7 ridiculous ideas that are holding you back from being your best

1) “People will laugh at me”
We all fall victim to this, thinking that people will laugh at us if we make a mistake.

They won’t.
Well they might, but only a little. They will forget after that. Think about it, even the weirdest news that go viral are forgotten as fast as they came about.
So don’t be afraid of a little embarrassment. Just go for it!

2) “I’m not good enough”
By saying this, you’re effectively striving for perfection, which does not exist.
You’ll never be good enough as long as you don’t give yourself a chance to try in the first place.
Don’t aim for perfection. Aim to be prolific. So just do it. Make all the mistakes you can. Pick yourself and grow.

3) “I’m scared”
I’m just going to say it.
If you allow fear to hold you back, then that’s ridiculous. Why? Because fear is not real. It’s only your imagination.
Does it make sense to hold back and not do what you want because of what you just made up?

4) “If I get this one thing done, then what comes after that?”
I think we’re all guilty of this. We tend to jump the gun!
We allow the pressure to pile up as we keep thinking of the many tasks that lie ahead. As such, we lose focus completely.
Don’t do that. Focus at the task at hand only. Start small. Pretty soon, you’d have done many amazing things.

5) “I’m not like [Insert successful figure]“
Okay so you look up to that awesome person. That’s cool. Gather all the inspiration you want.
But leave it as that.
Stop thinking about how you aren’t like so and so and therefore not as capable as him or her. You’ve your own life to lead and you’re bound for a very special journey to a perfect destination.

You’re going to be great in your own way, or better even.

6) “I’m an unlucky person”
Look, luck does play a part in life, in the sense that we should give in the serendipitous nature of the universe. Sometimes you’re blessed with windfalls, but sometimes life seems to deal you a shorthand.
But you should never rely on luck alone for success.
What you need is a good attitude and the will to succeed. And you make those choices on your own. Luck has nothing to do with that.

So be it lucky or unlucky, get off your butt and make things happen.

7) “It won’t do me any good if I fail”
Nah.
It won’t do you any good if you don’t try, for failure only comes when you stop trying.
And failure is your best ally when it comes to your endeavours. It is through failure where you’d learn the most.

So don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t let the idea of failure hold you back.

On Memorial Day Eve, President Obama Visits Troops In Afghanistan

Under the cover of darkness and on the eve of Memorial Day, President Obama landed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan for an unannounced visit with U.S. troops.

After a concert from country music star Brad Paisley, Obama spoke before a rally of about 3,000 American troops. Currently, there are 32,000 Americans currently serving in Afghanistan.

Obama made a bit of news, saying he was hopeful that a new president in Afghanistan would lead to a signed security agreement that would leave a small number of American troops in the country after 2014. That agreement has been elusive under the government of Hamid Karzai.

Obama, however, mostly focused on thanking the troops and reminding them about the beginning of America's longest-running war.

"To all of you, I'm here on a single mission and that is to thank you for your extraordinary service," Obama said to resounding applause.

Obama got a few laughs with references to sports and his singing, but toward the middle of the address he became serious.

He said the U.S. is at a pivotal moment in its mission in Afghanistan. At the moment, U.S. forces are playing a support role to Afghan security forces. By the end of the year, the U.S. combat mission will come to an end.

"For many of you, this will be your last tour in Afghanistan," Obama said, again receiving a raucous applause.

He then brought the story full circle. He talked about visiting the Sept. 11 memorial in New York City.

"We resolved to never forget and do everything in our power to prevent this from happening again," he said. "This is why you are here."

Obama said that it was U.S. troops and American civilians that helped put al-Qaida on "its heels in this part of the world." It was American intervention that brought democratic reform and advances in public health, literacy and education for women.

"Even with all the challenges," Obama said, "more Afghans have hope for their future and that is because of you."

NPR's Scott Horsley, who is traveling with the president, reports Obama also received an on-site briefing from his military commanders and will visit wounded servicemen on the base.

Obama made a . He then in which he said that after more than a decade war, the U.S. was on a path toward peace.

to a "senior advisor" who gave the paper a preview of the speech Obama is expected to deliver on Wednesday.

The paper reports that Obama will outline a second-term foreign policy that is "interventionist and internationalist, but not isolationist or unilateral."

