and prevention of impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities related to movement, function, and health."

The entry level doctorate degree is the degree that most of the Physical Therapist has. Getting into a good school would require you to have to complete a set of required coursework, a good level of extracurricular activities and social services, a good score on a standardized graduate examination such as the GRE, a set of well written recommendation letters and a sound academic background in science. You will most probably be asked to have at least 12 credits of Chemistry, a semester of Physics with lab work, two courses on Psychology and lastly a good semester on Biology. Course pre-requisite may defer from school to school.

To get a doctorate you will have to complete a basic curriculum which consists of pathology, pharmacology, radiology, anatomy, biology and such as a part of the foundational science courses, you will also have to take multiple courses on behavioral science and courses which include law and ethics, clinical reasoning, business and management sciences. The students will also go in depth into the clinical sciences with courses on neuromuscular, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and integumentory biology. The last part of the course deals with the actual physical therapy courses. Every school has a set of actual physical therapists who guide the students as they look at case studies and also treat patients at the school.

The seven year path to becoming a Physical Therapist is not for the faint hearted, but there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow because Physical Therapists are one of the best paid professions with many variations to the degree allowing you to branch out to types of therapist such as sports physical therapy.

Your Eyes Are The Window To Your Soul

Many creatures on this earth go to great lengths to make their appearance attractive to the opposite sex. Examples of this behavior are Peacocks and the Australian Lyre bird. Humans are creatures, whether we like it or not and also follow this basic primal instinct. Making ourselves beautiful for others, and for our own self esteem, has been around since time began. If we didn't try to make ourselves more appealing to the opposite sex, the human race's population would be in decline or extinct. Clothing manufacturers use beautiful models to show women and men how beautiful they could be if they use their products. Cosmetic contact lenses can also help in making yourself more beautiful and attractive to the opposite sex, or get that extra attention you desire. Cosmetic contact lenses have been used by many film stars and in the music industry Marilyn Manson uses a different type of lens for each eye in his music video "Tainted Love". And what are these contact lenses called? White and Black Manson cosmetic contact lenses of course. Consumers of all ages are also finding that these lenses can be very beneficial.

So why do consumers purchase these lenses? They purchase them for self beautification or for attracting attention at dances or raves. There has been some negative press about cosmetic contact lenses in the last few years, but if good hygiene, and basic common sense are used, then consumers should not have any health problems when using these contact lenses. Cosmetic contact lens health care See your optometrist before using Cosmetic Contact Lenses Purchase quality lenses Make sure the multi purpose cleaning solution is included or you purchase it before using Cosmetic Contact Lenses Do not share your lenses with friend or family Do not sleep with lenses in Check lenses for damage before use Change multi purpose cleaning solution often Do not use past expiry date Cosmetic Contact lenses do not help improve eyesight. If you normally wear contact lenses to correct vision, then you should think carefully before using cosmetic contact lenses. You should see an optometrist before purchasing these lenses. Conclusion So I hope by now you see the beauty of these magnificent products. If you use them correctly, they will certainly add value to any situation you place yourself in. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so let your friends see your beauty. Or Your eyes are the mirror to your soul, so why don't you enhance these windows...

Successful Salon Marketing - How to Run a Successful Salon

Why a PROFESSIONAL approach makes a difference.

Take a walk through most salons, and chances are you will see a lot of empty chairs. But if you visit most dental offices, you will probably see a full waiting room. So what is the difference?

It is all in the marketing.

Marketing is made up of two key components:

1. the way you communicate with your clients about your business, and

2. the quality of the relationship you develop with them.

Dentists are perceived as professionals who provide an essential service; people know they need to see their dentist every six months for a check-up. This is the result of careful marketing on the part of the dental profession and individual offices. Plus, they call or send reminders when it is time to book an appointment, making it easy for patients to go regularly.

Salons can learn valuable lessons from dental office operations. I find that most salons function like retail stores when what they should be doing is operating (and marketing themselves) as professionals in the same way as dentists, lawyers, doctors etc.

In my experience, there are three categories of successful salons:

o professional practice

o franchise

o corporate

However, salon owners do not always have a clear vision of who their target market is, how their business is positioned, and where they want it to go in the future. This uncertainty sends out a mixed message, so they do not end up reaching their ideal market, and do not maximize the potential of their talent and approach.

