Dave Thorpe Life Coach Path 2 Success

2011-01-18T10:15:00.001-08:00

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2011-01-18T10:13:00.001-08:00

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Good Performance Coaching Can Not Only Get Your Life in Shape, but Your Kids Too

2010-09-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

A simple and fun tool gives kids responsibility for their behavior and discipline.

As anyone involved in performance coaching can attest, no matter how successful one is, nothing is quite right if one’s home life is suffering.

Performance coaching is at its best when it addresses areas of home dynamics as well as career and relationships. Dave Thorpe, Chief Encourager at Path2Success offers an innovative and successful tool that has many Southern California families singing its praises. It’s called the Consequence Box and it involves the kids in their own behavior control and discipline.

“Many parents are recognizing they may not have all the tools necessary to handle the battles that are waged between them and their kids,” says Thorpe. “They are finally saying the obvious, ‘I need help! Show me the way to put harmony back into our home!’”

So just what is the magic tool that can show you how to change your life? Explains Thorpe, “The overview of the Consequence Box is this. Create a box that contains rules, consequences for breaking those rules, and ultimately punishments that have been agreed upon by the kids and parents in advance. When they act out, the box containing their own ideas for consequences are the ultimate judge.”

Why does that work? Thorpe continues, “Suddenly, the anger that is usually directed at the parents, is now displaced as the kids must deal with the box and what they’ve agreed to put in it. It not only has a settling affect on the kids, but they all seem to get a kick out of it. There really is nothing that can compare with the realization that what could have been more yelling and crying has now been replaced by laughing. Harmony in the home is the ultimate performance coaching.”

“When I came to Dave Thorpe for performance coaching it never occurred to me that he could make a difference at home too,” offers Mark Tanner. “But then when he asked me what life was like with my kids, he could see that it was a really painful part of my life and that it needed to be addressed. The odd thing is, I didn’t even know how bad it was or what it meant to me. Thanks to the Consequence Box and Dave’s performance coaching, life is completely different and there is harmony in my home.”

“When your life purpose is raising your kids like mine is, it’s hard to admit that there’s room to improve,” adds Shelly Smith. “But once I finally admitted that I don’t know everything, I turned to Dave for some performance coaching. He has helped to not only change my life around, but my kids too. We are vastly happier individuals and a happier family.”
You may visit http://www.path2success4me.com for more information.

Get Training on how to Remove your Biggest Obstacle to Success

2010-09-20T03:47:00.000-07:00

Dave Thorpe, Path2success life coach says the sooner you get training, the sooner you can access your purpose in life, and reach your full potential.

Get training. Get aware. Get started. It’s a simple equation that could bring someone face to face with their most ardent obstacle—themselves—and help them achieve success. But most don’t know that the process is really just that simple, and they continue to fall back on tried and true excuses.

And it’s easy to verify. Just ask someone what keeps them from reaching their dreams. The excuses range from the economy, to being too busy, to not having enough education, to not being able to afford it, to it simply not being the right time, and the list goes on and on.

“But it’s you,” says Dave Thorpe, Path2Success life coach. “You may not want to think it’s you and that you are a victim of outside forces, but it’s you.”

Considering we’re stuck with ourselves, what do we do now? “Well it’s a good thing we’re stuck with ourselves, because we are magnificent!” continues Thorpe. “We just have the inability to answer a few key questions, such as who am I, what are my strengths, what is my purpose for life, and what is my true potential—without some help. And I’m here to do that. But make no mistake, once you get training and uncover all the hidden treasures inside you, there is no stopping you.”

What does it take to get training? “Well first of all,” adds Thorpe, “it isn’t nearly as scary as people think. It’s actually quite fun and enjoyable. And I certainly don’t tell our clients anything about them, it’s all designed so that we watch the unveiling of you together. After you get training, you get aware of who you are and what your potential is, and then you can get started living the life you were meant to live.”

I Need Help. Three Words that can Ignite the Beginning to a Successful Future

2010-08-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

It’s just three simple words. I need help. They shouldn’t be difficult to say.
But we Americans are a funny bunch.

Americans, bent on self-reliance and pulling up one’s self by the bootstraps, have a terrible time saying to themselves or anyone else, “I need help.” To most, it feels like giving in. It feels un-American. It is the mark of weakness.

“To the contrary,” says Dave Thorpe, Chief Encourager at Path2Success4me, a San Diego company that provides performance coaching. “Saying ‘I need help’ requires a strength that can lead one along a path to great success. You just have to find the courage to say it, mean it, and act upon it.”

Continues Thorpe, “Look at how many smart, capable people are stuck in a dead-end job, have no career path to speak of, are suffering in a bad relationship, or live in a tumultuous household with out-of-control kids. There’s help out there for them, but they just can’t get themselves to say ‘I need help, even though all my efforts haven’t worked and I find I can’t do this alone.’”

Isn’t that a lot to ask? “Yes, it can be. But it can lead to such incredible breakthroughs,” adds Thorpe. “Let’s put it this way, nobody who has said, ‘I need help’ has ever regretted it. By contrast, everyone who has gotten to the end of their life and finally realized that they didn’t have all the answers — regrets not asking for a little help. Because it’s certainly out there to be had.”

That’s where Dave Thorpe and Path2Success4me comes in. Thorpe takes people on an innovative self-exploration and discovery that, along the way, uncovers who a person is, what their strengths are, and uncovers their purpose in life. All from saying, “I need help.”

“Well, let’s just say everything stems from there. An inability to say “I need help” is the Mount Everest standing in the way of where you want to go. And it takes a very strong person to move Mount Everest.”

If you’re ready to unleash your potential, contact Dave Thorpe at 760-415-7911, and say “I need help, show me the way to know how to change my life.” You may also visit their website, www.path2success4me.com.

Who am I? What is my Purpose? A Life Coach Says Someone does Indeed Have the Answers, and it is You.

2010-08-19T23:58:00.000-07:00

There are very few people who haven’t asked the perennial questions, Who am I? What am I doing here? What is the purpose for life? What is my calling? Life coach Dave Thorpe says that individuals need not look too far, as the answers are within them!

Explains Dave Thorpe, “Most people are convinced that the answers will come from an external source…that someone is going to tell it to them. I believe that the correct responses are right here within us, just waiting to be communicated.”

But if we have the answers to Who am I and others, why don’t we know them? “Ah, therein lays the problem and the need for someone like me. All of our loves and abilities and passions and talents are within us, but along our life’s journey comes a litany of things to cover them up, not unlike Egyptian treasures that sink lower and lower beneath the sands of time. To get to the treasures inside of you, a certain amount of excavation will have to occur.”

And so what are the covers to Who am I? “The list is long,” offers Thorpe. “Everything from our self-imposed fears, to cues from our culture, to injuries we’ve sustained from our well-meaning but often ill-equipped parents, they pile on and begin to make it so all of the treasures within us have a terrible time being accessed.”

And that’s where you come in? “Yes, I can help you uncover what’s beneath, so that you can communicate you, to you. And that’s really the beauty of our course and coaching. I am not some wise man claiming to have the answers to your life. I am not a guru. I am not a sage. I simply help you get training on how to remove the barriers in your life, so light can break in and reveal the answers to the questions you’ve been asking for so long. Who am I? We’ll get you to answer that.”

But let’s say someone does get the answer to Who am I? Now what? “Now life can begin to fall in place. Now the road map before you is vastly different than when you were still asking, Who am I and not getting any answers. Life will look very, very different, and what you must do to grab as much joy out of life will suddenly feel tangible and doable. It’s a remarkable process, and wonderful to witness. Most people think my life sucks. However, with the right life training, it does not!”

2010-07-31T15:29:00.001-07:00

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2010-07-31T15:21:00.001-07:00

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2010-07-09T21:41:00.001-07:00

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2010-07-09T07:50:00.001-07:00

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2010-07-04T20:38:00.001-07:00

Back in the good olâ€™ days of the web (circa 2004), it was so easy for businesses to market via the internet; all that was necessary was a functional website. But the advent of social media has made a dramatic impact with online marketingâ€” and in a good way. Social media is, for the most part, free, saving many marketing dollars. But just because it is free, doesnâ€™t make it easy or cost-free, if your time is valuable. So before you jump into the social media frenzy, do your research and discover where your time and resources are best spent. A little research on the front end will save you a lot on the back end.

Use the Freebies

1. Use the free sites. Free, online networking services like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are great marketing vehicles to post significant news, offers, promotions, and events for your business. For example, a seafood restaurant can promote $1 oysters and Â½ price margaritas to loyal Twitter followers and Facebook fans.

Measure results, focus your efforts

2. Track your social media program. See which of the free social media sites are delivering results worthy of your continued efforts and focus; abandon those not measuring up to your goals.

Search Engine Optimization â€” It really does matter

3. Social media can also improve rankings on Google and other major search engines by building inbound links to content on your website. Learn how to optimize your website to improve how your website ranking, or hire a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) professional to do the job for you. Be sure they know how to integrate social media into your SEO program. Many times you can learn some great tips by seeing what your competition is doing and whatâ€™s working for them. Google your competition â€” if they appear on the search engine before you do, check out their site and compare what they are doing and youâ€™re not.

Customers are greedy â€“ Give them what they want

4. Customers are self-centered; they want to know: â€˜whatâ€™s in it for me?â€™ Use social media to give customers expert advice, great links, and share valuable information. Donâ€™t hype your business; instead create a dialogue by connecting with the customer. If you have something interesting to say, say it. Create a blog, webinar, or YouTube video to share what you know with your clients and potential clients.

Blogging is bragging!

5. Blogging helps customers find you. Comments on blogs donâ€™t necessarily happen overnight, but your information will come up in an online search which potential clients will read, then click on to check out your website. Twittering and micro-blogging are popular now, but whichever you decide, do it regularly. Consistency wins out over content every time. Post on a regular basis; you may not necessarily get read, but your customers will see youâ€™re out there and are current. And when they need you, youâ€™ll be top of mind as someone to call.

If you want to learn how to use an Automated Social Media Broadcasting Service, go to www.WorldClassID.com.

2010-06-24T21:32:00.001-07:00

Path to Success is a program that provides a new way to life coach, in fact, to coach life for you. You might say, â€œI need help, I need life purpose.â€ It is a coaching life program for those who donâ€™t know who to ask to â€˜show me the way; hey, what is purpose for me?â€™ Can there be a life training for me? If there is, I need to get training for a life of purpose, you knowâ€¦purpose in life. P2S not only answers these questions, but provides a program of leadership coaching. If you say, â€œmy life sucksâ€ and â€œwhat is the purpose of lifeâ€ and need to find your life purpose, then a good dose of performance coaching might be just the thing for you through P2S4me. We will step up to the plate in your ballgame of sucky life, to answer your question of show me the way to live through this awesome life coach training for purpose for life and how to change your life. We will help you in your quest to know who am I and who I am through life training, that you will get training because you say: "my life sucks.â€ In fact, your life DOES suck. You know it, we know it, even your mother knows it. So come check us out at www.P2S4me.com We can help you. No one else can.

