Yazir

There are many companies which sell credit repair tips and solutions. There are software programs, books, newsletters and a range of services directed at those who are in need of bad credit history repair. But, the best credit repair tips and solutions are the free ones, at least in the opinion of this writer.

Did you know that the three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, are required to provide consumers with one free copy of their credit report every year? If not, you are not alone. Some people know that the reports are available, but do not know where or how to obtain copies. Companies which sell credit repair tips and solutions often sell information about where to obtain copies of your credit reports. They often advertise in such a way as to lure in consumers who are looking for bad credit history repair or just the free annual report that they are entitled to by law.

Visit www.annualcreditreport.com. Older books containing credit repair tips and solutions will not have this address. It was created by the three major credit bureaus in response to a recently enacted law, so anything that was written before 2005 will not have this information. If you are attempting bad credit history repair on your own, then you will want to visit this site first. There is no charge for these reports, but the credit bureaus are allowed to promote credit repair tips and solutions that they sell on this site. Just click no thanks on the offers until you get to a secure site where you can enter your personal information. Most credit repair tips and solutions offered by the credit bureaus will not help you achieve bad credit history repair.

Bad credit history repair can be a frustrating and time consuming process. In order to avoid a little frustration, have your personal information available when you visit the credit report site. In order to verify your identity, you will be asked certain questions about past or present accounts or previous addresses. And, make sure that you spell the website address correctly or you may end up at an impostor site. One impostor site sells credit repair tips and solutions and information about bad credit history repair, but does not provide you with your credit reports. Another impostor site calls their monthly newsletter “My Free Credit Report”. All of this is an attempt by businesses to confuse consumers, causing more frustration and lost time.

After you pass up all the offers, enter your personal information and finally get to view your credit reports, you may be surprised. There may be a lot of information on your credit report or just a little, depending on the types of credit that you have and the length of time that you have been using credit. You may be expecting to see a “credit score”. If so, you will be disappointed. The free credit reports provided by the credit bureaus do not include your FICO or any other relevant scores. They contain information that is used to calculate your credit scores. When you are trying to achieve bad credit history repair, you may run into a number of little disappointments and frustrations. Be prepared.

If you actually want to view your credit score, the number most commonly used by creditors is the FICO score. FICO also sells credit repair tips and solutions and they charge consumers to view their own credit score. They charge lenders and financial institutions as well, but it does seem that consumers should be able to see this information without being charged. Since that is not the case, be ready with a credit card. You can use a prepaid or a secured credit card if you do not have another type. If you do not qualify for a regular credit card, get a secured card. The FICO credit tips and solutions suggest that a secured credit card which is handled properly will help you repair bad credit history over time. This is not an immediate fix, but if you credit score is very low, then it is a good idea to build “good” credit history as you attempt to repair “bad” credit history.

There are too many credit repair tips and solutions to mention in this one article. This writer and the other writers at Credit Fix Solutions have compiled a large number of credit repair tips and solutions. We strive to provide accurate information about how to repair bad credit history. Visit us at http://creditfixnow.blogspot.com

Student credit card offers can be a wonderful way for college students to be introduced to the world of credit. With a student credit card they can buy things when they need to and learn how to manage debt successfully. But there are some good reasons to use student credit cards as well as some bad that are worth noting.

A student credit card is not for every student out there. Just like with other credit cards there are some people who should just never have one. For example, those that have trouble keeping themselves on a budget should probably avoid getting any kind of student credit cards. These cards can only lead to trouble in the wrong hands!

If on the other hand you are in college and you have proven to yourself that you are perfectly capable of managing debt and your finances then a college student credit card might be the best thing that has ever happened to you. With one of these student credit cards you will be able to buy food when you are in a pinch or pay to get your car repaired if something goes wrong with it. You know how fickle cars can be not to mention computers. Can you imagine how much trouble you would be in if your computer crashed? If you have a good student credit card you would not have to worry about it because you would have the money to get it fixed right away.

One of the best aspects of student credit cards and college student credit cards is the fact that they are very easy to get. All though in some cases this could be seen as a drawback. Many students are getting approved for these credit cards before they are responsible enough to be able to manage them wisely.

Even students who have no credit history or who have bad credit history have been able to get approved for college student credit cards. Other major credit cards would not even consider many of the candidates that student cards do which makes them perfect for those who want t use these cards to build or rebuild their credit history.