Here is one common mistake: growing too fast. I have seen this before. A salon gets really busy and successful, so the owner decides to expand or open another salon. My suggestion is to stop and think first. Instead of moving blindly forward - and risking your business and your reputation - take the time to really evaluate the situation.

According to the book "The E-Myth," to be successful, a business must run with sophisticated systems in place, and employ the lowest possible number of skilled employees to run those systems. It is challenging - if not impossible - to open another location and immediately get the same results as you did in the first salon.

If you want to open a new location, think it through, and put the proper systems in place first. Get started by dividing your current operation into departments. Distill your business into categories like leadership, marketing, accounting, management, HR and sales (this works even if yours is a small operation and you take care of most of the duties of each department). Splitting things up into departments and setting up clear, structured systems is fundamental to successful expansion because it gives you a formula to follow - a consistent way of doing things that will give you the same results each time.

A few things to figure out as you put your systems in place:

o How will you ensure your employees offer consistently good cuts and colour?

o How will you retain staff and reduce turnover?

o How will you get new clients through door?

o How will you retain existing clients and get them to purchase more of your products and services?

o What type of salon do you want to run?

o If you do want to expand, how do you want to do it?

When you have solid answers to these questions, you will be ready to take the next step. Like any professional practice, being prepared and aware is the key to success.

Free Sample Sales Letter: Example of How to Write a Persuasive Business Marketing Letter

Here is an example of a business-to-business sales letter mailed to auto dealers by a firm that markets gift cards that replace paper gift certificates. Anything in brackets [like this] did not appear in the letter but simply appears to describe the mechanics of the letter

Author: Alan Sharpe

Target audience: General managers of auto dealerships

Mailer: Sharpe AutoCards [a fictional company for the purposes of this sample letter]

Purpose: Generate appointments for salespeople

[MAILING ENVELOPE]

[Is 5 x 9 inches in dimension and has a window, through which appears a portion of a gift card, personalized with the prospect's name. The envelope has a teaser headline: Inside: A win-win-lose proposition for your auto dealership.]

[LETTER]

[Is 8 1/2 x 11 inches, copy on both sides]

December 27, 2007

Brad Carling, General Manager

Tri-City Chev-Olds

123 Any Street

Anytown OH 12345-9163

[Right here, beneath the prospect's name, is affixed to the letter a sample auto gift card, personalized with the prospect's name, and this headline: As you can see, this card has success written all over it.]

Dear Mr. Carling:

Go ahead, pull this amazing little card off the paper.

It's made of plastic. It costs you $2 to buy. But it's worth the price of a new car, sold off your lot.

This card is worth the lifetime value of a loyal customer. In sales, service, parts, accessories and referrals. And goodwill. And free word-of-mouth advertising.

Hold it in you hand for a minute, and think of your competition. Consider your revenue goals for the next quarter. Do you need to increase your new and used vehicle sales? Boost your parts & service department revenue? Multiply your accessories department revenue? Retain customers after their warranty runs out?

This card will help. Big time. It's a vital part of Sharpe AutoCards, a custom-branded loyalty and gift card program that generates revenue for your dealership. But first, how it works.

Take a look at the front of your card. As you can see, you customize the card to match your dealership's brand image and visual identity. Now turn it over. See that magnetic stripe across the back? It stores information about the card's dollar value and each transaction.

You hand cards like this to everyone whose business you want to attract and whose loyalty you must keep. Walk ins. Be Backs. Looky-Lous. Current customers. Even former customers. They all use the card to buy products and services at your auto dealership only.

You manage the program using a simple card reader hooked to a personal computer at your dealership running our software. For an average auto dealership, the start-up cost of buying the system and operating it for one year is less than $2 per car sold that year.

That's what the card does. Here's what it does for you.

Please read the brochure I've enclosed for the compelling specifics. You use the Sharpe AutoCards card to:

1. Close more sales by beating competitors' discounts

2. Boost your service department revenue and repeat business

3. Multiply your accessories department revenue

4. Retain customers for years after the sale

5. Attract potential customers and increase traffic in your showroom

6. Increase referral business

7. Increase revenue on the back end

8. Promote brand awareness of your dealership

The Sharpe AutoCards system is up to five times less expensive than competing offerings. Plus, you pay no transaction fees and you don't have to buy any annual maintenance contracts. I call that a win-win-lose proposition for you, your customers and your competitors.

Use your card today to receive free coffee and donuts for four.