2010-06-18T20:51:00.001-07:00

Journal of Psychology and Christianity
2009, Vol. 28, No. 1, 71-77
Copyright 2009 Christian Association for Psychological Studies
ISSN 0733-4273
71
Johnson, 2005; Tan, 2007) has argued persuasively
for the use and integration of CBT within Christian
contexts and practice, as well as for the development
and promotion within the church of the special
servant heart and effective helping spirit (Tan,
2006)â€”a spirit that could be seen as foundational
to the philosophy and practice of MI.
Finally, the so-called â€œ3rd Waveâ€ of CBT (e.g.,
Hayes, 2004; Linehan, 1993) has, in fact, incorporated
profound spiritual concepts as well as therapeutic
methods within CBTâ€”a combination that
would seem to fit well into the goals and orientation
of Christian therapy and ministries. However,
MIâ€”as a separate and distinct style from both traditional
(2nd wave) and 3rd Wave CBTâ€”may
hold even greater promise for Christian therapy
and church ministry. Other conceptualizations of
integration of psychology, therapy methods and
Christian faith and spirituality have been discussed
elsewhere (e.g., McMinn & Campbell,
2007; Stevenson, Eck, & Hill, 2007) and will not
be addressed in this article. The present article
represents one of the first, if not the first, to focus
on the integration of MI with Christian therapy,
Christian spirituality and, by extension, Christian
church ministry.
The â€˜Spiritâ€™ in Motivational Interviewing
Motivational interviewing has been defined, as
well as described at least in part in spiritual terms
â€”although falling short of what might be considered
Christian-based spirituality. Miller & Rollnick
(2002) state that the spirit of MI can be considered
as resting on three factors, including collaboration,
evocation, and autonomy. In MI the counselor
and the client collaborate with each other in
a spirit of love and equality, in which a partnerlike
relationship is established. The counselor
does exploration rather than exhortation, supporting
the client rather than persuading or arguing
with the client. In the sense of evocation, it is
believed that resources and motivation of change
reside within the client. By drawing on a clientâ€™s
own perceptions, goals, and values, normal
ambivalence about changing or not is addressed,
while intrinsic motivation for change is tapped
and enhanced. Motivation is not imparted or
installed but elicited and evoked from within the
person and his or her mind and spirit. Out of the
spirit of autonomy the client is encouraged to
Motivational Interviewing: Applications to
Christian Therapy and Church Ministry
John E. Martin and Eunhyang Priscilla Sihn
Graduate School of Psychology
Fuller Theological Seminary
Helping people change may be considered the
primary goal not only of Christian psychology
practice, but also of Christian ministries as well.
Motivational interviewing (MI) (Miller & Rollnick,
1991, 2002) is an increasingly empirically supported
approach to motivating and helping people
change (Hettema, Steele, & Miller, 2005), for
the treatment of psychological disorders
(Arkowitz, Westra, Miller, & Rollnick, 2008), and
health risk prevention and intervention (Rollnick,
Miller & Butler, 2008). Because of MIâ€™s usefulness
in facilitating behavior change across a variety of
problem and population areas, and due to its
incorporation of what appear to be biblicallysound
spiritual concepts and approaches, it may
be particularly suitable for application to Christian
therapy and church ministry as a whole.
Spiritual integration: From BT to CBT to MI
Approximately 25 years ago, in collaboration
with W.R. Miller, I (jm) put together and chaired
a symposium at the national convention of the
Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy
(AABT; now: Association for Behavioral and
Cognitive Therapies, ABCT) on integrating behavioral
and spiritual approaches to change (Martin,
1984). This groundbreaking (for behavior therapists,
that is) symposium was followed by an
edited book based on its individual papers and
discussion (Miller & Martin, 1988). While behavioral
and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
approaches to helping people change have been
promoted for Christian therapists and pastors for
some time (Miller & Jackson, 1996), they have
also been critiqued from a Christian perspective
(Jones & Buttman, 1991). Conversely, Tan (Tan &
RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE
The authors wish to express their appreciation to Siang-
Yang Tan, Ph.D. and Scott Walters, Ph.D. for their reading
of a previous version of the manuscript and their
helpful editorial comments and suggestions. Please
address correspondence to: John E. Martin, Ph.D., Professor
of Psychology, Graduate School of Psychology,
Fuller Theological Seminary, 180 North Oakland Ave,
Pasadena, CA 91101. (jmartin@fuller.edu).
take responsibility for making choices and
changes. Thus, change arises within the person
rather than from extrinsic motivators. The counselor
affirms the right and capacity of the client
for self-direction and facilitates informed choices.
The Spirit of MI in Christian Ministry
While MI has a strong relationship to spirituality
in general, it would appear to reflect at least in
some respects a more specific association with
certain Christian spiritual concepts. For example,
Miller (2000) has noted the critical role of the
Christian concept of agape love in the change
process, as related to the active MI component of
expressed empathy (Miller & Rollnick, 2002). Similarly,
Yahne and Miller (1999) have discussed the
biblically consistent concept of â€œhopeâ€ in relation
to motivation and change.
Miller (2000) has reviewed the effects of motivational
interviewing and compared them with
behavioral self-control training and Christian spirituality.
He noted that even one brief session of
motivational interviewing could bring about significantly
positive outcomes. He concluded that it
was a deeper form of empathy, or agape, of the
therapist which triggered the change in clients.
This form of â€˜motivational agape loveâ€™ is well
illustrated in the apostle Paulâ€™s classic love letter
to the Corinthians in 1 Cor 13.
Finally, Miller and Câ€™de Baca (2001) have also
shown the parallel between sudden, profound life
change in individuals and what has been
described as spiritual and religious motivational
epiphanies and processes in their lives. Yet, MI
has not been specifically addressed or empirically
tested as a Christian approach to therapy, personal
change or in application to Christian ministries
beyond Miller and Jacksonâ€™s Practical Psychology
for Pastors (1996).
Research on Motivational Interviewing and
Christianity/Ministry
But what does the literature say? To determine
if there are any studies or writings on MI and
Christian therapy and church ministries, studies
on MI were searched through the PsycINFO
database. A total of 760 articles on MI were
found. Yet, when the search combined â€œmotivational
interviewingâ€ with key words such as Christianity,
ministry, and spirituality, only 4 citations
could be found.
In the most recent study, Miller, Forcehimes,
Oâ€™Leary, and LaNoue (2008) evaluated the additive
efficacy of spiritual guidance for addiction
treatment. A specific form of manualized spiritual
counseling was designed and integrated with MI.
It was discovered that there were relatively small
changes in spirituality and that there was a correlation
between the number of spiritual guidance
sessions and a differential gain in percent days
abstinent from opiates. Nevertheless, in both studies,
negative overall results question the efficacy
of attempting to manualize and accelerate spiritual
processes and enlist important changes in addictive
behavior.
The Christian church setting has also been used
in which MI was employed as at least part of the
intervention. In a series of studies in African-American
church settings, Resnicow et al. (2002, 2005)
employed MI to promote healthy nutrition and
physical activity, although it was not directly about
MI and Christianity per se. They reported the clear
additive effect of the MI in modifying dietary
habits, while the effect of MI on physical activity
did not seem so clear (Resnicow et al., 2005).
Two other articles are relevant in addressing
the spirit and approach of MI and Christianity.
Walters and Delaney (2001) point out that therapist
factors suggestive of motivational interviewing
characteristics are very powerful in bringing
about client change. For example, â€˜accurate
empathyâ€™ may be redefined in spiritual terms as
possibly agape (Miller, 2000). When exhibited by
therapists, this agape-type empathy can make a
significant difference in client progress, and problem
behavior outcomes, especially in terms of
spiritual development. Even the core values in
their life changed after such deeply spiritual, positive
experiences with the therapist (Walters &
Delaney, 2001).
Finally, Yahne and Miller (1999) have pointed
out the importance of evoking another key spiritual
experience, hope, from clients in the course of
psychotherapy. According to them, â€œEvoking hope
has to do with helping clients discover that there
is more to them than they currently realizeâ€
(Yahne & Miller, 1999, p. 226). Here meet the spirit
of MI (evocation) and the biblical virtue (hope)
together. This task is not about installing hope but
about â€œevoking it, calling it from the clientâ€™s own
rich resourcesâ€ (Yahne & Miller, 1999, p. 229).
Interestingly, no studies or articles were found
discussing or directly relating MI to Christianity,
Christian ministries or even pastoral counseling.
We hope in this article, therefore, to address this
potentially important and useful application to
Christian life and purposes of one of the more
empirically supported, effective methods of brief
intervention.
72 RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE
Motivational Interviewing
MI is a brief counseling approach to motivating
and helping people change. It has been
defined as a person-centered, directive
approach to enhancing oneâ€™s internal motivation
through addressing, processing and resolving
ambivalence about whether, how and when to
change (Miller & Rollnick, 2002). Its primary
principles for helping others be motivated and
committed to changing consist of four core components:
(1) expressing empathy for the individual
(through active listening and accurate
reflections); (2) developing discrepancy for the
status quo (not changing); (3) rolling with resistance
to change (not arguing for change or pressuring
the person in any way); and (4)
supporting/ affirming self-efficacy, or the sense
that the individual could indeed change if/when
he or she decided to.
The communication style and process of MI rest
on the foundations of Rogerian client-centered
therapy, while incorporating directive motivational
communication strategies. As a part of that
basic process, the MI practitioner is taught to
keep his or her â€œoarsâ€ rowing gently, and
throughout the process and methods of MI, in the
waters of change, so to speak. These common
OARS include: (a) asking mainly Open-ended
questions (â€œtell me about â€¦â€ â€œwhat else?â€) to give
wide latitude and respect for what the client has
to say and think; (b) giving personal Affirmations
or â€œblessingsâ€ that express valuing and worth of
the individual, and understanding and accepting;
and (c) gently guiding the person through the differential
and strategic use of regular and accurate
empathic Reflections, and (d) reflective Summaries.
A type of motivational empowerment is
created when the person hears back what he or
she is saying about him or herself and/or a problem
area of their lifeâ€”listening to oneâ€™s own
â€˜storyâ€™ as told by another using his or her words
in a strategic fashion.
In general, up to three-quarters of the motivational
counselorâ€™s time may be devoted to building
motivation for change. This is termed Phase I.
Next, Phase II consists of strengthening commitment
for change and maintenance of change, following
the decision to change. Bridging the
critical gap between the two phases of effective
motivation for change is the transitional phase.
The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous calls this
a â€œturning point.â€ In the Christian world, this has
been described as coming to repentanceâ€”turning
about and going in the opposite direction.
In MI, counselors are specially trained to discern
when the individual is ready for commitment
for change, at a decision point in his or her life.
Readiness for transition to Phase II is observed
when the counselor/interviewer sees that the
signs of resistance to change (e.g. arguing, withdrawing,
disagreeing, avoiding change talk) are
no longer present, or greatly reduced, and at the
same time that signs of readiness for change are
more apparent (e.g. asking questions about
change, spontaneous talk about changing, nonverbal
resolve/quietness, etc.). At this pointâ€”
which may even be in the first session with the
individualâ€”a directed summary is conducted by
the counselor of the interaction, in the clientâ€™s or
personâ€™s words, and stressing reasons for change.
Building motivation for change of Phase I, and
the consolidating motivational summary, is followed
immediately by the key question. This critical
question nudges the person gently in the
direction of making a decision for and possible
commitment to change. Some possible alternative
key questions include: â€œSo what now? Given what
we have talked about, what do you think you need
to do now? Where does this leave you? Whatâ€™s the
next step for you? What if anything do you think
youâ€™d like to do now?â€ and so on.
Once the individual indicates interest or willingness
in doing something or changing, then a
problem-solving strategy and change plan can be
invoked, negotiated and activated as appropriate
and desired.
Importantly, the motivational interviewer does
not address or talk about change, or need for
change, until signs of readiness for change are
clearly observed, and resistance against change
are no longer apparent. Otherwise, individuals
will likely increase their resistance to any and all
efforts to talk about the need for change and how
change needs to happenâ€”e.g. giving them scripture
of what is wrong with them and how they
are commanded to change. In contrast, MI has
been described as a â€˜way of being withâ€™ a person,
using â€˜gentle guidanceâ€™ but never pressure, shame
or threats (Miller & Rollnick, 2002)â€”the latter
which can often backfire into more entrenched
resistance against change.
MI Methods and Exercises
A brief listing of some of the specific methods
and exercises of MI includes: 1) Developing Discrepancy
and Eliciting Change Talk: 2) Rolling
with Resistance; and 3) Supporting Self-Efficacy.
The following section provides a basic, albeit
RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE 73
incomplete, discussion and some illustration of
how the MI style might be employed:
1. Developing discrepancy/eliciting change
talk. We know that people consider changing
when the reasons for change outweigh the reasons
for staying the same. This may occur particularly
when a person begins talking about why and
how he might and should change. The counselor
or pastor might select several approaches that
could help nudge or gently guide the individual in
a direction away from being â€œstuckâ€ in an ambivalent
state, including the decisional balance. A
briefer way to tip the balance toward change,
heighten discrepancy and possibly elicit change
talk, is the good things/not so good things about
not changing question (emphasizing the latter, to
tip the balance toward change).
Another very useful strategy, with special application
in Christian therapy, is the values clarification
exercise. Here the client or individual is
asked to come up with and order his or her top 5
or 10 personal core values (e.g., family, church,
health, loving God, job success, etc.), or to select
from a values card-sort (see htttp://casaa.unm.edu
for a free download of the values card-sort). The
individual is then asked to assess whether a certain
problem or change possibility area, such as
drinking or marital conflict, either enhances or
potentially harms that life value. Discussion of
these results may then help to build further discrepancy
for remaining with the status quo, as
well as for eliciting talk about change. Particularly
useful in the Christian or spiritual context, is to
add a second core value list of Godâ€™s values for
the person or couple, for further and perhaps
more potent motivational contrast and comparison
(S.Walters, personal communication, 2000).
We also know that many individuals first imagine
or envision what change would look and feel
like before they might experiment with action and
change. One way to prompt this â€˜motivational
envisioningâ€™ is to ask the hypothetical questions
of: â€œWhat if you were to decide to make this
change. What would your life look like in say, a
year or 5 years? What would be the best case scenario?
What would be the worst case scenario if
you decided not to change?
2. Rolling with Resistance. In every communication
opportunity there is resistance. Sometimes
referred to as â€œdenial,â€ in which the person
rejects or argues with efforts to change her mind
about a thing, we now believe that this is merely
normal resistance to pressure to change thinking
and/or behavior. There are several motivationally
consistent approaches to dealing indirectly with
resistance, including emphasizing personal freedom
and choice (â€œonly you can decide whether to
do anything about thisâ€) and affirming the individualâ€™s
personal autonomy and freedom to
choose. Other methods of dealing with resistance
include reframing the issue in less problematic
ways. Shifting focus, or changing the subject, is an
additional way of meeting resistance. When the
interaction has reached a resistant â€œdead-end,â€
one of the best ways to get back on track without
offending the individual with an abrupt change of
subject is to summarize what he or she is saying.
This is followed immediately by an open-ended
question, shifting focus to a more relevant topic
(e.g. â€œso you feel this and that â€¦ about â€¦ Now,
would it be OK if you told me more about...?â€).
Two intriguing approaches to meeting resistance,
which would not be considered MI per se,
may otherwise be useful when meeting higher
levels of resistance. These somewhat paradoxical
exercises would seem almost counterintuitive, and
do not come without risk. First, is to argue
against change in some way (e.g., â€œmaybe this is
something that you will never do, or is not really
worth doingâ€) to invite, in a way, the person to
resist the push away and come back in the opposite
direction, toward the counselor (e.g., â€œI donâ€™t
know. Maybe it could be worth doing some
timeâ€¦â€). Itâ€™s like giving the person a sort of a
gentle nudge away from the positive change
direction to tempt him to push back in your direction,
the direction of desirable change.
Second, the reverse debate exercise is a motivational
challenge procedure that can elicit change
talk while addressing higher levels of resistance.
In this exercise, the counselor or pastor also
â€˜takes the negativeâ€™ or argues for not changing.
But in this case the individual is asked to participate
in a debate or â€˜argumentâ€™â€”that is, arguing
for change, while the counselor or pastor (who
has already discussed the individualâ€™s resistances
and reasons for not changing the problem behavior
or lifestyle choices) argues against change.
This role play can be used in a one-to-one counseling
session, or in a group setting, where it can
be an especially lively and even fun exercise. The
counselor makes a strong case and encourages
the client to make an equally strong case for the
opposite. Either with an individual or group (see
Walters, Ogle & Martin, 2002, for a discussion of
MI in group settings), the motivational interviewer
hopes to evoke positive change talk from the perspective
and words of those to be influenced for
74 RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE
change. The point is: Itâ€™s hard to argue against
yourself, and even more difficult to have resistance
against what you say.
3. Supporting/Enhancing Self-Efficacy. Helping
the person to believe that change is possible, if
not that he or she can change upon deciding to, is
a critical phase in the process of MI. This sense of
self-efficacy, or ability to do something successfully,
is key to whether any attempt will be made.
There are several MI approaches that can enhance
a personâ€™s self-efficacy about change, but perhaps
one of the best brief strategies is that of importance/
confidence ratings.
The importance/confidence rating may be an
especially useful exercise when time is more limited,
to bolster personal self-efficacy as well as to
produce change talk and personal change
empowerment. Individuals are asked to rate the
importance of and then their confidence in changing
on a 1 to 10 scale. This is followed by asking
the individual for positive reasons for why a particular
area of change is important and then why
he or she could be confident in making the
change after deciding (including reflections and
summaries of the responses). Finally, to determine
what help might be needed, any rating less
than 7 would be followed by the question: â€œWhat
would it take to be a 7 or an 8 (avoiding the â€˜perfect
10â€™)/what would have to happen to have it
reach a 7 or 8?
Transition from Building Motivation
to Action Commitment
The motivational interviewer can transition to
Phase II with a summary and key question once
he or she sees that the individual shows signs of
readiness for change, little or no signs of resistance
to change, and/or spontaneous change and
commitment talk.
Change Plan. At this point a change plan may
be informally discussed, or more formally negotiated
and developed. In this step, reasons for
changing are reviewed and discussed once
again, the specific change desired is defined,
along with a detailing of the barriers to avoid
and resources to employ in the planned change
process. Also included should be when the plan
will start and what is the time-line for evaluating
results. Thus, the change plan can either be an
unwritten and gradual process engaged by the
individual with gentle guidance from the MI
practitioner, or formally written, like a contract,
with copies going to the individual and the interviewer/
counselor.
MI and Jesus
While Jesus used many contrasting methods of
communicating with and motivating people in the
gospels, one example suggestive of motivational
interviewing is his conversation with the Samaritan
woman (John 4: 1-26). It is not hard to see
that Jesus showed deep, loving acceptance and
empathy for this woman throughout their conversation.
His attitude was respectful and non-judgmental
even when he was talking about her
previous husbands. This experience of acceptance
(agape love) empowered her to engage more
with him and to see herself. Then, Jesus developed
discrepancy by noting the high values in
her lifeâ€”ancestor Jacob, worshipping the one
true God, a well of continuous life-giving water,
and eternal lifeâ€”and then changed the topic to
her husband(s)â€”her shameful reality and problem.
She was gently influenced to see for herself
the discrepancy between her life predicament and
her core values and goals. Yet, she was ambivalent
about change, and probably believed she
could not change even if she wanted to. That
seemed to be why she changed the topic into the
place of worship. Jesus did not argue with her.
Instead, he rolled with her resistance or defensiveness.
He maintained a respectful attitude
toward her; he invited her to see the new perspective
of life, not imposing or forcing his higher
perspective. He supported her self-efficacy and
enhanced her confidence in her own capability to
cope with her problems and to make a commitment
to change. He eventually encouraged her to
turn to him as the Messiah or Savior.
Do No Harm: Non-Motivational
Communication Habits, Snares and Traps
Finally, a critical part of training in MI is learning
what not to do, how not to motivate for
change. Miller and Rollnick (2002) and MI training
overall address a number of potentially problematic
communication patterns and habits â€“ that
may have been modeled and taught in a variety
of educational and training institutions, including
the church. What MI is not is also important to
keep in mind. Regrettably, and somewhat problematically,
MI has been falsely conceptualized,
attributed to or practiced, as merely a form of
the transtheoretical stages of change model, CBT,
or even â€œa way of tricking people into doing
what you want them to do!â€ (Miller & Rollnick,
in press).
Many, if not most, MI trainers such as myself
(jm) spend considerable time addressing a
RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE 75
number of these potentially ineffective and
often counterproductive communication styles.
Before â€˜training inâ€™ those more empirically supported
motivational styles and strategies consistent
with MI, it is important to attempt to bring
to awareness, and begin to â€˜train outâ€™ as many
communication barriers and roadblocks, traps
and snares as possible. These non- or countermotivational
communication patterns could be
apparent in counselors and ministry workers
who may be unaware of them and therefore
unconsciously and habitually practice. These
barriers to motivation can include arguing prematurely
or too forcefully for change, excessive
questioning of or warning the client, or talking
down to the individual from a position as an
expert or authority. All of these motivational
â€˜errorsâ€™ can evoke an opposite, reciprocal reactance
effect in the person who feels pushed
and is quite naturally resisting the experience of
being pressured into change. Ironically, these
understandable, and well-meaning efforts to
help a person change may actually push the
individual away from the very direction desired
or which might be best for him or her. The
reader is referred to Miller and Rollnick (2002)
for a more complete discussion of those basic
communication styles opposing as well as associated
with motivation.
MI in Christian Ministry:
Some Concluding Thoughts
In all forms and practices of Christian ministry,
effective communication and motivation
are crucial. As such, might MI play a potentially
important role in the training and effective practice
of pastoral counseling, Christian ministry
and discipleship, as well as in training others in
adhering to the various spiritual disciplines (e.g.,
Foster, 1978)? Further, could Bible study and
even evangelism training approaches, as well as
preaching/teaching and prayer methods, benefit
from MI training and practice? This remains to
be seen, and perhaps evaluated systematically in
the future.
Nevertheless, the MI approach and method
might be of real value in enhancing the effectiveness
of Christian therapy as well as specific
church ministriesâ€”limited only by the level of
training and expertise of the practitioner. Indeed,
doing more good, or at least less harm, depends
on more than oneâ€™s heartfelt, positive motive, or
sheer determination to help.
MI may be an extremely helpful approach to
helping people to come out of their spiritual and
lifestyle ambivalence, to make a decision and
commitment to change direction, perhaps to seek
God and Truth. Competent and effective employment
of one of the most empirically supported
forms of brief communication styles may not only
be desirable but perhaps warranted considering
the ultimate, profound eternal significance of a
decision for Christ.
Another area of Christian ministry functioning
that may potentially benefit from MI approaches
and training is the mercy and helps ministries.
The MI communication style stimulates the practitioner
to engage others in highly empathic and
loving fashion, while also knowing how to deal
with normal human resistances in our therapeutic
and organizational environments. MI can provide
critically-timed, strategic guidance of the
most needy individuals into and through the
positive personal change process (e.g. not just
giving them a fish; but motivating them to learn
how to fish).
Finally, while it may be seen as an encroachment
of sorts into the â€˜protectedâ€™ religious activities
of Christian teaching, preaching, exhortation
and even mutual prayer, MI may hold special
promise for the effective promotion of those functions
and goals as well. For example, I (jm) have
found myself using motivational reflections and
summaries, and even the key question, when I
pray for another while they are listening alongside.
I try to use not only reflections but also affirmations
and summaries, and may even include a
recognition of the individualâ€™s readiness or relative
resistance to change, adding when possible a
key question.
It is believed that motivational interviewing
strategies discussed and illustrated in this article
could be effectively employed by a well-trained
Christian counselor, pastor or minister across a
variety of ministry responsibilities, settings and
problem areas. But training in MI to competence
levels takes time and hard work. We refer the
reader to the excellent text by Miller and Rollnick
(2002) for a thorough presentation of the style,
approach and methods of motivational interviewing,
to the recent book on MI in healthcare by
Rollnick, Miller and Butler (2008), and the very
informative and helpful resource website for MI
(http://ping.fm/XQOZC), which provides
information on the MI training video/DVD series,
as well as the schedule of training workshops
available around the world.
76 RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE
References
Arkowitz, H., Westra, H.A., Miller, W.R., & Rollnick, S.
(Eds.). (2008). Motivational interviewing in the treatment
of psychological disorders. New York: Guilford Press.
Foster, R. (1978). Celebration of discipline. New York:
Harper & Row.
Hayes, S. C. (2004). Acceptance and commitment
therapy and new behavior therapies: Mindfulness,
acceptance, and relationship. In S.C. Hayes, M.V. Follette,
& M.M. Linehan (Eds.), Mindfulness and acceptance:
Expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition
(pp. 1-29). New York: Guilford Press.
Hettema, J., Steele, J., & Miller, W. R. (2005). Motivational
interviewing. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology,
1, 91-111.
Jones, S., & Butman, R. (1991). Modern psychotherapies:
A comprehensive Christian critique. Downers
Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press.
Linehan, M. M. (1993). Skills training manual for
treating borderline personality disorder. New York: Guilford
Press.
Martin, J. E. (1984). Integrating spiritual and behavioral
approaches to change. Symposium presented before the
national convention of the Association for Advancement
of Behavior Therapy, April, Philadelphia, PA.
McMinn, M. R., & Campbell, C. D. (2007). Integrative
psychotherapy: Toward a comprehensive Christian
approach. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity.
Miller, W. R. (2000). Rediscovering fire: Small interventions,
large effects. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors,
14 (1), 6-18.
Miller, W. R., & Martin, J. E. (Eds.) (1988). Behavior
therapy and religion: Integrating spiritual and behavioral
approaches to change. Woodland Hills, CA: Sage
Press.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (1991). Motivational interviewing:
Preparing people to change addictive behavior.
New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2002). Motivational interviewing:
Preparing people for change (2nd ed.). New
York: Guilford Press.
Miller, W. R., & Jackson, K. (1996). Practical psychology
for pastors. New York: Wiley.
Miller, W. R., Forcehimes, A., Oâ€™Leary, M.J., & LaNoue,
M.D. (2008). Spiritual direction in addiction treatment:
Two clinical trials. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment,
35, 434â€“442.
Miller, W. R., & Câ€™de Baca, J. (2001). Quantum
change: When epiphanies and sudden insights transform
ordinary lives. New York: Guilford Press.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (in press). Ten things MI is
not. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy.
Resnicow, K., Jackson, A., Braithwaite, R., Dilorio,
C., Blisset, D., Rahotep, S., & Periasamy, S. (2002).
Healthy body/healthy spirit: A church-based nutrition
and physical activity intervention. Health Education
Research, 17, 562-573.
Resnicow, K., Jackson, A., Blissett, D., Wang, T.,
McCarty F., Rahotep, S., & Periasamy, S. (2005). Results
of the Healthy Body Healthy Spirit Trial. Health Psychology,
24, 339-348.
Rollnick, S., Miller, W. R., & Butler, C. (2008). Motivational
interviewing in health care. New York: Guilford
Press.
Stevenson, D. H., Eck, B. E., & Hill, P. C. (2007).
Psychology & Christianity integration: Seminal
works that shaped the movement. Batavia, IL.: CAPS
International.
Tan, S.Y. (2006). Full service: Moving from self-serve
Christianity to total servanthood. Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker.
Tan, S. Y. (2007). Use of prayer and scripture in cognitive-
behavioral therapy. Journal of Psychology and
Christianity, 26, 101-111.
Tan, S. Y., & Johnson, W. B. (2005). Spiritually oriented
cognitive-behavioral therapy. In L. Sperry, & E.P.
Shafranske (Eds.), Spiritually oriented psychotherapy
(pp. 77-103). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological
Association.
Walters, S. T. (2000). Personal communication. San
Diego, CA.
Walters, S. T., & Delaney, H. D. (2001). Addiction
and health: A (not so) new heuristic for change. Journal
of Psychology and Christianity, 20, 240-249.
Walters, S. T., Ogle, R., & Martin, J. E. (2002). The
perils and possibilities of a group-based M.I. In W. R.
Miller & S. Rollnick (Eds.). Motivational interviewing:
Preparing people for change (2nd ed.) (pp. 377-390).
New York: Guilford Press.
Yahne, C. E., & Miller, W. R. (1999). Evoking hope.
In W. R. Miller (Ed.), Integrating spirituality into treatment:
Resources for practitioners (pp.217-233). Washington
DC: American Psychological Association.
Authors
John E. Martin, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology at the
Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary
in Pasadena, California, USA.
Eunhyang Priscilla Sihn, M.A., M.Div, is a graduate
student in the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology at
the Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological
Seminary in Pasadena, California, USA.
RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE 77

