Our home is our ‘sanctuary’. Do you agree? It is the only place where you can feel safe, clean and comfortable. You try to disinfect every part of your house to avoid certain diseases that may arise due to less than clean surroundings. You use cleaning products to make sure that everything is spic and span. Little did you know that such cleaning and cleansing can distribute harmful chemicals throughout your house. Scary, isn’t it? Striving to have a healthy home is a challenge for all of us. You just have to find a way to do the sanitizing without making things worse.

www.myhealthyhome.com

I traveled with my husband to Italy five years ago, he worked there with a colleague from the USA. Mike’s wife and I spent time travelling around by train, to Milan, Genoa  and the towns close to “home’.  When the men had finished their work, we travelled by speed-train down to Rome and spent the weekend walking around. We enjoyed wonderful meals in the smaller  restaurants.  Walking through the ancient City had such a huge impact on me, I could almost feel time drift back to the old days, almost see the people as they went about their work and play. It was a strange feeling, I had to buy a book on the history of Rome.

We the traveled north  to  overnight in a small B&B. on our way back to Melpensa airport. The owner of the B&B was a super young man who took us to a local restaurant for dinner, explaining to the owner that we were English and they had to treat us well, which they did. The following morning, around sunrise we had breakfast and were driven to Melpensa. The guy stopped beside a most beautiful lake, where across the other side in the mist stood a  magnificent building. I was again inspired to write. the third time I was shaken into the desire to write was at Melpensa when, as I got out of the car, I looked across to the Alps, majestic and pure white snow. We parted from our friend, they flew back to the Chicago and we to Johannesburg. I studied Roman history for two years and The Senators Daughter followed.

I am one of those people who don’t take well to change. I hate to admit it, but yes, I find it hard to get out of my comfort zone and try other things that will make me succeed. Children are like this too. Have you noticed how they love to be read the same story time and time again? It makes them feel secure. This is not good in business though where survival requires change. Businesses have to embrace change to keep ahead of the competition. Entrepreneurs may find a strategy that will work now but later on this may not work anymore because other businesses have adapted it as well, making the competition tighter. Also, since everyone may then be using a similar approach, it will only be those who adapt that continue to lead the pack. Hence, the never ending struggle for change.

Change Leadership Group

Do you know what foster care is? Well, it is mostly a short-term home for children who may need a new home for a while for a variety of different reasons. For some children who don’t have a home to return to, foster home is their only hope. Being a foster child may be difficult sometimes. It’s a good thing that there are good people who want to be foster parents.

Family troubles greatly affect the children. When a husband and a wife could not work on their relationship for the benefit of their children, the authorities will enforce judgment that promotes the welfare of children. In most cases, children are sent to foster homes to be given the love and attention they deserve. In her new book titled Coming to Foster Care, author Suzanne E. Bailey shares a heartwarming story aimed at breaking down foster care from the child’s point of view.

Coming to Foster Care tells the story of a boy who finds love in a foster home. When something bad happened in his own home, he was sent to a foster home. His parents have to follow the mandate of the authority to fulfill certain tasks before they can get him back to ensure his safety. In his new home, his foster parents give him everything—a big room, good food, best care, and most of all, great love. They show him what a family is all about and later on, he feels safe and secure with their love.

For the boy, his family and his foster family are very different. But he is sure that they are the same in one thing; they give him so much love. Coming to Foster Care will provide children a glimpse of what a foster home should be like—a safe place that is full of love.

You can find zoos all over the world. Each zoo carries many different kinds of animal. Zoo animals are very popular especially with the kids. That’s the reason why families visit them and watch those animals with fascination. It’s always fun to discover how they interact with humans and fellow animals. However, being observed on a daily basis can be stressful for the animals as this can interrupt their daily activities. Just imagine what it would be like for you to be watched all day long.

How do zoo animals feel when people watch their every move? English teacher and now author Jackie Kienzle answers this question as she pens It’s a Monkey’s Life, a vibrant children’s picture book made available through Xlibris.

Told through a monkey’s point of view, this book examines the daily grind at the zoo. Barraged by onlookers, the monkey is forced to battle wits with the humans. He devises a plan to engage in combat as he becomes tired of having to perform on cue. Determined not to relinquish control, the monkey ignores the crowd—until a freckle-faced boy catches his attention.

A book for the young and the young at heart, this touching and sometimes inspiring read imparts the valuable lesson of friendship and compassion.

It’s a Monkey’s Life will be featured at the London Book Fair in London, England, on April 11-13, 2011. For more information on this book, interested parties may log on to http://www.Xlibris.com.

“I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way”. If you think I’m singing, then maybe I am! Singing aside, the context of this song is very true. Our children are, indeed, the future; they will be the ones to continue whatever we have started. They will continue with our business, branch out on their own and, with any luck, look after us in our old age. Some of them will be future leaders. So, it is always best to teach them well. Educate them on how things should be done and dealt with so they may grow up to be good leaders. It’s never too early to learn how to lead, so start teaching them now!