The gift card you are holding in your hand has been pre-loaded with $10 worth of coffee and donuts. Get a first-hand demonstration of how the card works by inviting me to your showroom for a complimentary consultation about the Sharpe AutoCards system. Hand me your gift card, I'll swipe it, process your transaction, and hand over your free coffee and donuts. Like the gift cards you'll use one day, this one can only be redeemed at the place of business on the card, which is to say, Tri-City Chev-Olds.

When is a good time for us to get together for coffee and a chat at your showroom? Call me at 123 456-7891 today and let's set up an appointment.

Yours sincerely,

[signature in blue ink]

Brad K Phillips, Director, Sales

Sharpe AutoCards

What Is A Massive Heart Attack?

What is a massive heart attack, will be discussed in detail within this article.. We all know of someone who has suffered from a heart attack. The main purpose of this article is to shed more light on such a huge killer of so many Americans. I will reveal insight to you about this pandemic health problem.

What is Coronary Artery Disease?

High cholesterol, cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and a host of other risk factors can cause coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease can eventually lead to gangrene, heart failure,, and abnormal heart rhythms. This information on coronary artery disease will help build a foundation to your understanding of how heart attacks occur. The actual disease process or atherosclerosis is a chronic or progressive process. A myocardial infarction can be a result of an arterial blockage. A myocardial infarction means heart attack.

What Is The Result Of A Heart Attack?

If you have suffered a heart attack, then there's a certain amount of muscle death that has occurred. Heart failure is dependent on exactly how much muscle damage you've experienced. If you were lucky enough to survive the attack, whether heart failure ensues depends is dependent on the extent and severity of damage. Remodeling is the response from your heart muscle after an attack. The heart muscle remodels by stretching itself in an attempt to pick up the extra slack for the muscle that has been damaged. This stretching actually increases the force of contraction in normal muscle, thereby allowing it to do more work. Remodeling over a certain period of time causes the heart muscle to weaken and heart failure ensues.

Can Sudden Death After A Heart Attack Be Prevented?

A large number of individuals who survive a myocardial infarction die suddenly from Ventricular Arrhythmia's. Around 300,000 people die from these ventricular arrhythmias just in the United States. What is massive heart attack can be argued that it stems from a scar on the ventricular muscle after a heart attack that leads to electrical instability. This electrical instability may lead to ventricular fibrillation, or ventricular tachycardia. Ventricular arrhythmias are serious business, which can lead to loss of consciousness and death within a few minutes. The scary part is these arrhythmias can occur without warning in people who show no signs of a health issue. These heart attacks are often mislabeled by physicians as being myocardial infarctions. Less than 20% of these 300,000 yearly sudden deaths are related to acute myocardial infarctions, but the rest are due to ventricular arrhythmias. Heart attack survivors who are a high risk for sudden death can be identified, and after that their risk of dying from ventricular arrhythmias can be possibly eliminated.

I have even more information on heart ailments and other diseases located below at the website in the resource box.

DISCLAIMER

The information provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/ patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well being other than to suggest that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The information and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of this publication based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on information in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher isn't responsible for errors or omissions. The Food and Drug Administration have not evaluated these statements. These products aren't intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Are My Sinus Symptoms a Migraine?

You have a headache behind your forehead and you feel pressure and pain between your temples. You believe you are prone to sinus infections, so you immediately think the pressure and pain you are feeling are sinus symptoms run to the doctor for antibiotics and decongestants.

However, your sinus symptoms may actually be caused by a migraine headache, and you may not even know it. What's worse is that sinus medications can actually make your migraines worse. Read on to learn more about sinus symptoms and their relationship with migraine headaches.

A migraine and a sinus headache are two completely different things with similar symptoms, many of which appear to be sinus symptoms but are not. Pain behind the forehead and cheeks, facial and temple tenderness and eye pain and pressure are all symptoms of migraine headaches and sinus headaches. It's easy to see how you could misinterpret them and end up treating your migraine with sinus medication.

Robert G. Kaniecki, MD, director of the Headache Center at the University of Pittsburgh, says that sinus medications can actually exacerbate the symptoms of a migraine headache. Even worse, you may be missing out on simple, effective treatments for your migraines by trying to treat only the sinus symptoms.

