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While it’s tough to read a whole lot into the results of two meaningless preseason games, in my 25 years in the sports information business, I can’t remember two more dominating performances than the Dallas Cowboy’s dismemberment of Seattle and New Orleans. The numbers more than bear this out.

In the Cowboys 13-3 win at Seattle, each team ran 58 plays. Dallas won the yardage battle 336-225 and held the ball for almost 35 minutes. Backup QB Tony Romo was nearly flawless in going 19-25 with a touchdown, no picks, and a gaudy 117.00 quarterback rating.

The Cowboys out rushed the Seahawks 101-63 and averaged a full 1.69 yards per play more. The Poke’s scoring drives were 15 plays for 89 yards, 12 plays for 81 yards and 12 plays for 80 yards. Seattle managed just 2.7 yards per rush and their quarterbacks were sacked six times.

Monday the Cowboys rolled into Independence Stadium in Shreveport and manhandled a jacked up Saints team reportedly on the rise. Dallas ran up 403 seemingly effortless yards compared to New Orleans’ 263 and scored on drives of 14-77, 9-86, 9-56, 12-75, 5-73 and 8-38 while running up 36:20 in time of possession.

Defensively Dallas swarmed and flew to the ball. The Saints ran 19 times for 59 yards (3.1 ypc) with much of that success coming on their scoring drive against third stringers after a Romo fumble gave New Orleans the ball on the Cowboy 28. The Saints made their initial first down with just 2:50 left in the half.

After two games the Cowboys have outscored their opponents 43-10, out-yarded them 739-478, out-rushed them 228-102 and have won the war in time of possession 71:11 to 48:49. Dallas quarterbacks have completed 75.6% of their passes and have just one turnover off a Romo sack.

The defense has been equally dominant allowing just 2.9 yards per rush, a 41% third-down conversion rate and basically allowing just a field goal in eight quarters. Nit-picking for weakness, one could bring up the Cowboys 3.1 ypc average on the ground or perhaps their 10 penalties for 80 yards in game one that was reduced to 2-10 in game two.

In the grand scheme of things, the games don’t count, but consider this: Both games were on the road, both games were against teams that are solid or expected to be greatly improved and both games were without Terrell Owens and sparing play by the starting offensive line.

In the course of just three years Bill Parcells has once again turned a miserably failing franchise and turned them into a contender. The Cowboys are big, fast, talented, deep, and two games into the preseason – very sharp. Maybe even SUPER.

Dennis Macklin is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.

Read all of his articles at procappers.com/Dennis_Macklin.htm procappers.com/Dennis_Macklin.htm

Pakistan is blessed with talent and when we talk about Pakistani Music, you can never stop picking up one of the best Pakistani pop song uptill now because there are number of such hit songs nobody can judge the best one in past decades such as “Dil Dil Pakistan” , “Huwa Huwa”, “Mehndi ki Raat”, “Na Kaho”, “Dil Haray”, “Ankhain Milanay Walay”, “Wakt”, “Neeli Neeli Ankhain”, “Jaisay Chao Jeo”, “Garuj Burus”, “No More”, “Ankhoun ki Sagar”, “Na Tu Aigi”, “Addat” left the audience agape and many more. Our artists’ are popular all over the world. Many new talented artists in Pakistan are still working hard to bring quality Pakistani music.

We can easily judge Alamgir as the pioneer of music industry who’s first big hit was “DEKHA NA THA KABHI HUM NAY YEH SUMMA”, and remains the song he is still most identified with, though later songs such as “Yeh Shaam Aur Tera Naam” and “Mein Ne Tumhare Gagar Se Kabhi Pani” continued to add to his composition. Alamgir, it must be said, laid the groundwork that countless others used to break into the music industry. He not only sang well, he was a performer in the true sense of the word. There is no denying Alamgir’s contribution to the evolution of the pop music genre in Pakistan.