In Management: A Focus on Leaders (Prentice Hall, 2011), New York Timesbestselling business book author, Annie McKee, broadens her reach from business leaders to include students and young managers—combining the best of the old with the best of the new. This book prepares today’s students and young managers to become the leaders of the future.

Grounded in the best research of the past and latest research in neuropsychology, organizational theory, and management, Management: A Focus on Leaders moves away from looking at management as silos: planning, organizing, leading and controlling. It presents an integrated model with leadership at the center. In order to better reflect the environment in which students will soon find themselves, this text has incorporated key and current management topics throughout the book and includes immense online resources, including:

• Emotional and social intelligence
• Ethics and the responsible use of power
• Social, technological, and organizational change
• Fostering innovation at all levels in organizations
• Sustainable organizations and communities
• The power of human diversity
• Managing in a global environment
• How to inspire and motivate people
• Adaptability and resilience
• Self-awareness and self management
• Leadership at all levels: today everyone needs to lead
• Creating high performance cultures

“The pace and scope of change in our organizations and our economic and social systems is unprecedented,” says McKee. “Many people believe, and I am one of them, that many of the crises our globe is facing today are the result of a failure of leadership at many levels and in all sectors. Today’s students will be cleaning up our messes, and I see this as a once-in-a-lifetime wake-up call and opportunity for educators everywhere to prepare students for the very complex world that awaits them.”

Teleos Leadership Institute

I recently bought a book through Amazon.com and I noticed this interesting little feature, the “customers who bought this book also bought” data. There were titles that personally appealed to me, so with my curiosity awakened, I excitedly clicked on one of them. I have to admit that I found these recommended books to be interesting. I had no idea that this Amazon tool can help book publishers to identify sales patterns and buying trends. In addition, publishers and authors are able to uncover previously unknown book-buying patterns through this data. This may help them to more efficiently distribute and market their titles. These are some of the interesting trends revealed by this Amazon tool.

Amazon: Related Items Feature

A study conducted by adventure travel author, Greg Witt, discusses the social-network analysis of over 100 books. His research focused on general travel books, adventure travel books, destination guides, and sport-specific books. By using the Amazon.com feature, Witt was able to uncover what other titles buyers had purchased at the same time.

Witt’s “network map” showed that buyers of travel books were also likely to buy adventure travel books and adventure destination books. Bestsellers like 1000 Places to See Before You Die also connected strongly with hiking, trekking and walking books such as Walking the World’s Most Exceptional Trails or Classic Hikes of the World. The results of the travel and adventure books study showed an adaptive market with broad-ranging interests. Those who purchased armchair narratives were also buying multi-sport how-to books, destination guides and lexigraphic-style resources like atlases.

The study also pinpointed destination or activity-specific clusters. Some of those clusters connected fluidly with other similar clusters. For example people who purchased trekking books were also likely to buy sea kayaking and mountain biking books. However other clusters appeared to be less interconnected. Small clusters of books which do not share readership with other clusters are referred to as “echo chambers.” Witt found that people buying surfing books aren’t also buying sea kayaking books. Similarly, rock climbing and mountaineering book buyers form an echo chamber that doesn’t connect with canoeist or whitewater rafters.

Witt’s study also defined a number of “bridging books,” those books or series which connect readers from one cluster with another. These books have appeal to both travel aficionados and active adventures. They capture the attention of both armchair travelers and the how-to readers.

“Ultimately,” said Witt, “this type of marketing research can be a powerful tool enabling authors and publishers to advertise and distribute their books in more efficient ways. It could help publishers choose titles and designs which appeal to the largest possible audience.”

Every businessman wants their business to grow and succeed over time. The growth of a business depends among other things on product presentation and marketing strategy. However, every business can potentially fail or succeed. Business owners need to be as ready as possible for all eventualities, good or bad. In order to give themselves the best possible chance, business owners are always on the lookout for tips, manuals, books or programs that can assist them.

The Tipping Point of Success, how can you find it ?

“The main focus of The Tipping Point of Success is to show how 23 entrepreneurs became successful and how you can too. It also demonstrates how creating a strategy for personal development and a commitment to lifelong learning will provide the skills and resources for achieving the success everyone desires. It’s an easy to read book that anyone, at any level, can understand. This book’s aim is to introduce proven strategies and methods for a successful business plan contained in my 23 interviews on personal and business success,” says C.J. Lauria, author of The Tipping Point of Success.

This book is especially geared to new and experienced entrepreneurs and small business owners alike who seek superior results. In a society of the “those who don’t know teach” approach, The Tipping Point of Success is a refreshing new look at the determining factor that made the difference in the actual successes of some impressively effective people. C.J. Lauria frankly interviews each of his 23 participants about their accomplishments as well as their fears. Interestingly, a common thread runs through all of these interviews as they comment candidly from the heart.

Invesdoor™ & Mentor for life!™