2010-06-18T20:37:00.001-07:00

Second Chances:
Do They Work?

Some years ago a friend of mine visited the Soviet Union (Russia, actually) back before the â€œwallâ€ was torn down (by people on both sides who had had enough of that, and who either knew freedom or had a taste of it and wanted more). He happened to have a good deal of experience in treating addictions, especially alcoholism, and was interested in what treatments for alcoholism there were in Russia, and how did they work. So he asked to visit an alcoholism treatment center. Seemed a pretty reasonable request. But he was told (I think with some irritation) there was no treatment for chronic alcoholism. Nothing worked. They just locked them up when they became too unruly or problematic to their society. They hid them away since they didnâ€™t know what else to do with them. What else could they do?

So my friend was directed to a group of Russian psychologists and psychiatrists and physicians, who were frankly shocked (and incredulous) to hear that in the U.S. and other western countries, there were many types of treatment and recovery programs â€“ many of them effective in helping the alcoholics to regain their lives. These Russian â€œspecialistsâ€ didnâ€™t believe in second chances. Why try, they reasoned, if nothing worked. Save your money, time and energy.

But things have changed, no doubt, in Russia these days, including giving her people this kind of second chance. Itâ€™s a good thing, no?

Not everyone believes in second chances. Kind of like â€œsudden deathâ€ in a sports overtime contest, or whatâ€™s known as â€˜single elimination.â€™ One loss, fall or slip and youâ€™re out. Sort of a: â€œIf at first you donâ€™t succeed, donâ€™t try againâ€ (OK, I changed that old saying a bit).

Isnâ€™t it nice that most of us are given second chances at most things in life. We fail at something, we get knocked down, we can get back up. Not that everyone does get back up. Some donâ€™t. Sad. This has a lot to do with personal beliefs about oneâ€™s abilities with respect to the circumstancesâ€¦and hope for the future. Did you know that hopelessness about the future is one of the most critical â€˜red flagâ€™ risks psychologists and counselors look for in those who may be at risk for suicide? It is. When someone loses hope, he or she does not believe in that second chance. And what about those of us who have had many second chances â€“ either over the same issue (such as multiple marriages and relationships), or different issues? Is there such a thing as ongoing second chances? Is there a plentiful supply of second chances in life that never runs out, or do each of us have a quota that once we reach it, there is no more chance to overcome, or succeed.

Life provides multiple examples, in a free society such as most of us live in, for an infinite supply of second chance. I once owned a boat that I named â€œSecond Chanceâ€ after my own second, second, second chance in life happiness and fulfillment. To this day, there continues to be evidence that it might even be a single, ongoing, never-ending process of second chance. Itâ€™s like I can never use up my potential to pick myself up and try, try again. And there are many people around me â€“ unquenchable resources, helpful encouragers available to my life - that are brought across my life path, or can be tapped by me when I reach various levels of deprivation and desperateness.

