As parents, we all want to provide the perfect lives for our children. Too often, though, we think this means that we must protect them from every disappointment, mistake, and hurt. Our role is to guide our children as they grow and to help them learn to be self-reliant and responsible adults. Dr. Robyn Silverman explains how we can best give our children what they really need.
Author: Dr Robyn Silverman
We all know that "helicopter parenting," the practice of hovering over children and swooping in at any sign of challenge, discomfort, or impending failure, needs to become a thing of the past. Parents who allow their children to make mistakes and learn from them are giving their children a major advantage in life.
It's developmentally appropriate for children to become more and more independent, self reliant and responsible as they age. It can be challenging for parents to know when to step back and let their children try something on their own. After all, from the time their children were babies, parents have spent years meeting many to all of their child's needs.
Striking a balance between allowing your children to do tasks for themselves and helping them when they seem to need or want is a talent of very powerful parents. This balance allows their children to thrive because they feel more confident in themselves while still feeling supported and properly mentored.
How can we teach our children to become self reliant and responsible?
(1) Allow your children to make some decisions: Even young children can make sound decisions if you give them a few select choices. Do you want to wear the red shirt or the blue shirt? Would you like a peanut butter sandwich or a cheese sandwich? As children get older, you can allow them to make more important decisions with little to no guidance. They can determine things like which Fall sport they'd like to play, if they need a tutor for math, and which friends they'd like to spend time with each day without needing much, if any, input from parents. While it's tempting to make these kinds of decisions for your older children, they need to stand on their own two feet after all, their decisions are often correct!
(2) Encourage your children to try tasks on their own: While it's often quicker and more skillfully done when we do it for them, children need to engage in tasks on their own if they're ever going to learn how to do them well. Laundry, shoe-tying, and making the bed are great places to start with young children. Older children can handle more complicated tasks such as cooking, preparing their own lunch, and doing their own homework.
(3) Model responsibility and self reliance: Parents have many responsibilities let your child see them and hear about them! Say out loud; "This screw seems a little loose, I'll go get the screwdriver and tighten it" or "I have to plan our weekly menu for dinner; let's see...Monday night we'll have..." When children see you making decisions, taking initiative, and displaying self reliant behaviors, they will engage in similar behavior.
(4) Be your child's coach rather than his sage: When your child asks you questions about how to do something or what to do in a certain situation, sometimes asking questions is more important than providing answers. "What do you think you should do? How would you feel if you chose X? What would happen if you did Y instead?" These questions can unlock the answers in your own child's brain so the next time he's in a similar situation he'll be able to call on his own experience and judgment to make a decision.
(5) Be a good support system: Sometimes this means cheering them on from the sidelines and other times it means encouraging them to try again. Of course, when children truly need your help, they should know that they can count on you. If you teach them to ask for help when they really need it (when something seems unsafe or too challenging), they should know that you will be there to assist them. Children who know that they can count on their parents when they really need it feel better about taking risks and the possibility of making mistakes.
(6) Get them involved with household responsibilities: Chores are great for teaching children how to be self reliant as well as how to work as a team. After teaching them how to do the chore properly, let them give it a try with some assistance, if needed. You can even work on a checklist together which helps to break down the task into easy, age-appropriate chunks. For example, (a) Take the clothes out of the dryer, (b) Separate the clothes by family member, (c) Match up all the socks...and so on. When we provide children with ways to help out the family, we give them opportunities to build responsibility, self confidence, and self reliance.
(7) Encourage healthy risk-taking: Assure your children that making mistakes is OK. The most important thing is that s/he tries! Most things are not done perfectly the first time even when you're an adult. It doesn't mean "the end of the world" and there is no reason to be embarrassed. It can be tough to watch our children make mistakes. We may want to rush to their aid to shield them from impending failure or disappointment. However, when parents do this, they rob their children of some very powerful tools; self confidence, stick-to-itiveness, and of course, self reliance.
