How to Become a Motivational Speaker

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Are you an engaging speaker who has had many interesting, rewarding experiences? Motivate yourself to motivate others and get paid for doing so.

Steps

1. Evaluate your special "message". Consider what it is that you have to say that would be of value to others--have you experienced great adversity, or received some special education? In order to succeed as a motivational speaker, you must have something special to deliver.
   
2. Carve out your niche. Motivational speaking is, in many ways, a product that must be sold. Why should someone pay to hear you impart your message? Be able to articulate your unique experiences and explain exactly how you can inspire others.
   
3. Create an outline of your presentation. This will be used not only to provide a framework for your talk but also as a marketing piece for potential clients. Furthermore, many people are visual learners and can gain more from a visual representation than a spoken one.
   
4. Contact large, not-for-profit corporations and professional groups and make it clear you are available. While there is nothing wrong with directly asking for a gig, announcing your availability will let them feel privileged to work with you.
   
5. Contact speakers' bureaus and notify them of your availability. Some speakers' bureaus charge you to list your services, others charge nothing. Most bureaus take a percentage for acting as your agent. Search for "speakers' bureaus" on the Internet.
   
6. Be willing to work for free to get your name out. Once others hear your interesting story or experience, they may want to hire you. Inform everyone you know that you are looking for organizations who want a good motivational speaker. Volunteer to speak at service clubs in your area.
   
7. Write and publish articles or books if possible, in order to establish yourself as an authority in your subject. You do not need to publish a book people will find in the local bookstore. Post to websites like wikiHow and submit to on-line magazines and blogs.
   
8. Draw up a written agreement, or contract, for all engagements. The written agreement should contain, among other matters, how the fees will be paid (e.g., cash, check, over time), how long you are expected to speak, whether you will be reimbursed for travel expenses, and the time and date. This will help to avoid any disputes at a later time.
   

Tips

• Join a local Toastmasters Club. You will learn and practice everything you need to know when presenting a Motivational Speech, as well as any other type of speech.
  
• Dress consistent with the perception you wish to convey. If you want to convey professionalism and success, business attire is probably best. Some motivational speakers use clothing to make a point in their presentation.
  
• Speak clearly and repeat your main messages at least three times.
  
• Keep it fun and lively. Audience participation is a great way for adults to learn, and you can do this in any number of ways. For example, one speaker handed out raisins and slowly took the audience through the life of that raisin and all that had to happen for that raisin to be in their hands. This kind of activity makes the audience feel part of the speech and facilitates learning. Remember that any activities must be relevant to the topic you are speaking on.
  

Warnings

• If you forget what to say or begin to get nervous in front of a large crowd, stop, take a deep breath, and speak from the heart. Your audience will be happy to hear your honest experiences.
  
• One of the best ways to overcome nervousness is to focus on how you can serve your audience instead of worrying about what they are thinking about you.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Write a Speech
  
• How to Write a Book About Your Life
  
• How to Switch Careers
  
• How to Not Get Bored During Long Speeches
  
• How to Create a Secret Society
  
• How to Deliver a Graduation Speech
  

Sources and Citations

• eHow to Deliver a Speech
  
• eHow to Gesture During a Speech
  
• eHow to Set the Style for a Speech
  
• eHow to Use Visual Aids During a Speech
  
• http://www.toastmasters.org/
  
• http://www.speech-topics-help.com/motivational-speech-topics.html
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Become a Motivational Speaker. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Improve Your Writing Skills

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Thinking about becoming the next Ernest Hemingway? Or Stephen King? It takes a great deal of practice, planning, experience of the world and talent.

Steps

1. Write down ideas for your writing, subtitles, or even topic. (It's best to do all of this unless you're given a topic!)
   
2. Narrow down your list to important facts and details so you have your set planned.
   
3. Write an outline.
   
4. By now you should have basically your whole story planned. If not: make an additional outline, edit your work, add some brainstorm ideas, or make an idea web.
   
5. You're now ready to start your "sloppy copy," otherwise known as your first draft! Begin by writing down an essay-looking model from which to work.
   
6. Revise your work with another color.
   
7. Edit! Look in the dictionary to check your spelling and look in the thesaurus to vary your word choices and make your written voice more interesting.
   
8. Read your new draft aloud to anyone and accept any feedback. Doing this aloud will just let you know whether it needs some work. If you got ahead of yourself and forgot letters or punctuation, you will immediately realize it. Add any changes in a third color.
   
