There are plenty of women who have risen to corporate and political prominence. Hillary Clinton, Condoleeza Rice, Oprah Winfrey, and every woman in journalism, entertainment, or other prominent career roles have stepped up to the plate in spite of enormous road blocks to succeed. Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman ever to be nominated for Vice President on the Democratic ticket, and now Sarah Palin is the first woman ever to be nominated for the Vice President of the Republican party.

Over 38 million people watched Sarah Palin’s speech Wednesday night, and whether you agree with her agenda or not, you must applaud the woman for her strength, courage, and likable personality. She’s exactly what the Republican party needed. She’s a fresh face, she’s not a Washington insider, and it’s people like her in the political arena that can change the current political system. Obama has run his entire campaign on the notion that HE is the man that can change the current political scene. Whether you agree with him or not about that, he’s a fresh face, he’s tough and eloquent, and he promises to change the way people view politics. This presidential campaign will be remembered for decades as the race that changed the face of politics. No longer are the presidential candidates and vice presidential candidates the conventional politicians stuck in their bureaucratic ways. The Republicans knew that they needed someone to counter the appeal of Barack Obama, and they did it with Sarah Palin. McCain was nothing new, and he knew that the Democrats would hammer the slogan to average Americans that McCain is nothing different than Bush. Sarah Palin is different, and if the Republicans have any chance to win the presidential race, she will be the reason.

Palin is just a reinforcement for young women that they have access to every opportunity in America with hard work, and they don’t have to sacrifice having a family to further their career. This site is dedicated to helping you find the hidden potential in you. It’s dedicated to helping you find work that you love. Please don’t let your political views jade your perception of what Sarah Palin represents. She is a mother of five children who has lifted herself one heartbeat away from the presidency.

I know you’ve been salivating over the thought of the new iPhone. You wouldn’t wait in line to be one of the first to get one, but now that you’ve had time to think about it, you’re talking yourself into getting the iPhone. Some of you have the OLD iPhone, and you just want the 3G network capabilities. First of all, take a step back for a minute. Gadgets aren’t everything. Your blackberry, Samsung, Palm, or old iPhone is good enough. But, you’ve been caught up in the hype. Apple is the master of hype. They make tech-heads swoon. So, should you buy it? Let’s take a look:

New Features:

• 3G Network
• Sync up with Microsoft Enterprise
• A-GPS and Geotagging
• Hundreds of third-party applications and customizable skins/software

Price Of The Old iPhone: $399 for 8GB and $499 for 16GB

Price Of The New iPhone: $199 for 8GB and $299 for 16GB

Why The New iPhone Is More Expensive Than You Think

Okay, here’s the bursting of your bubble…

$199 Initial Cost + $10 more for the data plan than the previous data plan + $5 per month extra for text messages that was included in the old data plan multiplied by a 24 month contract. You end up paying $559.00 for the new iPhone, even though Steve Jobs and Apple are marketing it like it’s so much cheaper than the older iPhones. When in reality, You pay $160 more for the new iphone over the life of the contract.

Conclusion

I say wait until Christmas if you want to buy the new iPhone. Apple might lower the price to $149.00. I have no evidence to back this up except for their extensive history of reducing their hefty price tags quickly after they launch new products. It’s definitely better, but the jury is still out about whether the 3G network is TWICE as fast as the old one.

I want to hear from you. For those of you that bought the new one, what do you think? Is it worth the upgrade?

Yahoo’s Hot Jobs list 10 habits that bosses love about their employees:

1. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
2. Acknowledge what the boss says.
3. Collaborate.
4. Build relationships.
5. Understand how you fit in.
6. Learn the boss’s pet peeves.
7. Anticipate the boss’s needs.
8. Think one level up.
9. Open yourself to new ways of doing things.
10. Be engaged in your work.