Many forms of counseling, psychotherapy and intervention have been developed and found helpful with a variety of clinical conditions such as anxiety and depression, addictions and life breakdowns. But what of those of us whoâ€™s lives are not in some major pathological state of need, but for whom life has become or is not so satisfying or fulfilling. We are at catch-points, perhaps stuck at some crossroads in life and we donâ€™t know what to do or which way to go. There was an old song by Patty Page that described it: â€œIs that all there is (to life)?â€ Weâ€™re held up at the â€œwhatâ€™s nextâ€ 4-way stop.

A new program called Path2Success4Me.com was developed to especially provide that life analysis and motivational path to personal fulfillment and success. It takes a person from the discovery step of whatâ€™s most and least important in life (which only the individual can decide), through to the change process, including accountability to others. You donâ€™t have to wait for things to get really bad, or even hopeless. You can begin this life re-direction, and purpose focus early rather than later, now rather than tomorrow. Think about it: tomorrow never comes, does it? (there is a fish restaurant never where I live that keeps a sign up outside, every day: â€œFree Fish Tacos Tomorrow.â€ Sounds pretty good. Except tomorrow the sign is still up. Tomorrowâ€™s not here yet.

Check it out today. And remember the old Fram oil filter commercial saying that you can see me now (change your filter now) or you can see me later (change it sometime in the future) but itâ€™s going go be a lot more expensive later. I like that.
P2Success4Me.com may be like doing life maintenance today, not waiting for some harsher tomorrow. And donâ€™t wait for God to send a whale. That can be pretty stinky.

2010-05-22T13:54:00.001-07:00

Social Media Guru Dan Hinkle endorses WorldClassID social media marketing on The Wellness Hour with Randy Alvarez http://ping.fm/Px5J9

2010-05-16T17:25:00.001-07:00

Announcing the Results of the 2010 Independent Publisher Book Awards Medalists will be honored at a gala awards ceremony in New York on May 25th - CATEGORY: Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction
Silver (tie): Ballad, by Maggie Stiefvater (Flux) and Return to Treasure Island, by John O’Melveny Woods (Intellect Publishing LLC). http://ping.fm/7cyOI

2010-05-15T06:47:00.001-07:00

Objectives are not being accomplished. Frustration and or desire for change may encourage a search for alternative solutions. The adult may not have a clear view of their destination in life. By having a course of action they believed in, they would be encouraged to follow it. But the plan, if there is one, is in disarray and the adult lacks accountability to following it. Since the plan is in-effective or there is none, the adult just fills their day with sameness hoping for a change that never comes. They feel rudderless. While they may be fun on the outside, they are desperate internally. They really want a solution to their frustration with life. To schedule a consultation appointment, call Path 2 Success 4 Me in Encinitas CA at 760-415-7911. http://ping.fm/1eKek

2010-05-15T06:44:00.001-07:00

Path To Success is a safe process that enables a person to understand their potential by finding out who they are and providing them a process to develop their attributes into self worth and self confidence. This permits them to begin achieving objectives outside of their previous scope. This process embodies positive encouragement and accountability and enables participants to build a daily checklist to manage their life the way they want it to be fulfilled.

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2010-05-15T06:42:00.001-07:00

Pathway to success encourages people to discover their purpose in life while helping them learn tools and skills to achieve their destiny. http://ping.fm/NPIKo

2010-05-15T06:41:00.001-07:00

Discover Your Pathway to Success in Life http://ping.fm/6jvw5

2010-05-14T16:16:00.001-07:00

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

2010-04-22T16:38:00.001-07:00

FREE TRAINING SEMINAR - HOW TO USE AUTOMATED SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING http://ping.fm/eko5t

2010-04-17T15:43:00.001-07:00

Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way. - Ronald Reagan

2010-04-17T12:00:00.001-07:00

When Decisions are Hard to Make !

Why is it so hard to make a decision? Many of us dawdle when it comes to making one, especially a tough decision. We seem to do pretty well being able to decide if we look better in blue or red. But when it comes to questions that begin with “what should I do about…” we duck, bob, and weave into a “no decision” syndrome.

Lots of times we sneak around to avoid making decisions. But when we are placed in a crisis where a good decision must be made, here is what seems to happen:

1. We get Cranky
2. Nothing goes well
3. Food becomes tasteless
4. Anxiety increases
5. The “What should I do about…” gnaws away at your insides and you feel terrible.

Couldn’t we have learned how to resolve this decision making process in high school? It would have been a lot easier than learning about math, English, history and science.

The good news is a simple solution that I will teach you. But first let’s examine what is going on and why making a good decision is so difficult. Here are some key points:

A. We don’t want to screw up and make a wrong decision.
B. We know that when we avoid a decision that the problem sometimes goes away and we hope that will happen this time.
C. Our decision may affect someone else and we don’t want to hurt another or cause them to think less of us. We really don’t want to disappoint someone or have them crying on our shoulder or otherwise messing up our day.
D. Making a decision is a lot of work. We may not want to put forth the effort or energy to muscle through the problem.
E. A Google search for “How to make decision easy” showed 78 million results. After checking the entire first page of results, not one of the selections made decision making simple, regardless of what their website indicated.
F. Once a decision has been made…we feel terrific, all the worry and horribleness goes away. It is amazing the powerful feeling of RELIEF that overtakes the whole body.

To sum up our trouble in the decision making process, it appears we are hesitant - we hope the problem vanishes on its own - we have become excellent procrastinators (probably because we don’t want to hurt another or have them think less of us) - and/or the effort to make a decision seems too much to deal with. And the best one is that once a decision point is reached the pain leading up to the decision is relieved!

Let me tell you a secret. Years ago a friend fell in love and married the love of their life. It was wonderful. Here is the zit…after 3 years they both were miserable in their relationship. Their dream became a nightmare. Nothing had changed yet everything had changed as they experienced physical evidence of their struggles thru headaches, stomach cramps, and insomnia. They felt hopeless. A decision had to be made.

Once they realized that life did not have to be that way, they sought help in making a decision. They also wanted encouragement to make the right decisions. They found the solution in the next paragraph…maybe you will to.

Benjamin Franklin is an amazing man. He is probably America’s most famous inventor. Ben did something that offers inspiration, which you can read about in his very own diary called “Poor Richards Almanac.” Ben had difficulty making decisions, just like us. His solution took away all stress, worry and grief. It is called the “Ben Franklin Balance Sheet” and here is how it works:

1. Find a clean sheet of lined paper.
2. 1 inch from the top of the page draw a line across from left side of the page to right side.
3. Draw a line from the top of the page to the bottom of the page down the middle.
4. Above the top line on the left side write the word “FOR”.
5. Above the top line on the right side write the word “AGAINST.”
6. Under “FOR” write down all the things that favor your decision.
7. Under “AGAINST” write down all the things not in favor of your decision.
8. Total the number of items on each side and write that number above the appropriate column.
9. Circle the larger number…the winner has the most number of items.

Pretty simple isn’t it. If Ben did it, so can you.

Now if this is just too simple for you and you want to put more effort into the decision, or just look at it from another way, please add this to the list you just made:

• Under the “FOR” column label each item either A, B, or C. An “A” is a really important item. “B” items are less important that an “A”, but still important; all others, please label “C”.
• Go to your “AGAINST” column and do the same exercise so that you end up with an A, B or C beside each item.
• Now add up the “A’s” under the “FOR” and “AGAINST” columns and write those totals down…the winner should be pretty obvious.

So go ahead, make your decision, don’t agonize over it…get used to feeling good! Rejoice in that you were able to step up to the plate and resolve a pressing issue. You will feel much better and so will those around you. Let everyone know you used the wisdom of America’s Favorite inventor, Benjamin Franklin…they will be impressed and you will too.

Dave Thorpe helps people make good decisions. Please check out www.path2success4me.com for solutions to your pressing issues. Or give Dave a call at: 760-415-7911

2010-04-17T11:52:00.001-07:00

The Contract from America serves as a clarion call for those who recognize the importance of free market principles, limited government, and individual liberty. Check out http://ping.fm/iR0GY

2010-04-13T17:21:00.001-07:00

Dear Family & Friends,
Do you know what the longest word is in the dictionary? It’s “Smiles”…because there’s a ‘mile’ between the two s’. So why is that important? Well…a small group of friends and I have set a fundraising goal to secure 330 smiles!!! Yes…smiles!!! …and our benefactors are 330 children born with cleft palate and facial deformities.
These children will gain this life-changing gift from Smile Train – a 501 (c) (3) non-profit Organization – an organization that is dedicated to changing children’s lives one smile at a time.

Through Smile Train’s organizational where-with-all, $250.00 is all that is required for corrective surgery that will provide a lifetime of smiles. It is a program that not only touches the lives of the individual child, but all those whose lives are touched by that child - the ripple effect is undeniable and powerful.
The Smile Train is an American charity devoted to providing free cleft palate/craniofacial reconstructive surgery to children in 76 developing countries around the world. Their work in third world countries is amazing and what they accomplish for the price of $250 for a child, their family, their status in their community (no longer will they be outcasts in their communities), their future (no longer one of shame and isolation) and their sense of self esteem is well beyond the cost of $250 per child.

Our source of motivation comes from the 2009 Oscar winning Documentary "Smile Pinki". This documentary chronicles a captivating story of a poor little girl in rural India who lives in desperation as she is ostracized by her village and not allowed to attend school because of her cleft lip. With the assistance of the Smile Train, Pinki's life is magically transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. It is an amazing documentary and a story I believe we all can relate to - imagine if we didn't have the smiles we were born with, how different the world would treat us......hence our motivation to work with Smile Train.
http://ping.fm/kkcGi (Smile Pinki YouTube posting) Any donation, large or small, is a valuable contribution to one child at a time. With this said, I am requesting that you consider the ripple effect of repairing one such cleft......Imagine having the impact on 330 lives and more when we consider all those that they love as well for a target goal of $250 per smile.
Now that is a Legacy!! Here is the donation link, direct to Smile Train that will track our project funds for our "Smiles 4 Miles" donation campaign.
http://ping.fm/1j13d
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
David M. McGuigan
Vice President
Marketing & Business Development
Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc.
5375 Mira Sorrento Place, Ste. 100
San Diego, CA 92121
ph: 858-658-0910 x330
fx: 858-658-0986
cell: 858-699-6727
dmcguigan@stemedica.com

Benefits of Automated Social Media Marketing

2010-04-12T10:32:00.001-07:00

Automated Social Media Marketing

Using Automated Social Media Broadcasting

Automated social media marketing using social media is taking the
online social media marketing industry by storm! Marketing with social media is now the holy grail and social media internet marketing is now being blown up with social broadcasting. We have the best social media marketing on the planet and we use social media marketing and our proprietary social media marketing tools to achieve extraordinary search engine ranking for our clients.

Why social media marketing?

Marketing through social media is the best way to control your message, according to
top social media marketing firms. As a social media marketing expert we have developed a unique social media marketing software that provides
automated social media broadcasting. If you want to learn social media marketing and do your own
social media broadcast, you have a few options. You can hire a social media coordinator to manually do your social media broadcasting. That is a time
consuming and laborious process.

What you really need is social media marketing system that isn't going to break your social media budgets. The best
automated social networking
can be accomplished through an automated social network service like www.WorldClassID.com. This first-of-a-kind automated social networking service is the newest in automated social media. If you want to take advantage of automated social media marketing and do high-powered
automated social media advertising then this is for you. The ability to benefit from the best automated social media broadcast service is now available and AFFORDABLE!

What is automated social media broadcasting?

The goal for an
automated social network is to give our clients the best automated social network marketing system on the planet. We give each client a unique username and password for their dedicated social network broadcast. We let our clients WRITE ONCE and then we PUBLISH GLOBALLY using our social network broadcasting service. Having a social networking broadcast system available to distribute your message across the SocialSphere once a week is a powerful new arrow in your quiver of marketing tools.

How can I benefit from social networking broadcasting?

Since successful online business is impossible without an effective social networking strategy, the choice of providers delivering online social networking software marketing tools is a critical one. Social networks dominate the market of targeted website traffic with search results becoming more and more prevalent in top search engine results for products and services. If you don't want to give away your potential customers to your competitors you need to gain high search engine rankings for the relevant keywords and that is impacted by having an online social networking software. Our Social Networking Software solution, WorldClassID, gives our clients the benefit of a proprietary and best-in-class social networking software solution.

The reality of Social Networking is that it requires a significant time commitment - not only to make it work, but to maximize its effectiveness. Bottom-line, somebody has to keep up with (and manage) your social networking effort over time. We have created an automated social networking software solution to keep you from having to hire a social network coordinator. From both a communications and tools perspective, our value to you in our
automated social networking software service management comes through:

Social Networking Strategic Plan - a comprehensive plan to deal with contest, campaign, social apps, viral and engagement strategies within social networks

Setup and/or customization of accounts in major social networks (planning, designing and programming in Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, etc.).

Content updates

Response maintenance

Measurement of Traffic and Results

Cross-promotional linking

Advertising Management

ABOUT WWW.WORLDCLASSID.COM

We are an
automated social media agency made up of social media engineers. We provide automated social media marketing and new online social media marketing. We are next generation search engine optimization known as social media optimization, using automated social media broadcasting to provide online social media public relations.

Contact Information:

Lead Brand Manager

WorldClass Brand Management

1155 Camino del Mar, Suite 521

Del Mar, California 92014

http://www.WorldClassID.com

(+01) 760.445.3315

(e) Contact@WorldClassID.com

Automated Social Media Marketing Using Automated Social Media Broadcasting

2010-04-10T09:05:00.001-07:00

Must see this video about how to do automated social media marketing at http://ping.fm/keBbt

2010-04-07T17:17:00.001-07:00

Setting up an automated social media marketing campaign couldn't be easier...check it out at http://ping.fm/OJyZp

2010-04-07T08:48:00.001-07:00

You deserve a billion dollar smile...as featured on ABC's Extreme Makeover. Dr. Dorfman, DDS has created beautiful smiles for Eva Langoria, Jessica Simpson, Usher and more. Check out his video at http://ping.fm/r9mHt

2010-03-27T13:56:00.001-07:00

Automated Social Media Marketing Service is taking the industry by Storm http://ping.fm/vU90d

Automated Social Media Marketing

2010-03-27T13:14:00.001-07:00

Are You Confused About Automated Social Media Marketing?