Did you know that you have to have a good credit history to buy a car or a home? If you have no history or poor history you could find yourself getting turned down for just about nay kind of loan out there and in this electronic age credit reports are being accessed for all kinds of other reasons as well. Many employers and landlords check to see what kind of credit rating you have before they give you the job or the place to live. They do this to see if you are a reliable person or not. That is why being able to get a student credit card is so important. You can use student credit cards as powerful tools when it comes to building up a credit report to be proud of.

If you get your student credit card and you then make all of your monthly payments on time every month then you will be in the perfect position to get approved for any other kind of important loan that you need in the future as well as other more beneficial credit cards. So start looking into college student credit cards today and see what a difference they can make in your life.

Whenever there’s a new technology, there’s an almost immediate demand for technical support and this is true of VoIP systems. But where can you expect to get that support? It may be more available that you expect.

VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol and this emerging technology certainly appears to be catching on, especially in certain circles. Some major companies and industries are finding the advantage of implementing VoIP to create better communication systems, often at a lower cost than traditional telephone service. Very basically, VoIP allows users to make unlimited voice communications to anywhere without incurring long distance charges. The process is very similar to emailing, but with voice capabilities rather than relying on the written word.

Because this technology has some ties to existing technology, there are many people who are just a few steps away from being prepared to install, maintain, repair and trouble shoot the VoIP systems. Large companies especially may find that there are those within the organization who need a minimal amount of training in order to be ready for this task.

So what are your options when it comes to VoIP training? Actually, they’re not nearly as limited as you might think. For those who live in larger cities, you may very well find that there are seminars, hands-on training and workshops nearby. In those cases, you’ll be able to choose the intensity of the sessions based on how much (or how little) you already know.

If you have large universities or technical schools in your area, you may also find that these have some excellent training opportunities. Though there seem to be a limited number of colleges and technical training facilities that offer VoIP training as a regular curriculum item, there’s little doubt that it will come in the near future.

Distance learning is also an option in many areas. If you don’t find some VoIP training that you’re interested in available in your area, consult area universities, libraries or community programs about the possibility of establishing a VoIP distance learning class. There are several advantages to distance learning over correspondence or online courses. You have the opportunity to interact with the teacher and other students via an Internet connection (voice and video, as a rule). You also have hands on classroom experience and lessons, just as you would in a traditional classroom. There’s also the fact that you meet at a prearranged time on a regular basis for the duration of the course – a fact that many people find necessary in order to maintain their focus and to complete assigned coursework.

If none of these are available, or if you simply can’t commit to regular meeting times, you may find that online courses in VoIP is a great way to get the training you need. There are several options, so take time to consider those companies offering VoIP training to be sure you’ll have worthwhile information at the end of the course. If hands-on work is vital to your learning style, look for training that offers real-life situational exercises.

This article may be reproduced only in its entirety.

Scott Knutson is an entrepreneur and writer. For more of his articles visit: Internet Phone | Internet Phone Service | VoIP Service

As competition in the UK credit card industry has consistently increased in recent years, credit card providers have been searching for more and more ways to attract customers to their own package of products. Most have gone about this by dropping prices with credit card rates available today that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. It is now possible to find 0% credit card interest rates not only on balance transfers but also on purchases. While these rates may only be available for limited introductory periods of a few months, it is easy to see how prices have continued to drop across the market as credit card providers have been searching for new ways to attract customers.

Interest free and credit card may sound like a couple of words that really do not belong together in the same sentence. And the fact is that just a few short years ago, you would have been absolutely correct. There was a time not too long ago when there was no such thing as the 0% credit card. Now however, they are everywhere you look, literally. You cannot even open your mail any more, or answer you phone without being offered some amazing sounding deal on 0% credit cards. They are becoming more and more common and it is therefore important to realise the pros and cons of many of the most common deals that are out there so that you make sure that you get for yourself the very best deal on a 0% credit card possible.

The first thing to remember in any case is that there are two main types of 0% interest that you will be offered and these are very different deals. The first will be 0% on balance transfers and the second will be 0% on purchases. It is needless to go into the difference between a balance transfer and a purchase but suffice it to say that there is a very significant difference and there will be many cases where one of these offers will be of great value to you while the other will be practically useless. The trick is to make sure you make sure what you are being offered and only sign up to a deal that you are confident will fit your needs and benefit you as much as possible.

The best place to start looking for one of these 0% credit cards is on the internet. The fact of the matter is that in recent years the UK credit card market has really saturated itself with amazing sounding deals and the competition is so high among credit card providers now that it is really quite easy to get a 0% credit card.