I thought this list was a little funny, because it sounds like a list for the perfect suck-up employee. Sure, if you want to learn how to bow to your boss’s every need and desire, follow that list. The fact is that most bosses want you to think for yourselves, be self-motivated, and be a team player. I guess that’s what they mean by “collaborate”. I’m not saying that you should defy the wishes of your boss. What I am saying is that if you adhere to these ten habits that bosses supposedly love, you’ll be the guy or girl that everyone else hates at work. It’ll look like you’re just trying to get ahead for your own personal gain. Get ahead the real way by bringing an intense value to the company with your creative ideas, work ethic, and leadership skills.

What if the world’s computers were hacked tomorrow? What if technology broke down, and we had to rely on more traditional methods of communication and organization? I know it’s far-fetched, but our reliance on technology scares me. We depend on technology and the internet for everything nowadays. Imagine if the internet and cell phone towers went down for longer than a day. How would it affect your life? Do not fear, because I have a back-up plan if your PDA dies or your laptop blows up. It’s called the “note card” method. Clever name, huh?

Here are five steps for getting things done using only a note card:

Step 1: Buy a couple packs of 3″ x 5″ note cards. The 4″ x 6″ note card are clunky.

Step 2: Take out one note card each morning, and write two columns on the front side of the card. Then, flip it over and draw one vertical line through the middle of the card and one horizontal line through the middle of the card to create four equal quadrants.

Step 3: On the front of the card, write “Work” in one column and “Personal” in the other column. Write the date somewhere at the top of the card. Write all of your work tasks for the day in the work column and all of your personal tasks for the day in the personal column. If you want to take this one step further, write them in order of importance with the first task written as the most important.

Step 4: Flip the card over, and use the four quadrants to write any important information that you need for the day such as a phone number or address. Dedicate one of the quadrants for a motivational message such as a quote or Bible verse. For instance, I recently started using note cards on a daily basis, and I use one quadrant for phone numbers and addresses, one quadrant to write the words “Determination, Integrity, and Perseverance”. I know, it’s cheesy, but those three words keep me focused throughout the day. Another quadrant contains a Bible verse, and the last quadrant contains a short work-out schedule.

Step 5: Fold the card in half and stick it in your pocket, purse, or wallet. Whenever you complete a task, place a check mark or cross it off to show completion of the task. Keep your card until the next day. For any tasks that you didn’t complete, make sure you transfer them onto the next card to complete the following day.

This method sounds trivial, but it really does work. The psychological aspect of physically crossing off a task is very powerful. Pulling out a note card to look at your to-do list is much quicker than pulling it up in your PDA, iPhone, or Blackberry. Before you mock it, try it out. I know you won’t look as cool as the people whipping out their iPhone, but I guarantee you’ll get some people curious about it. There is beauty in simplicity.

Everyone has a cell phone. It’s a fact. Just the other day, I saw an 8 year old texting on his cell phone. Seriously? Now that cell phones are permanently embedded into our culture, we need to do something about teaching others how and when to use them. There is nothing more annoying than someone who thinks their cell phone is more important than interacting with reality. And now that our cell phones are also our computers (thanks to Steve Jobs and Apple), it distracts us even more from interacting with human life. I have put together 25 tips for practicing better cell phone etiquette throughout our daily lives.

1. Hang it up or put it in your pocket while ordering food at a fast-food restaurant.
2. ALWAYS turn it off during church, a play, the movies, meetings, and any other social gathering that it could distract others aroun
3. NEVER text someone while you’re driving. I think this is the scariest cell phone habit on the planet.
4. Never pick up your cell phone while at dinner with a client, loved one, or friends.
5. Turn off your cell phone when you are spending quality time with your spouse and/or children
6. Lower the volume on your ring tone
7. Don’t use a ring tone with bad language
8. Don’t use an obnoxious ring tone
9. Don’t wear your wireless headset 24/7. Seriously, you look dumb. Use it for the car and around the house.
10. Only text people with a texting plan. It costs .15 cents a text to receive a text if you don’t pay for a monthly plan.
11. Return your voice messages within 48 hours.
12. Get rid of the weird voicemail message. It’s annoying.
13. Never talk on your cell phone when you’re sitting at a table in a restaurant with friends or family.
14. If the call is really important but the time isn’t appropriate to talk, pick up the phone, and explain to them that you’ll call them back in a little bit.
15. Keep the decibel level down. You’re not talking into a fast food, drive-up intercom.