NAZIA HASSAN was the first one to cross the forbidden Pakistan-India border to sing in an Indian film called “Qurbani” which was “APP JAISA KOI”. And later this song became a youth anthem in both India and Pakistan. And next NAZIA, ZOHAIB and BIDDU (an Indian composer) teamed up to release “DISCO DEEWANE” which became the biggest pop selling album till then in Pakistan. The Hasan siblings released one more album, “Boom Boom″, in 1984. This second collaboration with Biddu, the undisputed king of Indian filmi disco music, was also a huge success. Their success marked a turning point in the pop history.

And later Vital Sign ventured on to Pakistani television screens with their guitars and a catchy, patriotic song named “Dil Dil Pakistan” in 1986. Their album released in 1987 with gems like “Yeh Shaam” and funky “Goray Rung Ka Zamana”.

Then came Jupitars with their evergreen hit songs “Yaroun Yehi Dosti Hai”, continued with Hassan Jehangir’s “Hawa Hawa” in 1990, “Sanwali Saloni” by Vital Signs in 1991, “Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar” in 1992 by the Strings, Sajjad Ali’s “Didi” ripoff “Babia” in 1993, Najam Shiraz’s “In Se Nain” in 1995, Junoon’s “Saeein” in 1996 or Awaz’s “Mr. Fraudiye″ in 1997. Junoon came into the race with their World Cup Hit song “Jazaba-e-Junoon Tou Himat na Har”. This is only to be expected in a growing industry.

Perhaps the biggest unexpected success of an experimental song, however, was Sajjad Ali’s street-wise 1995 hit “Chief Saab”. Full of Karachi slang and tough imagery, “Chief Saab”, perhaps more than anything else signified the coming age of pop music. It showed that one did not necessarily have to remain within pre-determined saccharine-sweet boundaries to be popular, and that people liked hearing of issues other than puppy love. Partly, as a result of this expansion of the pop market, established musicians from non-pop genres such as qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan were also drawn towards experimenting within it. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan gave numerous hit one after another and he gave the music for Hollywood movies and as well as for many Bollywood movies too.

The pop band that most successfully seized upon this idea was, of course, Junoon, which used its success with the haunting “Saeein″ to recast itself as a completely different sort of band. Here we saw pop again intersecting with folk and vice versa.

In 1994, FM radio brought about another mini-revolution in Pakistani music. From Landhi in Karachi to Krishan Nagar in Lahore, names like female vocalist Hadiqa Kiyani and young Shehzad Roy suddenly became household names. Even iconoclastic recluse virtuosos like guitarist Amir Zaki (whose almost purely instrumental album “Signature″ did well in the market) were receiving the kind of airplay the big bands of the ’80s could only have dreamed of.

Pop industry had big turnaround when private channels came into the scene, Like IM which became the medium to introduce young talents in the pop industry names like Fuzon, Aaroh, noori, Aks, Ahmad Jehanzaib, Mizraab, Karavan, Ali Zafar, Jal which not only rock the Pakistani pop music but also made their names worldwide. The new arrivals made their presence felt through remarkable individual songs, even though full albums for now seemed beyond most new acts. Ahmad Jehanzaib’s Ek Bar Kaho, Fuzon’s Ankhon Ke Saagar and Schehzad Mughal’s Bas Yunheen were each excellent. The first two were carried by soulful, ardent vocals and the last shone through affecting lyrics. Hot on their heels, honourable mentions must also go to Aks stunningly understated Neela Aasman, noori’s jangle-pop perfection Tum Hans Diyae, Junoon’s excellent Garaj Baras, Sajjad Ali with Teri Yaad, Aamir Zaki’s insightful and incisive People Are People, EP’s piledriving Hum Ko Aazma, Najam’s infinitely catchy !

