Workplace Fitness: A Gym Full Of Useful Advice For Continual Learning

Written by Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE


"Where do you get all your energy?" That's a question many of us are asked as we finish leading an intense management retreat, conducting a training session, or keynoting a major conference. My answer, after I jokingly say, "Drugs!" is "Exercise".

I've realized that some ofrepparttar lessons learned in a physical fitness program are appropriate for our personal and professional growth and have also have application inrepparttar 104646 training room.

Cross train. It's essential for continual improvement. We all get into our ruts, doingrepparttar 104647 same routines over and over again and wondering why we don't see any improvement. The body (as well asrepparttar 104648 mind) slips into neutral. Cross- training challenges different parts of our physical structure. We have to learn a new way of holding weights, of balancing, of breathing. We gain a new appreciation for a different skill set. The parallels in organizational behavior are immediate.

Hydrate. The body demands water when it is being physically taxed. So too doesrepparttar 104649 brain. Notice I didn't say "coffee". Just plain old clear water. Water might not be our favorite beverage but hydration actually helps our endurance. No wonder we want pitchers of water in our training rooms!

Push beyond your barriers. There are two kinds of barriers; those imposed by others and those imposed by ourselves. The latter arerepparttar 104650 most restrictive. I finally took a spinning class. This class uses a stationery bike that can be adjusted to tighten or loosenrepparttar 104651 gears. I can literally feel like I am pedaling up Mt. Everest or cruising alongrepparttar 104652 beach sand. It'srepparttar 104653 hardest class I have ever taken. I love and hate it. And I go because it makes me push against what my mind says "you can't do". Now, I'm NOT going to challenge Lance Armstrong. My body DOES know its limits. But I AM doing that which I said I could not. It's a thrill!

End performance anxiety. Walk into a gym and you seerepparttar 104654 jocks who grunt and lift huge weights vying with their buddies forrepparttar 104655 most reps. Go to a class and you'll seerepparttar 104656 double-stepping, dance-twirling footwork of some double-jointed exerciser. If you try that move, you'll twist your knee and land in surgery. We are not built alike. While pushing beyond barriers, also know that each one of us has specific abilities. To demand that I hop and dance likerepparttar 104657 knee-torking guy inrepparttar 104658 front row is ludicrous. I am here to improve my body-not resemble theirs!

The Shrinking Ad Dollar

Written by Rebecca Game


CPR CPA CTR... what does it all mean? What it means is dollars "out" of your pocket instead of "in" to your pocket. Advertising dollars are gaining in value, meaningrepparttar regular advertiser now gets MORE for his dollar than he did a few years back.

An advertiser used to pay for "impressions",meaning everytime his ad showed on a web page it was counted as an impression. He would buy 1000 to 100000 impressions for his ad. Ad rates depended uponrepparttar 104645 web site. Educational sites could get a higher CPM rate, (cost per thousand impressions), than a site selling laundry detergent.

Things have changed somewhat... Now they want to buy CPA ads, (cost per action), meaning they want to pay per "action". An "action" is not considered a click. If they place an ad on your site, it doesn't matter if it gets 10000 impressions or 50000 impressions. It doesn't matter if it gets 1000 clicks. They are ONLY going to pay you if someone actually clicks onrepparttar 104646 link AND buys whatever they are selling on their site. Sounds great huh?

The other great ad inventory they want to purchase isrepparttar 104647 CTR offer. This is for "click through rate". That means their ad can again show 10000 times or 50000 times. It doesn't matter. They are only going to pay you if someone actually clicks on their ad. Another yummy prospect huh?

What is going on here? Are we so desperate for ads that we will allow someone to use our web pages to flaunt their products for free and only get paid if someone clicks their ad or acually signs up for something they are selling? What is wrong with this picture, people?

Let's see.... I want to rent a new business building, but I have informedrepparttar 104648 landlord that even though I will be taking up their "prime space", I will only be paying partial rent on customers who actually buy something. It doesn't matter if I have a crummy storefront, a disorganized shelving system, or an unmanageble way to navigate aboutrepparttar 104649 store. I am still only going to pay them for their prime spot IF I actually get a sale out ofrepparttar 104650 building. Now this sounds more to my liking!

Also, I am going to be contacting some National Newspapers. I want to place an ad on their "front" page along with some other ads inrepparttar 104651 rest ofrepparttar 104652 newspaper. I am going to informrepparttar 104653 newsletter that I don't care if they have 100,000 subscribers who will seerepparttar 104654 ad. I am only going to pay "IF" someone actually usesrepparttar 104655 ad and buys my product. Now hurry up and get my ad placed onrepparttar 104656 front page of your newspaper!

Let's wake up ladies!

As long as you keep accepting advertising on these terms, you are going to be giving away your "prime business space" and your "front page space" to some clever marketing agent who just saw a new victim when he landed at your site.

I would LOVE to see these guys try to pull this stuff inrepparttar 104657 real world! H-E-L-L-O... This may be a virtual world, but it still takes "real" people to read your ads and real people to buy your products.

Maybe you advertisers only want to pay on a click through rate or a click per action rate because your ad might stink or it's in a "testing" phase. Inrepparttar 104658 meantime they get to be your guinea pig while you test around to see which ads gotrepparttar 104659 best performance as you showedrepparttar 104660 ad millions of times but only had to pay for actual clicks on your ad. What a deal you got!

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use