Dr. Kaniecki explains that the United States is the only country in the world that reports a sinus headaches as a significant health problem. He explains that most other countries only see patients reporting sinus symptoms and sinus headaches when they have acute sinus infections. He believes that these recurring sinus headaches are likely migraines and are often being self-diagnosed and mistreated with over-the-counter medications. He suggests that this is largely due to manufacturers of sinus medications advertising much more than migraine medication manufacturers and to people not being aware of the symptoms of migraines.

David C. Haas, MD, is a neurologist at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University, agrees with Dr. Kaniecki's statements and explains that not only are sinus headaches mis- and over-diagnosed by the public, they are also mis- and over-diagnosed by doctors.

The sinus symptoms shared by migraine sufferers and those with acute sinus infections are head pain and pressure (over, under and behind the eyes and forehead). However, if you have a sinus infection, you likely have other sinus symptoms including congestion, post-nasal drip, fever and sore throat not present with a migraine.

Many individuals do not recognize migraine symptoms or do not associate them with what they assume is a sinus headache, so they do not report them to their physician. These symptoms can include sensitivity to light and sound, seeing spots or light flashes, tunnel vision or blurred direct vision, and nausea. Since these symptoms can pass more quickly than the actual headache part of a migraine, which can last days, by the time a person visits a doctor, the headache is the only thing they think to report.

Migraines are not as rare as you might think. Approximately 18 percent of women and 6 percent of men in the United States are affected by migraines, but barely half of migraine headaches are diagnosed accurately.

If you have frequent, severe sinus symptoms and headaches that are not alleviated by sinus or over-the-counter headache treatments, you should talk to your doctor about the possibility that you suffer from migraine headaches.



The key symptoms of migraine headaches are:

• Interference with your life


• A headache so severe that you miss work or school, have to sleep to tolerate the pain, or have to change plans because you are incapable of participating in activities due to severity of pain


• Nausea accompanied by severe headache


• Throbbing pain often located in just one area of the head--one side, the back of the neck or behind the forehead/between the temples


• Bending over or climbing stairs makes your headache pain surge and worsen


• Sensitivity to light, sound, smells or sudden movement


• Seeing flashing lights, "shooting stars," or having vision impairments such as tunnel vision or peripheral vision only, just before the onset of your headache

How to Get Rid of Under Eye Wrinkles

Under eye wrinkles can be extremely annoying, and in this article you'll learn exactly how you can combat them effectively.

Most skin care products out there promise to get rid of your under eye wrinkles, and when you have a look at the ingredients in their products you find a lot of unnatural ingredients and chemicals.

Do you really want to put that on your skin? That is a question you have to ask yourself. These ingredients might come back to bite you in the long-term.

I have discovered some excellent natural skin care products that do not contain anything harmful. There have been some incredible breakthroughs the last few years in natural skin care.

A new substance called Cynergy TK is one of them. It is produced by a company located in New Zealand and it is completely natural. Cynergy TK is high in a protein called keratin, it is vital for getting rid of under eye wrinkles and looking more youthful.

This ingredient could be called a miracle, but I don't want to go that far, I'll leave that to the sales people. I don't really care what people say until I've tried it myself or read some research.

After some deeper investigation I found out that clinical studies have been made on Cynergy TK and the results were very positive. It reduced wrinkles and improved the appearance of the study participants skin by leaps and bounds.

So it is important to find good anti-wrinkle creams, but make sure that they are completely natural and do not contain anything that might damage your skin.

With all that said, now it is your turn to do some research and find a product for you. You will be happy that you put in the time and effort.

It took me countless hours to find a good product that eliminates under eye wrinkles, but I finally did it, and it was well worth the time.

How Do You Select Your Leaders and Team? 10 Pointers to Effective Recruitment

Appointments to position of leadership, influence and high decision making power are always rigged and plagued with inconsistency, thumb-sucking, guesswork with no system of set down criterion in place. Many followers complain of haphazard approaches to promotions where it is not based on any merit or previous track record. Books are continually judged by their cover, promotions based on looks, composure and dressing become the order of the day. Boardrooms are full of people who dress and smell nice but the tragedy is that some of these boards are the supreme decision making and vision casting platforms for organizations. They spell out where the ship is going, at what rate and how long it will take to get there. When you surround yourself with leaders or boards that bark a lot without any significant bites, it can be compared to being an army commander surrounded by amateur regiments or armies still needing to be told how a gun works. It disadvantages you when you have to pay dead wood just because they occupy space on a chair in your boardroom. Why do you have to go through the stress of firing someone when you can ensure you have the correct candidate in the first place:

A few pointers

1. Hire someone with the right ATTITUDE - Attitude propels the Altitude of your business. When your leaders have the right attitude towards work, business, superiors etc this attitude is contagious as it spreads to those below (teams). I mentioned before that when your employee's attitude stinks, no matter how nice and attractive your pricing is, customers will travel an extra 2 miles to get a better service.

