Sample Articles

I have written on a variety of topics.  A partial list includes:

  • Health and Wellness
  • Professional Bodybuilding
  • Wealth Creation
  • Internet Marketing
  • Meditation
  • Self Esteem

Good writing happens through research and style. Basically whatever subject you need me to write on, I can probably do it. If not, I will quickly let you know. (That hasn’t happened yet.)

And on to a few samples…

You are a Subject Matter Expert; Don’t Hold Yourself Back From Success

You’ve probably heard the expression many times that people are more afraid of success than they are of failure. It’s because we are familiar with failure – and success, wild, crazy success, is something that most of us aren’t familiar with. So we decide that we will be modest and hold back when really we are denying the world of our greatness. Part of our greatness is that we are, each of us a subject matter expert, so we need to stop denying our greatness and start helping people, okay?

So what are you great at and what do you have to share? You might be thinking that you don’t have much of anything to share with the world and, truth be told, most people have felt that same thing at many times in life. Whatever your background is, you know things that other people would love to learn about. For example, you might think it’s a foregone conclusion that people know how to send an e-mail, but guess what? There are generations out there who don’t have a clue. People on both ends and in the middle don’t know. You take it for granted. There are a huge number of places to get a free e-mail account (Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, etc.) and public libraries give free access.

Access is mostly unlimited there, and people want to have the free and easy communication that the internet allows, so why don’t people take advantage? Simply put, it’s ignorance. People think negatively of ignorance, but it’s just lack of knowledge. Knowledge that maybe you are an expert on, so don’t sell yourself short.

Email is just one example. Maybe you are an expert on pottery or potting soil. Maybe you know how to hang a door or train a canary. There are people out there who are searching for your knowledge and you sit there thinking “what do I know?” while they are looking.
Do not hold yourself back. You truly are a source of inspiration and knowledge for people (or you could and should be.)

Think about your life experiences. Can you help a young person by detailing how to find an apartment or an automobile? Do you have ideas on the best approach to a job interview or a show audition? Even if there are a thousand voices out there with similar experiences or areas of expertise, your voice is unique.

Your ideas may be the ones that resonate with a certain person and those ideas may impact them and change their lives. As a matter of fact that is very likely. Do us all a favor and contribute; you’ll be happy you did and so will we. Embrace the fact that you are a subject matter expert. Thanks in advance.

5 Tips for Effective Negotiations in Business and in Life

In every field you are involved in negotiations on a regular basis; some are successful negotiations and some are not. When people think of negotiations generally the term “high level” comes to mind. There is a group of cigar-smoking men surrounding a table in a board room and the volume is loud and occasionally emphasized with a fist pounding on the table.

That scene may have played in the ’70′s or earlier, but it really is an archaic vision into a past era, and it has almost nothing to do with this article. Everything you do comes as the result of a negotiation with someone, unless you are living alone on a desert island, and even then you are probably negotiating with Wilson.

Think about it. What did you have for dinner last night? Did you cook it? Did you choose the food? Where did you buy the food? All of these are the results of some low level negotiations. Did you speak with your spouse about the choice? If you looked in the paper for sales on food, that is a form of negotiation with the vendor.

By now the point is made, and perhaps you are looking at negotiating and thinking, gee, I never thought about it that way. So how do you negotiate face to face (or through other communication methods?) You have to start either with a need or with a solution, depending which side you are on. Either way these five points are things you need to have in mind to have a win-win.

  1. Know the real goal when you sit down to the table. Your goal is not to every step of the process necessarily, but to achieve the end result. Don’t let the steps drag down the negotiations
  2. Remember the process is going to involve give and take. Don’t expect to dictate the terms, unless you are willing to walk if they are not met.
  3. When you sit down at the table, know what your limits are on all aspects of the deal. What are your time, money, and product parameters? What is open to negotiation, and where is your wiggle room?
  4. When you are done, you should have a written contract with solid goals and a timeline. There should also be consequences if the timeline is not kept, and possibly incentive if it is done right and done early.
  5. Remember the “Big Picture.” You are there for a specific purpose. Don’t get sidetracked and bogged down by the bug dust.

It takes commitment on the part of everyone involved to have a successful negotiation, and all negotiations are the beginning of a relationship. How that relationship starts out often dictates how it goes over time. Camaraderie goes a long way to keep things smooth along your journey, so keep your sense of humor and know that life will throw curve balls at you occasionally. Negotiations are the start of a relationship and relationships make business work.

Working Out and Muscle Fatigue – Good Sore Vs. Bad Sore

Almost everyone gets sore after a good workout. It’s a natural thing and if you aren’t getting sore, maybe you need to up the intensity a couple of notches. But what if you are sore right after a workout? Is that normal? How about two days later or a week? When do you know what is a ‘good soreness’ level and when you’ve possibly overdone it and need to see a doctor?

There are different types of pain when it comes to your muscles and certain symptoms warrant a visit to your doctor. If you are in the middle of a run or a workout and you feel any sharp pain you should stop immediately. Many people decide to work through the pain – tough it out – and this just aggravates the injury. It’s more challenging to stop activity if you are in the middle of a run out in the boonies, but you can at least take it down to a walk and limp. The limp is taking some of the pressure off the injured limb, so don’t try to hide the limp, let it happen.

Once you feel that sharp pain, stop your workout and give yourself a 24 to 48 hours before ‘testing’ your injured area. Then test it with a really light weight. If you feel pain, go to your doctor. Some muscle tears can take eight weeks or more to heal, and although we all know our own bodies better than anyone else does, we’re not trained professionals. For any pain that lasts longer than 72 hours definitely make an appointment to see your doctor to discuss it. Remember to have all the details: when did it happen, what exactly you were doing when it happened, etc. Some people are embarrassed and try to hide that, but the doctor needs to know the absolute truth.

Getting back to “normal pain” – when we work out we are tearing up our muscles. That’s the process of growth. What you do is induce tearing – technically called micro-tearing – of your muscle tissue. The micro-tears heal and that healing process adds more tissue to your muscles. So it is totally normal to be sore during the healing process. Some soreness may set in within a few hours of a workout and some may take a day or two. Most people are typically sore the day following a workout, but by the second day they are just about back to normal.

It’s also normal to feel a bit of stretching-pulling heat during a workout. Not everyone gets that, but some people do. Again, this may be nothing to worry about necessarily unless you have sharp pain. Sharp pains generally are an indication that something went wrong. Dull aches and pains are more indicative of a normal workout.

These words come from experience and research. If you ever feel like something is bothering you, you should go have it checked out. It might be a persistent pain, or something that seems recurring. It’s never a bad idea to have a doctor hear what’s going on and evaluate it. However some doctors may be more capable in certain areas, so take that into consideration as well. If you like to run, maybe a doctor who also runs will be able to help you more. Likewise doctors who are gym rats might be better able to relate to someone who is into working out.

Remember, pain is your friend. It can tell you of growth, and it can tell you of problems. Don’t shut it out, listen to it.

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ABOUT ROB


I love learning, doing research and writing about what I find. I also enjoy performing in community theater with my wife and trying to keep track of our four grown "children."

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