Update at 3:05 p.m. ET. Additional Clarity To Come:

During a press gaggle aboard Air Force One en route to Afghanistan, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said President Obama wanted to meet with his ambassador and general face-to-face before making a decision on what troop levels should look like after 2014.

Source: http://www.npr.org/

Section 4A Baseball: Attema sharp, Stars offense on fire in win

All it took was 5 2/3 innings for the boys of Southwest Christian to advance to the second round of the Section 4A Tournament, capping off a 12-2 victory over Minneapolis Roosevelt Wedneday.

Junior Sean Roesser crossed home plate for the Stars’ 12th run in the bottom of the sixth inning off of a throwing error by the Roosevelt shortstop to end the contest.

Senior Matt Attema pitched a six-inning complete game, yielding two earned runs on five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.

Attema received sufficient run support in various ways from the Stars’ hitting. Specifically, three underclassmen stepped up to push Southwest Christian to victory. Sophomore center fielder Colin Provart drove in two runs on an RBI-single, while sophomore Cody Pollock matched Provart with a double that also brought home two.

Sophomore Aaron Johnson crossed the plate three times for the Stars, reaching base on two walks and an error.

Southwest Christian had defeated Minneapolis Roosevelt 18-7 in their previous meeting May 13.

The Stars face third-seeded West Lutheran at 4:30 p.m. Friday in Plymouth for the second round of the section tournament.

Sixth-seeded Southwest Christian (11-7) lost in the regular season to the Warriors 8-2.



Source: http://www.chaskaherald.com

7 habits of amazingly successful salespeople

More than ever today, all of us are selling. In business, we sell our products and services. In life, we're constantly selling our ideas, our plans and more. Being able to influence others is part of the selling process, and we can all learn from people who are successful in selling.

The best salespeople seem to practice a set of common habits. Here are seven habits of highly successful salespeople.

1. They hustle when others hunker down.
When times get tough, the unsuccessful want to circle the wagons and hunker down into something safe and cozy. Unfortunately for them, life isn't designed to be cozy or safe. It rewards those who take risks and venture forth in hustle mode. Successful people have a sense of urgency about them. They know how to embrace hustle mode when it is necessary.

2. They constantly work at being relationship farmers.
They are not pushy salespeople. Instead they are constantly creating, building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships. They think of themselves as farmers — constantly nurturing, caring and doing the day-to-day tasks to grow a strong harvest farther down the road.

3. They thoroughly research their prospects.
The best-kept secret of social media is that it is a brilliant tool for research. One ninja-level trick is to start with LinkedIn to get the basics about a person, such as where your prospect went to school and worked. Then move on to Facebook to get more information about what he or she likes, such as restaurants, vacations, pets, kids or quotes. Then they move on to Twitter and track their tweets, their re-tweets and the people they follow. They learn volumes about potential clients this way.


4. They make direct, personal connections.
They deploy social media with pinpoint, precision accuracy. None of this “My cat is sleeping” kind of baloney. They research like crazy (see point No. 3), and then they take massive action to connect with others in a way that is meaningful to the other person. Let your prospects see you as an ally rather than just another pest trying to fake a common interest only to sell your stuff.

5. They are resoundingly resilient.
They know they are going to get knocked down every now and then. But 99 percent of the time they know they can get back up, dust themselves off, and get back in the game. Smart salespeople learn from mistakes and make themselves better after a bruising.

6. They do self-surgery and give themselves a “try-ectomy”.
They don't settle for a lame, “Well, at least I tried,” pity party. They keep going till they get results. Remember Master Yoda from Star Wars. “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Stop resting just because “you tried.” Successful people know that you don't get paid for trying. You get paid for results.

7. They embrace technology to help people.
Today technology is not a department — it is integrated into everything we do in business. Top salespeople don't get enmeshed in the technology, but always have a mindset to use it to be more productive and help others. They use video tools like Google+ Hangouts, Skype, and Eyejot to connect with more people. As I’ve said for years: It’s not about the e-commerce (electronics), it’s about the r-commerce (relationships).



Source: http://www.bizjournals.com

Why Many Entrepreneurs Don't Make Enough Money

Are you making hand crafted products and wondering why you're working hard but not making enough money? I might have the answer for you.

A Common Mistake

A common mistake entrepreneurs and handcrafters make is thinking that if you're selling your product at double your cost, you're making 100% profit.