2. A TEAM PLAYER is better than a lone super star - How best does your leader work with and within teams? No matter how excellent a leader can be as an individual, they are not useful if they can not get the team to focus and work on tasks at hand. One thing I am very good at personally is working with teams to reach organizational goals.

3. Assess CHARACTER carefully before hiring. I continue to emphasize that REPUTATION is not to be exalted over real character. The Resume is merely a Reputation portrayal but sometimes it leaves a lot to be desired as it is nowhere close to the real character of a person. Assess the character during the interview process by asking direct questions that reveal character. The resume still helps you to come up with a reasonable sample to work on as you work on elimination.

4. QUALIFICATIONS are important. Just because someone smiles a lot is not the sole requirement to take the business to the next level. You need some qualified personnel within your team who are experts in their area of study. I have noticed over the years that when you employ out of sympathy, you disadvantage your business. There is a place for compassion but you can not compromise the vision by hiring unqualified people.

5. MULTISKILLED and MULTITALENTED individuals are very useful to your vision's accomplishment. Who wouldn't enjoy the services of a driver who is a good gardener, cook and communicates well. When you have people with a multiplicity of gifts you save on hiring additional labor. The same 10 multi-skilled employees you have can achieve what 20 uni-skilled people would have achieved.

6. Willingness to adapt to CHANGE is a quality that employees around you need to have. Change is the only constant in the modern business world. There is no room for dinosaur mentality. In any businesses, changes do come regularly. There can be a change in product line, change in market focus, changes in goals, changes in office and factory locations.

7. There is no room for hiring a first sight - the first person you like may not be the only potential
candidate. Interview as many people as possible and conduct second interviews. Increase the pool from which to choose from.

8. Make the EXPECTATIONS on either side very clear from the onset. You can judge the understanding of expectations during interview process. Be very upfront with what you expect in terms of deliverables. Usually employees enjoy the title without a clear understanding of what the role entails.

9. Most leaders make the mistake of talking more than the candidate being interviewed. Avoid long sentences but your role is to ask questions which are direct, which can gather useful information for you to process. There will come a time when you need to "download" information to those being interviewed. Use the Pareto Principle. As leader, ask questions 20% of the time and listen for answers 80% of the time not the other way round.

10. Entrust your VISION to people you can TRUST - It is not easy yo hire someone to be part of your life just like that. When someone comes to help you with your vision you need to invest in some level of trust in the person as this is vital and dear to you. You can not leave your goldmine with a sellout. I had a nasty experience once when I hired someone to take care of Marketing. I was not hands on with my business to the point that I didn't realize the same person was working for 3 companies in the same line of business all at the same time. This is a classical example of jugglers, time wasters and resource abusers. You still however have to take the risk to TRUST a stranger until they prove themselves untrustworthy. It is a risk every visionary businessman has to take. You need people to roll out your vision.

Mary Kay MLM Business Review - Is Mary Kay the Right Business?

Mary Kay is a cosmetic company that offers primarily women, a home based business opportunity. Women make money through selling the products, or through signing up others to be distributors forming a team. The headquarters is located in Dallas, Texas, originated in 1963. It is one of the largest cosmetic companies in the United States. Mary Kay is ranked number 3 in the United States domestic volume of all direct selling companies. The company has over 200 products. They have more than 1.8 million independent beauty consultants throughout the world.

The main products consist of mainly anti-aging, cleaners, moisturizers, and lip and eye care products. Most people sell the products to friends, family, co-workers, and do additional selling through home classes. Some customers claim that the prices can be a bit expensive, however the company has a 100% money-back guarantee. The independent consultants get 50% off the products, based on how much they sell.

It is possible to make good money with Mary Kay, but most people have to recruit many distributors. Mostly people use the income as second source to pay the bills. Unfortunately, it is not enough for most people to quite their day job. Mary Kay's compensation plan basically works as a stairstep-breakaway multilevel marketing plan. Meaning, that when a consultant reaches a certain point, she breaks away from her original sponsor. In this manner, the original sponsor gets a smaller percentage of her distributor's group total volume. This is common, but you can make money with most MLM companies. Usually people have trouble making money, because it requires recruiting a heavy downline.