Your children are relying on you to teach them how to approach the world. Sometimes that means they have to watch you to learn how to approach the task. But other times that means, you must watch them from the sidelines and encourage them to figure it out on their own.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/i-know-you-can-do-it-7-tips-for-teaching-kids-to-become-self-reliant-366821.html
About the Author
Known as "The Character Queen," Dr. Robyn Silverman is a child development specialist, success coach, and parenting expert. Her tips-based style makes her a favorite among both parents and teachers. She's the creator of the Powerful Words Character Toolkit, a character education system used in children's after-school and day-care programs. For more information or to contact Dr. Robyn, please visit her Powerful Parenting Blog at http://www.DrRobynsBlog.com or her website at http://www.DrRobynSilverman.com
Own less, owe none, live free
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
How To Live A Country Lifestyle And Become More Self Sufficient
Author: Debbie
Have you ever wanted to move to the country and become more self sufficient? If so, you are not alone. More and more people are choosing to move out to a more rural setting and acquire some land. You don't have to go crazy and buy 10, 15 or 29 acres. Even 5 acres will allow you to live a country lifestyle and become more self sufficient.
You have your land, now what? The first step you need to take to become more self reliant is to grow your very own garden. If you have never gardened before, small may be better the first year. Any garden can be a lot of work and a very large garden can be a huge amount of labor so be sure you know what you are getting into.
Once your garden is lush and producing abundantly, you should consider learning to preserve your harvest. There is really no sense in growing lots of veggies if you can't have them through the winter months. You can also talk to your neighbors and maybe trade some of your abundant veggies for some you didn't grow this year. It is also possible to learn to harvest your own seeds to put up for next year.
Living in a more rural area usually means that you can find wild fruit trees and berries like black berries, cherries, plums, apples, etc. You may also check with your neighbors to see if they have any fruit trees that they don't mess with or that maybe have an overabundance of fruit. This is a great free way to be able to put up jambs, jellies and juices for the winter months. Just be sure that you don't "steal" from your neighbors by getting permission first.
The next thing that all small farms need to become more self sufficient are livestock. Chickens are perfect animals to start with because they are small, easy to care for and they can provide eggs and even meat for the not faint of heart. You will need some chicken fencing, a chicken coop and a chicken run if you have a lot of predators.
Depending on how adventurous and strong of stomach you are, you can also try your hand at raising a few rabbits, goats and hogs for meat as well. The goats are also a great source of milk that you can drink or you can sell in your local area.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/how-to-live-a-country-lifestyle-and-become-more-self-sufficient-3401181.html
About the Author
You can live a country lifestyle and become more self sufficient. Living this kind of lifestyle can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. CLICK HERE to get more information on how to become more self sufficient.
Have you ever wanted to move to the country and become more self sufficient? If so, you are not alone. More and more people are choosing to move out to a more rural setting and acquire some land. You don't have to go crazy and buy 10, 15 or 29 acres. Even 5 acres will allow you to live a country lifestyle and become more self sufficient.
You have your land, now what? The first step you need to take to become more self reliant is to grow your very own garden. If you have never gardened before, small may be better the first year. Any garden can be a lot of work and a very large garden can be a huge amount of labor so be sure you know what you are getting into.
Once your garden is lush and producing abundantly, you should consider learning to preserve your harvest. There is really no sense in growing lots of veggies if you can't have them through the winter months. You can also talk to your neighbors and maybe trade some of your abundant veggies for some you didn't grow this year. It is also possible to learn to harvest your own seeds to put up for next year.
Living in a more rural area usually means that you can find wild fruit trees and berries like black berries, cherries, plums, apples, etc. You may also check with your neighbors to see if they have any fruit trees that they don't mess with or that maybe have an overabundance of fruit. This is a great free way to be able to put up jambs, jellies and juices for the winter months. Just be sure that you don't "steal" from your neighbors by getting permission first.
The next thing that all small farms need to become more self sufficient are livestock. Chickens are perfect animals to start with because they are small, easy to care for and they can provide eggs and even meat for the not faint of heart. You will need some chicken fencing, a chicken coop and a chicken run if you have a lot of predators.
