Monthly Archives: March 2023

How Does Ghost Writing Work?

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Talking about ghost writing, it is basically a work piece written by one individual, commonly known as a ghost writer, while another individual gets the credit. For example, lots of celebrities and popular politicians enlist the help of a ghost when finishing their biographies or memoirs.

Reasons for ghost writing

The most important thing about using a ghost is that it gives celebrities an opportunity to get a good writing piece without worrying about things like grammatical mistakes and spelling errors. In some cases, these individuals opt for ghosts because they are so busy that they cannot write a text piece.

Clients may hire the services of ghosts in order to create a positive impression on the mind of the public or their competitors. The best example in this regard is politicians that hire ghosts when it comes to writing their speeches.

Functions of a ghost writer

You will find variations in the text amounts and types offered by a ghost, depending on the writing contract between you. It is worthwhile mentioning that plenty of individuals decide to write the major chunk of their writing on their own, using a ghost just for polishing the content.

In this scenario, the main function of the ghost is to edit the document in a proper manner, getting rid of errors and giving professional feedback. However, when you hire a ghost for the full project, he is going to do everything – from content creation to research work.

For writing a biography, the ghost needs to review your background thoroughly. He may need to interact with your friends and colleagues, because without getting the right kind of information he will not be able to ghost write a good biography. You must also help your ghost by offering him a full outline of your past for your biography.

Cautions for ghost writers

If you are interested in becoming a ghost writer, you need to have certain skills. To start with, your grammatical skills need to be good. In addition, you should have a proper understanding of text usages. As a ghost, you also need to understand the requirements of clients. If that is not the case, you will not be able to give a personal feel to the written text. Ideally, when someone hires your services as a ghost you will ensure that the text you ghost write highlights the personality of your client. You need to modify your writing style on the basis of this.

While working as a ghost you are not going to get much recognition, but there are several advantages associated with it. You are going to get decent payments from your clients for your hard work. The kind of payments that you get will be dependent on the complexity of each project and the contract between you and the client. Upfront payment is usually the mainstay of a professional ghost writer, but that will depend on the agreements between you and your clients.

What Is Circuit Training? And Why Introducing It to Your Routine Increases Muscle Definition!

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It’s surprising that when I speak with people today with regards to training and bring up the term Circuit training I always find a similar kind of reaction. What is circuit training? Most people have a notion but just can’t describe what it really is or how it works. If you find yourself new to this term then you may want to find out what it is and how you can use it to gain muscle, reduce fat and get a more effective overall body workout.

What is Circuit Training?

Well, it’s simple to understand. Circuit training is usually a type of conditioning combining strength training and high-intensity aerobics. It is made to be simple to adhere to and target strength building in addition to muscular endurance. An exercise “circuit” is one completion of all suggested exercises within a program. When one circuit is finished, one starts the first exercise over again for another circuit. Usually, the time in between exercises in circuit training is fast, often with fast movement to the next exercise.

Combining resistance training and cardiovascular training

This is really one of the things I love about circuit training. Any time you include strength training and aerobic training it helps you to save you time in the gym. You are getting both of those completed in one workout. You can do resistance training with light weight and high reps or just by making use of your body weight. Both methods of training can provide the amount of resistance needed to cause muscle growth. The aerobic training is produced by the brief rest periods involved when switching from one exercise to the next. You can also include more cardio training by adding in an exercise inside of the circuit which involves getting the heart rate up rapidly.

Why I favor body weight workouts when circuit training?

Body weight workouts are an effective way to get resistance training and aerobic training at the same time. They require minimal room (you can perform them in your family room) and minimal devices. Body weight circuits seem like they might be easy but hold off until you discover how difficult they are when a competent trainer puts one together.

Circuit training and muscle definition

So if somebody were to ask me what is circuit training I would provide them with the definition that I stated earlier and then immediately go on to speak about the benefits of body weight workouts carried out in a circuit fashion. And why combining this along with your standard gym regimen is what will present you with the muscle definition of an athlete.

How To Select a Violin School

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Do you love the sound of the violin and wish that you can play as skilfully as a professional musician in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra? Then you will be searching for a reputable violin school to learn how to play the violin. Are you finding it hard to decide which violin school to go to, to start your violin lesson? Here, I will give you some tips.

Before you start your violin lessons, or even start looking for a violin teacher through your local music school, it is advisable for you to get your personal violin. The reason is that you need to bond with you music instrument. The more you practice on your music instrument, the more seasoned it will sound. This will motivate you to practice even more and improve you skills.