When starting a MLM business, people mainly sell to their friends, and family through parties, which leads to difficulty in building a reliable team. As a marketer you have to realize the other ways to reach a large quantity of people. Mainly people find more success through the internet. Leveraging your home based business through the internet, makes it more of a home business. There are no home parties to hold, you do not have to talk to people in person in order to make a sale, and you can truly set your own working hours.

How Does Laser Eye Surgery Affect The Eyes?

In order to truly comprehend the effect of laser eye surgery, we must first consider the vision anomalies that it treats. It is a general belief that common refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism, are attributable to certain irregularities in the shape of the cornea. Due to such anomalies, light rays entering the eye don't fall exactly on the retina (a layer of light sensing cells) thereby resulting in unclear vision. LASIK is a surgical procedure that aims to rectify these irregularities by reshaping the cornea.

LASIK restores visual acuity through precise ablation of the corneal tissue with the aid of a high precision laser, an excimer laser, which is a "cool" laser that precisely carves the cornea without heating or damaging the surrounding tissue. Once reshaped, the cornea enables the desired accurate refraction, since the light rays now fall precisely on the retina.

Laser eye surgery imparts enhanced visual acuity, without the need for corrective lenses. With the superlative technology at its disposal, laser eye surgery provides excellent results that are rather impressive. An estimated 98% of patients are within 1 diopter of their refractive error following surgery, possessing unaided visual acuity of 6/12 or better. Over half of the patients achieve unaided visual acuity of 6/6, which is the standard visual acuity. However, visual acuity may sometimes be worthless if vision quality is sacrificed in process. Though rare, laser eye surgery complications like halos, glare and double vision may cause vision quality deterioration, rendering blurry vision.

The complications, if any, may be a source of discomfort. The use of prescription eye drops and artificial tear drops helps in soothing the eyes thereby averting the irritable feeling in the eyes that creeps up after surgery. These side effects are known to subside within a few months and the refraction stabilizes within 3 to 6 months following surgery.

Nevertheless, LASIK is a viable, safe and efficacious procedure. Its effects are permanent on the eyes. That is, the refraction attained lasts forever unless otherwise altered due to age related eye ailments, such as presbyopia, which is known to affect almost every individual in their mid to late 40s.

Treating poor eyesite can be difficult, time-consuming, painful and ultimately upsetting. If you have tried and failed to improve your eyesight, or have concerns over the safety of invasive eye surgery you might want to consider other methods of making you look better and feel more confident.

You might like to consider medical and aesthetic cosmetics.

What is medical cosmetics?

It's probably easier to start with what Medical Cosmetics is not. It is not beauty treatments administered by Beauticians and it is not Cosmetic Surgery. It is non-invasive medical procedures, delivered by qualified medical professionals such as doctors, nurses or dentists, that change and enhance the way people look. The most well known products and treatments are Botox, Dermal Fillers and Skin Peels.

How Long Does A LASIK Eye Operation Last?

Considering LASIK? Expect your stay at the laser eye surgery center to be approximately 2 hours. However, the actual laser treatment might take only about 7 to 10 minutes per eye. Though quite complex a procedure, its expedited nature renders it a simplistic feel, at least superficially. LASIK is a relatively painless procedure as opposed to other surgical techniques.

Even though it's a surgery, LASIK is performed with the patient awake and functional. However, the eye surgeon typically administers a mild sedative (for instance Valium) and anesthetic eye drops. The complete 7 to 10 minute process can be broken down into two major steps. The initial step involves the creation of a flap of corneal tissue. This is accomplished with a microkeratome (a surgical blade), or a femtosecond laser. A hinge is left at one end of the flap and the flap is folded back to reveal the stroma (the middle section of the cornea).

The second step of the procedure employs a high precision laser, an excimer laser, to reshape the cornea. The excimer laser is a "cool laser", that is, it achieves precise ablation without heating or damaging the surrounding tissue. After carving the cornea in the desired manner thereby imparting the desired refraction to it, the flap is repositioned. The flap remains placed by natural adhesion and aids in the healing of the cornea.