Your Social Networking Strategic Plan WITH WorldClassID can look like this:

HERE'S THE SIMPLE REASONS YOU NEED TO SUBSCRIBE: 1. You write your CONTENT ONCE (you send us your articles, press releases, news stories, blog articles,
video(s), photo(s), etc.)
2. We PUBLISH your content GLOBALLY an average
of 4 times a month to hundreds of social networking sites.
3. Your social media content is indexed by search engines,
increasing your presence, improving your search engine
ranking and generating new leads.

You would spend thousands of dollars per month doing this
yourself or hiring a social media coordinator. Our
value-added social media subscription pricing is simple, so;

2010-03-23T22:11:00.001-07:00

Click here to take Montana Land For Sale Survey

2010-03-23T22:10:00.001-07:00

Montana Land For Sale Survey at http://ping.fm/Kelju

2010-03-23T18:49:00.001-07:00

Searches related to land for sale in Montana hunting land for sale in montana ranches for sale in montana land for sale billings montana land for sale bozeman montana land for sale helena montana land for sale missoula montana ranch land for sale montana government land for sale montana www.buffalorangeranch.com

social media broadcasting provided by www.WorldClassID.com

2010-03-23T18:47:00.001-07:00

Montana Land for Sale, Montana Farms for Sale, Montana Ranches for Sale...Montana land for sale with 1000s of farms, ranches, waterfront and rural residential properties in Montana for hunting, fishing, farming, ranching.

Montana Land for Sale - www.buffalorangeranch.com

Land for sale in Montana | Montana Real Estate
Land for Sale in Montana by Dave Thorpe a Montana Real Estate Specialist. Dave offers Montana land for sale, including ranches, farms, bare lots, acreage and more.

www.buffalorangeranch.com
Montana Land for sale, Montana acreages for sale, Montana lots for sale...Montana Land For Sale. Montana Farms & Ranches · Montana Hunting Land for Sale · Montana Timberland for Sale. SHOWCASE MONTANA PROPERTIES ...
www.BUFFALORANGERANCH.com/Montana_land_for_sale

Montana land for sale. Ranch land, and ...Buffalo Range Ranch offers land for sale in Montana. Have you dreamed about buying Montana land or are you interested in land for sale in Montana?

Montana Real Estate & Land For Sale | Ranches & Homes in Big Sky Country - Looking for Montana real estate? From ski in-ski out cabins to mountainside homes & ranches in Big Sky or Bozeman area, we've got the property that's right for you.

www.buffalorangeranch.com

Get more video results on Montana Land for Sale, Montana Farms for Sale, Montana Ranches for sale...Land for sale

in Montana from Buffalo Range Ranch Real Estate. Montana Homes for sale, ranches, acreage, commercial and riverfront. We specialize in the Stillwater, Yellowstone, Montana Real Estate | Land & Ranches For Sale | Montana Realtors
Our service-oriented and knowledgeable local staff can help you find the Montana farm, ranch land, residential, or commercial real estate property in Montana that's just right for you!

Montana - Land and mineral rights for Sale in Montana. Montana Home, ranch, land, and business properties. Includes current listings and area information.

Montana Trust Land for Sale
To access information on Trust Land parcels that are offered for sale through Buffalo Range Ranch, click on the shaded counties in the map below.

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Social media broadcasting provided by www.WorldClassID.com

2010-03-20T12:18:00.001-07:00

Path 2 Success 4 Me

2010-03-20T11:55:00.001-07:00

HIS PARENTS KNEW HE HAD "BRAINS"...

...the young man was just not using them productively. Parental concern was valid, but it wasn’t something a doctor or psychologist could fix. The son was “stuck” and his parents struggled to help him.

An old guy named Dave came along who, amazingly, was able to communicate with the young man. In 20 hours, smiles at home replaced frustration. The son unlocked his strengths, discovered his motivation, and developed his own plan which he eagerly followed. The parents were in awe as the son desired and accepted personal accountability for his new agenda.

Hi, I’m Dave Thorpe and my job as Chief Encourager helps people discover themselves.

www.Path2Success4Me.com advances the art of leadership, while developing sustainable accountability.

We help people figure out and correct what has them “stuck” in life. The process is all about “Me”. Our clients are called Pathfinders, as they determine their paths in life. It is fun and rewarding. Everyone wants to know more about themselves…we help them do just that.

How may we help you?

Please let Dave Thorpe into your life.
Watch your child/spouse/friend become encouraged to discover their purpose in life.

Call Dave directly at 760.415.7911 or email Dave at dave@path2success4me.com. Please visit http://ping.fm/a1uT8

2010-03-19T15:29:00.001-07:00

Here is the simple list of why you need to subscribe to www.WorldClassID.com:

1. You write your content once a week (article, press release, story, blog, video, etc.)
2. They publish your content once a week to hundreds of social networking sites.
3. Your social media content is indexed by search engines, increasing your presence, improving your search engine ranking and generating new leads.
4. You would spend thousands of dollars per month doing this yourself or hiring a social media coordinator.

The subscription form can be found at http://ping.fm/iRc34

Hope that makes sense!

2010-03-19T14:56:00.001-07:00

WorldClass Brand Management (http://ping.fm/LUXM6) is the company behind the WorldClassID social media broadcasting service. They recently announced the launch of this truly industry changing social software service in the SocialSphere™. Just like Software-as-a-Service or SaaS has become the standard for cloud computing, Social Networking Software Service or SnsS is predicted to become the standard for social network management. At a time when managing your personal brand or your corporate brand has become increasingly important, the logistical nightmare of managing multiple username and passwords for numerous social networking sites has been solved.

Investing in a Social Networking Strategy
Managing your online identity in the social media until now has been overwhelming and challenging, not only because there are already hundreds of social communities, but also because multiple social networks are launched on virtually a weekly basis. We all suffer from networking social overload, the information overload of being involved in a social network, not just one network social, but numerous social networking sites. How many online id, social identities or social user accounts do you have? Are we being consumed with social definition and is brand management being redefined in our newly social society? Until now you were limited to the manual, tedious and boring task of physically managing multiple social networking accounts which is very expensive from both a time and money perspective. In order to evaluate how best to invest in your own social network marketing strategy, you have to determine whether that social marketing plan can 1) save you time, 2) save you money, or 3) make you money. If your social marketing plan doesn’t hit at least one of those three elements, then you’re just wasting resources and you should invest elsewhere.

Social Networking Issues
The social web, what WorldClass has coined as the SocialSphere™, is chock full of social website issues for social issue management, the most personal of which is reputation management. Personal brand management in the SocialSphere™ is all about protecting your personal reputation. Similar issues apply to corporate brand management and also extend to product brand management or service brand management. Social networks can be a powerful tool in protecting, defending and promoting your personal brand or business brand, but as with any technology the tools are not good or bad, rather it’s how you use them that determine the desired outcome.

Lack of having a social network strategy can be worse than the proverbial ostrich sticking the head in the ground, and doing nothing is a recipe for potential social networking disaster. Do you know whether someone Googled you today? If so, do you know how many times your name was Googled? Do you know what shows up when someone Googles your name? Do you know how to change the results if something negative shows up on your Google name search?

When you are doing social analysis of what your social identity looks like to the outside world the use of social networking software inside the social network is a total necessity. You have already learned, or will come to learn, the logistic challenge of trying to manually protect and defend your personal brand or business brand in the social networking arena. Just managing the top 5 social networking sites is a daunting task, requiring the investment of time and money which you can easily estimate is thousands of dollars on a monthly basis. So how do you keep up with all this social networking without losing your sanity?

Social Networking Strategy
In case you are still trying to figure out whether having a personal brand management plan is important or not, read the following article, “10 Reasons You Have To Manage Your Personal Brand” [http://ping.fm/qkPLx]

If your believe your social marketing branding and online reputation, online identity and brand development require involvement in social networking websites, the question then becomes where do you focus your limited time and limited money? If one site like Facebook makes sense, should you also participate in MySpace or Bebo? If one social network is good, are ten social websites better and is participation in one hundred or more social networking sites the best? If participating in every possible social network is the best, how do I physically do that?

The logic of just the time required to create and manage just one social network would make you believe that you don’t want to join every social network because the only way you think it’s possible to do that isn’t scalable. You just don’t have enough hours in a day to manage more than just a few accounts. You could hire someone on a full time basis, but even that strategy has limitations that make in unscalable.

List of Social Networking Websites
So if you have limited time and limited money to invest in a social networking strategy, where do you go? We have compiled an ever growing list of social websites, so please go to the following links to see the entire list with URL links:

• Top 10 Social Networking Websites
• Top 10 Social Blogging Websites
• Top 10 Social Video Sharing Websites
• Top 10 Social Bookmarking Websites
• Top 10 Social Photo Sharing Websites
• Top 10 Social Professional Networking Websites
• Top 10 Social Press Release Websites
• Top 10 Social Article Posting Websites
• Top 10 Social Music Sharing Websites

The challenge is the idea that you can limit your social marketing strategy in any way. Even if you decide to limit your strategy to just the Top 10 websites in each of the 9 categories listed above (remember, there are over 350+ in total) that means you’re looking at 90 social memberships! If you believe that having a strategic social networking plan is a valuable investment, then you should also understand that having a presence in ALL the social websites is important. Why? Because there are potential customers, potential eyeballs who are in social networks other than the Top 10 who you’re not going to reach if you don’t show up in the other social networks.

Social Networking Software Service (SnsS) – an obvious solution
The old adage of work smarter not harder seems obvious. The only way to work smarter and have a reasonable solution to managing hundreds of social networks is through an automated software solution. That is the essence of what WorldClassID is and does. It is a technology solution which takes the manual and highly complicated process out of the equation and creates a repeatable, scalable solution for dealing with hundreds of social networking sites.

About WorldClass Brand Management and WorldClassID
Brand HyperDistribution: a social network distribution channel. WorldClassID utilizes a variety of peer-to-peer technologies which are even more efficient at reaching a target social network audience than any single method of channel distribution such as print, email, video, social networking, direct mail, network and online broadcasting.

WorldClassID provides a unique methodology to most widely distribute your brand message. Whether you want more clients, are looking to sell more product or want to reinvent yourself…the WorldClassID Social Networking Software Service is the solution. WorldClassID is a proven alternative to traditional marketing solutions and the only personal branding solution on the market today that can validate the distribution of content through HyperDistribution.

For more information about becoming a WORLDCLASSID CUSTOMER visit http://ping.fm/7flMk or to schedule an interview with Mr. Kendell Lang, please contact by email at Kendell.Lang@worldclass.com or by phone at 760.445.3315.

“Are you overwhelmed by Social Networking? Are you confused by hundreds of social networking sites? Are you hiring a social network coordinator to manage your MySpace, Facebook or Twitter accounts? WorldClassID Service is the answer. This revolutionary new social networking software service gives you the answer to managing your personal brand in the SocialSphere without being totally frustrated. WorldClassID is what can help you harness the power of the SocialSphere without driving you crazy. WorldClassID (http://ping.fm/AhrcZ) is all about providing answers to the question, "do you have a consolidated social content management and social network channel publication system that allows you to WRITE ONCE and then PUBLISH GLOBALLY?" WorldClassID is "Simplifying the SocialSphere™" and making sense out of a chaotic jumble of hundreds of social networking sites.”

social-media-broadcasting-service, "social media", "social networking", social-media-marketing, networking-social, social-network, network-social, social-networking-sites, worldclass, worldclassID, "worldclass brands", brand-management, social-media

social media broadcasting service provided by www.WorldClassID.com

2010-03-11T08:07:00.001-08:00

Buffalo Range Ranch is a slice of Montana ranch land in Big Sky Country http://ping.fm/HuKaV

2010-03-11T00:32:00.001-08:00

http://ping.fm/2Zrqq

2010-03-10T23:59:00.001-08:00

Buffalo Range Ranch is a slice of Montana Ranch Land in Big Sky Country http://ping.fm/48FzB

2010-03-10T22:55:00.001-08:00

http://ping.fm/DPFu8

2010-03-10T22:32:00.001-08:00

http://ping.fm/A6ZIO

Twitter Over Capacity - Have you seen this?

2010-03-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

“Are you overwhelmed by Social Networking? Are you confused by hundreds of social networking sites? Are you hiring a social network coordinator to manage your MySpace, Facebook or Twitter accounts? WorldClassID Service is the answer. This revolutionary new social networking software service gives you the answer to managing your personal brand in the SocialSphere without being totally frustrated. WorldClassID is what can help you harness the power of the SocialSphere without driving you crazy. WorldClassID (http://www.WorldClassID.ning.com) is all about providing answers to the question, "do you have a consolidated social content management and social network channel publication system that allows you to WRITE ONCE and then PUBLISH GLOBALLY?" WorldClassID is "Simplifying the SocialSphere™" and making sense out of a chaotic jumble of hundreds of social networking sites.”

IF you think there's not a demand for the WorldClassID Social Media Broadcasting Service, check this out!

Investing in a Social Networking Strategy

Managing your online identity in the social media until now has been overwhelming and challenging, not only because there are already hundreds of social communities, but also because multiple social networks are launched on virtually a weekly basis. We all suffer from networking social overload, the information overload of being involved in a social network, not just one network social, but numerous social networking sites. How many online id, social identities or social user accounts do you have? Are we being consumed with social definition and is brand management being redefined in our newly social society? Until now you were limited to the manual, tedious and boring task of physically managing multiple social networking accounts which is very expensive from both a time and money perspective. In order to evaluate how best to invest in your own social network marketing strategy, you have to determine whether that social marketing plan can 1) save you time, 2) save you money, or 3) make you money. If your social marketing plan doesn’t hit at least one of those three elements, then you’re just wasting resources and you should invest elsewhere.