Do remember that mastering the violin through intensive violin lessons is quite exhausting. Some people are not mentally prepared and give up half way. My advice to you is not to give up learning how to play the violin and persevere. If you find your violin teacher teaching complicated playing techniques, try to catch up by spending more time practicing during your spare time. Do not feel daunted and do not ever give up. You will feel that you have achieved something worthwhile when you can play the violin in front of family and friends.

You have the choice of learning to play the violin at home or through online music courses. However the best way to learn to play the violin is to find a violin school which provides comfortable environment and experienced violin teachers to guide you.

There are some factors you need to consider when selecting a violin school to enroll into. These are:

1. Assessing the music school or violin school

You need to make a trip to the music school of your choice. Go online for recommendations, call up the principal of the music school, ask your friends if they are familiar with the school. Contact especially acquaintances in the music industry.

2. Visit the school

After you have some initial feedback from others of the school, make a trip to check out the facilities and environment. Are they bustling during peak hours? How is their service level like? What are the values of the school? What are the equipments which are available in the school?

3. Validate the qualifications and experience of the violin teachers in the school

You should be able to access the curriculum vitae of the violin teachers based in school. Ask the school how strict they are in selecting violin teachers. The criteria set should be quite high.

4. Charges for violin lessons

Finally, find out the rates for music lessons in the violin school. What is the duration of each lesson? How frequently should your lessons be?

Learning to play the violin is easier if you find a reputable violin school. So you need to do your own due diligence before you enroll in one.

Fragments of Ideas on German Learning

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What are your purposes to learn German? If you decide to learn German, you should make yourself clear about your purposes. If not, you will suffer and even complain. Because you have no motivation to prod yourself. You should think about it.

I think today nearly all the people would like to go to a foreign country to have a visit. So traveling could be your aim. When you go to this country, if you can say some simple things which suggest to Italians that you have interest in their country. Certainly, it means something else as well.

But a lot of others can’t agree, for they want to use this language as a tool to make large amounts of money. They are all businesspeople. By learning German, they could communicate with Germans well in their trades. If they are in their negotiations, they will never feel so puzzled because they cannot speak this language.

Once all your purposes are clear, you can begin your German learning. But learning anything needs at least a method. you shouldn’t just hurry to it without any of your own ideas about how to learn it.

Most people always choose to go to class, for they think this is the most standard way of learning. But I think you can learn this language outside class as well. But how? Watch TV. Choose proper levels for yourself. Watch them with your passion towards this language. Certainly others despise this way of learning, for it is too casual.

Or perhaps, you can go to the Italian coffee bar to learn this language with those who speak this language. But when doing such things, you may arrange your time well. Time is precious!

Then after reckoning your financial element, you can move to suitable software learning. It is really good!

The Path To Pass The PMP Certification Exam

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As I went to several PMI seminars, I found 3 reasons why we need to attend:

– Learning brand new ideas and hear good tips from great PMP experts and professionals
– Develop a good communication between you and other PMP applicants.
– Practice dealing with other people, in preparation with group project tasks.

However, you would often hear that most PMP experts didn’t find it difficult at all, even though we knew that this PMP exam is hard. Majority of them use simulators to help them with the training. Let me share with you on how to pass the PMP certification exam with these simulators. But before that, let us understand first what Project Management Certification Exam is.

Getting to know the PMP Exam

The PMP exam is a multiple-choice question and must be accomplished within four hours. The exam has 25 “pretest” questions, therefore, there are only 175 live questions counted. Its main focus is to test the PMP knowledge and abilities of the applicant within certain situations and given problems.

This PMP exam is prepared and given by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a well-known organization that provides you the PMP Certification after you successfully pass the exam. But, this particular examination is not freely given. You need to pay for it.

Here’s a tip: if you apply as a PMI member before taking the exam and the training, you would have a great deal of discounts. Plus, you could get more benefits than those who aren’t. So, better apply now. It won’t cost you that much. Besides, it will be more expensive if you are not a member.

Now, let us know the methods used by newly certified PMPs and review if this strategy will do well with you. Most of them had taken PMP course, PMP training, study with the PMBOK guide, and practices with PMP exam simulators, group study, review maps and formulas for the projects, and many more. It is essential that you prepare yourself months before the exam. It was even recommended to have at least 1 month of PMP training.