Much like the procedure itself, the visual recovery is also rapid in case of LASIK. Since the ablation is performed in the stroma, under the corneal flap, the cornea does not register the fact that it has been operated. As a result, the wound response is muted, and that is the reason for a hasty recovery after LASIK.

On the whole, LASIK is a fairly innocuous procedure, without the need for hospitalization. Though the patient might experience blurry vision immediately after surgery, the visual acuity is restored within a day or two, and the patient may resume his/her daily chores with ease. In fact, the preparation towards the procedure (the preoperative examination) may take up more time relative to the procedure itself. Finally, the results achieved through this 7 to 10 minute LASIK procedure are certainly worth the endeavor.

There's no doubt that many people have LASIK surgery to improve their looks. And this is a perfectly legitimate reason to have eye surgery. We all want to look better and feel better, both about ourselves and to other people.

But what happens if you are not a good candidate for surgery?

I have several friends who were unhappy about the way they looked and had pinned their hopes on eye surgery as they grew older, and they were devastated when they learned that they were unable to get laser eye treatment.

I suggested that they look at some of the new anti-ageing treatments that are available on the high street such as skin peels and dermal fillers.

The Role of the Optician

An optician is a technician within the eye care realm that is trained to design, verify, and fit eyeglass lenses and frames, contact lenses, and other appliances meant to correct eyesight. The optician will use prescriptions that ophthalmologists or optometrists have supplied, but they themselves do not provide vision screening or write prescriptions for eye wear correction.

The optician has sort of a fun job because not only do they prepare the appliances that help you see better, they combine this talent with the fashion industry. Opticians are able to design and help you choose fashionable lenses that fit well on your face and compliment your features. Should you require contact lenses; the technician will adjust how they fit in your eyes.

It may not seem like an important job, but being an optician is a vital part of the world of optometry. Without these professionals, both your new eyeglasses and contact lenses would not fit properly, thus doing you a disservice by even wearing them. Can you imagine wearing contact lenses that feel uncomfortable in your eyes?

Think of an optician as a pharmacist. When a medical doctor writes a prescription for a medication, you take it to the chemist and he or she fills it for you. This is exactly what an optician does but with eye wear. Opticians work with people of all ages including young adults, senior citizens, and children.

Work Environment

In most cases, an optician will work under the direct counsel of an optometrist. This can either be in the doctor' office or an adjacent shop. In some case, the optician will work behind the scenes of an online eyeglass store. There are many places to obtain eyeglasses and contact lenses such as department stores, specialized shops, and any number of environments.

Did you know that opticians generally work in the evenings and weekends? This is a huge convenience for folks who have busy schedules. You have the option to get your eye exam and drop off your prescription at a later time and pick your eyeglasses up when it suits you best.

Becoming an Optician

In terms of becoming an optician, there are a few requirements. After all, this position requires a great deal of knowledge concerning prescription lenses and how they are made.

• Education - In order to become an optician, you must graduate from high school followed by a formal education at the university. Most opticians will attend a two-year training programme that involves the study of anatomy, eye anatomy, algebra, trigonometry, optical physics, and math.

• Training - If an optician decides to take an apprenticeship 9or is offered one), they will typically undergo a two to four-year period of on-the-job-training under the watchful eye of a licensed supervisor.

• Licensing and/or certification - Depending on where the optician is located, he or she will require special certification or licensure before being permitted to practice.

• Skills - Having great people skills is an important quality for all opticians to have because they work in direct correlation with patients. From helping the patient to choose their frames to aligning the lenses with the proper area of the eyes, these technicians do a lot of direct work with the public.

As a patient, finding a practice that offers high quality and experienced opticians on staff is a something you should look for when choosing an eye doctor. Whether you wear glasses now or have never worn them before, having a technician help you find the right frames, lens size, and contacts is important. Always ask the practice you are considering if they have an optician on staff and if you are able to meet them.

Organizational Policies and Procedures - What You Need to Know

"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out." (R. Reagan)

Policies and Procedures are two words frequently heard in the business world and there is often confusion between the two concepts.

What is an Organizational Policy?

A Policy defines an outcome; it is a premeditated rule set by a business to guide organizational direction, employees and business decisions, and to regulate, direct and control actions and conduct. Policies can range from a broad philosophy to a specific rule. They are the direct connection between a company's Vision and its daily operations and the underpinnings to a company's culture.

What is an Organizational Procedure?