Social Networking Issues

The social web, what WorldClass has coined as the SocialSphere™, is chock full of social website issues for social issue management, the most personal of which is reputation management. Personal brand management in the SocialSphere™ is all about protecting your personal reputation. Similar issues apply to corporate brand management and also extend to product brand management or service brand management. Social networks can be a powerful tool in protecting, defending and promoting your personal brand or business brand, but as with any technology the tools are not good or bad, rather it’s how you use them that determine the desired outcome.

Lack of having a social network strategy can be worse than the proverbial ostrich sticking the head in the ground, and doing nothing is a recipe for potential social networking disaster. Do you know whether someone Googled you today? If so, do you know how many times your name was Googled? Do you know what shows up when someone Googles your name? Do you know how to change the results if something negative shows up on your Google name search?

When you are doing social analysis of what your social identity looks like to the outside world the use of social networking software inside the social network is a total necessity. You have already learned, or will come to learn, the logistic challenge of trying to manually protect and defend your personal brand or business brand in the social networking arena. Just managing the top 5 social networking sites is a daunting task, requiring the investment of time and money which you can easily estimate is thousands of dollars on a monthly basis. So how do you keep up with all this social networking without losing your sanity?

Social Networking Strategy

In case you are still trying to figure out whether having a personal brand management plan is important or not, read the following article, “10 Reasons You Have To Manage Your Personal Brand” [http://worldclassid.ning.com/page/personal-brand-managemnt]

If your believe your social marketing branding and online reputation, online identity and brand development require involvement in social networking websites, the question then becomes where do you focus your limited time and limited money? If one site like Facebook makes sense, should you also participate in MySpace or Bebo? If one social network is good, are ten social websites better and is participation in one hundred or more social networking sites the best? If participating in every possible social network is the best, how do I physically do that?

The logic of just the time required to create and manage just one social network would make you believe that you don’t want to join every social network because the only way you think it’s possible to do that isn’t scalable. You just don’t have enough hours in a day to manage more than just a few accounts. You could hire someone on a full time basis, but even that strategy has limitations that make in unscalable.

List of Social Networking Websites

So if you have limited time and limited money to invest in a social networking strategy, where do you go? We have compiled an ever growing list of social websites, so please go to the following links to see the entire list with URL links:

· Top 10 Social Networking Websites

· Top 10 Social Blogging Websites

· Top 10 Social Video Sharing Websites

· Top 10 Social Bookmarking Websites

· Top 10 Social Photo Sharing Websites

· Top 10 Social Professional Networking Websites

· Top 10 Social Press Release Websites

· Top 10 Social Article Posting Websites

· Top 10 Social Music Sharing Websites

The challenge is the idea that you can limit your social marketing strategy in any way. Even if you decide to limit your strategy to just the Top 10 websites in each of the 9 categories listed above (remember, there are over 350+ in total) that means you’re looking at 90 social memberships! If you believe that having a strategic social networking plan is a valuable investment, then you should also understand that having a presence in ALL the social websites is important. Why? Because there are potential customers, potential eyeballs who are in social networks other than the Top 10 who you’re not going to reach if you don’t show up in the other social networks.

Social Networking Software Service (SnsS) – an obvious solution

The old adage of work smarter not harder seems obvious. The only way to work smarter and have a reasonable solution to managing hundreds of social networks is through an automated software solution. That is the essence of what WorldClassID is and does. It is a technology solution which takes the manual and highly complicated process out of the equation and creates a repeatable, scalable solution for dealing with hundreds of social networking sites.

2010-03-10T08:59:00.001-08:00

BUFFALO RANGE RANCH, LLC (www.BuffaloRangeRanch.com), is an online leader in rural Montana properties and Montana land for sale, including Montana hunting land, Montana timberland, Montana land development sites, Montana ranch land and Montana home sites for vacation, recreation, or investment purposes in Montana. Hot Springs is in Montana ranch land and is a pretty valley with some of the best weather in Montana. If peace and quiet is what you seek, Buffalo Range Ranch is Montana ranchland for sale in Montana that still has room for you. Looking to the west almost one mile above our 2,800 elevation is Baldy Mountain Montana Land for sale. Running through this beautiful ranchland for sale in Montana land is the Little Bitterroot River that Buffalo still use as their watering hole. Flathead Lake is just 23 miles away to the East, which also has some Montana Ranch Land for sale.

Keeping healthy and fit is one of the great reasons to have your ranch in Hot Springs on Montana land. The Symes Hot Springs Hotel near our Montana ranch is one of two places… in the world… that has the highest content of minerals for you to soak in and not many ranches for sale in Montana can say that. People come from all over the globe to appreciate the soothing and healing qualities of these minerals coming right out of the Montana ranch land for the rejuvenation of their body. In Baden Baden, Germany you can spend $90 for an hour of soaking and it won't do you as much good as this Montana ranch land for sale. The Symes Hot Springs Hotel, sitting on famous Montana Ranch Land is only $7 for a whole day. Located in an area that is great for the entire family, discover this hidden away, unique, mountain fountain of youth for yourself and check out the ranchland for sale in Montana!

Buffalo grazing on the range ranch for sale is a pretty cool sight. Our neighbors at the Buffalo Range Ranch have their own mini herd of real live BUFFALO's. It's not cool to get near them, but they are pretty used to being enjoyed from the fence line. Come on down and watch them for a spell... it does a body good!

If you are searching for a place to build a dude ranch, a river ranch or a creek ranch, then you've found the right place. The ranch dude that rode his ranch horse across these ranches sale can see a ranch mountain and not find as many ranches for sale. We are selling this as a ranch farm and guest ranch where you can be a ranch guest and do ranch jobs right near the ranch lake on your very own ranch land which is built on a Montana ranch designed specifically for ranch work.

About Montana Buffalo Ranch Land for sale
There is the possibility of dude ranches built here as a cattle ranch, so when you consider the ranch county and the existing buffalo ranch you just have to check this out. You could make this into a hunting ranch, a lazy ranch as far as ranch property goes, but when you think about the origin of the buffalo ranch coming from buffalo bills ranch it just makes you stop and think.

For more information about becoming a Montana Buffalo Ranch Land CLIENT GO TO http://ping.fm/i87Sc or to schedule an interview with Mr. Dave Thorpe, please contact Dave Thorpe by email at david.d.thorpe@gmail.com or by phone at 760-415-7911.

2010-02-25T10:20:00.001-08:00

Have you tapped into the power of Social Media for your business? Everywhere you turn, you hear about these Social Networking and Social Media Websites: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn...it's virtually impossible to ignore. http://ping.fm/CVuaH provides a social media management solution.

2010-02-23T07:33:00.001-08:00

It does not pay to scold. I believe you can get people to do anything (if you can get them to do it at all) by loving them into doing it. -George Albert Smith

Dave Thorpe Life Coach - How To Never Lose An Argument

2010-02-18T14:20:00.001-08:00

Dave Thorpe Life Coach
Path 2 Success

Dave Thorpe Life Coach
Path 2 Success:

“This is what
Path
2 Success
(http://www.Path2Success4Me.com)
is all about: sharing some real life coaching for individuals who need
help — to fulfill the growing demand for helping people answer the question,
"what is my purpose?" In a unique and encouraging way Dave Thorpe can engage
young adults when struggling with tough life issues and they just want someone
to "show me the way!" Dave's Path2Success combines the proven approach of
performance coaching with life training that shows you how to change your life.
Though it may be hard for some to admit, “I need help," the Path2Success
approach to life training can help you answer the question, "Who Am I?"
It's a unique leadership coaching program full of encouraging ways to help you
change your life.”

How to never lose an argument!

The only way you can make sure you never lose
an argument, to paraphrase Dale Carnegie, is: Avoid getting into one in the
first place.

In a discussion everyone wins.
Here is how:

I.
We
treat other people as partners in a problem-solving session. We throw
out ideas, consider alternatives, and evaluate the pros and cons.

II.
We
listen to other people's thoughts and explore ideas we haven't
previously considered.

III.
We
learn more about an issue, about what we think and feel, and about each
other and each other's values.

IV.
We
seek people's support, not their resentful silence. We may passionately
disagree with each other, but mutual respect keeps the dialogue civil.

In an argument no one wins.
Here is why:

I.
We
treat other people as opponents to be defeated. We draw sides, defend
our own positions, and attack the opposition. If we listen at all, we do so only
to find the weaknesses in the other person's reasoning.

II.
We
aren't open to new ideas or to the possibility of changing our opinions.
We want to prove the superiority of our side (and the inferiority of the other
side). Even when we "win" an argument, we usually do so by losing a potential
ally.

Here are some tips to keep discussions from
turning into arguments:

Don't argue.

Refuse to get drawn into an argument. Be
civil. Respect the other person as much as your honor your own values. Be
assertive without resorting to aggression.

Seek areas of agreement.

Often, we agree with people in principle, but
disagree with them in practice. (We want the same thing — safer schools for our
children, for example — but we have different ideas of how to accomplish it.)
Find those areas of agreement. Make them explicit. Try always to make the other
person a fellow problem-solver, neither an opponent nor a friend.

Focus on interests, not positions.

An issue is what we want or need — safer
schools for example. A position is a way of achieving it. Avoid getting attached
to your positions so that you don't lose sight of your interests. It's often
easier to negotiate and compromise around interests than around positions.

Try to see things from the other person's
point-of-view.

There's a reason
why other people act and think the way they do — however illogical,
wrong-headed, or misguided as it may seem to you. If you condemn them or show
contempt for their reasoning, they will only harden in their resolve. They will
resent and resist you. Seek, instead, to ferret out their hidden reasons, and
you will find the key to their motivation.

Ask clarifying questions.

Ask open-ended
questions. Closed questions — like "Do you agree with my proposal?" — limit
people's ability to express themselves. Open-ended questions — like "How do you
feel about my proposal?" — give them greater freedom and give you more
information.

Listen.

Spend more time
listening than speaking. (You can't get yourself into trouble by listening, but
you sure can start a brawl by speaking.) Listen with your body, your eyes, and
your mind as well as with your ears. Try to understand what people mean, without
getting caught up in the exact words they say. Make them feel understood, and
they'll be much more likely to try to understand you.

If you're wrong, admit it.

There's nothing
wrong with changing your opinion, once you've gained new information or
perspective. As a matter of fact, it's the sign of wisdom and maturity. Remember
that you've been wrong in the past even when you thought you were right, and
admit that you might be wrong this time.

If you're right, allow the other person to
save face.

You're trying to win people's cooperation, not
to prove them wrong. Your kindness will do more to gain their goodwill than
anything else.

Path2Success4Me uses these
principals to help people really discover their purpose in life. P2s4me helps
unlock what is buried inside you. Remember…it’s hard to learn when you are
defending. It is so much more fun to relax and listen, rather than anxiously
think up the smart next thing to say.

About Dave Thorpe, Founder of Path 2 Success

Do you want help
finding answers? If so, this program approach is for you. This is a
proven solution that can help you discover hope, purpose and direction.
Dave Thorpe is actively recruiting individuals who want to capitalize on this
incredible life coaching opportunity. Mr. Thorpe is a life coaching
specialist with credentials and experience which can be seen at

http://www.Path2Success4Me.com.
You can also see Mr. Thorpe's blog at

http://davethorpe.blogspot.com.

For
more information about becoming a

life Coach
or
to schedule an interview with Mr. Thorpe, please contact
Dave
Thorpe, Life Coach by email at

david.d.thorpe@gmail.com or by phone at 760.415.7911.

Dave
Thorpe Life Coach Path 2 Success

Dave Thorpe Life Coach Path
2 Success Press Release

2010-02-16T15:50:00.001-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WORLDCLASS BRAND MANAGEMENT INTRODUCES WORLDCLASSID

“Are you overwhelmed by Social Networking? Are you confused by hundreds of social networking sites? Are you hiring a social network coordinator to manage your MySpace, Facebook or Twitter accounts? WorldClassID Service is the answer. This revolutionary new social networking software service gives you the answer to managing your personal brand in the SocialSphere without being totally frustrated. WorldClassID is what can help you harness the power of the SocialSphere without driving you crazy. WorldClassID (http://ping.fm/YPpgE) is all about providing answers to the question, "do you have a consolidated social content management and social network channel publication system that allows you to WRITE ONCE and then PUBLISH GLOBALLY?" WorldClassID is "Simplifying the SocialSphere™" and making sense out of a chaotic jumble of hundreds of social networking sites.”

San Diego, CA, February 15, 2010 – WorldClass Brand Management (http://ping.fm/b7ftM), the company behind the WorldClassID Social Networking Software Service, is pleased to announce the launch of this truly industry changing social software service in the SocialSphere™. Just like Software-as-a-Service or SaaS has become the standard for cloud computing, Social Networking Software Service or SnsS is predicted to become the standard for social network management. At a time when managing your personal brand or your corporate brand has become increasingly important, the logistical nightmare of managing multiple username and passwords for numerous social networking sites has been solved.

Investing in a Social Networking Strategy
Managing your online identity in the social media until now has been overwhelming and challenging, not only because there are already hundreds of social communities, but also because multiple social networks are launched on virtually a weekly basis. We all suffer from networking social overload, the information overload of being involved in a social network, not just one network social, but numerous social networking sites. How many online id, social identities or social user accounts do you have? Are we being consumed with social definition and is brand management being redefined in our newly social society? Until now you were limited to the manual, tedious and boring task of physically managing multiple social networking accounts which is very expensive from both a time and money perspective. In order to evaluate how best to invest in your own social network marketing strategy, you have to determine whether that social marketing plan can 1) save you time, 2) save you money, or 3) make you money. If your social marketing plan doesn’t hit at least one of those three elements, then you’re just wasting resources and you should invest elsewhere.

Social Networking Issues
The social web, what WorldClass has coined as the SocialSphere™, is chock full of social website issues for social issue management, the most personal of which is reputation management. Personal brand management in the SocialSphere™ is all about protecting your personal reputation. Similar issues apply to corporate brand management and also extend to product brand management or service brand management. Social networks can be a powerful tool in protecting, defending and promoting your personal brand or business brand, but as with any technology the tools are not good or bad, rather it’s how you use them that determine the desired outcome.

Lack of having a social network strategy can be worse than the proverbial ostrich sticking the head in the ground, and doing nothing is a recipe for potential social networking disaster. Do you know whether someone Googled you today? If so, do you know how many times your name was Googled? Do you know what shows up when someone Googles your name? Do you know how to change the results if something negative shows up on your Google name search?