They might say that the exam is not that difficult, but if you won’t prepare for the exam, you will find yourself scratching your heads because you don’t know what would be the best answer for the particular question. Thinking that you are paying for that exam, you will be wasting your money if you are not able to pass. You still have the responsibility. Also, they have gone to seminars and successfully using the methods they have learned in their practical application.

Through the use of the Internet, all the resources for the PMP exam are not impossible to reach. Even those sample questions are found online and some has explanations about the answers, especially if those questions are more on situational problems.

And the last process in preparing for the PMP exam is taking up PMP simulators. These simulators or mock questions give you a glimpse on what will gonna happen during the test. It provides an environment just like the actual exam. But this exam doesn’t contain questions that will come out during the exam. It will just test if you are really prepared for the exam. If you found any weak points, you could easily polish it until you are fully equipped to take the exam.

This is the path to pass the PMP exam. Utilize all the resources given. You will surely receive the fruit of your labor, the certification which you are aiming for. Good luck on your exam!

Copyright (c) 2011 John Reiling

Psychology Continuing Education – Doing It All Online

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If you want to go back to school to broaden your career opportunities, but you’re a practicing psychologist already with your hands full, psychology continuing education online is an option for you. Many people choose to go this route instead of studying in a traditional classroom setting. There are several reasons for this:

  • It allows you to keep your own hours. You can study whenever it’s convenient for you, as long as you meet all of your deadlines.
  • It’s great for busy people because there’s no commute involved. This also cuts down on expenses.
  • Online psychology continuing education courses offer the same complete curriculum that you would get in the classroom.
  • You can weed out the things you’ve already learned and focus on the coursework that is more difficult, which means that you can learn at your own pace.

Although it’s a great option for some people, it’s not for everyone. Some people thrive in the social environment of a classroom. Others have difficulty with time management and self-discipline, and there are still deadlines to meet. Still, if you’re thinking about psychology continuing education, it’s an option you should consider.

How Psychology Continuing Education Online Works

All courses are slightly different but the basics are similar. After registering, you receive a password that allows you access to all course materials. There may be software you have to install, such as programs that allow you to do video-teleconferencing. You will be required to complete assignments, submit reports, take tests and even participate in discussions online. When the coursework is completed, you receive your certification instantly.

Although many prestigious universities and institutions offer psychology continuing education degrees online, they may also require you to be physically present at some times. For example, they may ask that you meet once initially with the instructor. This is something you should be sure of before you sign up, in case it’s impossible for you to do this.

You can find recognized schools offering psychology continuing education online courses, but there are also virtual schools that only operate online. Many of these are legitimate and their degrees are valid, but some aren’t. These are called “diploma mills,” and they churn out certificates that don’t necessarily get you jobs. There are several ways to make sure that the school you’re thinking about is legitimate.

  • Contact employers and see if they accept degrees from the school.
  • Make sure the school is fully accredited, and thus allowed to offer valid degrees.
  • Talk to peers and see if they’ve ever heard of the school.
  • Enter the school’s name in search engines like Google and see what people are saying about it on forums and other websites.
  • Check their online verification with the US Department of Education. The US D of E has a list of all fully accredited online universities; if it’s not on this list, it’s not legit.

Your psychology continuing education is essential to helping you get the skills you need in the ever-changing world of mental health. Because this is the key to your future career, make sure that pursuing it online is right for you, and that the school you’re looking at is the real thing.

Learn Spanish Courses – How to Find the Right One

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Are you tired of trying different kinds of materials for learning Spanish without much success? Are you still looking for a reliable course? Our three simple steps will help you address these concerns. We will look at some information that should help you discover a learn Spanish course that will suit your needs.

Step 1: Consider whether the course you are looking at makes reasonable claims.

Remember to use some logic when doing your research. There are plenty of free courses online that will make you believe that you can learn Spanish in just a couple of weeks – but this is not necessarily true. You always need to think twice – or even three times about an offer, especially if it is something seems less than ordinary. If you are a beginner and you are promised to master Spanish in two weeks, then you are probably entertaining the wrong offer.

There are also paid courses online. Some of these courses charge high fees, only to leave you frustrated with poor quality tutorials. Their objective is just to get money out of your pocket by every possible means. Which leads us to the second step.

Step 2: Consider the actual value of the course.

