Wednesday, 29 August 2018

Leisurely Reading Helps Fuel Entrepreneurship


Warren Buffet invests 80% of each day to reading, Bill Gates commits to reading one book a week, Mark Zuckerberg reads one book every fortnight and shares it in his online book club. Mark Cuban reads for at least 3 hours every day, while Oprah Winfrey reads one book every month for her book club.

It’s no secret, industry-related books are jam-packed with advice on business and marketing strategies, helping entrepreneurs develop necessary skills and gain new business ideas and motivation. But did you know, reading for leisure can also encourage self-improvement and success?

Here are 6 ways leisurely reading helps to improve key business skills and fuels entrepreneurship:

1. Improve Communication

A good vocabulary is vital when interacting with clients, marketing your services and networking at events. And the best way to increase your vocabulary is through reading. Being articulate helps in any industry as it helps an individual speak about their business with self-confidence.

2. Enhanced Reading and Writing Skills

The more books you read, the better you will become at proofreading and writing. Many business catastrophes start with someone misreading an email, phrasing something poorly, or not proofreading well enough. If you’re an avid reader, you’re more likely to pick up on these mistakes.

3. Enriched Analytical Thinking

Reading helps you train your brain to spot complicated patterns and teaches you to solve problems. No matter what industry, every entrepreneur will have to do some problem solving sooner or later.

4. Improved Focus and Concentration

The ordinary entrepreneur has to divide their time wisely. This multitasking can cause stress levels to rise and productivity levels to drop. However, when an individual is engrossed in a book, all attention is focused on the story, helping to improve their focus and concentration levels.

5. Increased Perseverance

If an individual can sit down and read a 600 page novel from cover to cover, they’re likely to have the perseverance needed for success. Perseverance and patience are vital for success, as success requires months, years, of hard work.

6. Improved Memory

When you read a book, you have to remember a whole assortment of characters, backgrounds and history as well as subplots. A good memory is particularly important for entrepreneurs as they're often overloaded with daily to-do lists.

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Saturday, 25 August 2018

The Secret of Deliberate Creation

World renowned self-improvement authority Dr. Robert Anthony has developed a personal development audio program that he calls "The Secret of Deliberate Creation." The program was designed to help those struggling to achieve their goals find a way to eliminate self-sabotage and internal barriers to success. Dr. Anthony calls his program "A no-nonsense way to get the results you want." Its premises are drawn from a mixture of both spiritual and scientific principles.

In The Secret of Deliberate Creation, Dr. Anthony asserts that every human being on the planet is a creator and that each one of us is creating all of the time. He contends that a person’s individual experience of reality is always in harmony with his own habitual thoughts and beliefs. Anthony says that this process of creating one’s own reality is ongoing and consistent, whether the end results help or harm the individual.

Dr. Anthony says that what shows up in our lives does so in accordance with several universal laws. These laws, he states, are constant and unbiased. High among these is the law of attraction. The law of attraction states that people, places and things of a similar molecular vibration are drawn to one another. Anthony claims that things and circumstances merely exist as particles of possibility before they are brought into form by thought and emotion. By choosing our thoughts we activate our ability utilize the law of attraction.

Dr. Anthony contends that giving to others is a largely overlooked way of getting what you want. In his opinion, based on years of personal research, the universe will return to a person whatever he or she sends out to others. Dr. Anthony also says that holding on to negative emotions actually invites the things that you don’t want into your life. This is because the law of attraction does not care whether the things that you manifest are good for you or not. Just like the law of gravity, it will always work, even if you don’t understand the mechanics behind it. If a baby crawls off the ledge of a building, she will fall, even though she does not comprehend the concept of gravity. In the same way, the law of attraction works without personal opinion or bias.

In The Secret of Deliberate Creation, Dr. Anthony gives you the tools to live a life of abundance and personal fulfillment. He debunks the common misconception that life is a series of chance happenings, unaffected by personal choice. Anthony asserts that "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."