So, what do you think? Have any tips to add? Do you think I’m being too bossy? You know that you’re nodding your head to most of these rules. You just don’t want to admit it. I’m guilty for some of these. I had to put my phone down in the car today, because I was about to text someone while I was driving. Thinking about this article made me save the text for later.

If we are the next generation of small business owners and entrepreneurs, then we need to change the way we run businesses. Many of you can relate to companies that are stuck in their rigid ways of doing business. They have a handbook with a procedure for everything. If you don’t follow the handbook, you’re not doing it correctly. Companies like this might be efficient, but they are stale. All they care about is getting things done, rather than the satisfaction of their customers and employees. Do you know any companies like this? Have you ever worked for any companies like this? The answer is “yes”, because they are the majority of the companies in the economy, but a new breed of management style is taking over corporate America. It’s the managing style of creativity. It’s a management style that encourages innovation, freedom of thought, and the collaboration of all employees to reach a profit goal.

Apple, Inc.

Apple is a great example of what I am talking about. They pioneered the personal computer, but in the 90’s, they were close to going under. They were being destroyed by other personal computer giants such as HP, IBM, and Gateway. Steve Jobs was there in the beginning, he left, and then they brought him back. He knew that they needed something different. So, he turned Apple into the technology company of innovation. He let the designers loose, and they came up with a sleek, hip look for their computers and peripherals. Then, the iPod came along. Apple became more well known for their music player than their computers, but that was their strategy. Lure everyone in with the iPod, and peak their interest about switching from a PC to a Mac. Apple started thinking outside of the box, and they let their employees be creative. The outcome was the company’s stock quadrupling in the past four years.

Google, Inc.

Google is one of the largest corporations in the country, and it has been in existence for only ten years. It has been rated the #1 place to live by Fortune magazine for a reason. Google loves to take care of its employees. They know that their employees are the most valuable asset that they possess. They want the best and brightest people, and they attract them with their corporate culture. Google gives quality, free lunch. They encourage power naps during the day. They allow flexible schedules, but demand productivity. They give huge inventor’s bonuses to employees that develop a new product. They have a huge gym and a child care facility. The bottom line is that Google takes care of their employees. Google knows that if they start treating their employees like robots, they will lose them to competitors such as Microsoft or Yahoo.

The Bottom Line

If you own a small business or you are venturing a start-up business, keep in mind the idea of creativity. Let your employees be free. Do not confine them to a handbook or a manual. Think outside the box, and be open to new ideas. Trust the judgment of your employees. The moment that you focus on your bottom line, is the moment that it will struggle. Focus on innovation, creativity, taking care of your employees, and satisfying your customers. The free market will handle the rest.

Are you like me? Do you fantasize about owning your own business someday? Do you have the next big idea for a product or service, but you don’t know where to start? Entrepreneurship is what drives our economy. Entrepreneurs create jobs, and they achieve the American dream — financial independence. However, having an idea doesn’t make you an entrepreneur. Taking an idea and turning it into a profitable business is the definition of an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneur Online has a great article about how you can turn a dream into a reality with just ten minutes a day.

Here’s what you can do in just 10 minutes today:

1. Consider your someday dreams carefully. What is your life calling for? Take 10 minutes to write out a list of all the things you’ve been thinking about doing but haven’t done.
2. Choose one thing on that list to experiment with. It doesn’t matter which one you choose. Often in our coaching programs, people start with one thing, then start seeing results in other areas. We soon see people accomplishing everything from clearing off their desk to starting a global program to end world poverty.
3. Spend 10 minutes focusing on that one thing you’ve selected. Imagine that you have successfully achieved whatever dream you’ve chosen. Fuel the fantasy with as much positive energy as you can. What would you be feeling if you woke up this morning and that dream had come true? That’s the feeling you want to focus on. If you do nothing else with your someday dream but spend 10 minutes every day doing this exercise, you will see results.
4. Ask yourself, what is one small step I can take now that would get me closer to this imagined future? Can you make a phone call, spend 10 minutes on internet research, pick up some supplies the next time you are at the store?