Jaisay Chaho Jiyo and Aao Wahan Chalain, Ali Zafar’s startling Chanoo ki Ankh, Jal’s splendid addat and yes even Ali Haider’s insipid but still memorably melodic Chandi Ratain. Abrar’s Preeto was the novelty hit of the year. The Pepsi Battle of the Bands did a great job in throwing up a wealth of talent. EP, Aaroh, Brain Massala, Messiah, Schahzad Hameed and others all have Pepsi to thank. The Pepsi Battle of the Bands got all these fledgling bands great exposure.

Recently, a team of talented Pakistani musicians and artists took the long road to Mumbai, via Dubai, possibly to make history, for this was the first time in recent memory that Pakistanis had gone to India to create the background score for a Bollywood film. The film in question is Pooja Bhatt’s Paap, and former Vital Sign Shehzad ‘Shahi’ Hasan, cinematographer Faisal Rafi, singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and studio session player and keyboardist Faiz Ali Naqvi, were the foursome representing the world of Pakistani music in India.

Strings enjoyed considerable success with Dhaani. Probably the most hyped album of the year, with lead single Chaaye Chaaye being the standout favourite. String gave the soundtrack for Spiderman 2 which was a remarkable effort.

Junaid Jamshed’s Dil Ki Baat was understated but assured and notwithstanding JJ’s quite public and tortured ruminations over religion and music, the album showed that JJ is still competent at middle of the road pop and that Shoaib Mansoor still has the magic touch. Shahzad Roy’s Rab Jane was hobbled by his illness and yet catches the fire while Karavan’s Gardish seems to have suddenly picked up and was sold like hot-cakes. Schahzad Mughal’s Jhoom Lay was one of the most pleasant of surprises of the year.

So this proves that our music industry has dared to move forward with hope rather than skepticism.

About The Author

Faiza Kamal

Hi, i am a student of BS Software Engineering in first year from Karachi University and i am 19 years old.

mailto:siddiqi_fai@hotmail.com siddiqi_fai@hotmail.com

Competition among video rental stores is quite tough nowadays especially with the emergence of online DVD rental services and the proliferation of DVD rental machines all over the country.

As a consumer, you’re in a position to take advantage of the present state of competition among video rental companies- offline or online. It’s time to judge the fairness of the DVD rental rates you’re currently being charged with. Are the DVD rental rates you’re paying right now higher than most or something you should be thankful of? Are they worth it?

Ask yourself the following questions and find out if the DVD rental services you’re paying for give you the most value for your money.

MOVIE SELECTION

There’s absolutely no reason at all right now why you have to tolerate a video rental shop’s inadequate movie selection. Most video rental shops nowadays offer a wide selection of movies for discriminating customers. Plus, these shops constantly update their list of new releases. A lower rate is no excuse for paltry pickings when it comes to DVDs to choose from.

TIME

People often complain about the office hours maintained by some video rental shops. These customers, often avid movie watchers, are usually left with nowhere to rent DVDs come midnight. But thanks to 24/7 DVD rental kiosks available nationwide, there’s no need to worry about catching a shop at a certain time. What’s more, DVD rental kiosks don′t require you to pay any membership fee at all.

CONVENIENCE

If you’re renting from an online shop and the delivery time for DVDs makes you impatient, it’s time to switch. No matter how little you’re being charged, there are a lot more companies that offer better service for very competitive rates.

Remember that good businesses prioritize their customers. If you’re being charged expensive DVD rental rates for poor customer service, shop around for a new place to get DVDs from. There are many better stores around. All you need to do is know your area and conduct adequate research.

i-dvdrentals.com DVD Rentals provides detailed information on DVD Rentals, Online DVD Rentals, Top DVD Rentals, DVD Rental Stores and more. DVD Rentals is affiliated with z-DVDs.com Copy DVDs.

When David Beckham, Sachin Tendulkar or Tiger woods enter their Arena, they are greeted by their fans, who generally decorate themselves with paintings on the face, head or shoulders, which can be seen by the whole world in the media.

More ardent fans identify themselves with their Heroes with almost semi or permanent body marks or designs based on their regions culture or Background.

These marks or paintings perform more dominantly than their Heroes of the Day!

