By Gary E. Cain, M. Ed. Author

You may be thinking, "Gary, I am a mom, housewife, or stay-at-home dad, so why do I need to know how to negotiate effectively?"

I'm glad you asked.

The truth is everyone needs to negotiate. Surprisingly, almost everything we do moment we get up in morning until we go to bed involves some type of "negotiating".

I know, you are saying that I have lost my mind, but no, seriously, we do negotiate –continuously.

Let's say, you are 18 years old, live with your parents, yet work. So, you wake up at 6 am and begin a negotiation with your younger brother who is already in very bathroom that you need in order to take a shower and get ready for work.

To avoid arriving late to work, you quickly offer to pay $5.00 to him to leave bathroom immediately so that you can take a shower.

Next, you head into kitchen to negotiate with your mother over your preference for orange juice and toast for breakfast, while she is counter-negotiating a complete meal of oatmeal, eggs, milk, and sausage.

Who wins this negotiation is anyone's guess.

The point is that all of us constantly negotiate. For example, we negotiate – or should -- with our car mechanic to lessen cost of maintenance and repairs.