Depending on how adventurous and strong of stomach you are, you can also try your hand at raising a few rabbits, goats and hogs for meat as well. The goats are also a great source of milk that you can drink or you can sell in your local area.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/how-to-live-a-country-lifestyle-and-become-more-self-sufficient-3401181.html
About the Author
You can live a country lifestyle and become more self sufficient. Living this kind of lifestyle can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. CLICK HERE to get more information on how to become more self sufficient.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
When You Can't Start From Scratch
Most of us are not in a position to build that dream homestead. Instead, we must work with what we have to build a secure and comfortable living situation. Yes, it is overwhelming to think of all the changes we need in order to be self-sufficient, but this article by George L breaks it down into the categories that should be addressed first.
Author: George L.
A self-sufficient house looks just like any other home. I have seen some strange looking self-sufficient houses but this doesn't mean you have to live in something others may laugh at.
If you want to make your dream self-sufficient house from scratch in a non-conformist way be my guest but if you don't want to, you can just improve your existing house with self sufficiency equipment.
Here's a few things you can add if you're just starting off:
A vegetable garden
If you don't want to spend money on complex heating and electricity systems, a vegetable garden is probably what you need. If you already have a garden that you didn't use before, it's a great asset. The food that this garden will yield may not be enough to stop you from buying groceries anymore but you'll be one step ahead others when it comes to organic food. Yes, organic food is better than that from the supermarket; everyone agrees.
A solar panel
The solar panel is the probably the first thing people have in mind when they talk about self sufficiency. What it literally spells is "zero electric bills", which excites everyone. I've already talked about how much a solar panel costs so I won't cover it here.
A wind turbine
If you live in a region where the sun doesn't shine most of the time, maybe you have plenty of wind? In that case a wind turbine is the solution. What does it do? As it starts rotating from the wind, it converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.
A rain water collector
If you ever lived in the country side when you were little, you've definitely seen this one (or something more rudimentary). It does just what its name suggests: it collects water from the rain. If you live in a rainy area this is a must have.
A solar water heater
Hot water is mandatory in any home so a system that heats it using the sun makes perfect sense. Of course, you would have to be living in an area where there's plenty of sun to make full use of this system.
For more articles about self sufficiency, green energy and organic food, visit my self sufficiency blog.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/how-can-i-make-my-home-self-sufficient-2035421.html
About the Author
How Can I Make My Home Self Sufficient?
Author: George L.
A self-sufficient house looks just like any other home. I have seen some strange looking self-sufficient houses but this doesn't mean you have to live in something others may laugh at.
If you want to make your dream self-sufficient house from scratch in a non-conformist way be my guest but if you don't want to, you can just improve your existing house with self sufficiency equipment.
Here's a few things you can add if you're just starting off:
A vegetable garden
If you don't want to spend money on complex heating and electricity systems, a vegetable garden is probably what you need. If you already have a garden that you didn't use before, it's a great asset. The food that this garden will yield may not be enough to stop you from buying groceries anymore but you'll be one step ahead others when it comes to organic food. Yes, organic food is better than that from the supermarket; everyone agrees.
A solar panel
The solar panel is the probably the first thing people have in mind when they talk about self sufficiency. What it literally spells is "zero electric bills", which excites everyone. I've already talked about how much a solar panel costs so I won't cover it here.
A wind turbine
If you live in a region where the sun doesn't shine most of the time, maybe you have plenty of wind? In that case a wind turbine is the solution. What does it do? As it starts rotating from the wind, it converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.
A rain water collector
If you ever lived in the country side when you were little, you've definitely seen this one (or something more rudimentary). It does just what its name suggests: it collects water from the rain. If you live in a rainy area this is a must have.
A solar water heater
Hot water is mandatory in any home so a system that heats it using the sun makes perfect sense. Of course, you would have to be living in an area where there's plenty of sun to make full use of this system.
For more articles about self sufficiency, green energy and organic food, visit my self sufficiency blog.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/how-can-i-make-my-home-self-sufficient-2035421.html
About the Author
Monday, September 5, 2011
From Caretaker to Self-Reliance: We All Need Our Own Employment Plan
This Labor Day, a holiday intended to celebrate the workers of our country, finds millions of Americans without jobs and with little hope of finding employment. If you are among the unemployed, especially if you've been unemployed for several months, you have likely noticed that every day without a job brings deeper depression and hopelessness.