9. Do your second draft. Do not skip lines. Write in "essay form."
   
10. If you are happy with the essay now, you can turn it in for credit/publishing, after editing for spelling and grammar. If you're not, do steps 6, 7, and 8 again.
    

Tips

• Make a mnemonic device to help you remember things you often forget.
  
• Similes and metaphors are fun to use!
  
• Read books, newspapers, and magazines to help you find interesting facts you could use in your writing.
  
• The info sources are for finding info about a "knowledge essay".
  
• Teachers admire people who work hard instead of racing to finish the essay at the last minute.
  
• If you are going to use a computer, write out your story or essay by hand first, then type it on a computer. Writing by hand prepares you for essay tests. It also encourages very different ways of thinking; computers can tend to make work look more "finished" or "official" than it really is.
  
• Use complete words and sentences. An essay or story is not a chatroom.
  
• Good writers read a lot. Read all the time: magazines, novels, the paper, anything. Reading a wide range of material increases your vocabulary and gives you a sense of what you're trying to achieve.
  
• Just have fun while writing. Writing shouldn't be torture, it is a skill.
  

Warnings

• Be careful to stay on topic. If you are writing about something important, you may find that your main message becomes buried under trivial stuff. This makes editing particularly important. Depending on your topic and form of writing, you may find it helpful to include subtitles. Subtitles may keep you focused and may help readers skip material that they do not necessarily need to read. If you have a habit of going off topic, look at each paragraph. Does the paragraph contain just one main idea? You may have information that is irrelevant or belongs somewhere else in the paper. Also be sure to use transition words. Adverbs such as “however,” “therefore,” and “finally” can make your writing easier to follow and more pleasing to the ear.
  
• Be sure that your writing is well organized! Poorly organized writing may not read well and may even confuse your readers. As you go from paragraph to paragraph, check for cohesion. Try to put your paragraphs into some kind of logical order. Oftentimes, you will do well to save the best for last. In a persuasive essay, try to save your best argument for last. In a feature article, save the most interesting information for the end (or the beginning).
  
• Writing takes patience.
  
• Use synonyms with care. There is no quicker way to sound ignorant than to use a word as the wrong part of speech or in the wrong context. Always look up words in the dictionary and make sure you understand their meaning before using them. Also consider connotations of words and know the importance of good word choice.
  
• Do not plagiarize! Realize that your references are very important in essays. They even lend credibility to your research. If you are writing something for a writing class, you may want to ask your teacher how to cite your references because there are many different styles. Be careful how you use words and phrases from the original text. You may need to use quotation marks around certain words that you borrow from the original, depending on how common the words are.
  

Things You'll Need

• A dictionary
  
• A thesaurus
  
• Lots of paper - legal pads (long-sized & yellow color) work well
  
• Pens (in various colors)
  
• An encyclopedia
  
• Info sources
  
• A writer's guide (optional)
  
• A writing workbook for practice (optional)
  
• A computer (for the final draft)
  
• Reading material (optional)
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Avoid Colloquial (Informal) Writing
  
• How to Use English Punctuation Correctly
  
• How to Write a Report on Paul Revere
  
• How to Write a Report
  
• How to Write a Resume
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Improve Your Writing Skills. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Become Famous on the Internet

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Andy Warhol's 1968 quote that "In the future everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes" is looking increasingly prophetic as the Internet age advances. Here is how you too can become a web celebrity.

Steps

1. Learn the ins and outs of your computer. Get a couple of books, go online, and practice HTML. One day you're going to be able to change channels from ABC to CBS to MySpace. Learn the basics so that when TV and the Internet truly become one, you'll be ready.
   
2. Publicize your IM screen names, URLs, and Net addresses everywhere and often, and reply to everyone. Treat the Web like your house: When people knock, be there to answer. Most comedians work an hour a night and play the rest of the day. Don't let that be you.
   
3. Build a website site with personality if you want to build a fan base. People need to feel that you - and not an anonymous webmaster - are there. Make sure to update every single day, and remember: If it's not interesting, users will click to the next page and move on.
   
4. Update your site with new audio and video clips as often as you can. For example, visitors to danecook.com can get video, streaming audio, even images for their Sony PSP. If you want to offer rich content, you're going to have to spend a lot of time and a little bit of money, but it's worth it.
   

Tips

• Think about something that interests you, and search for it in an online search engine. You can find a message board or online community where you can converse with others about the topic.
  