The two exceptions to this and the groups that will find it more difficult to get a 0% credit card will be people with bad credit ratings and people with no income. Hopefully, in either of these two cases, the situation will not last forever and you will merely have to wait a little while until your position improves and then you will have no problem at all getting 0% credit cards. The only real thing to remember with 0% credit cards is that the free credit will only be for a couple of months and after this time you will have to pay interest. And secondly, everything you spend on that credit cad has to be paid back eventually so take care not to let that spending get out of control.

Don’t despair if you are not accepted for many of the credit cards on offer. It may be your credit rating is not what some credit card companies are looking for. If this is the case you will have to do a little more work and that starts by aiming a little lower. Try applying for a run of the mill credit card with no 0% deals, use it for a while. During this period your credit rating will be building up. Once your credit rating is up to scratch you can then apply for these mouth watering 0 per cent introductory deals.

Peter Kenny is a writer for creditcards-gb
For additional articles and an extensive resource for everything about credit cards, please visit us at 0% Balance Transfers and Compare Credit Cards.
http://www.creditcards-gb.co.uk

You are searching for a non-traditional wedding gift… You want something different that will elicit the oohs and aahs of everyone.

Of course, you could go to the couple’s registry and pick something from there, but then your gift wouldn’t be unique.

Here are some tips to help you come up with some great, unique wedding gift ideas.

Ask yourself these questions:

-what do you know about the couple?
-what do they like?
-where are they planning to spend their honeymoon?
-what’s their personality?
-what is their lifestyle?

The answers to these questions can give you ideas for a gift that displays your thoughtfulness and care.

Here are just a few gift ideas to ponder:

1. Gift Certificates to a spa for the bride and groom are great before or after the wedding. The wedding day is often stressful, so you could offer a day at the spa to prepare them for the wedding day. Or, they could use it just after their honeymoon, as they prepare to resume their regular activities.

2. As an alternative for the day at the spa, you could give them a spa in a basket, including monogrammed robes, towels, and a few other relaxing items, like candles, bath and body lotions, some romantic music, and even engraved wine glasses accompanied by a bottle of wine for a special evening at home.

3. Keepsake Box – As time goes by, memories begin to fade, and what better and more unique gift than a special box where they can safely store all those precious mementos that become more cherished as the years go by? This box is perfect for things like: marriage license, special photos, place cards, vows, and all those other special keepsakes that often get lost as time passes.

4. Silver-Plated Picture Frames – the perfect way to display favorite photos of their special day. Have them engraved with the couple’s names and the wedding date for a treasured memory.

5. Etched Glass Wedding Invitation – Have their wedding invitation, or other special verse engraved on a glass sculpture. This will be treasured for years to come, and definitely unique. Or, for a little variation, get the actual invitation, and mount it on a glass plate and finish it with matching colored paint.

6. Honeymoon Photo Album – this could be made out of wood, with something like “A Honeymoon to Remember” engraved on the cover: a perfect place to capture those wonderful honeymoon memories.

You are now ready to give the perfect wedding gift to your friends and family.

Find all kinds of registries from bridal, resort, domain names, gifts, adoption, honeymoon, national and international, motor vehicle and window registries to baby, voting, sex offenders and much more on www.easeregistry.com. Be sure to visit www.easeregistry.com with your host Sintilia Miecevole to find your registry information.

Early on my online business career, I was a jack-of-all-trades.

• I was the webmaster

• The telemarketer
• The banker
• The accountant
• The copywriter
• The traffic specialist
• The butcher
• The baker
• The candlestick maker
• And on and on it went

If it needed to get done, I had to do it, as I was a Solo-Preneur, a one man money making machine.

Then I learned how other successful people were saving time, making more money and having more fun than I was. The secret to their ‘leveraged’ lives was outsourcing.

They had webmasters, copywriters, sales staff, virtual assistants, secretaries, and so on.

Instead of working so hard IN their businesses, they were now ON their business, freed up to dream up and implement new product ideas and create new revenue streams.

In my online experience, I have found 6 killer outsourcing techniques that have saved me time and help me make a lot of money. I would like to share them with you in hopes that you will benefit from them like I have.

1. Outsource Secret #1 – Use 24 Hour Recorded Message Lines

Do you have a lot of people calling you, asking you the same questions over and over, that a website explains? What if people cannot get online? I create 24 hr recorded message lines where people can dial in, even if it’s 2:43 am and they can get educated robotically and elegantly about my company, offers or specials.