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Thursday, 23 August 2018

Leading with Presence

Leaders are a key element of any successful organisation or business, without effective and engaging leaders in place a company built on people will lack direction and be unable to fulfil their objectives. The trouble with leadership is that not every leader knows how to act when they are initially given their leadership position. To combat this many businesses invest in executive coaching and leadership skills training, but the focus of this type of development is on practical skills rather than interpersonal skills. The missing ingredient which leaders sometimes lack can be found in the concept of Leadership Presence.

Earned Authority

The originator of leadership presence, John Baldoni is an author, motivational speaker and leadership consultant. Originally mentioned in his "12 Steps to Power Presence" leadership skills training manual, he has changed the way that leaders act and behave with his innovative leadership presence theory.

Leadership presence, defined as earned authority, is earned through actions and setting examples. A leader by default is in an authoritative position, but a leader with leadership presence has earned the right to their leadership position by demonstrating exceptional behaviours and actions. Leadership presence is the outward reflection of authenticity, leaders radiate sincerity, accountability and they have the drive and ability to make things happen.

A form of communication

Leadership presence essentially is a form of communication, which cannot be gained without support from subordinates and colleagues. Unlike many leadership theories which confuse the ability to lead with leadership traits, leadership presence isn’t assumed through charisma or natural "talents" it is the development of a leader’s character. Character is fundamental to the way that all individuals act, and it is not to be confused with leadership attributes such as influential skills, or public speaking skills. A leader’s character is reflected in their thoughts, words and actions, and leaders can prove their character by developing their ability to be accountable for themselves and the people they lead.

Leadership awareness

Leaders that have earned authority and convey leadership presence are aware of three fundamental things:
  • Their earned authority and position as a leader with presence is only given to them by the people that they are leading, regardless of their hierarchical position


  • Effective leadership hinges on credibility, and credibility can be gained or lost through a single word, action or decision


  • People will not follow and commit to a leader that they are unable to respect or who doesn’t display personal accountability for their actions and behaviours.
Leadership presence is a projection of a leader’s ability, sincerity and values; it is the outward manifestation of true leadership behaviour. Becoming a leader with presence Leading with presence and gaining earned authority begins with self development.

Leadership presence itself can be taught through effective coaching and relevant leadership skills development programmes such as personal leadership, motivation, delegation and coaching and mentoring. Above all else the success of leadership presence rests with the individual’s capability to be a fair, consistent and responsible leader who confronts and corrects poor performance and provides recognition for good performance.

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Tuesday, 21 August 2018

Simple things


 I still have the email. It's been years since a highly placed corporate boss, who had the reputation and approach that things were never quite good enough, sent it to me. He was long on critique and revisions while short on acknowledgement and appreciation.

Anyone else reading his message would deem it ordinary. No flowery words, no glowing adjectives, no verbose flattery or deliberate feel-good rhetoric. It was written in a matter-of-fact, straight-to-the-point style that took all of three sentences.

Yet its mark was indelible. Not because his appreciation was infrequent, but because it was genuine. While it was an out of the ordinary contribution he acknowledged, the message didn't come in a signature-pen form letter "from" him via HR, nor was it composed and sent by his executive assistant. It came from him. He took the time to notice, comment, and engage. That simple email reconfirmed my commitment and spurred my enthusiasm.

It doesn't take much to let someone know they're valued. So why it is that so few people take the time to do it?

According to an online survey from Cornerstone OnDemand, being appreciated is the highest reason, excluding total compensation, that causes people to stay in positions. Yet, most respondents reported feeling undervalued at work. When they did feel appreciated, the majority reported it came from coworkers, not bosses.

This is not new news. But the response to many similar company surveys or consultant reports is the roll-out of another company-wide program offering a one-size fits all approach in an age of personalization and have-it-your-way customization.

Does anyone really think a gift catalogue where twenty-five years of service gets you a watch or jewelry, attached to a form letter from the company president who likely doesn't know you, communicates that the organization values a quarter century of contributions? Will that inspire others to aspire to longevity? If a company does use service awards, at least invest in a menu of customized and personalized 21st century options developed with employee input.

Most people don't want (or need) plaques gathering dust or watches that aren't worn. What they want (and need) is someone to notice and appreciate that they gave up their weekend plans to finish the last minute critical project; they willingly took on the responsibilities of that open position; they designed and executed a great idea that improved the department processes, or they worked tirelessly to serve a key client or accommodate a change in business priorities.