A procedure is a means to an end. Procedures are step by step instructions, prescribing an exact sequence of action. A procedure explains how to and who (which position) will implement the policy. Procedures are specific, factual and succinct. They may include timelines, specific forms to be used and template forms. Procedures assist in eliminating common misunderstandings which can result in costly mistakes.

What is the difference?

Together Policies and Procedures empower a process by providing clear and concise direction necessary for consistent operation. The essential differences are outlined below:

Policies
- General in nature
- Identify company rules
- Explain why rules exist
- Explain when the rule applies
- Describe to whom (what position) it applies
- Explain how it is enforced
- Describe consequences
- Provide guidance for managerial thought and action
- Flexible - allows for discretion

Procedures
- Identify specific and alternative actions
- Explain when to take actions
- Describe emergency procedures
- Include warnings and cautions
- Give examples
- Show how to complete a specific form
- Prescribe how to carry out the action through step by step instruction
- Less flexible - concise and exact sequence of activities

Why does a company need Organizational Policies?

Policies and Procedures (P&Ps) are essential when a company requires consistency in its daily operations. They provide clarity and direction re: accountability. P&Ps assist companies in meeting legal requirements set out by the Employment Standards Act, the Human Rights Code, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and numerous other compliance requirements.

A properly written policy and/or procedure allows employees to understand their roles and level of responsibility and conduct their job by making decisions within predefined boundaries. By implementing P&Ps, management can provide guidance to employees without needing to micromanage, freeing managers to focus on strategic thought.

P&Ps allow the workforce to not only understand the accountabilities and responsibilities of their own position, but also that of their co-workers, which can foster a cooperative work environment.

How big should a company be to consider implementing Policies and Procedures?

With as few as six employees there will be recurring issues. Productivity and efficiencies both from a legal and operational standpoint can be gained through the implementation of P&Ps.

What Is Career Management? Your Long-Term Strategy for Career Success

Career management is a hot topic in business, but how many people really think about what it means, who's responsible for it, and how to go about it in an effective manner? If you ask your friends what they do to manage their career, how many can give you a coherent answer? What does career management mean to you, and what do you do to proactively manage your career?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to "manage" something means to handle or direct something with a degree of skill, to treat something with care, or to work upon or try to alter something for a purpose. Therefore, to effectively manage your career, you must skillfully direct your career with a purpose and with care.

A career that is successfully managed has a defined direction and objectives. Milestones and goals are set so that progress can be measured. Needs for growth and development are identified. Options and opportunities are assessed according to whether they are likely to move the career toward the vision.

On the other hand, a career that is not actively managed tends to meander. Direction may be changed and changed again, but without purpose or direction. Skills and abilities are not nurtured or cultivated. Opportunities may be missed, while others may be taken despite the fact that they do not bring meaning, enjoyment, or long-term progression.

Sometimes people think they do not have to manage their careers because their company will do it for them, but this is attitude can be self-defeating. You are your own best advocate. Do not relegate your advocacy, support, and best interest to anyone else. Take control, and make a commitment to yourself to be your own supporter and promoter.

Career management is not something you suddenly achieve, or a point where you say "I'm done!" It is part of the journey through life and work, something you do continually to ensure your career and life reflects and honors your strengths and who you are.

To effectively manage your career, you'll first need to do some basic career planning: clarifying your vision of your career into the future, and identifying what skill gaps or other obstacles may be standing in your way. You will want to set some goals and milestones so you can track your progress.

Next, consider your personal brand at work. Does how you're perceived in the office accurately reflect your strengths, value, and career aspirations? Take a look at what you're known for, your physical appearance, the projects you're working on, and when people ask for your advice and assistance. If these are in line with where you're going, great. If not, it's time for a personal brand make-over. These can take time, as you'll need to pay attention to how you act, what you say, what you work on, and how you look over a period of time, and adjust as needed.

Finally, constantly be on the lookout for opportunities to grow in line with your career vision. While this includes promotions and job openings, also consider volunteering for projects or teams where you can gain additional critical skill sets, become known as an expert in an area aligned with your vision and interests, or gain you exposure with people who can help you in your career. Find a mentor within (or even external to) your organization and solicit their advice and knowledge regularly. Consider taking courses or getting certified if these actions are applicable to your situation.

Remember that career management is an ongoing process, and should be regularly reviewed, measured, and adjusted. Make it a priority, and direct your career with skill, purpose and care.