Real Estate Agents can use this for updated home listings and showings, put the 24 hour message on the back of a business card, with a shocking headline, so people will call it.

Mine reads:

“Discover how a 35 year old former youth pastor from Minnesota earned over $700,000 in less than two years, and how he goes on vacations saving up to 75% off without coming home broke! Free 24 hr rec. message – 866-486-7465.”

Network Marketers also use 24 hour lines to talk about their company, product and compensation plans instead of having to do one on one presentations.

2. Outsource Secret #2 – Hire a Webmaster/Site Designer

I used to make my own sites, and I had to figure it all out by trial and error, many hours of frustrations.

Don’t you hate it when you get the site all finished, but there is one quirk that is keeping you from publishing it because you have an error in your code or shopping cart, which you cannot figure out how to fix?

You can’t publish until it’s fixed and you begin to panic!

I have been down that road too many times, and it kept me from launching my sites on time.

When I learned this outsource secret the companies I used got my sites keyword optimized, submitted and found in the engines.

The did the design work and coding, I just wrote the copy to be on the site.

I have over 20 #1 listings now with certain keywords related to my niche market.

3. Outsource Secret #3: Hire a Virtual Assistant to Work for You

This one is an amazing time saver.

I used to answer all my own calls and now I delegate/outsource to a team of virtual assistants who handle all my phone work for me.

They do customer support, give out information, and even help by doing a little over the phone selling for me too.

At about $15-25 an hour, Virtual Assistants, don’t get paid by the hour, they get paid by the minute, as an independent contractor, so you don’t pay them taxes, employee benefits, or insurance/health care. What a money saver and time saver, and guess what? You are not ripping them off doing it this way as that is how the Virtual Assistant Niche markets itself to people like you so they can get business.

4. Outsource Secret #4: Use Outsourcing Network Sites & Communities

Ever heard of the “lance.com” sites. Like elance, freelance, writerlance etc.?

These website groups do a lot of busy work for you at great low prices which you arrive at through a reverse auction.

You tell people your project, whether you need a script made, software made, or a program, and then someone will tell you how much they will do it for, and usually the lowest priced bidder will win, and build your project or service for you, and you keep the master rights, like you built it yourself.

Many of the top internet marketing money makers outsource all their projects this way.

5. Outsource Secret #5: Hire a Customer Service Division

Many solo-preneurs, or small business owners are swamped with customer support and answering questions which take them away from the important tasks like dreaming up new products and services.

Why not outsource your customer support with companies like Kayako.

Do a Google search for “outsource customer support” and you’ll get a ton of listings from great companies eager to serve you and act as an extension of your one man show and make you look like a fortune 500 company.

With some minimal training, they can be answering support emails and building knowledge bases for you to answer your company’s frequently most asked questions.

Outsource Secret #6: Create Your Own Affiliate Program

The days of the one man salesman are over.

Many people earn a living online who don’t have websites of their own.

They are affiliates, and they are marketers who know how to penetrate niche markets with messages that get read, and create buyers for YOUR products.

Affiliates bring buyers to your sites for you.

Create a program where you pay affiliates 50% or whatever you think is fair and they will sell your product, advertise, and create sales for you. You will not need an advertising budget now.

So, here are 6 simple outsourcing techniques that when followed, can most definitely save you time, save you frustration, and help you make more money with less effort. Delegate your business from the outhouse and work your way up to the penthouse.

About the author: Jeff Mills is a very successful internet Entrepreneur who has sold over a million dollars worth of products online in the last 3 years. Jeff has a complete 14 page Outsourcing report that shares the entire secret outsourcing resources he uses and recommends to others and is giving it away free at http://www.whoisjeffmills.com/outsource-it.html Learn more about Jeff Mills at http://www.whoisjeffmills.com

A barrister bookcase is a traditionalistic shelf that is believed to have originated in Britannia. Its distinguishing feature is a flawless field glass front. This glass front is hinged at the upper lip allowing someone to easily access books and other collectibles merely by lifting the glass door. The barrister bookcase is perfect for many things. Barrister bookcases were frequently used by attorneys since it was necessary for them to keep on moving. Now, they are really handy, specially if one is always moving. The doors make this the case. This precludes them from having to be voided on moving

Great Shelves
Barrister bookcases have the benefit of protecting the collectibles from junk and other foreign impurities. They offer excellant protective cover. Apart from junk, sun is also blockedby adding UV treated glasss. This will reduce the impact of sunlight impacting the books This in turn maintains the books color from languishing

This special brand of furniture, despite their many merits, can be rather pricey. Fortunately, there unqiueness has caused some manufacturing businesses to start producing replica editions. Some stylish versions are also ready at very healthy prices. Many editions have simple appearances and can be made to fit a particular style. They can also be made into customized.They can be stacked allowing them to be easily used to create creative unit placements. Some can be used to create ping pong tables, pulpits or even dining areas.

