On the previous post I talked about discovering your passion.  Now, what steps can you take? what are your objectives?

What ever your objectives, if you want to have success, they must be well defined.  You must know exactly what you want to achieve or what to expect.  These must be S M A R T E R:

-  S for Specific: Ask yourself what it is you want to achieve?  What is your purpose?  What does it involve or maybe who does it involve? Where can they take place? What do you need, or what are the limitations?

-  M for Measurable, Manageable: How much time, money will these take you? How many hours, days, months, man power are involved? How will you know when these have been achieved?

-  A for Attainable: You need to set an appropriate and achievable goal, one that you can accomplish.

-  R for Relevant: Your objectives must be realistic and it must be something you believe is achievable, where you can see some progress.

-  T for Timed: Once you have set up your objectives you must have a completion date, a time frame to work to.

-  E for Evaluate: Your objectives must be enjoyable and ethical.  You must appraise the work in progress.

-  R for Re-evaluate: Once you have reached your time frame you must re-evaluate your objectives.  Are you happy with the results? Do these need to be revised?

So what are my own objectives to develop my own passion i.e. Dog Photography?

• Create a website to share my photographs, as pictures are worth a 1000 words.
• Register with Flickr and join the appropriate group
• Join some photographic/dog forums and develop a relationship with the main contributors
• Research for outdoor locations which could be used for the shoots
• Further develop my Photoshop skills and produce some creative photographs
• Research the local competition and learn from it

These are some of my own specific goals which, I think, are measureable, attainable, relevant to my passion.  I give myself a time frame of 3 months, by which time I will be able to re-evaluate these objectives.

Good luck with your own objectives.

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You only have to look on the newsagents’ shelves to see the multitude of magazines being produced to support our hobbies, i.e. Golf, Horse Riding, Gun Dog Sports, Dogs, Cats etc. What is your favourite hobby? something you are passionate about?

What is mine, in fact I have two hobbies I am equally passionate about:

1 – Photography – Why photography? for me is a way to record that precious moment in time, the one which is unlikely to be repeated ; to see something and to translate that vision into something worth keeping. Having the right gear helps but at the end of the day even if the photograph is well composed and sharp, it still needs that little “je ne sais quoi” to make it that special. Like a painting it could just be the special lighting, the subject or the mood, whatever it is, it must transfer some feelings.

2 – Dogs – I have owned dogs for many years and to me they are the perfect pets – loyal, ready to put their live on the line for you, always pleased to see you whatever your mood.

So how can I combine my two hobbies together? Well taking photographs of dogs is one way, taking the dogs on a long walk in the countryside and making sure I take the camera with me is another way. 

I even have got a step further, I start a small business as a dog photographer called www.kapablekamera.com.

So if you have a passion for something, enjoyed it and who knows you might turn your passion into a worthwhile business.

Zaki - Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Badger - Brown and White Border Collie

I came across this video on You Tube and what a pleasure it was to watch it. Why? in the seventies/eighties I was old enough to appreciate the “Muppets Show”, furthermore one of my favourite group was “Queen”, so when you mix them together! Voila! as video below. Of course you might already you have seen it (19,000,000 plus views already) but if you have not – enjoy and smile.

On the other hand you might dislike it but in my view it’s brilliant.

Do you plan a holiday in France? then Rocamadour in the Lot (South West France) should be on your “must see” itinerary.

This quaint village, set up in a truly breathtaking location, majestically rising up the side of the cliff is France second most visited site, the first one being Le Mont St Michel in Normandy (blog post subject for the future).

Although the history of the village dates back to prehistoric times, it is as a medieval pilgrimage destination that Rocamadour is best known, with the first church here being constructed in the middle of the 12th century. According to historical records, in 1166 an in-corrupt body was discovered buried in a cave next to the chapel.  The identity of the body was unknown but it was assumed that this was the body of a hermit who has lived in the area.  He was given the name “Amator” (the lover) due to his devotion to God, hence the town name Rocamadour (lover’s rock).

Where to start the visit? The first obvious place might be St Amadour’s crypt, build into the rock and which is supposed to be an ideal place for contemplation and devotion. Your second visit could be the” Chapelle Notre Dame” which contains the famous Black Madonna, a 12th century rendition of the virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, a place where you can pray and/or also light to candle to the Madonna.