These performers are the Tattoos that have been the most widely exhibited forms of expressions since the beginning of mankind. The working or labor class people followed tattoos, for a long time throughout the Globe, a major form of expression of their emotions, loyalty or identity etc.,
It is not the fans alone, who flaunt tattoos so prominently. For instance, in 2004 Louis Malloy flew from UK, to give David Beckham a new winged Cross Tattoo on the back of his neck - right in the midst of a soccer Game.
Not just sportsmen – Angelina Jolie is probably the most tattooed Academy Award winning Actress to date. She has a Tribal – Dragon tattoo, a Thai Tiger and various Latin sayings across her shoulders.

Such is the influence of Tattoos in modern days. They are being flaunted not only by celebrities but also by their fans.

Today, middle and upper class people along with their thirst for custom Jewelry, Fashion Boutiques, high-end Antique shop, also throng the Tattoo shops in every Area of the world.

Even films are portraying Tattoos in their films. Films like MYSTIC RIVER and BARBWIRE, exhibited tattoos in them. It is estimated that 35% of the RICH and FAMOUS in various fields have been sporting tattoos. It has had a major impact on tattoo business. Thy have created a new market for high-end custom tattoo art studios geared to an affluent and demanding clientele that only patronizes vendors who provide high standards of service in clean, respectable surroundings.

The more established and popular tattoos can be classified mainly as Angel tattoos, Butterfly tattoos, Celtic tattoos, Cross tattoos, Dragon tattoos, Fairy tattoos, Flower tattoos, Henna tattoos, Lower Back tattoos and Tribal tattoos. The tattoo related arts are studied and celebrated by leading museums, galleries and art institutions across the globe. Millions of tattoo designs are available across the world in various forms like CDs, Internet and Albums.

Most tattoo enthusiasts refer to tattoos as art and to Tattooists as artists. This usage is rapidly gaining support, with mainstream art galleries holding exhibitions of tattoo designs and photographs of tattoos.
Tattoo designs are mass produced and sold to tattoo artists and such studios are called Flash. “Tattoo Flash” is also the name of an American tattoo magazine.

This article is written by Dagfinn Rognerud, former Norwegian officer. This article may be reproduced as long as all Live links are included. Dagfinn has several pages about tattoos: angel-tattoo.info/ angel-tattoo.info/ butterfly-tattoo.info/ butterfly-tattoo.info/ celtic-tattoo.info/ celtic-tattoo.info/

It is not uncommon to shake our hands when we press the camera shutter. After all, we are not tripods or robots that can be hundred percent still especially when we are handling a camera. When you are doing a normal aim and shoot with autofocus, it is usually not a problem where light sources are sufficient. However, when you are trying to take a picture with low light intensity without a flash, it could cause some problems. Given this fact, we should not be discouraged to take night or indoor pictures when light sources are limited. Below are some pointers you can take note when dealing with shaky hands.

Firstly, you can switch to a wider lens aperture. This will allow more lights to come into the camera. Secondly, try to use a faster film or a higher ISO setting to reach faster shutter speeds. Thirdly, mount your camera onto a tripod. This obviously will eliminate camera shake. If you forget to bring along your tripod, look out for flat surfaces such as table tops, chairs or even dustbin top etc.. Place your camera on them. Fourthly, allow as much light as possible into the camera. If you take indoor pictures, turn on the room lights or open the curtains to have more natural lights. Finally, if you can afford, get an image-stabilizing lens which can reduce the effect of camera shake.

As technology progresses, cameras are built with internal devices to compensate the hand shake effects. Currently, there are two types of image stabilization lens. There are, lens or sensor-based stabilization.

For lens-based stabilization, it makes use of sensors, motors and groups of lens. When you press the shutter, the sensors in the lens will detect your hand movement. The movement will be converted into signals and drive the tiny motors to move the group lens to compensate any out of focus. These lenses tend to be a bit pricey. It is also a bit heavier due to the motors and they use more battery power.