Check out twitter bookshelves

You’ve probably never heard of Frank X. McNamara, but he revolutionized the way you shop on a daily basis.

One evening in 1949, McNamarahead of the Hamilton Credit Corporation in New York Citywas dining out with two business associates. Their topic of discussion: one of McNamara’s clients, who was defaulting on a loan because he had shared his gasoline and department-store credit cards with some friends in need. Unfortunately, the friends didn’t have the money to pay back what they had borrowed, so the good samaritan was now facing his own financial demise.

As the meal ended, McNamara reached for his wallet so he could pick up the check. To his horror, he realized he had left it at homeand was forced to call his wife so she could bring him the cash he needed to settle the tab.

This fateful meal led to an invention that has transformed how the world handles money to this very day: the credit card. While previously available gasoline and department-store credit cards allowed users to make purchases at a single location, McNamara’s personal plightand that of his well-meaning clientprompted him to create a credit card that could be used in multiple venues. The Diners Club card was born. In its first year, 200,000 consumers signed up for one.

The rest is history. After carefully observing Diners Club’s success, American Express and Bank Americard (soon to be renamed VISA) followed suit. Thank McNamara the next time you pay with plastic.

But has McNamara’s novel concept become more of a curse than a blessing in your life? Are your credit cards managing youand is your debt spiraling out of control?

Here are 5 ways to tame the credit card beast.

1. Know Your Limits

If you have a tendency to overspend, limit your extravagances by relying on paper currency instead of plastic. Set spending limits before you leave the house, whether you’re shopping for groceries or heading to the mall to buy a new pair of shoes. If you find yourself reaching for your credit cards, freezeand don’t move an inch until you can answer the following questions:

• Why am I breaking my own rule?

• Am I being self-destructive with my financial health?

• Do I really need this item, or is my ability to say “charge it!” clouding my good judgment?

2. Learn from McNamara’s Client

As McNamara’s client learned the hard way, loaning your credit cards to even those closest to you is a surefire way to accrue debt. You are giving your spouse, children, other relatives and/or friends carte blanche to spend up a stormand you are the one who is legally obligated to pay the bills that will find their way into your mailbox at the end of the month. Be extremely selective when passing the plastic to anyone who can run up a billand fail to pay you back.

3. Show Interest in Interest

Surveys consistently show that most people make only the required minimum payment on their credit card bills each month, leaving them with an outstanding balance that continues to climb. Not only do additional purchases add up, but you are continually paying interest on your existing and new balancesa sometimes considerable fee that has catapulted many consumers into life-altering debt.

Today, the average American family, for example, owes approximately $8,000 on its credit cardsand the credit card companies could not be more pleased. If 115 million families owed you moneyon which you earn finance charges and late fees every monthyou would be positively giddy, too.

Let’s say you have an outstanding balance of $2,000 on a single credit card. Your annual interest rate is 9%, and your credit card company requires you to make a minimum $30 payment each month. Assuming you do not miss any payments (which would cause your interest rate to rise, as well as add late fees as high as $40 per month), it would take you 204 months to pay off this balance if you make only the minimum $30 payment each monthand by then, you will have paid an extra $1,028.43 in interest. This is how debt begins: A $2,000 charge winds up costing you $3,028.43.

4. Switch Cards

If you are still paying an annual fee on your credit card, it’s time to make the switch to a card that is not only free, but rewards you for using it.

Assuming you have good credit and can secure a new card, explore your options. Banks offer cards that award cash-back bonuses, airline miles, gasoline rebates and other perks each time you use them. If you can manage your credit appropriately, keep pace with payments and pay your bills on time, you may as well reap the benefits of your spending habits.

5. Read Your StatementsCarefully
Some consumers pay their credit card bills without carefully reviewing their statements. This is one of the most serious mistakes you can makeespecially in an age of identity theft, when someone can use your card to make purchases in your name.

