3. Think of solutions. For excuses that you normally make, think of ways of overcoming those obstacles. For example, if you are constantly using your work as a reason why you can't practice, ask yourself questions like…

"How can I get paid more but work less hours?". "How can I get paid while I sleep?". "How can I stay home all day and practice?".

If you ask enough questions like this on a daily basis, you'll find a solution eventually.

4. Think of your "Why". These are reasons why you want to achieve your musical goals. If your why is strong enough, You will NEVER want to stop practicing for any reason.

5. Think of your role models. Use your role models to motivate and inspire you to keep on practicing.Every time you start to make an excuse, ask yourself "Would__________make this excuse?" For example, one of my favourite guitarists is Steve Vai. I could NEVER imagine making him excuses for not practicing!

To finish off here's a quote that you may want to memorize...

"You can either become a great guitarist, or you can make excuses, but you can't do both".

Copyright 2005 by Craig Bassett. All Rights Reserved.

Craig Bassett is a professional guitarist, guitar tutor and author living in Auckland, New Zealand.

If you want soap that is natural, this is a great choice. Typically, goat’s milk glycerin soap is slightly higher than other types of soaps but still very affordable and well worth investment.

MELT AND POUR SOAP MAKING EQUIPMENT AND INGREDIENTS

The great thing about using melt and pour is that you can use equipment you typically have on hand. With this method, you can use base of a double boiler or your microwave oven.

Keep in mind that if you choose microwave, bowl with soap substance will need to be covered with plastic wrap to keep it from splattering but more importantly, to help keep excess moisture from evaporating. For microwave method, you would melt base soap on high for about one minute, stirring in remaining pieces not yet melted.

For double boiler option, bring water to a boil. Then, add your melt and pour soap of choice, cover, and leave on low. This will take quite some time to melt so about every 10 minutes, check base to see if it is melted. If you like, you can stir occasionally to ensure an even melt.

Fragrance

For both methods of melt and pour, if you want to add in fragrance, once base soap has melted, then you would add fragrance oil. Be sure fragrance is mixed in completely and that base of soap does not have a cloudy appearance.

Although you can use more or less fragrance according to personal preference, typically a good rule to follow is to use .25 ounces to every one pound of soap base. In addition to fragrances, you can also use essential oils.

Color

Now for color, if you want to create colored soap, add approximately one-eighth teaspoon to one-quarter teaspoon mica in with melting soap base, making sure to mix in it well.

If any bubbles form on top of soap, you can leave them for design effect or spray them with rubbing alcohol. If you want to use food coloring, start with just one drop to melted base, stirring well. Then, you can add one additional drop until you find color of preference.

After fragrance and color have been added to soap base, pour melted base into mold of your choice. Again, if you want to remove any bubbles that will settle on top, spray them with rubbing alcohol. After soap has hardened, generally a few hours, you can use it and enjoy!

COST

As you can see, to make your own soap at home, you would pay around $40 for slab of base, a few dollars for fragrance, a few dollars for coloring, and that is about it. The process is very cost effective, fun, and you end up with exactly type of soap you love most.

Most people figure that one bar of homemade soap will average .50, far less than you would pay elsewhere. In addition, you can add in special items or effects to jazz things up.

Making soap using melt and pour process is easy and fun… and makes for very inexpensive soap. Not only is it great for making your own soap, but it makes for truly unique and creative gifts.