For sensor-based stabilization, the motion sensors are put right in the camera body. The digital imager will moved itself to counteract any hand shake. The advantage is that, it is lighter in weight, less bulky and has lower power consumption.

With the above tips, you can now do some experiments with your digital camera for taking indoor or outdoor pictures where light sources are limited. For more information, please visit internetbizcenter.com/photography/index.htm″ target=”_blank Freelance Photography.

John Peace enjoys photography and maintained a website providing information on photography. He invites you to visit his website, internetbizcenter.com/photography/index.htm Freelance Photography to learn more about this exciting hobby. You can even make a living out of it at home! Believe it or not.

If keeping the time and setting the groove is your thing, then you need drum kits to help you get them thumping their feet. If you′re already making them thump their feet, then you already know what you need. This one is for those who are new to drumming.

Drum kits come in various shapes, sizes and pieces. You can get 4 piece drum sets that are made up of a bass drum, snare drum, one tom tom and a floor tom (also called side tom).

Such basic drum kits are usually okay for beginners. You can start building your drum skills with those. As your ability increases and you start developing taste and preferences, you can add more drums to your set up.

Most drum sets are usually sold as complete kits with all the drums required, drum hardware, cymbals hi-hats and drum throne (Drummers call their seats throne. That’s where they rule the beats!). However, it is important that you note that a good number of drum kits do not include cymbals, hi-hats, hardware and drum throne.

For such drum kits, you’ll need to pick your cymbals, hi-hats and other things. This is where you’ll eventually end up if you take up drums more seriously. Professional drummers usually prefer to handpick their own drums, hardware, and all.

But as you start out, you will do very well with complete drum kits. Not only is this option a lot more straightforward, it is also a lot cheaper.

We once had a swish cymbal which was smashed by a novice drummer. When our experienced drummer came around he was pained to see this great cymbal from Zlidjan destroyed. The amatuer thought that every cymbal could be hit like the crash cymbal. So, give yourself enough time to know how to use the basic set. Later, you’ll graduate to the other more advanced kits.

Buy drum kits that are within your budget. If you think a drumset is too expensive, it is. Once you are really ready to buy very expensive drum kits, you′ll be cutting enough shows at fees that will make the cost chicken change.

Bill McRea is the publisher of Guitar Warehouse the best place to guitarwarehouse.com/ Buy Guitar and learn guitar-playing-techniques.com/ Guitar Playing Techniques. Visit our site for over 60 Free Guitar Lessons and Information about playing Guitar.

Today, music is one of the biggest entertainment industries in the world. This market is hotter for many reasons. First of all, customers’ demands and tastes are higher and more diversified than ever. Second, the number of people and companies working in this field are increasing at such a dizzy speed that it creates a very large pool of tough competition, and of course, to survive, they have to be unique and distinguished.

We can list out herewith some relevant industry jobs such as Recording, Radio, Television and other Media, Working live shows and tours, Music Retailing and Instrument Repairing, Education and Instruction and many more. Among them, the recording industry is one that has been applying high-end technologies for many years.

The recording industry commenced at the start of the 20th century, when publishers of sheet music dominated the music business. With a quick development pace, recording industry gradually dominated and controlled the music industry. This is the kind of mass-production copies’ business that can fix the price in the market.

To be the priority in the effervescent market of recording, what can they do? - Reducing the price? - Noisy brand-name advertising? - Or investing in technological upgrading of products and services? Of course, though technologies change very fast every day, people still make the choice of high-tech applications as the best way to affirm their positions in the music market.

Regarding recording industry, we consider that this is not only a technical but also a creative career. High-end technology is useful for both sides of this job. Recording engineer definitely must be technically skilled with the equipment. They must manipulate skillfully with all the buttons or knobs to get the correct sound that the artist or the producer want to have. A good microphone is necessary in the first step to begin with the recording process. And then, with the instruments, they find out the expected sounds - not music. The recording engineer, finally, will make the adjustments to enhance the music, morph, add effects… Some years ago, in order to do these steps, they had to resort to many equipment. In this case, the results obtained take a lot of the engineers’ time and labor. However, today, thanks to the development of high-end technologies, recording engineer can apply modern equipment to make their work easier and more professional. One simple example, with a PC and some installed music morpher, music editor softwares, they can mix and edit music like a skilled recording engineer.