When you are doing social analysis of what your social identity looks like to the outside world the use of social networking software inside the social network is a total necessity. You have already learned, or will come to learn, the logistic challenge of trying to manually protect and defend your personal brand or business brand in the social networking arena. Just managing the top 5 social networking sites is a daunting task, requiring the investment of time and money which you can easily estimate is thousands of dollars on a monthly basis. So how do you keep up with all this social networking without losing your sanity?

Social Networking Strategy
In case you are still trying to figure out whether having a personal brand management plan is important or not, read the following article, “10 Reasons You Have To Manage Your Personal Brand” [http://ping.fm/pBbKb]

If your believe your social marketing branding and online reputation, online identity and brand development require involvement in social networking websites, the question then becomes where do you focus your limited time and limited money? If one site like Facebook makes sense, should you also participate in MySpace or Bebo? If one social network is good, are ten social websites better and is participation in one hundred or more social networking sites the best? If participating in every possible social network is the best, how do I physically do that?

The logic of just the time required to create and manage just one social network would make you believe that you don’t want to join every social network because the only way you think it’s possible to do that isn’t scalable. You just don’t have enough hours in a day to manage more than just a few accounts. You could hire someone on a full time basis, but even that strategy has limitations that make in unscalable.

List of Social Networking Websites
So if you have limited time and limited money to invest in a social networking strategy, where do you go? We have compiled an ever growing list of social websites, so please go to the following links to see the entire list with URL links:

• Top 10 Social Networking Websites
• Top 10 Social Blogging Websites
• Top 10 Social Video Sharing Websites
• Top 10 Social Bookmarking Websites
• Top 10 Social Photo Sharing Websites
• Top 10 Social Professional Networking Websites
• Top 10 Social Press Release Websites
• Top 10 Social Article Posting Websites
• Top 10 Social Music Sharing Websites

The challenge is the idea that you can limit your social marketing strategy in any way. Even if you decide to limit your strategy to just the Top 10 websites in each of the 9 categories listed above (remember, there are over 350+ in total) that means you’re looking at 90 social memberships! If you believe that having a strategic social networking plan is a valuable investment, then you should also understand that having a presence in ALL the social websites is important. Why? Because there are potential customers, potential eyeballs who are in social networks other than the Top 10 who you’re not going to reach if you don’t show up in the other social networks.

Social Networking Software Service (SnsS) – an obvious solution
The old adage of work smarter not harder seems obvious. The only way to work smarter and have a reasonable solution to managing hundreds of social networks is through an automated software solution. That is the essence of what WorldClassID is and does. It is a technology solution which takes the manual and highly complicated process out of the equation and creates a repeatable, scalable solution for dealing with hundreds of social networking sites.

Keywords: social media, networking social,social network,network social,social networking sites,online id,social definition,brand management,social society,social web,social website,issues management,reputation management,social analysis,social identity,social networking software,the social network,sociology social,marketing branding, sociology social, marketing branding, online reputation, online identity, brand development, social understanding, social network software, social network sites, social networking websites, social networking website, business social networking, online reputation management, online social networks, social network site, online social network, social network marketing, top social networking sites, business social network, social network community, marketing social network, brand management marketing, social web networking, social network website, social media sites, social media strategy, social networking tools, social networking marketing, social network service, list of social networking sites.

About WorldClass Brand Management and WorldClassID
Brand HyperDistribution: a social network distribution channel. WorldClassID utilizes a variety of peer-to-peer technologies which are even more efficient at reaching a target social network audience than any single method of channel distribution such as print, email, video, social networking, direct mail, network and online broadcasting.

WorldClassID provides a unique methodology to most widely distribute your brand message. Whether you want more clients, are looking to sell more product or want to reinvent yourself…the WorldClassID Social Networking Software Service is the solution. WorldClassID is a proven alternative to traditional marketing solutions and the only personal branding solution on the market today that can validate the distribution of content through HyperDistribution.

For more information about becoming a WORLDCLASSID CUSTOMER visit http://ping.fm/Pp5Ti or to schedule an interview with Mr. Kendell Lang, please contact by email at Kendell.Lang@worldclass.com or by phone at 760.445.3315.

2010-02-16T14:53:00.001-08:00

10 Reasons Why You Have to Manage Your Personal Brand (http://ping.fm/iYISW)

By: Dan Schawbel on December 28th, 2009

The concept of personal branding came way before social media. Everyone has a personal brand, whether they like the concept or loathe it. It’s inescapable. The issue most people have once they discover their authentic brand is how to manage it from the “big idea” to the execution of that idea and then actually protecting and marketing that brand for the rest of their life. Sure you can call yourself the “musical magician” or “the best doctor in Chicago for baby boomers” or “the social media surgeon,” but without managing that brand over time, it will lose it’s luster and visibility. In a sense, without brand management, all of your efforts will be for nothing.

Here are the top 10 reasons why you have to manage your personal brand:
1. If you don’t manage it, it will be managed for you
Taking ownership of your personal brand is extremely important because otherwise, people will categorize you based on a first impression. That first impression might not align to your branding strategy and the brand attributes that you selected might not be displaying. People can freely communicate about you behind your back and if that word-of-mouth isn’t accurately portraying you, then it will be much harder to reposition your brand in their minds. Brands of all capacities have lost a lot of control online (corporate, product, personal), but they still can stand for something and have a web presence that communicates what they are in business for. Without any time investment, you will start to find others who are branding you for better or worse.
2. People are searching for people just like you
Visibility creates opportunities (and more visibility). If you don’t manage your brand, then it will be very challenging to stand out in search engines and social networks, where recruiters, hiring managers and others are searching for people with your experience. It will be a major competitive disadvantage of you if you are proactively marketing your online assets (no one else will for you unless you’re Justin Timberlake – who hires people too!). If you search on LinkedIn or Bing for your name or your concepts name, will you be first? If you aren’t, then someone else is landing the clients that you could have and being sought out by the media.
3. The world is changing much to fast to leave it stagnant
Just having a personal brand isn’t enough because technology, the economy and the world in general are evolving much too fast. Facebook didn’t even exist ten years ago, Twitter was launched in less than five years ago and now we have location based social networks this year. It’s very hard to keep up with these changes, as well as figure out how to best use them for your career goals and/or business objectives. Make sure you’re in the loop because getting left out, can put you out of business!
4. It will help you avoid a personal branding disaster
A lot of conversations that used to take place in reality are now taking place in virtual reality. If you decide to ignore them, then you might wind up in trouble. Domino’s could have presented excess negative press by already being involved online and monitoring brand mentions. If people are starting to speak poorly about your brand and you aren’t there to state facts or confront it head on, then it could severely impact your future, at least with that crowd of people. Knowing where your brand exists, who is talking about it and what they are saying that could impact your brand, is going to really help you.
5. You will miss out on conversations that you can benefit from
Aside from a disaster, you will neglect to be part of conversations that might build your personal brand. For example, if two people are tweeting about where to find a home in your area and you’re a real estate agent, then you should be talking to both of them. Another example is if you were an internet marketer and you identify a series of posts within a LinkedIn group with people who are trying to figure out how market their businesses online, then you should be there. This is one of the reasons why Yahoo! answers and LinkedIn’s answers are such valuable tools.
6. Your brand will lack expert positioning
Competitively, you can’t afford to not manage your brand. The second you slack, you may lose your status in the search engines, and your face/name and words won’t be seen by your audience. Remember that when your brand isn’t there, a lot of other brands are, which means people may forget about you over time. By not managing your brand, you’re telling the world that you don’t care about your future. Also, it’s like starting a community and then walking away from it completely. One of the big ideas with personal branding is to become an expert in your niche, so you can stand out and be recognized. Once you stop the branding process, you will lose some of that expertise because you won’t be talking about what you know anymore.
7. It won’t be up-to-date, factual and relevant
When you don’t take the time to reflect, screen and update your brand with the latest information, then you become irrelevant. I like to use the example of someone who has a LinkedIn profile and decided not to update it with their latest job. That person is in severe trouble if they get laid off or if they are looking for some kind of career transition or escalation. The reason is because people are using keywords to search for experts online and if your latest experience (with the keywords to match) isn’t there, then you won’t appear in the search results!
8. Your competition is managing their brands
Smart people know that in order to get ahead in today’s information and online driven world, you have to participate or be extinct. Your competition is working hard when you’re not and visa versa. If you want to stay on top then you have to manage your brand. Competitors can manage your brand if you’re not careful. They can reposition their brand to combat yours if you aren’t active and they can come out with new content, products and services, while you are neglecting the change in your industry.
9. You decide what content is published and what doesn’t
It’s apparent these days that you have to be in the content game or be left out in the cold. Everything is content, from a tweet to a video to a podcast and a blog post. It is in your hands to decide what gets published and what doesn’t from what’s in your control. Everything else that is created and shared about your brand is based on what you publish or what information gets out there from other sources. If you only publish content related to your social life, then you are hurting your professional brand. That balance is important to keep and your profession voice is what’s going to build your career (in most situations).
10. Technology evolves and could leave you in the dust
From desktop computers, to laptops, to handhelds to phones, who can keep up anymore? Technology is moving at a rapid pace and it cannot be stopped. This is why being in touch with tech shifts is so significant now. You always have to be aware of what’s going on and if you’re smart, you’ll be ahead of the curve (an early adopter). If you don’t manage your brand, you won’t be able to take advantage of technology improvements and you won’t know what tech isn’t being used anymore (MySpace is dying, etc).

2010-02-16T10:38:00.001-08:00

Are you overwhelmed by Social Networking? Are you confused by hundreds of social networking sites? Are you hiring a social network coordinator to manage your MySpace, Facebook or Twitter accounts? WorldClassID Service is the answer. This revolutionary new social networking software service gives you the answer to managing your personal brand in the SocialSphere without being totally frustrated. WorldClassID is what can help you harness the power of the SocialSphere without driving you crazy. WorldClassID (http://ping.fm/8ggoc) is all about providing answers to the question, "do you have a consolidated social content management and social network channel publication system that allows you to WRITE ONCE and then PUBLISH GLOBALLY?" WorldClassID is "Simplifying the SocialSphere™" and making sense out of a chaotic jumble of hundreds of social networking sites.

2010-02-16T10:36:00.001-08:00

http://ping.fm/B3O63 Social Network Media Coordinator Internship opportunity...

2010-02-08T12:43:00.001-08:00

Getting a job these days is hard. 20% of 20 to 45 year olds are out of work. What is amazing is our most educated Americans are in this age group. How can this happen?

Let’s look at some issues:
1. Money
2. Resume

First off, less money is being spent. That causes manufacturers to make less, distributors to stock less, retailers to maximize their inventory turns, while consumers buy less and try to save more. Bottom line is employers need less people than before. That really hurts those looking for work.

Now let’s check out what employers are used to seeing. The resume that hits the employer’s desk is a page or so of data that describes “work done”. It is an attempt by a job seeker to put forth their best foot and “beat out the other job seeker.” It is sort of a dog eat dog mentality. The employer is seeking the perfect level of experience, the job seeker is trying to provide a resume that matches that level of perfection…both are frustrated.

So how should one enter the workforce, find that dream job, or feel secure in that new position? The following offers a different view of job seeking.

A new process called p2s4me encourages people to develop their strengths and leverage those strengths to work/play/ raise families/find a mate. By using p2s4me it will be easier to find the right job and an appealing work environment.

Normally a:
Job Seeker - wants work that satisfies and needs a resume to find this work
Employer - wants a faithful worker to perform the desired scope of work. The employer reviews resumes that announce previous employers, duties performed, titles earned, and objectives achieved; while trying to evaluate if the seeker fits a profile causing an interview.

Tough process! It’s no wonder that many jobs these days are obtained by “relationship bridging”, meaning someone knows someone that says nice things like “you should look at so and so”. Immediately, the resume becomes a secondary, instead of a primary consideration. Because the job seeker has been “referred”, the seeker becomes “more acceptable”, thus easier to interview and hire.

Wow, it sounds like “relationship bridging” is the way to get a job. Maybe…do you know enough people that will go to work for you? Do you have your important information in the heart of your important relationships?

So does your resume:
A. Boldly declare areas in which you are personally strong or
B. Describe positions held, duties performed, results achieved

Can you imagine putting this on your resume:
• that you have been personally mentored,
• that your values, beliefs, and gifts indicate that you really have something to offer an employer beyond technical expertise and skill
• that know how to listen, delegate, motivate, perform and share

…Pause for a minute. Creating a good resume is tough. We are uncertain as to the audience who will review a resume and are emphatically told to insure the resume maximizes our experience.

So let me ask you a question. Why is the business world heavy on experience and oblivious to the very things inherent in our ability to perform? In case you are wondering what drives your performance, here are a few invisible items on most resumes:
My Values
What I believe
How I am organized, how well I listen, delegate, motivate, & share
How I am an effective worker/manager/executive

Most people don’t think like this. How else can an employer “jump out of their seat” when reading about this unique individual. Since we are the most educated people in history how come interviewing has become biased towards position and company rather than the real things that mean something in the workplace?

The reason may be that values, beliefs, organization, listening, motivating, sharing, etc are lost arts. They are unspoken about in our homes and not elaborated upon in schools (except as to specific assignments). As educated as our job seekers may be they have not educated themselves about what is going on inside them…what makes them tick.

Therefore, it is difficult for a person looking for a job to dig any deeper than the other person looking for work who is elaborating upon their work experience, time on the job, title held, objectives completed. Shallow resumes make hitting a sweet spot for an employer a difficult chore. A company that brings us new awareness is called p2s4me.

P2s4me is not an elegant new thing. It is just old fashioned common sense. It helps a person pull out of themselves the very things that make them who they are! It helps them inspire confidence in themselves and arrive at determination to use their strengths because they absolutely know their strengths and know how to use them. This makes it real easy for an employer to embrace the employees strength and to encourage them to make them part of their team.