There is also the Great Staircase, whose 233 steps visitors have climbed on their knees to show their devotion. (Nowadays you can take the escalator to the top if you prefer).

If religous pilgrimage is not not your thing, you could stroll through the narrow streets taking in all the warm tones and shapes of the buildings or visit the many souvenir shops.

Rocamadour is also well known for its cheese, known as “Cabecou de Rocamadour”.  The cheese is made from goat’s milk following a very ancient recipe and has been awarded AOC status in 1996.

A well worth site to visit in anyone agenda.

Below are some of the pictures I have taken during my visit there.  Please feel free to comment.

I have just finished reading “The Primal Blueprint” by Mark Sisson, and what a revelation it has been.  Mark tells us to forget everything about what we know about exercise, health and diet and go back to the beginning i.e. way back to our ancestors (cave men) way of living.  By following his advice, you should be able to reprogram your genes for an effortless weight loss, a better health and boundless energy.

He explains that if you want to lose weight you must moderate your insulin, i.e. “carbohydrate controls insulin, insulin controls fat storage”.  This can be achieved by eliminating all sugar and grain products (even whole grain) and by eating meat, eggs, fruits (especially berries), nuts and a high fat diet (the latter going totally against what most diet books tells you).  He explains this simple concept in great detail and emphasises that our ancestors did not have any sugar or grain products at their disposition thousands year ago but that they were healthy and had boundless energy.

The advice given is supported by extensive scientific research and is simple to follow.  A new way of eating for the rest of your life.

I have now been on this type of eating for 6 weeks;  to be truthful it has not been easy to give up bread and some sugary food but I have managed most of the time, and I do, indeed, feel much better for it with far more energy than I have had for many months.

There is a plus – I can have some sensible indulgences without feeling guilty  i.e. I can drink a moderate amount of alcohol (wine in my case) and I can have dark chocolate. Some studies have shown that cocoa contains flavonoids which is good for your health.  In fact cocoa contains more flavonoids that green tea and red wine.

So how can I go wrong, chocolate and red wine allowed, my sort of diet.

Joking apart this is a very interesting book to read and one which makes you think of how the food you eat affects your health, energy levels, immune system.

Exercise is also an important part for reprograming your genes but not the typical  grueling cardiovascular workouts, instead move frequently at a slow pace, lift heavy things and sprint once in a while.  Not to difficult to achieve I would say.

Have you come across the following message every time you are posting on your blog and using the WP to Twitter plug in?

“Twitter now requires authentication by OAuth. You will need you to update your settings in order to continue to use WP to Twitter.”

Well I have found a solution (to be truthful my husband has) and I am on the roll again.  What he did was to install “Curl” within php on the server. 

So if you have this error message showing every time you make a post, check that Curl is available within php on your server or ask your hosting company to confirm that it is available.

I hope this information will help some of you.

With best wishes

Claude

Copywriting is used every day by thousands of people.  We all need copywriting materials for websites, to promote a product or a service or for an advert but how do you persuade your readers to buy?

Firstly of all you must adjust your copywriting style to the correct audience, ie blog post or ad copy or press release and showcase the benefits of the product/service to your readers.

In order to be persuasive, follow the three rules below:

• Ensure your product/service is worth it.  In the event of your customer already having one of the products your are promoting, emphasise what is new and different.
• Ensure that the title as well as the body of the article clearly states the benefits of your product/service.
• Be open and honest and tell your customer how to use the product, give them as much information as possible.

Make your article more inviting by using the following:

• bulllets
• quotes
• small paragaph
• boxes – people are more likely to read whatever you put in a box or circle
• leading keywords – i.e. new, amazing, at last, introducing..
• offer something free – free e-book, free videos
• ask questions as this will involve your readers – i.e. What is the secret of a happy marriage?
• how to get more traffic to your blog?
• call for action and create a sense of urgency – i.e. The first 10 subscribers will qualify for an extra bonus
• use proven cliches – i.e. The truth about…. , Just arrived……

If you need further advice on copywriting visit www.copywritingrevealed.com

We all go on holiday and visit interesting places, some we enjoy, some we rather forget but something there is one special place which touches you very deeply.  Oradour Sur Glane in the Limousin, France, is such a place.