Surprise - there is no such thing as 100% profit.

Profit is always figured as a percentage of your selling price, not by comparing it to your costs. Here's a handy formula for you.

Profit % = ((Selling Price - Costs) divided by Selling Price) x 100

For example, if your product costs are $20.00 and you sell your product for $40.00, here's how the formula would work:

$40 (selling price) - $20 (total costs) = $20 (profit dollars) divided by $40 (selling price) = 0.5 x 100 = 50% profit

So when you double your costs, you're making 50% profit. But what if you're selling that same product for $27?

$27 (selling price) - $20 (total costs) = $7 (profit dollars) divided by $27 (selling price) = 0.26
x 100 = 26% profit

The only businesses that can succeed on 26% profit margins are businesses that rely on extremely high volume turnover. Is that you? Could you work fast enough to handle high volume turnover and not burn out?

Of course, those profit margins only apply if you have actually added up all your costs. Did you factor in overhead, income taxes and labor in case you have to hire help when you grow? If you haven't factored in overhead, income taxes, labor and other "unseen" costs, you are making even less profit.

According to the Small Business Association, the number one reason small businesses struggle is because of financial issues. Just like this one. Business success really is "black and white" - it's determined by the numbers you calculate on paper.

Masterpieces make Minnesota museums world-class destinations

When in Paris, tourists stroll through the Louvre to gaze at Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile. In Rome, Michelangelo’s white marble “Pieta” draws visitors to St. Peter’s Basilica. In Berlin it is, somewhat unexpectedly, a 3,000-year-old bust of Egyptian queen Nefertiti that entices travelers.

Great cities often have iconic objects whose fame lures casual visitors and connoisseurs alike. The painting known elsewhere as the “Minneapolis Rembrandt” is one such object at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA), and there are other paintings, sculptures, collections and even places whose renown defines Minnesota far beyond the state’s boundaries.

“They do give the excuse for pilgrimage,” said Kaywin Feldman, the MIA’s director. “The idea that you have to go to Minneapolis to see one of Rembrandt’s greatest paintings in America is part of it. And that painting helps to define the museum in the minds of our audience, too.”

Not surprisingly, museums with long collecting histories tend to have the most must-see objects. The MIA, Walker Art Center and the Minnesota Historical Society, each a century or more old, are loaded with destination attractions. But there are contenders in less obvious places, too.

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona has been working closely with its chief benefactors, Mary Burrichter and her husband, Robert “Bob” Kierlin, to develop a world-class collection. The couple’s purchase last year of a $4.5 million watercolor by British artist J.M.W. Turner — plus pictures by Gauguin, Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh and other marquee names — got art mavens checking their GPSes to see where, exactly, Winona might be.

“Our location on the surface looks like a detriment, but it’s actually quite a blessing,” said Andy Maus, the Marine’s executive director.

People from 20 countries and 50 states have visited, not bad for an eight-year-old museum in a rustic river town of 28,000.

“People expect a certain amount of quality, but we exceed expectations pretty regularly, and that plays to our benefit,” Maus said.

Source: http://www.startribune.com

Minnesota River may reach flood stage in Chaska

The rain is beginning to drain.

After an uneventful snow melt, the Minnesota River may now reach flood stage in Chaska.

The National Weather Service is projecting a 20.9 foot crest by May 3 at the Jordan gauge, where the water level will probably hover for a couple days.

The city of Chaska (which doesn’t have a NWS gauge) roughly estimates the local river level to be about two feet lower, two days later than the Jordan gauge. So that would mean an 18.9 foot crest by Monday, May 5.

This means that two of Chaska’s four water diversion flood gates will be closed.

That will probably be the worst of it, unless the rain keeps falling.

Here are the levels to pay attention to:

    Flood stage: Two of four Chaska water diversion flood gates are closed
    2 feet above flood stage: Courthouse flood gate is closed
    5 feet above flood stage: Athletic Park outfield gets wet
    6 feet above flood stage: City's final flood gate is closed
    6.75 feet above Chaska’s flood stage: Highway 101 closes
    7 feet above flood stage: Water reaches Athletic Park grandstand
    9.5 feet above flood stage: Highway 41 closes

Source: http://www.chaskaherald.com