Simply stated p2s4me helps a person:
Know who they are
Know where they are going
Help them see what their destination will look like
Train and empowered them develop a plan to get them there

2010-02-08T12:40:00.001-08:00

http://ping.fm/Vj4R0

2010-02-08T12:27:00.001-08:00

Check out the new video series at http://ping.fm/ixJVb

Getting a Job These Days is Hard - Path 2 Success Can Help

2010-02-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

Dave Thorpe and Path 2 Success

Getting Your First Part Time Job - in a recent article, some good suggestions.

So how should one enter the workforce, find that dream job, or feel secure in that new position? The following offers a different view of job seeking.

A new process called Path 2 Success 4 Me encourages people to develop their strengths and leverage those strengths to work/play/ raise families/find a mate. By using Path 2 Success 4 Me it will be easier to find the right job and an appealing work environment.

Normally a:
Job Seeker - wants work that satisfies and needs a resume to find this work
Employer - wants a faithful worker to perform the desired scope of work. The employer reviews resumes that announce previous employers, duties performed, titles earned, and objectives achieved; while trying to evaluate if the seeker fits a profile causing an interview.

Tough process! It’s no wonder that many jobs these days are obtained by “relationship bridging”, meaning someone knows someone that says nice things like “you should look at so and so”. Immediately, the resume becomes a secondary, instead of a primary consideration. Because the job seeker has been “referred”, the seeker becomes “more acceptable”, thus easier to interview and hire.

Wow, it sounds like “relationship bridging” is the way to get a job. Maybe…do you know enough people that will go to work for you? Do you have your important information in the heart of your important relationships?

So does your resume:
A. Boldly declare areas in which you are personally strong or
B. Describe positions held, duties performed, results achieved

Can you imagine putting this on your resume:
that you have been personally mentored,
that your values, beliefs, and gifts indicate that you really have something to offer an employer beyond technical expertise and skill
that know how to listen, delegate, motivate, perform and share

…Pause for a minute. Creating a good resume is tough. We are uncertain as to the audience who will review a resume and are emphatically told to insure the resume maximizes our experience.

So let me ask you a question. Why is the business world heavy on experience and oblivious to the very things inherent in our ability to perform? In case you are wondering what drives your performance, here are a few invisible items on most resumes:

My Values
What I believe
How I am organized, how well I listen, delegate, motivate, & share
How I am an effective worker/manager/executive

Most people don’t think like this. How else can an employer “jump out of their seat” when reading about this unique individual. Since we are the most educated people in history how come interviewing has become biased towards position and company rather than the real things that mean something in the workplace?

The reason may be that values, beliefs, organization, listening, motivating, sharing, etc are lost arts. They are unspoken about in our homes and not elaborated upon in schools (except as to specific assignments). As educated as our job seekers may be they have not educated themselves about what is going on inside them…what makes them tick.

Therefore, it is difficult for a person looking for a job to dig any deeper than the other person looking for work who is elaborating upon their work experience, time on the job, title held, objectives completed. Shallow resumes make hitting a sweet spot for an employer a difficult chore. A company that brings us new awareness is called Path 2 Success 4 Me.

Path 2 Success 4 Me is not an elegant new thing. It is just old fashioned common sense. It helps a person pull out of themselves the very things that make them who they are! It helps them inspire confidence in themselves and arrive at determination to use their strengths because they absolutely know their strengths and know how to use them. This makes it real easy for an employer to embrace the employees strength and to encourage them to make them part of their team.

Simply stated Path 2 Success 4 Me helps a person:
Know who they are
Know where they are going
Help them see what their destination will look like
Train and empowered them develop a plan to get them there

Dave Thorpe (http://www.path2success4me.com/), an Independent Life Coach for his inspirational new Path 2 Success 4 Me PROGRAM: presents I NEED HELP, an Exclusive Life Coaching Encounter — When all you can say is, "My Life Sucks", this program can help you discover your purpose in life and help you find the answer to “Who Am I?”

Path 2 Success 4 Me - Have you found yourself saying, “I want guidance” or “I want direction in my life”? These are really challenging life issues and Dave Thorpe has been involved in life training most of his adult life. Dave has a mentor’s heart and has lived a coaching life. Through his shared experiences both going through his own challenges in life, as well as being a life coach, Dave has developed an approach which can help you turn your life around.

Path 2 Success 4 Me is a safe process that enables a person to understand their potential by finding out, “who am I?” Dave provides individuals with a process to develop their attributes into self worth and self confidence. This permits them to begin achieving objectives outside of their previous scope. This process embodies positive encouragement and accountability and enables participants to build a daily checklist to manage their life the way they want it to be fulfilled.

Path 2 Success 4 Me enables people to find out answers to questions like:
1. Who am I?
2. What is my Purpose in Life?
3. What On Earth Am I Here For?
4. Where am I going in life?
5. What will it look like when I get there?
6. When does my life stop sucking?
7. How will I get there?

As a life coach Dave unpacks the big questions of personal meaning and personal motivation. Through his life coaching process he can show you how to change your life and points the way to a more purpose-filled life. With a coach life can have more direction. Are you struggling with whether your purpose in life comes from your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness? Are you trying to find meaning in your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions? If you want to know why you were placed on this planet and develop a clear understanding of your purpose in life, then you need to learn about Path 2 Success 4 Me.

Path 2 Success 4 Me is geared to reach three primary audiences; 1) parents, 2) students and young adults, and 3) adults who have never found answers to these questions.

PARENTS: As a parent you may find yourself frustrated because your child is not performing to your expectations. Parents want to be able to pass their legacy on to their kids, but the child seems unwilling or unable to “do the right things”. The child may do well in certain areas, but is not excelling in others. The parent wants to help in those areas. The parents want to do the “right thing”. Often the mother sees the child in conflict with the father figure and sees no possible resolution in sight, which increases her desire to find a “safe haven” to protect the child.

The parent may realize they communication at home is basic and home life is not really encouraging to the child. While the parent provides everything they have a certain level of expectation for the child to “step up to the plate”, which does not happen usually due to family dynamics of:
A. Communication between parent/child is not effective
B. Discipline in house hold lacking and usually enforced by yelling or anger
C. Parent has not been able to pass on their “knowledge” to child and feels they are not doing their job well
D. Little time is spent in family discussions and when time is spent the discussions usually end in someone being upset
E. Conversations tend to be short and parents tailor them to “did you do this…” or “why did you do that”.
F. The parent does desperately not want to be a COP, but since the child has little respect for parents issues, parents continue to be the COP.

STUDENTS and YOUNG ADULTS: The student is attending class in high school, college, or junior college, but has no clear path to as to where their education will lead them. They feel uncertain, hesitant, maybe lacking in conviction of their direction. “Where am I going?” “What is my direction in life?” Education permits them freedom from having to announce what they intend to do in life, but these are the times they should be struggling with these questions and starting to formulate a worldview. They seek purpose but have not found it in their friends, mentors, family relationships, school work, hobbies, activities, religion, or work. The student knows they want to do something in life but indecision, inability to develop a vision, and distrust of the system cause them emptiness. This may cause them to appear isolated to their parents, as the student is certainly not communicating well with them. The student may have peer relationships with little value (just hanging around), may have no mentors, they may have weak knowledge of where success is available to them, and they may have little ability to articulate who they are and what means something to them. Most certainly they don’t have a picture in their mind of what their destination “looks like” and are relatively blindly seeking direction to something satisfying to them.

ADULTS: Are your objectives being accomplished? Are you experiencing frustration and or desire for change? Some of life’s challenges may encourage you to search for alternative solutions. Where are you turning for satisfaction and joy? Do you have healthy outlets that encourage positive behavior? As an adult do you have a clear view of your destination in life? Do you have a course of action you believe in? Do you have someone like a friend or mentor or coach encouraging you to follow it? But the plan if there is one is in disarray and the adult lacks accountability to following it. Since the plan is in-effective or there is none, the adult just fills their day with sameness hoping for a change that never comes. They feel rudderless. While they may be fun on the outside, they are desperate internally. They really want a solution to their frustration with life.

About Dave Thorpe, Founder of Path 2 Success 4 Me

Do you want help finding answers? If so, this program approach is for you. This is a proven solution that can help you discover hope, purpose and direction. Dave Thorpe is actively recruiting individuals who want to capitalize on this incredible life coaching opportunity. Mr. Thorpe is a life coaching specialist with credentials and experience which can be seen at http://www.path2success4me.com/. You can also see Mr. Thorpe's blog at http://davethorpe.blogspot.com/.

For more information about becoming a life Coach or to schedule an interview with Mr. Thorpe, please contact Dave Thorpe, Life Coach by email at david.d.thorpe@gmail.com or by phone at 760.415.7911.

Dave Thorpe provides Life Coaching and Path 2 Success

2010-02-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

DAVE THORPE INTRODUCES PATH 2 SUCCESS

“This is what Path 2 Success (http://www.Path2Success4Me.com) is all about: sharing some real life coaching for individuals who need help — to fulfill the growing demand for helping people answer the question, "what is my purpose?" In a unique and encouraging way Dave Thorpe can engage young adults when struggling with tough life issues and they just want someone to "show me the way!" Dave's Path2Success combines the proven approach of performance coaching with life training that shows you how to change your life. Though it may be hard for some to admit, “I need help," the Path2Success approach to life training can help you answer the question, "Who Am I?" It's a unique leadership coaching program full of encouraging ways to help you change your life.”

San Diego, CA, January 31, 2010 - Dave Thorpe (http://www.Path2Success4Me.com), an Independent Life Coach for his inspirational new PATH2SUCCESS pROGRAM: presents I NEED HELP, an Exclusive Life Coaching Encounter — When all you can say is, "My Life Sucks", this program can help you discover your purpose in life and help you find the answer to “Who Am I?”
path 2 success - Have you found yourself saying, “I want guidance” or “I want direction in my life”? These are really challenging life issues and Dave Thorpe has been involved in life training most of his adult life. Dave has a mentor’s heart and has lived a coaching life. Through his shared experiences both going through his own challenges in life, as well as being a life coach, Dave has developed an approach which can help you turn your life around.
Path 2 Success is a safe process that enables a person to understand their potential by finding out, “who am I?” Dave provides individuals with a process to develop their attributes into self worth and self confidence. This permits them to begin achieving objectives outside of their previous scope. This process embodies positive encouragement and accountability and enables participants to build a daily checklist to manage their life the way they want it to be fulfilled.
Path 4 Success enables people to find out answers to questions like:
1. Who am I?
2. What is my Purpose in Life?
3. What On Earth Am I Here For?
4. Where am I going in life?
5. What will it look like when I get there?
6. When does my life stop sucking?
7. How will I get there?
As a life coach Dave unpacks the big questions of personal meaning and personal motivation. Through his life coaching process he can show you how to change your life and points the way to a more purpose-filled life. With a coach life can have more direction. Are you struggling with whether your purpose in life comes from your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness? Are you trying to find meaning in your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions? If you want to know why you were placed on this planet and develop a clear understanding of your purpose in life, then you need to learn about Path 2 Success.
Path 2 Success is geared to reach three primary audiences; 1) parents, 2) students and young adults, and 3) adults who have never found answers to these questions.
PARENTS: As a parent you may find yourself frustrated because your child is not performing to your expectations. Parents want to be able to pass their legacy on to their kids, but the child seems unwilling or unable to “do the right things”. The child may do well in certain areas, but is not excelling in others. The parent wants to help in those areas. The parents want to do the “right thing”. Often the mother sees the child in conflict with the father figure and sees no possible resolution in sight, which increases her desire to find a “safe haven” to protect the child. The parent may realize they communication at home is basic and home life is not really encouraging to the child. While the parent provides everything they have a certain level of expectation for the child to “step up to the plate”, which does not happen usually due to family dynamics of:
A. Communication between parent/child is not effective
B. Discipline in house hold lacking and usually enforced by yelling or anger
C. Parent has not been able to pass on their “knowledge” to child and feels they are not doing their job well
D. Little time is spent in family discussions and when time is spent the discussions usually end in someone being upset
E. Conversations tend to be short and parents tailor them to “did you do this…” or “why did you do that”.
F. The parent does desperately not want to be a COP, but since the child has little respect for parents issues, parents continue to be the COP.
STUDENTS and YOUNG ADULTS: The student is attending class in high school, college, or junior college, but has no clear path to as to where their education will lead them. They feel uncertain, hesitant, maybe lacking in conviction of their direction. “Where am I going?” “What is my direction in life?” Education permits them freedom from having to announce what they intend to do in life, but these are the times they should be struggling with these questions and starting to formulate a worldview. They seek purpose but have not found it in their friends, mentors, family relationships, school work, hobbies, activities, religion, or work. The student knows they want to do something in life but indecision, inability to develop a vision, and distrust of the system cause them emptiness. This may cause them to appear isolated to their parents, as the student is certainly not communicating well with them. The student may have peer relationships with little value (just hanging around), may have no mentors, they may have weak knowledge of where success is available to them, and they may have little ability to articulate who they are and what means something to them. Most certainly they don’t have a picture in their mind of what their destination “looks like” and are relatively blindly seeking direction to something satisfying to them.
ADULTS: Are your objectives being accomplished? Are you experiencing frustration and or desire for change? Some of life’s challenges may encourage you to search for alternative solutions. Where are you turning for satisfaction and joy? Do you have healthy outlets that encourage positive behavior? As an adult do you have a clear view of your destination in life? Do you have a course of action you believe in? Do you have someone like a friend or mentor or coach encouraging you to follow it? But the plan if there is one is in disarray and the adult lacks accountability to following it. Since the plan is in-effective or there is none, the adult just fills their day with sameness hoping for a change that never comes. They feel rudderless. While they may be fun on the outside, they are desperate internally. They really want a solution to their frustration with life.
About Dave Thorpe, Founder of Path 2 Success
Do you want help finding answers? If so, this program approach is for you. This is a proven solution that can help you discover hope, purpose and direction. Dave Thorpe is actively recruiting individuals who want to capitalize on this incredible life coaching opportunity. Mr. Thorpe is a life coaching specialist with credentials and experience which can be seen at http://www.Path2Success4Me.com. You can also see Mr. Thorpe's blog at http://davethorpe.blogspot.com.

For more information about becoming a life Coach or to schedule an interview with Mr. Thorpe, please contact Dave Thorpe, Life Coach by email at david.d.thorpe@gmail.com or by phone at 760.415.7911.