Always keep your credit card receipts, and check them against the bill when it arrives each month. Make sure every charge is accurate, and notify your credit card company immediately if there are any charges you did not make. The company can reverse the charge if it is a simple erroror if someone has used your card without authorization. In the latter case, ask the company to cancel the card, review any additional purchases made since that date and issue a new card with enhanced security features, such as a personal identification number (PIN), to be entered each time the card is used.

In addition, check due dates on credit card bills. You may be used to paying your bill by the 20th of each month, but credit card companies have been shortening the length of time consumers have to pay their balances. Very often, there is no notification of a policy changeor the fine print is buried somewhere on your statement. Note the payment due date each month, and try to pay the full amount to avoid accruing interest or late fees.

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Australian Debt Reduction offers all Australian consumers free debt consultations to assist them in getting back on top of their debt. They explain debt consolidation in simple terms and if you have over $4,000 in debt there are methods available to the Australian public you may not have heard of to help limit the amount of interest paid and rapidly reduce your debt. Visit Australian Debt Reduction at http://www.australian-debt-reduction.com.au or contact them directly on 1300 306 272

This blog is from our recent trip to Waikiki. Ive got to say, if you ever have the chance to make it to Hawaii, you should definitely take the offer. It has to be one of the most enjoyable places in the US. It is so amazing to have such a fantastic location in our nation.

The hospitality there is astounding. We took a surf lesson, rode a canoe, watched a few hula demonstrates and even had a chance to try out some real Hawaiian food at a luau. They say ono out there, it means delicious. The Kalua Pig is to die for and be sure to stop by for a lava flow night cap at Dukes. Its a little spot on Waikiki beach, great for an evening drink. One of the most unforgettable aspects was when we treated ourselves to a massage. It was impressive, super relaxing and well deserved after a hard years work.

Oahu is phenomenal. Don’t concentrate that you won’t do it all, because you can’t. Determine what is most important to you and concentrate on that. Take time to relax and enjoy just being there. Needless to say, we will be going back as soon as possible.

I am a big proponent of balance. Everything has to be just so. I believe that we should all strive to obtain balance in our lives. Balance between career and family. Balance between public and private. Balance between spiritualism, finances, and materialism.

One of the things I also pass on to my clients is that, since things don’t always remain in balance, controlled imbalance is also an important part of life. This, because, once you achieve balance, it is still necessary to move forward. However, forward movement causes imbalance, or is caused by imbalance, and the chase to re-achieve further balance.

The Setup

I recently had a chat with one of my friends who was absolutely fed up with his job. It wasn’t the work. It was the politics, the wars and conflicts, and the people within his office. He wanted to live in a happy place.

Obviously he was tired, and rightfully so. But, I thought about it for a while and began to realize that his desires were outstanding! So, we tried something. He, his wife, and my wife and I all went to Big Bear for the weekend. For that weekend, we would not do anything that would create conflict. If conflict reared its ugly head, we would stop and do something else. We would just be in a happy place.

Ultimately, it turned out that we did absolutely nothing. Among numerous other non-confrontational issues, we began several conversations, but had to stop because we had a conflict in our views. Then, we wanted to go out to dinner, but that was a conflict because we all wanted something different. By the time we left, we were all so irritated that we were about to blow because of the fact that our desire for no conflict, created massive inner conflict! It was an interesting test!

Originally, his question was, How do I get rid of conflict in my life? However, his new question was, How do I use conflict to my advantage?

Can’t we all just get along?

Well, the answer is yes and no. Believe it or not, the positive interactions and negative conflicts that we all encounter daily is actually us getting along. It is movement, motivation, trial and error. It is how we get things done in a world of millions of unique entities!

Conflict comes from two things: you choosing to move in a direction under your own force or you choosing not to move in a direction under someone else’s force. Lack of conflict is a sign that you’re sitting still. Conflict is friction and is a sign of movement, or the potential of movement.

We all get along on different levels and in different ways. It is this difference in our styles and methods that creates a conflict in our interactions. Anytime you make a decision, it is based on your own emotions, feelings, and desires. However, others will not understand your decision and will feel differently about it than you. Therefore, you must realize that interpersonal conflict is a result of movement and decisions simply because of the fact that the way things are now no longer matches the way things were.

The same ol’ same ol’.