That, of course, is the greatest obstacle you have to overcome. Yes, it will be difficult to find work but it is only difficult -- not impossible.
Donna Stevenson has put together an excellent strategy to help others find work that matters, work that contributes to the quality of life for everyone in our nation, and work that you may not have considered.
Author: Donna Stevenson
All of our employment related institutions are geared to servicing the full time employment model - being employed by someone else and receiving regular pay for the work performed, on a regular basis for a minimum of thirty-five hours per week. Think about it. Consider how employment rates are measured and how the popular press treats these figures. Consider how government employment support mechanisms work. They are based on the number of weeks worked within a certain period, the more you work, the higher portion of available dollars you receive. Even our social and personal lives revolve around income generated by full time employment. When you meet someone new, they ask what you do, and expect you to be either employed full time with one employer or self-employed. Being employed full time by one employer is, unofficially, a measure of who you are and your value to society.
Growth industries such as social services, health care (due to demographic aging of our population), retail and wholesale trade, hospitality and food services tend to favour contract or part time employment models. Manufacturing and finance are not experiencing growth and some companies, within these areas, are even decreasing in size. Larger traditional industrial employers, such as US Steel and Canada Post have been in negotiations with their unions for changes to the traditional defined benefit type of benefit and pension plans to contribution plans where the employer no longer carries the responsibility for managing these funds. It is over to the employee to manage their pension and benefit contributions, to take on total responsibility for investing and growing their future nest egg. This is another significant step away from the ‘caretaker' role previously assumed by the employer with a full time workforce.
The employer is there to service its customers and is seeking more cost effective means to do this, including one of the largest costs, which is the labour force. Pension and benefit plans are expensive on their own merit. Having to employ administrative personnel to manage these plans on behalf of employees is now deemed too costly for employers. So they are seeking to opt out of these plans. Couple this with the view by Generation X and Generation Y, that employers no longer elicit loyalty by this move away from caretaker type of behaviour (downsizing their loyal boomer parents and reducing benefits previously associated with full time employment) and we see the workplace environment of loyalty and caretaker being replaced by one of self-importance and self-reliance.
And then we have human resource, training and development, organization and employee development gurus decrying the loss of employee engagement. Seriously, why do we expect employees to be engaged with their employer's culture, strategy, customer service, and financial plans when these same employees do not believe employers care about their needs and requirements? Let us keep in mind, also, that approximately 40% of the senior manager and executive positions are held by the boomer generation - the same generation who decries the loss of loyalty and moans about the selfishness of succeeding generations. This is a conundrum, for sure.
So how do we grasp all these differing trends, bring them together in one neat package, that we can absorb fully as an employee and put this package to good use in our need and requirement to generate regular income? How does today's employee find the type of employment they need to service their income requirements? There are a number of options available but the employee needs to understand that their role is quickly becoming one where they take control of their employment life and build a personal employment plan to make that happen.
How to Craft an Employment Plan
Any plan has to be well researched, well defined, have specific measurable milestones, be time-based, and have realistic actions and tasks built into it. Utilizing the tried and true SMART (specific, measureable, achievable or actionable, realistic, and timely or time-based) method for goal setting applies equally to crafting a good plan.
Your employment plan needs to be considered as part of a journey, with a clear direction, a clear strategy and, a concise marketing plan if you want the end result to be achieved.
Step 1: Scope out your market niche.
Just like any marketing plan developed for a business, your personal employment marketing plan is formal and incorporates actions required to reach your target market. Do you have a clearly defined market niche? What differentiates you from all the others seeking employment who have similar expertise? What are the features, advantages and benefits of working with you? What specific contribution will you bring to your potential target market?
And you need to make a decision about the type of employment model you want. Is it full time, contract, part time, self-employment? Don't expect recruiters to work for you if you are not clear about your desires and requirements. If a recruiter's specialty is contract employment, then they are not best suited to help you secure full time employment. Advising recruiters that you will take any type of employment does not send a message of confidence and self-reliance.