Reflect on the advantages of the chosen materials. Does it seem to be a reliable course? Does it suit your needs? For example, if you learn best by reading, then an audio class would not suit you. And if you need to hear things to understand, a workbook or eBook will not get you anywhere. Reflect on the different possibilities, and see whether or not the course will suit your needs. Then, consider your resources, and whether you have the necessary funds for it. Note the advantages of each course since this will help you in your decision.

Step 3: Consider your time.

Learning a foreign language requires a considerable investment of time and resources. If you aspire to become a fluent Spanish speaker, then you not only have to find the right tools to learn it; you also need to ensure you set aside the time to study. If you have been spending money on Spanish courses but not really taking the time to go through the lessons, is it really a wonder that you have not had success with the language?

There are some reliable Learn Spanish Courses on the market with amazing content, created by professional teachers and native speakers. Try them out to see whether they make sense, and consider the three things we discussed:

Are they making reasonable claims?

Does the way in which they teach hold value to you?

Do they work well with your available time?

Budget Strategies to Pay for College in 2013

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Parents and students searching for ways to lower costs, time and expenses toward college should explore these simple tips:

1. Community colleges offer transfer agreements of up to 60 credits which would apply toward a four year degree. Community colleges also offer two year technical degrees that license a student in immediate areas of employment upon completion. Transfer agreements can reduce the cost of a four year degree by 50% or more.

2. Community colleges are more affordable when completing the first two years of school locally before transferring to a four year college. Transfer students save money and valuable time in obtaining a four year degree. Saving money on room and board by living at home can help to cover the costs needed to finish a four year degree. Most universities will accept transfer credits by applying them as general credits before a major is chosen.

3. Look for early colleges located on campuses of a partnering higher educational institution. As an alternative to public high school, early colleges accelerate the academic progress of students. The goal is to prepare them for college.

4. Utilize in state tuition status when looking to transfer to a four year college. In state tuition to all public universities is significantly less expensive then out of state tuition. Establish residency first in the state the college is located in before applying for acceptance. Create a P.O box or rent an apartment and work full time while waiting one year to establish residency.

5. Become independent for tax purposes which eliminate parents claiming students on their tax return. In one year the student can then apply for government student loans and become eligible for grants, scholarships, tuition advantage programs are available to help students save money on their education. Lowering the burden on parents and even qualifying for food stamps are all options to consider when pursuing a four year degree.

6. Utilize the knowledge of advisors that provide advice and direction making sure students maximize the transfer system correctly. Take only the courses needed for specific degrees. Reduce mistakes or changes in a major by clarifying with an advisor exactly what degree the student expects to receive. Avoid costly withdrawals from a class and keep a close on student progress and successful completion of all classes paid for. Withdrawing or retaking a class is not only costly, but eligibility in government financial aid is determined by completion of classes. Academic probation and the failing of classes can lead to the loss of government loans.

7. Strategize and prepare a plan well in advance of taking classes that cost money and time. Some students fail to finish in four years because they do not apply themselves or switch majors. While it is customary for students to take four classes each semester, a hard working ambitious student can take five or six classes at a time. With no additional financial cost a full time student can finish a four year degree in three years. Students graduating sooner can move on to graduate school and receive a master’s degree for their hard work and time.

8. Parents should have a financial plan and budget in place, instead of simply depositing funds in an account. Students can work part time and embrace a budget that encourages financial management. Ask questions such as who pays for what and how do we plan on communicating the handling of money? What happens if money runs out or additional funds are needed for tuition, room and board, food or other expenses? Who is managing the money and allocating funds to each expense?

9. Finally consider starting a savings plan now. Students can save in advance of college just like parents can. Working part time while finishing high school is always an option. Consider a 529 plan named after section 529 of the Internal Revenue code which pays for college in the state you live in.

By Randy Russotti

Should I Offer Free Coaching Sessions?

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This is one of the most frequently asked questions, particularly by new coaches. Of course, there is no single correct answer. You should do what’s right for you and for your vision of your coaching business. As such it’s critical to stay mindful of your objectives.

There are generally 4 reasons why as a coach you would undertake pro bono work:

1. You are a new coach and want to build your confidence and coaching hours.

2. You are a coach that has been practicing for some time and perform pro bono work for benevolent reasons.

3. You use a free session as part of your sales process.

4. You are a practicing coach that performs pro bono work as a strategy to build your business.

Here are our thoughts on the above:

1. As a new coach it’s very important to build your confidence. Your confidence (or lack thereof) will play an integral role in your success or otherwise. With this in mind, offering pro bono sessions in the early stages of your business can be worthwhile.