Number four is what I tell everyone I meet when they pitch a new idea to me. You cannot start a business or turn in a dream into a reality overnight. You need to take small steps over a long period of time to create a sustaining, profitable business. You can do it, you just need to actually DO IT.

To the readers of this blog, I apologize. I was on vacation in California for a week and I have been very busy with a few different writing projects.

Are there any specific topics that you would like to read about? A blog is nothing without its readers, and I want to write about stuff that you are interested in. This blog isn’t confined to career related subjects. It can be life hacks, career development, personal development, or anything else you want to learn more about.

Leave a comment with your thoughts, questions, and suggestions.

We all know someone who didn’t have health insurance, got hurt, and now is dealing with the tremendous burden of huge medical bills. Insurance is a boring subject. This is not going to be a hugely entertaining article, but it’s a very important subject. Insurance can either rip you off or save your financial life. There’s not much middle ground. I hear about so many people that get burned by insurance products that are as worthless as the paper they are written on. But, there are many insurance products out there that are necessary to protect you and your family. Here is my list.

Health Insurance: This one is obvious. I’m not going to get into the whole political sound byte about how so many Americans don’t have health insurance. This isn’t a political blog. But, I know that many of those Americans that are part of that statistic, CHOOSE not to have it. If you choose not to buy it, you’re putting all of your chips on black in roulette. If you are struggling with your finances, figure out a way to pay for health insurance. I know that it sounds insensitive, but you can’t afford NOT to have health insurance. If something happens and you don’t have it, you’ll be swimming in debt for a very long time.

Long-Term/Short-Term Disability Insurance: Long-term disability insurance protects you if you are disabled for longer than a year from your current means of employment. If you are unable to perform the tasks of your current occupation, then long-term disability will kick in and pay you a portion of your yearly income. This is huge for people who work in high-risk industries such as construction. Short-Term disability helps out when you have a sickness that puts you in bed for an extended period of time or for women that have a complicated birth. Many large companies will package these insurance policies into your benefits package. These insurance products are often overlooked, but they are extremely important, because you just never know what might happen to you. What if a surgeon lost his or her arm?

Life Insurance: You don’t always need this insurance. If you are single and have no dependents, then you don’t need life insurance. If you are married and/or you have underage children, then you need to have life insurance. Choose level term insurance. You can typically 10, 20, or 30 years of life insurance for a specified amount of money. At the end of the term, if you haven’t died, the policy expires. The great thing about term insurance is that it is VERY cheap. Whole life and universal life insurance package together an investment product with a life insurance policy. The investment product almost always gets a horrible rate of return and there are so many fees associated with these types of insurance products. Agents love whole life and universal life, because they get a bigger commission. Stay away from it.

Homeowner’s/Renter’s Insurance: This one seems obvious, but you would be surprised at how many people don’t have it. If you have a mortgage on a house, which is most Americans, then you are forced to have homeowner’s insurance. If you don’t buy it, the mortgage company will buy it for you, because they want their collateral to be protected. Homeowner’s insurance can be expensive, but if you have ever spoken with someone who had a fire or heavy wind damage to their home, the insurance company ponies up a bunch of money. Renter’s insurance is essential when you are renting. If a pipe breaks and floods your apartment, your stuff isn’t covered under the landlord’s insurance policy. Plus, if your apartment is ever deemed unlivable and you need to move out, a renter’s policy will help pay for temporary housing.

I could go into the insurance products that I don’t think you need, but I think that’s for another day. But, please go ahead and discuss it in the comments section. Are there any other essential insurance products you feel are necessary?