Step 2: Research preferences and requirements of your target market.
Your target niche and target markets should be as a result of solid research conducted by you, based on the expertise you are attempting to market to potential employers. Many recruiters, whether in house or external, are looking for that differentiation, someone who stands out from the rest. Remember, recruiters are evaluated on their success in finding the right person for the role, finding the person who fits the company culture so they are just as interested, as their client, in finding the best person for the role.
Step 3: Craft the plan.
Viewing this plan as a project will help you to incorporate all the important components – specific tasks to be performed such as:
Step 4: Review the plan with people whose opinion you value.
Be selective. Seek out those people who know you and your expertise well and, who also know the target market you are seeking to hit. You should utilize your mentor or personal coach as well, but they may not know you as well as past colleagues, family and friends. Mentors and coaches are more objective than colleagues, family and friends but when you are looking for work, a strong support network – provided by family and friends – is absolutely necessary. And many times, these are the ones that provide the right connections that help job seekers to find the right fit.
Step 5: Craft the communication strategy for marketing your services.
There are so many communication media available today that you can easily become overwhelmed by trying to utilize and manage all of them. Deciding on the best media for your search should be as a result of target market research. Find out which media are used most by the employers you are targeting and how they use this media. Plan your communication strategy as fully as you plan your marketing strategy and plan. Your communication needs to be targeted if you expect to get your message to the right people. You may consider using a social media on line support such as Roost to help you manage all your message and network connections.
Step 6: Implement.
Follow your plan and remember this is a journey. As each task is completed, make note of the results achieved by implementing each task. Work the plan daily, particularly as it relates to the communication targets. If you conducted due diligence related to your target market, then your plan should be solid, so work the plan.
Step 7: Evaluate and revise as required.
Just because you have a solid plan and you have positive thoughts (having visualized success from implementing the plan) does not automatically guarantee you will be successful on the first implementation stage. Evaluate what has happened with each communication medium and adjust your plan, based on the results. But each step or stage of the plan must be given the right amount of time and effort, in order for you to achieve success. Realistic plans that are based on your market niche and focused on the right target market, where you are required to expend time and effort daily, are best practice for securing the type of employment model that is best for you.
As the world of work continues to change, and the growth of the digital world consumes the past and creates a new workplace environment, the number of employment models will increase. Crafting an employment plan which takes these changes into effect is still the best practice to help you make a successful transition from the caretaker to the self-reliant world of work.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/from-caretaker-to-self-reliance-we-all-need-our-own-employment-plan-5029804.html
About the Author
Donna, creator of Boomer Match to Business and President of The Capability Corps Inc., has held senior leadership roles – operations, business transformation, human resources, and communications - in several Canadian organizations. Today, she is the owner of Boomer Match to Business (BM2B) specializing in helping businesses find the expertise they need from boomer experts, for short term assignments. She has published a number of articles on generations in the workforce and is currently writing a book on how to manage the differences. To reach her or her experts, contact them at http://www.bm2b.ca/
That, of course, is the greatest obstacle you have to overcome. Yes, it will be difficult to find work but it is only difficult -- not impossible.
Donna Stevenson has put together an excellent strategy to help others find work that matters, work that contributes to the quality of life for everyone in our nation, and work that you may not have considered.
From Caretaker to Self-Reliance: We All Need Our Own Employment Plan
Author: Donna Stevenson
All of our employment related institutions are geared to servicing the full time employment model - being employed by someone else and receiving regular pay for the work performed, on a regular basis for a minimum of thirty-five hours per week. Think about it. Consider how employment rates are measured and how the popular press treats these figures. Consider how government employment support mechanisms work. They are based on the number of weeks worked within a certain period, the more you work, the higher portion of available dollars you receive. Even our social and personal lives revolve around income generated by full time employment. When you meet someone new, they ask what you do, and expect you to be either employed full time with one employer or self-employed. Being employed full time by one employer is, unofficially, a measure of who you are and your value to society.