2. Offering free coaching sessions for benevolent reasons is simply a matter of personal choice. As a coach you should have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. If delivering free sessions for benevolent reasons fits into your vision, then go for it.

3. Many coaches offer free introductory sessions as part of their sales process. Their reasoning is that a free session upfront assists the potential client understand the coaching process and builds rapport. Whilst we strongly advocate testing different strategies to improve your business, this may be a dangerous practice. Offering free introductory sessions can devalue your service and attract a lot of ‘tyre kickers.’ We suggest that you try a twist to this strategy.

If you want to offer a free introductory session, you do so as part of a longer term contract with a guarantee. IE You get your prospect to sign up for a 3 or 6-month coaching contract, and as part of that contract you provide a free introductory session. This will ensure the prospect is serious, and upsells them into a larger contract that may otherwise be difficult to achieve later. This strategy can work well when used in conjunction with a guarantee. You simply say to your prospect that if they enter into the contract, you will provide them a free introductory session, and if they feel for whatever reason that coaching will not assist them achieve their goals, they can opt out of the contract at any point.

4. Many coaches provide pro bono sessions to assist them build their business. They achieve this by very carefully selecting their pro bono clients. A pro bono client can assist build your business if they are well networked within your niche and willing to provide referrals or can assist you in other business building aspects of your business. IE They can assist you get public speaking arrangements; are willing to be a ‘specialist’ on your tele-class session; will provide a testimonial etc.

If you decide that you want to deliver free sessions for whatever reason, here are 6 important things to keep in mind:

1. Treat all pro bono clients as paying clients. There is nothing worse for word of mouth than undervaluing the coaching relationship with a pro bono client. Remember, word of poor service spreads 10 times as far as word of good service!

2. Find them, don’t let them find you.

3. Get testimonials. Testimonials are a very powerful endorsement of your service. When prospects consider contracting your services they can be dramatically influenced by testimonials. Even more so if the testimonial is from a recognised leader, expert or acknowledged person within your niche.

4. Get clients from your niche, and preferably someone that can help you into a network. If you can do this, it will be a powerful leverage for your business.

5. Get paying referrals. Always get referrals from pro bono clients. And don’t offer pro bono work to referrals of pro bono clients.

6. Don’t overload. This stands to reason. Your time is your commodity. If you spend all your time providing services for free, you’ll have no time left for paying clients.

Career Advice – Do You Want To Be Boss?

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Help me here. Am I missing something?

I have just read the reports from two national opinion surveys concerning employees’ attitude toward their bosses. The results surprised me. At the same time, I see good news for ambitious men and women who are interested in achieving career success.

A study conducted by the Business School at William and Mary University showed that only 21 percent said they would like to have their bosses’ job; 66 percent gave a resounding “no” to the question; 13 percent were undecided.

Another survey, this one by OfficeTeam, a staffing service firm, found a whopping 71 percent declared that they would rather not take the helm.

Does this mean that over two-thirds of the work force don’t want to accept increased responsibility? Do that many not want the rewards that go with higher responsibilities?

Career Tip: These results fly in the face of everything I have experienced in my long and varied career working in organizations of various sizes and purposes, both private and public. Maybe I have overestimated the level of ambition in the world of work.

Three Facts Of Life

During my career I have learned these three facts about career success:

1. Organizations cannot exist and thrive for very long without a hierarchy of bosses. We humans need structure in our endeavors and structure can’t exist without bosses.

2. Bosses get the rewards. The higher up the ladder, the richer the rewards: bigger paychecks, company cars, the corner offices, the perks of power and the prestige.

3. Rewards go to those who reach out to get them. Those who get to be bosses do so because they recognize and act on this reality.

I have never seen an organization where these facts didn’t apply.

Career Tip: This Is Good News

Why do I think there is good news in all of this? Because I see opportunities being created for those who are willing to work for the rewards that go with responsibility and position.

I know there is a multitude of very bright, ambitious and energetic men and women who go to work everyday, striving to advance and become boss. The path from the first day on the job to the corner office is not easy. But the way it wide open for those who have what it takes to make the trip. That means Opportunity with a capital O.

That’s the reason I write my free semi-monthly newsletter,”The Career Accelerator,” E-Books and articles about building successful career.

If I have misread the meaning of these surveys, then I am wrong in believing what I write and my readers are wrong in taking the time to read what I write.