In the other side of this job, creativity is also very important. Music industry is a very specific one that requires creativity. The recording engineer must have the feeling, the sense of music that can create different and unique sounds that express music in the best way. With the same song recorded by two engineers, we have two ways to express the music which depend on the creativity of the recording workers. The recording engineer can apply some intelligent softwares specialized to perform a good job. Sometimes, just by adding a wave sound, increasing the frequency or reducing the noise of the music, we have colored up the recordings.

More and more recording engineers believe in the important role of high-end technologies for their career. They are willing to spend money on equipment, modern music editor or music morpher softwares to support their work. Some people pay up to thousands of dollars for their recording studios, but some know how to save money. They find out the efficient softwares that can work properly as a mixer, an editor with very competitive price from $30 to $100. They know how to update their “companion” by frequently downloading the latest effects or supporting programs. By this way, high-tech supports for both professional recording studios and some home recording studios.

“A war is happening, not the Iraq war, but the high-tech war”. However, we will not perish in this war if we know how to use and control technologies for our purposes. Holding in hand the weapons of music softwares, we will be the unique winner, the best one in the running of entertainment industry, especially recording industry.

Jenny Le- a writer of Audio4fun Media. For more information, contact her at audio4fun.com audio4fun.com.

I know what you′re thinking — What does time travel have to do with the question of God’s existence?

Remember that one of my assumptions in exploring the concept of God is that the only place to find this answer is in understanding the reality that makes up our Universe. Therefore any subject which tries to dissect how our Reality works, and how we interact with it is fair game for discussion.

In the course of this exploration we’ll be looking at a lot of different concepts about our Reality, including Relativity, Quantum Mechanics and the nature of matter and energy.

Time travel is about as far out as you can get, but I came across an interesting thought recently during my research which I thought would be fun to share with you. We don’t have to be serious all the time, do we?

In his Theory of Special Relativity, Einstein postulates that it is possible to travel forward in time, but it is not possible to travel back in time.

If you stop to think about this, it reveals a very interesting characteristic of our Universe. According to Einstein, time is relative, but only in the forward direction.

I was watching a documentary yesterday about time travel and one idea in particular caught my fancy.

Basically, it goes like this: as computers become faster and more powerful, eventually we will have computers capable of creating an exact replica of our world. This virtual world would contain every single element that our actual world contains.

From examining this replica of our world, the computer would be able to project backwards to any point in the past. How would it do this? By utilizing the law of cause and effect, the computer would simply be identifying the cause (the past) by understand the effect (the present).

Make sense so far? But that isn’t the tricky part.

This computerized replica of the world, or virtual world, would be so perfect in every respect that the elements that made up this virtual world would not even be aware that they inhabited a virtual world rather than the real one.

In other words, the people who populated this virtual past would be unaware that it is not real. They would be conscious entities inhabiting what is to them a completely real and valid universe.

Assuming this does these virtual worlds become possible in the future, it is reasonable to assume that there will be more individuals inhabiting those worlds than the real one — since one can assume there would be multiple computers creating multiple worlds, each with populations equal to the real one.

Therefore, based on this fact, there is a greater likelihood that you exist in one of those virtual worlds than that you exist in the real one.

How would you know?

(Of course my parents have been telling me I’m living in a fantasy world for most of my life anyway…)

Eric W. Austin has been considering the question of Christianity for more than twenty years. Founder and creator of the immensely popular but controversial theneed4god.blogspot.com The Need for God Blog, Eric continues to rock the boat and bring new ideas and questions to the subject of God’s existence and the meaning of Reality.