Growth industries such as social services, health care (due to demographic aging of our population), retail and wholesale trade, hospitality and food services tend to favour contract or part time employment models. Manufacturing and finance are not experiencing growth and some companies, within these areas, are even decreasing in size. Larger traditional industrial employers, such as US Steel and Canada Post have been in negotiations with their unions for changes to the traditional defined benefit type of benefit and pension plans to contribution plans where the employer no longer carries the responsibility for managing these funds. It is over to the employee to manage their pension and benefit contributions, to take on total responsibility for investing and growing their future nest egg. This is another significant step away from the ‘caretaker' role previously assumed by the employer with a full time workforce.
The employer is there to service its customers and is seeking more cost effective means to do this, including one of the largest costs, which is the labour force. Pension and benefit plans are expensive on their own merit. Having to employ administrative personnel to manage these plans on behalf of employees is now deemed too costly for employers. So they are seeking to opt out of these plans. Couple this with the view by Generation X and Generation Y, that employers no longer elicit loyalty by this move away from caretaker type of behaviour (downsizing their loyal boomer parents and reducing benefits previously associated with full time employment) and we see the workplace environment of loyalty and caretaker being replaced by one of self-importance and self-reliance.
And then we have human resource, training and development, organization and employee development gurus decrying the loss of employee engagement. Seriously, why do we expect employees to be engaged with their employer's culture, strategy, customer service, and financial plans when these same employees do not believe employers care about their needs and requirements? Let us keep in mind, also, that approximately 40% of the senior manager and executive positions are held by the boomer generation - the same generation who decries the loss of loyalty and moans about the selfishness of succeeding generations. This is a conundrum, for sure.
So how do we grasp all these differing trends, bring them together in one neat package, that we can absorb fully as an employee and put this package to good use in our need and requirement to generate regular income? How does today's employee find the type of employment they need to service their income requirements? There are a number of options available but the employee needs to understand that their role is quickly becoming one where they take control of their employment life and build a personal employment plan to make that happen.
How to Craft an Employment Plan
Any plan has to be well researched, well defined, have specific measurable milestones, be time-based, and have realistic actions and tasks built into it. Utilizing the tried and true SMART (specific, measureable, achievable or actionable, realistic, and timely or time-based) method for goal setting applies equally to crafting a good plan.
Your employment plan needs to be considered as part of a journey, with a clear direction, a clear strategy and, a concise marketing plan if you want the end result to be achieved.
Step 1: Scope out your market niche.
Just like any marketing plan developed for a business, your personal employment marketing plan is formal and incorporates actions required to reach your target market. Do you have a clearly defined market niche? What differentiates you from all the others seeking employment who have similar expertise? What are the features, advantages and benefits of working with you? What specific contribution will you bring to your potential target market?
And you need to make a decision about the type of employment model you want. Is it full time, contract, part time, self-employment? Don't expect recruiters to work for you if you are not clear about your desires and requirements. If a recruiter's specialty is contract employment, then they are not best suited to help you secure full time employment. Advising recruiters that you will take any type of employment does not send a message of confidence and self-reliance.
Step 2: Research preferences and requirements of your target market.
Your target niche and target markets should be as a result of solid research conducted by you, based on the expertise you are attempting to market to potential employers. Many recruiters, whether in house or external, are looking for that differentiation, someone who stands out from the rest. Remember, recruiters are evaluated on their success in finding the right person for the role, finding the person who fits the company culture so they are just as interested, as their client, in finding the best person for the role.
Step 3: Craft the plan.
Viewing this plan as a project will help you to incorporate all the important components – specific tasks to be performed such as:
- identifying possible referral partners and the steps necessary to get them on board and performing referral actions on your behalf;
- determining which media you will use to communicate your expertise, and;
- identifying the right mentor or coach who will help to remove barriers and obstacles.
Step 4: Review the plan with people whose opinion you value.
Be selective. Seek out those people who know you and your expertise well and, who also know the target market you are seeking to hit. You should utilize your mentor or personal coach as well, but they may not know you as well as past colleagues, family and friends. Mentors and coaches are more objective than colleagues, family and friends but when you are looking for work, a strong support network – provided by family and friends – is absolutely necessary. And many times, these are the ones that provide the right connections that help job seekers to find the right fit.