Why?

On the 10th June 1944, a German Battalion of the 4th Waffen-SS totally destroyed Oradour sur Glane and brutally murdered its inhabitants as a retribution for the alleged activities of the local resistance.  In a matter of hours 642 men, women and children were massacred; the women and children were locked into the church, shot and burned to death.  You can still the bullet holes in the church walls.  The men were shot in the legs then when they were no longer able to move, they were set on fire.

Only one woman and five men survived the massacre, the women by sliding out of a small window at the back of the church and the men were either away from the village or did manage to hid from the German.

The village was razed that same night.

So that future generations may always remember the cruelty that happened here, the village has been preserved as a memorial.

No, it was not my best holiday destination but I feel one should visit such a place as a tribute to all those innocence people who lost their lives for no reason whatsoever.

Memorial And Cross

Once a Garage

Flowers amongst rubble

The latest book I read about achieving wealth and happiness is  ”The Richest Man In Babylon” by Gorge S. Clason. 

This is an inspirational book telling you the secrets the ancients used to achieve happiness and prosperity, the basic fiancial principles now used all over the world.

The principles are revealed in a story told by the Babylon wisemen who tell you that in order to achieve wealth and happiness you must observe laws or learn from them. George S. Clayson called them ” Seven Cures for a Lean Purse” and “The Five Laws of Gold”.

The cures for a lean purse:

Cure 1: In order to fattening your purse you must save 10% of your revenue, whatever your circumstances you must put away a minimum of 10% even if this means cutting down somewhere else.

Cure 2: You must control your expenditure by creating a budget and sticking to it.

Cure 3:  Learn how to make your savings work for you by investing them wisely.  This reminds me the following proverb –  ”Look after the pennies and  the pounds will looked after themselves”.

Cure 4: Guard your treasure from loss.  First, secure some small amount and learn to protect them before embarking in larger projects.  Also, only invest where the principal is saved, where it can be reclaimed.

Cure 5: Own your own home instead of paying  rent to a landlord even if you need to borrow. Eventually you will own the building out right.

Cure 6: Plan for the future ( family protection, retirement) and invest accordingly.

Cure 7: Increase the ability to earn, pay your debts, buy only what you can afford and seek the advice from the experts.

This is just a quick overview of the “seven cures for a lean purse”  and I would recommend reading the book for a more detailed explanation.

George S. Clason also touches on luck: to attract luck onto yourselves it is necessary to take advantages of  opportunities. By procrastinate you will miss the opportunity.

The five “Gold Laws” is a recap of the “Seven Cures”:

Told in language as found in the Bible, the laws are easily understood as they are being introduced through a story.

You will learn the secrets of acquiring money, keeping it and make it work for you.  This might be the solution you are looking for to a personal financial problem or the inspiration to increase personal wealth.

How can you tell if the photograph you are looking at is a true record or on the other hand has been manipulated which nowadays is so easy to do.

For the purists (film photographers mainly) a photograph should be a true record taken at a certain time and involving no manipulation whatsoever.  In their mind, this  only represents a worthwile picture.  In some way they have a point as this separates a brilliant photographer from the rest.  Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on which group you belong) in the digital age we are living it is almost impossible to differentiate a good orignal photo to one which has been “Photoshoped”. 

We must not forget that even in the dark room, during and after the film development, manipulation can be done; e.g burning or dodging to name a couple.

In my opinion, it not the original photograph that matters but the final result.  Is it a good photo? does it appeal to you?  is it of high quality? that is what is important.  Some very average photo have been turned into work of art using “Photoshop” or whatever software used; some dull, under exposed or over exposed picture have been salvaged to great effect.  The only person who knows that it is not the original is the photographer.

If at the end of the day the final photograph is a “winner” does it really matters?

Below is one of my photograph which have been heavily manipulated in “Photoshop”, I know this is not the original photo but I think the final picture is so much better and that what counts. 

You comments are welcomed.

Original photo

Manituplated photo