They want their contributions to be seen and to know that what they do at work matters. We all do.

People who are winning at working know it's simple things that communicate to others that their work makes a difference, that they're appreciated and valued. It's simple things that build trust, engage minds, and ignite talents.

It's simple things like a thank you or a performance review delivered on time; ongoing communications with both the good and not so good news. It's the job well done email, or the this-size-fits-you approach to career development and recognition. It's simple things like seeing people as whole people, not interchangeable parts, and letting actions communicate what's valued at work.

People who are winning at working realize that offering meaningful appreciation and recognition is not a program. It's an ongoing mindset and way of operating. It's noticing, honoring, respecting, acknowledging, and genuinely appreciating others' contributions to the whole.



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Saturday, 18 August 2018

How Tall Are You!


 As I took my seat on a flight from Toronto to LaGuardia recently, I noticed that the female flight attendant was considerably taller than 6 feet. Because I know that many people in the USA ask tall men, "Did you play basketball?" I was curious about her experience with that or similar questions.

When there was a moment when she was not performing her duties, I had my chance. "Excuse me", I said. "I have a question. How often in a day of flying are you asked, ‘How tall are you?’" She smiled, and said, "At least ten times a day and often more." She shared that it was only 7:15am as we spoke and she had already been asked three times.

Later in the flight she returned. The aisle seat next to me was empty. She sat down shook my hand and said, "My name is Samara. May we talk?" "Yes, of course," I said. She was curious about why I asked my question, and grateful that I had not asked the same question as most. After I explained that I work in the area of diversity, unconscious bias and multicultural competency her curiosity piqued. I shared that I had conducted unscientific research several years ago and discovered that very tall men in North America are asked, "Do you play basketball?" on average of fourteen times a day when they are in public environments. If they say "no" the inquirer does not know how to continue the conversation. No doubt, they don't want to say aloud, "What's wrong with you?!"

Samara went on to share her experience and how frustrating this question is. She fully understood that people have good intentions, and think it is a way to acknowledge her and be friendly but the result of that question and some others create an opposite effect. She and the men I have spoken to about this predictable behavior do not waste their energy becoming angry with the inquirer, but have no motivation to encourage more conversation. One former pro basketball player told me if that is the first question a person asks him, he quickly ends the conversation and walks away. He feels they have not taken a moment to recognize that it is a superficial question that reflects an inability to hold an interesting conversation.

According to research conducted by Judge and Cable only 14.8% of adult American men are over 6 feet tall, yet 60% of American CEOs are over 6 feet tall. A similar statistic is true for US presidents and generals. Although this is a career advantage, it does not dismiss the annoyance of 'the question.'

I know, some of you are wondering what is the big deal? Why can't they just get over it and go with the flow and be thankful they have this perceived advantage. But since you are still reading, that suggests you are curious.

Will the sun not rise if you ask 'the question'? Of course it will. Will you get punched in the nose? Not likely. So in the scheme of things, asking this question is not going to prevent world peace, but if your motivation is to engage in a conversation to get to know the person, I suggest that you hold back the urge to ask 'the question.' If you want to get to know this tall person, start by asking a non-judgmental, open-ended question that reflects the present. In Samara's case, perhaps the question would be, "What motivated you to become a flight attendant?" If there is no opportunity to have an in-depth conversation, which is usually the case with a flight attendant or a tall guy standing in line to board a plane, then just don't ask anything. This will be difficult at first. The urge to ask the obvious question is strong for some people.

I can guarantee you if you start with a more open-ended question you will learn about the real person, not just the possibly envious attribute they have. And, if height is important to them, somewhere reasonably early in the conversation they will mention it without you having to ask.

Samara shared that she speaks three languages, lived in Germany and France for a time, speaks to youth groups about the joys of travel and how one can learn about other cultures. The other question she hates is, "How old are you?" According to her, apparently older folks think it is okay to ask that question. She feels it immediately puts her in a box with an assumption that she is too young to know certain things when she has actually had amazing experiences beyond those of many older people.