Step 5: Craft the communication strategy for marketing your services.
There are so many communication media available today that you can easily become overwhelmed by trying to utilize and manage all of them. Deciding on the best media for your search should be as a result of target market research. Find out which media are used most by the employers you are targeting and how they use this media. Plan your communication strategy as fully as you plan your marketing strategy and plan. Your communication needs to be targeted if you expect to get your message to the right people. You may consider using a social media on line support such as Roost to help you manage all your message and network connections.
Step 6: Implement.
Follow your plan and remember this is a journey. As each task is completed, make note of the results achieved by implementing each task. Work the plan daily, particularly as it relates to the communication targets. If you conducted due diligence related to your target market, then your plan should be solid, so work the plan.
Step 7: Evaluate and revise as required.
Just because you have a solid plan and you have positive thoughts (having visualized success from implementing the plan) does not automatically guarantee you will be successful on the first implementation stage. Evaluate what has happened with each communication medium and adjust your plan, based on the results. But each step or stage of the plan must be given the right amount of time and effort, in order for you to achieve success. Realistic plans that are based on your market niche and focused on the right target market, where you are required to expend time and effort daily, are best practice for securing the type of employment model that is best for you.
As the world of work continues to change, and the growth of the digital world consumes the past and creates a new workplace environment, the number of employment models will increase. Crafting an employment plan which takes these changes into effect is still the best practice to help you make a successful transition from the caretaker to the self-reliant world of work.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/from-caretaker-to-self-reliance-we-all-need-our-own-employment-plan-5029804.html
About the Author
Donna, creator of Boomer Match to Business and President of The Capability Corps Inc., has held senior leadership roles – operations, business transformation, human resources, and communications - in several Canadian organizations. Today, she is the owner of Boomer Match to Business (BM2B) specializing in helping businesses find the expertise they need from boomer experts, for short term assignments. She has published a number of articles on generations in the workforce and is currently writing a book on how to manage the differences. To reach her or her experts, contact them at http://www.bm2b.ca/
Sunday, September 4, 2011
How Can I Make My Home Self Sufficient?
I hear that question all the time. The answer, of course, depends upon the individual situation and needs of the family. In general, the path to self-sufficiency should begin where you are.
Take stock of what you have, what you need, and then begin to take small steps toward your goal. George L offers a few practical ideas for those early projects.
Author: George L.
A self-sufficient house looks just like any other home. I have seen some strange looking self-sufficient houses but this doesn't mean you have to live in something others may laugh at.
If you want to make your dream self-sufficient house from scratch in a non-conformist way be my guest but if you don't want to, you can just improve your existing house with self sufficiency equipment.
Here's a few things you can add if you're just starting off:
A vegetable garden
If you don't want to spend money on complex heating and electricity systems, a vegetable garden is probably what you need. If you already have a garden that you didn't use before, it's a great asset. The food that this garden will yield may not be enough to stop you from buying groceries anymore but you'll be one step ahead others when it comes to organic food. Yes, organic food is better than that from the supermarket; everyone agrees.
A solar panel
The solar panel is the probably the first thing people have in mind when they talk about self sufficiency. What it literally spells is "zero electric bills", which excites everyone. I've already talked about how much a solar panel costs so I won't cover it here.
A wind turbine
If you live in a region where the sun doesn't shine most of the time, maybe you have plenty of wind? In that case a wind turbine is the solution. What does it do? As it starts rotating from the wind, it converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.
A rain water collector
If you ever lived in the country side when you were little, you've definitely seen this one (or something more rudimentary). It does just what its name suggests: it collects water from the rain. If you live in a rainy area this is a must have.
A solar water heater
Hot water is mandatory in any home so a system that heats it using the sun makes perfect sense. Of course, you would have to be living in an area where there's plenty of sun to make full use of this system.
For more articles about self sufficiency, green energy and organic food, visit my self sufficiency blog.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diy-articles/how-can-i-make-my-home-self-sufficient-2035421.html
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