A piano lamp or piano light is something every piano player should have. Proper lighting is needed to perform or practice playing the piano. Whether you are beginner or amateur pianist just beginning to learn piano, or even if you are a more advanced piano player, lighting is a must. A piano light is of course designed to look nice and classy, but it’s primary function is to aid in giving proper illumination to your sheet music and piano keys, thereby improving your performance. It’s been proven that having good lighting when performing a task, such as reading, writing, painting, or playing a piano, will greatly improve comprehension levels.

There are many styles of piano lights to choose from. Piano lamps are custom designed to the style and shape of a piano. There are piano lights for grand pianos, baby grand pianos, upright pianos, and electronic keyboards. Some piano lamps clamp on to the music sheet holder on the piano, and others sit on the piano but may have adjustable arms to position the light correctly. Besides the various models and types of piano lights such as clamp-on grand piano lamps or balance arm models, you might want to consider a piano light that features a dimmer switch and adjustable height.

Piano lamps can be found in both battery powered or electric models. Brass, chrome or other metal is the most commonly used material for a piano light, and most lamps come with a sturdy heavy base to add stability, but as I said earlier, the clip-on variety can also be found. Not only will a nice piano lamp brighten your fabulous piano to bring out the beauty, but remember, proper lighting is an absolute requirement to playing the piano. Figure out which style of piano lamp you think will best suit your needs and make sure you get one if you don’t already have good lighting in your piano playing area.

For more perfect-piano.com/piano_lamps.html piano light information and get an idea of what you’re looking for, or browse a selection of piano lights, visit the authors perfect-piano.com/piano_lamps.html Piano Lamps page. Todd Brides is a life-long fan of piano music and his website dedicated to all things piano is located at perfect-piano.com www.perfect-piano.com.

At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President made a comment on another meeting he had attended, where someone in the audience asked the presenter where to find good subjects to photograph. The presenter in question started giving specifics instead of identifying the core issues in question, Attitude and Perspective.

Clients often ask me the same question about ideas, “Where or how does one come up with a good idea for a business or service, for a new product to develop or a theme for an ad?” Oddly enough, the answer is the same; it depends on your attitude and perspective because inspiration is everywhere. Everywhere around you, there are clues to great ideas but you have to be receptive to see or hear them. Once you are open to really listening and observing, you tend to notice things you weren’t aware of in the past. It’s sometimes uncomfortable to look at the world around you and respond to it differently than others do, but it can be very rewarding.

Is the world around you a place of abundance and opportunity or a difficult barren place? Do you think of life as a constant struggle or an adventure?

Take a look at www.MixZup.com. This retail concept is an idea that originated in a three-year-old’s mind. The important point is that Julia’s mother Lynne was someone who did not patronize her daughter by saying, “Isn’t that cute.” and then telling her to put on socks that match. She really listened to her daughter, considered the factors that prompted Julia to express her individualism by wearing socks that do not match and recognized it as an opportunity. Children, with their ability to think outside of the limitations most of us have developed and placed on ourselves as adults, are great at coming up with innovative, unconventional ideas.

To get back to the example of the photographer; often businesses tell me they need photos and their son, daughter, or spouse has an expensive camera…that’s great, but it’s not about the equipment. It’s about the eye behind the camera and the ability to be open to recognising a great shot.

It doesn’t matter how much business training or ability you have if you use it as an excuse to stop listening and observing. If you close your eyes and ears to the opportunities around you, you are limiting your life, not just your business opportunites.

How many successful businesses would never have gotten off the ground if the owner considered the fact that they had no business experience or no money?

Today, make a decision to think of business as a series of adventures and ideas waiting to be implemented.

“First Ponder, Then Dare”

Nancy Fraser is the President of Nota Bene Consulting. Her business experience encompasses over 20 years in media sales and management, ownership of a retail store and involvement in the real estate industry. Free marketing information and tools are available in Notable News notable-marketing.com notable-marketing.com