Lean outside of your comfort zone and try this. Look for ways to engage in conversation by asking a question related to the reason you and that person are in the same place at the same time. Don't ask the following questions, and see how long it takes for people to share the answers without you asking:

1. How tall are you?
2. Where do you work?
3. Do you have kids?
4. Where do you live?

No, I never did ask Samara 'the question.' I gained so much more than just knowing her height. Yes, I still have an inner urge to ask 'the question' but I fight it. I know that it only feeds my curiosity, and does not honor the whole person. Let me know your results.


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Wednesday, 15 August 2018

5 Things All Working Millennial Women Can Do to Keep the Stress at Bay


Based on the 2012 report by the American Psychological Association, it has been established that Millennials are the most stressed generation. However, within the generation itself, women are likely to face more pressures compared to men. In fact, 51% of millennial women reported showing signs of stress like lying awake in bed at night, becoming more irritable, and losing motivation. For employed women, 74% feel pressured in their job and the demanding tasks can create an imbalance in their professional and personal lives. Meanwhile, 23% of working millennial women find their gender may be the reason why they are not getting ahead in their job which leads to even more stresses and anxiety.

There are simple ways for working millennial women to overcome pressures that comes with pursuing a career. From shopping to meditation, there are countless coping mechanism you can try so you don’t spiral further down into a mental and physical agony.

Treat Yourself

When that paycheck comes in, set aside a little sum of money to treat yourself with new clothes, shoes, makeup, and skincare products. Perhaps have a little feast with your family and close friends. Birthdays, marriages, and promotions shouldn't always be the only occasion to celebrate. Commemorate the little things like your friendship, good health, and other small milestones.

Nevertheless, treating yourself doesn’t always have to be done in a materialistic way. You can treat yourself by spending your free time finishing a novel you’ve always wanted to read or go people-watching in an alfresco café while enjoying a cup of good-quality cappuccino. Reward yourself with things that can put your mind at ease, away from all the tensions from work.

Pamper Yourself

With the skincare products that you’ve recently purchased, do a pampering session every weekend. Draw yourself a nice, hot bath with some exfoliating salts and apply facial masks to rid yourself of fine lines, dark eye circles, and worry lines. When you feel a bit more glamorous than usual, you can call for an appointment at your favorite massage and spa parlor to get the full package.

If money is an issue, which is understandable for all millennial women, why not create DIY scrubs, masks, and cleansers at home with no cost at all. Make use of essential oils you have already owned and add them to your homemade concoction to see successful results. These essential oils can also be used to give yourself mini massages or for aromatherapy. Aromatherapy revolves around a practice that utilizes extracted natural oils, or essential oils, to stimulate different brain functions. It can also promote holistic healing by letting the skin and bloodstream absorb the essential oil to restore the health of the entire body.

Improve Yourself

Improving yourself can be achieved in two ways: physically and mentally. To enhance your physical self, get a gym membership, go on a daily jog, sign up for fitness classes, or invest your time in yoga. It’s been proven that physical exercise can help reduce your stress because it produces endorphins, a chemical found in the brain that can act as a natural painkiller. Even though many millennial women struggle with body image and find it stressful, you don’t always have to exercise for aesthetic reasons. Do it because you know you’ll feel better afterwards thus improving your physical and mental state at one go.

Regular meditation and aromatherapy can further improve one’s mental state as it trains your brain to focus on the good things instead of the bad. Through meditation, you can learn to pay no more attention to small things that might have caused you stress in the first place like caring about what others say or focusing on unnecessary drama within your friend group or colleagues.

Motivate Yourself

If you still can't get yourself out of that rut, think about all the reasons why you do what you do. Sure, many of us pursue a career for financial stability but that shouldn't be the sole reason why you work 40 hours per week. As a matter of fact, financial and money issues are the number one source of stress for women. For some, financial stability can lead to other things like more chances to travel, experience new cultures, or to save up for the future. Others may work to find enlightenment.

As the idea of feminism steadily evolves, women are seeking more than just financial stability. Some aim to minimize wage gap, bring about equal opportunities, and promote intersectionality among women from different races and backgrounds. As said before, many women find it difficult to advance in their career due to their gender. Instead of letting this be a source of stress, it can be a way to drive yourself to promote change in your working environment.