When things are at their gloomiest, we want things to be better. We want it so that there is less stress and less conflict in our lives. That would be the perfect world. But, then, what of it? What would be the purpose? If there were no conflict, we would never be motivated in any direction, backward or forward.

However, did you ever stop and think what would happen if we all acted and interacted the same way? Obviously, there would be no conflict. However, there would literally be no reason to communicate because we would then all know the same things and feel the same way about everything. Imbalance would not exist and, therefore, neither would the need to do much of anything else. Perfection! Right?

But, what is conflict? Conflict in life is resistance to change. But, that can be seen two ways: either you’re changing and the environment resists this change, or something around you is changing and you resist the change. It is not so much that life is doling out bad things every turn you make, but, perhaps, you’re not turning the right way!

When things change, the Universe goes into imbalance. When things are thrown into imbalance, the Universe always seeks to achieve balance in any way possible. The general flow is: Balance -> Desire -> Imbalance -> Change -> (Repeat). But, how does that affect you?

The need for imbalance.

As I teach to my clients and associates, maintaining a balanced life within your own realm is very important. It is necessary to learn how to balance all aspects of your life such that you are running one life instead of a dozen smaller disconnected existences.

However, once you achieve balance, what do you do? Do you just sit there and enjoy the happy world you’ve created? Surely, after a while this will become boring. But, the way to move forward is to create an imbalance in one part of your life to get it moving forward. However, your aim is to issue small, controllable imbalances so that you can move back to a place where you can re-achieve balance.

Imbalance creates a flow. Imagine a river. Why does it flow? In most cases, it originates in the mountains and flows downhill to a point where it settles in a lake, or the ocean. In the lake or ocean, it is back to a balanced, even state. But, eventually the water evaporates and ends up back in the mountains as melting snow to flow down the river again.

What if the land was flat? The water would just sit there and stagnate. Mosquitoes would birth, diseases would evolve, and eventually the dead water would evaporate and fall back down to go, nowhere. Obviously, it is that difference of potential, that imbalance in the land, that makes that stagnate water do some sort of work so that it doesn’t turn into a swamp.

Balance in the Workplace

Applying this idea of imbalance to the workplace is similar to applying it to your own life. Managers purposefully create imbalance to move things forward. Many employees mis-interpret this as bad politics. Well, indeed, imbalance is a tool of politics, and it is a very effective tool.

Let’s assume that your manager wants to move the department in a new direction. Instead of trying to explain this direction to a group of people with a dozen different points of view, he simply creates an imbalance in the direction that he wants to go. One of the ways of doing this is sometimes classified as lack of communications. This is always a huge complaint I have heard since the mid-1970’s. Instead of simply assuming that there is an intense lack of communications, consider the ancillary activities revolving around this lack of communications.

For one, lack of communications implies power. Over time, you begin to expect, no communications. But, the thing to consider is, what are the side effects of this lack of communications? Where is the department heading? What is the ultimate and desired outcome? If you learn to examine some of the effects of imbalance, you will learn to see the desired outcomes as opposed to the immediate actions.

What’s next?

It is a bizarre thing that so many people want that perfect world. But, we live in it! That sounds a bit odd, but it is true. It is as perfect as it is, but, the question you must ask yourself is: how perfect is my world?

I realized a long time ago that we all require imbalance to move forward. We cannot exist in perfect balance all of the time, otherwise, nothing would get done. First, we have balance, then some desire places our world in imbalance. We then experience change and then work to achieve balance again. This is forward momentum.

Politics, games, deceit, hatred, war, and numerous other conflicts create an imbalance, which then causes a change forcing us to move in a new direction. I am not saying that only bad things create imbalance. Love, relationships, ideas, goals, desires, and the like also create an imbalance that force us to change to achieve.

Consider that, it is better to understand the environment instead of rejecting it because each event in our lives allows us to move in a new direction. But, realize that we can choose the direction and the outcome of the change. It is not some random event, but instead, an event that occurs based on decisions for the future. Instead of accepting imbalance as an effect of change, learn to create imbalance as a force of planned change.

Edward B. Toupin, Ph.D., is a published author, life-strategy coach, counselor, Reiki Master, and technical writer living in Las Vegas, NV. Edward works with people to help them strive for a richer life. He also authors books, articles, and screenplays on topics ranging from career success through life organization and fulfillment. Check out some of his recent print and electronic books as well as his articles covering various life-changing topics! Contact Edward at etoupin@toupin.com or visit his site at http://www.make-life-great.com.