Make Peace with Yourself

Sometimes, a little bit of stress can actually be beneficial for you. If channeled in the right way, it can be a fuel so you can be more productive and achieve more job rewards. Try to make a note and list down all the things that might stress you out, both directly and indirectly. You can either avoid the problem or come to a compromising solution as avoidance won’t always solve the matter. Decide which coping mechanism works best for you and implement it daily or weekly.

Keep in mind that you will encounter stressful situations wherever and whenever. What matters is how you take care of yourself during those trying times. At the end of the day, the things that you worry about today might not be of importance to you in the following days, weeks, months, and it definitely won’t matter in the next few years.

These five tips may and may not work for different women. If you find yourself not getting anywhere better with these methods, contact your loved ones for a friendly advice or if needed, seek for professional help. Given the fact that there is an entire generation experiencing more stress than others, there is no shame in looking for external guidance. Once you’ve accepted that stress will always follow strong, independent, working millennial women, dealing with it and keeping it at bay will be a breeze.


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Thursday, 9 August 2018

What Are Your Gifts?


Recognizing and writing down your gifts is as important, if not more important, than writing down your goals. Writing down your goals is a useful tool to work concretely towards achieving your dreams and visions. Recognizing your gifts and callings is what creates those dreams and visions in the first place, and nurtures a positive and strength-based attitude.

Successful individuals focus on their gifts and strengths, not their weaknesses or flaws. Everyone has his or her areas of strength. Successful people learn to use their assets to their advantage, and realistically minimize or work around their deficits.

Every human being is born with varying degrees of potential – but all of us also have natural talents and abilities that, over time, become unique to us depending on our latent ability, our environment, our personality, our experiences, and all the millions of influences that affect human beings.
Everyone is good at something, and there is no one who is not good at anything! So we need to focus on those unique positives, and try to work in our areas of personal gifting: music, art, baking, sports, carpentry, cooking, cleaning, listening skills, public speaking, teaching, leadership – the list could go on forever. Allow what is good in you to get out and work for you.

Once you have made a list of your gifts – and feel free to ask others who know you well what they think your special gifts are – take a look at the list. Of the many gifts, what are you really passionate about?

What stands out as something you really love doing that connects with you?

Once you have narrowed it down, start thinking of how to direct your gifts and passion. Filling a need in your community, or the community beyond, with the particular set of gifts that you’ve been given, the passion to pursue them and taking action to make your dreams come true: that is where you will find success.

Individual gifts + personal passion + action = success for everyone.

Jeff Say's: I'm all for learning new things, however, if there is something that you’re already good at you’ll see more return on investment if you perfect your craft rather than focusing on things that don’t come easily to you.

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Tuesday, 7 August 2018

Affirmation Quotes: Use Them To Stay Motivated


Affirmation quotes are a great tool to use for staying motivated when practicing any affirmations on your list of affirmations because they remind you that the affirmation process works. Many people, however, leave out affirmation quotes from their daily positive affirmations list and solely focus on just one category of affirmations. This article explains why including affirmation quotes and many other types of affirmations is valuable.

MOTIVATIONAL AFFIRMATIONS: When you think of a motivational affirmation, what comes to mind? Usually something like, "I'm motivated to [fill in the blank]." But a better motivational affirmation could be using positive thinking quotes and affirmations quotes to help you "believe" that you actually have the ability to change your beliefs. Why is this important? Because nothing changes in your "outer world" until something changes in the "inner world" of your mind. I think Albert Einstein said it very well when he said:

"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions." ~ Albert Einstein

Many times when I want to remind myself that my list of affirmations actually has great power to help me change, I'll repeat Einstein's quote to myself all day as a turbo boost for confidence in the process of doing my daily positive affirmations. Another one of my favorites is from Napoleon Hill:

"Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought." ~ Napoleon Hill

The fact that these two men were greatly successful also tells my subconscious that I'm repeating affirmation quotes from people who "knew what they were talking about."

POSITIVE THINKING QUOTES: Positive thinking quotes, while not directly addressing affirmations themselves, are also words of affirmation which "affirm" that positive thinking and keeping a positive attitude will make you happier or more successful.

This gives you hope and hope gives you motivation. Why? Simply because we're more motivated to get up and do something when we think that the "something" that we're doing is very possible to achieve.

This is also true with any positive affirmation that you practice because it is through these daily positive affirmations that change occurs inch by inch. I view JRR Tolkien's quote as summing it up precisely when talking about how words of affirmation, motivational affirmations, self esteem affirmations or any other daily positive affirmations on your list of affirmations work over time:

"Little by little, one travels far." ~ J R R Tolkien

In fact, if you look at your list of affirmations as the dashboard in your cockpit of your rocket ship, you'll see that every time you practice any of your daily positive affirmations, affirmation quotes, or other words of affirmation that initiate a small change in the direction of your desires, you'll realize that with every "positive affirmation button" you push on the dashboard, that you are changing the trajectory of your rocket ship "little by little" until you are on a new heading. Kind of like Star Trek when the captain initiated orders for a new bearing. This is exactly what you are doing when you are practicing your affirmation list of quotes and other words of affirmation.

In summary, using affirmation quotes or positive thinking quotes to keep your mindset filled with hope and possibility because you believe in the "process of doing affirmations" can help you stay motivated because having hope and believing in possibilities are two basic ingredients to staying motivated, which is vital when doing daily positive affirmations because they work "little by little" to create great change.

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Thursday, 2 August 2018

How Women Can Negotiate Like Pros


There are some stereotypes that women cannot negotiate as well as men: that women are not as aggressive, that they take things too personally, or that they are not taken seriously. As a woman negotiator myself, I believe that the same rules apply to men as woman. However I have listed five rules that should particularly help women Negotiate Like A Pro.

1. It Does Not Hurt To Ask. If You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get.

It does not hurt to ask for something. The worst that can happen is that the other party says no. This is true in any kind of negotiation especially in dealing with a boss. Ask for that raise or promotion. Even if you don’t get it, your boss may admire your pluck and keep you in mind for future promotions. If there is something very important to you, it is good to get it out on the table. However do your research and be prepared to defend what it is you want and why you should get it. Don’t think that if you deserve a raise or promotion you will get it without initiating the conversation. In a job offer, try asking for more money and see what happens. If you have a bad customer experience at a hotel, ask for something like an upgrade or a free night. The results may surprise you.

2. Never Take No For An Answer

If you ask for something you really want and it is denied, don’t take no for an answer. Try to find out why they are saying “no”. As they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Try to think of a different way to convince the other side to give you want you want. Go back to the drawing board and try to ask for what you want in a different way. Even a minor change, a compromise or rephrasing might make it more palatable. If this is an important issue, suggest a trade-off or package deal, so the other side might be motivated by getting something they want.

3. Look the Part

You are the one who should set the tone of the negotiation. When you come into the room for the first time, you should look the part. You should wear professional clothes. A woman should not wear a lot of distracting jewelry. Bring the accessories of success such as a nice briefcase and notebook. Project the image that you want. You might want to try it in the mirror a few times. You want to give good eye contact and be a good listener. You want to seem knowledgeable about the issues or issues to be discussed. Think of the expression, “Fake it till you make it.” Being a good negotiator is like being a good actor. Remember to play your part and look the part.

4. Never Let Them See You Sweat

It is important to check your emotions at the door before trying to negotiate anything. Emotions such as anger can make one lose control. If you are nervous, upset or unsure of yourself, you need to focus on what you hope to accomplish and tell yourself that nothing is going to stand in the way of your goal. If the other side sees weakness, they may try to bait you, so don’t give them the satisfaction of knowing they have gotten to you. When I am upset with the other side, instead of getting angry, I actually speak more softly and more slowly to get my message across. Don’t let your emotions interfere with the negotiation and never let them see you sweat!

5. Be Prepared

Like the Girls Scouts, you must be prepared. If women feel they are not always taken seriously, they may have to work extra hard to do their research and be prepared. Much preliminary work must be done. If you are not completely prepared, consider delaying the start of the negotiation. If you try to wing it, you will regret it. It is important to have all the answers in advance. You cannot be over-prepared.

If you follow these Rules, you should be able to Negotiate Like A Pro.

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