• Make intelligent and thoughtful posts, and not only will others respect you, but they may like you and hold your name (or user name) in high regard. Many people may come to call you popular.
  
• Don't get into pointless arguments. Whether you are right or wrong, getting into an argument is both irritating and disturbing on the internet. No one enjoys reading how right you are compared with the other person, or what his mom looks like. Be friendly.
  
• Be wary of people you might meet on the internet, and avoid sharing too much personal information.
  
• Make a video about yourself or your talent, then post it on websites such as YouTube, MySpace, and DropYourTalent.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Write a Famous Blog
  
• How to Celebrate OneWebDay
  
• How to Dissuade Yourself from Becoming a Blogger
  
• How to Test Bandwidth of Your Internet Connection Easily
  
• How to Know When To Talk To A Celebrity
  
• How to Become a Great Chatter
  
• How to Avoid Chatting on wikiHow
  
• How to Get off the Phone Quickly
  

Sources and Citations

• iamnotfamous.co.uk - Advertise yourself and the fact that you are not famous on this website for free.
  
• Thalakotur: Online Advertising Consultancy - Get help positioning yourself online.
  
• Wired Magazine - Original source of this article. Shared with permission. Originally written by well known comedian, Dane Cook.
  
• Next Webstar
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Become Famous on the Internet. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Think for Yourself

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Of the many methods and means for learning, to begin it is essential for one to learn to think for oneself, without simply repeating what others have said. Making one own's decisions rationally and with sincerity comes only from thinking things out. Looking at both sides of the picture, to determine what is wrong or right...for you! Consider that what might be correct for someone else, might not be so for you. So give deep thought prior to making decisions so that you do not end up regretting the one you made.

Steps

1. Read. Find out what the great minds have thought about things. This means the classics, which are easily found in book stores or libraries. Classic novels are a much more entertaining way of learning how others think than dry text books, on anything from ethics to philosophy. Classics are usually more than just about the upper classes (which many of them are). Rather, they should discuss ideas that concern that which is considered as universal to the human condition.
   
2. Consider agnosticism. An agnostic neither believe nor disbelieves. To believe one thing is to exclude all other opinions to include one's own. The problem with this mindset is that it excludes opposing ideas and opinions. If one suffers from mandated faith, then one can no longer share in another's opinions. To believe nothing, means anything from one's own existence—from the Big Bang, to Evolution, to the latest theories on what to eat—should be subject to questioning. This means that every statement is a question. "I believe there is no such as free will" is end of discussion. However if the subject is open, there is room for much if not endless speculation, since the universe is an open system. Question that statement.
   
3. Ask questions. To be interested in learning how to think one should be inquisitive. Ask questions and try to answer to them. It is only by asking questions that one creates context, for which to take interest and notice things that may relate. It is only by attempting to answer questions simply and clearly, that one can measure his or her own understanding of things. Understanding is the gateway to compassion and doing away with vices such as confusion, false ideas and misplaced blame.
   
4. Propose alternative theories to today's accepted ideas and understandings. The correctness or rightness doesn't matter, so much as the creation of new ideas, speculation, theories and concepts. What is important is the testing for validity. Every new idea as theory or concept should be tentative, subject to testing for its validity. If nothing is created, then there is nothing to test. Theories can be correct when self-contained by their own internal logic. One can believe anything they want, so long as it is not contradicted by one's own sense of wrong. However, most original thinking in the interest of truth should be tested by discussion, observation, argument, and personal experience. Bad ideas can lead to good ones, as they can take one in a direction one might not otherwise have gone. Untested ideas can be sheltered until they are strong enough to stand the test.
   
5. Simplify, reduce, and categorize. Ideas can come a mile a minute at a rate in which the mind cannot know what to do with them. One can write them down but then they tend to get lost in a maze of paper and writing may not be fast enough or convenient. One might create categories in the mind as repositories for ideas as associations. Categories can be questions one is working on, general subjects like history, theory of relativity, ancient man, red light shift, concept of how, love and hate, or ego. Associate ideas from books and movies to present circumstance and vice versa. Simplify the mish-mash within the categories, by attempting to reduce the many ideas to commonalities, for instance as Marx did reduce many if most of the many motives of mankind to economics. You should not drive yourself nuts with intellectual constancy. Rather ask questions make statements, make observations write them down or categorize and forget about them. Free association is healthier for the mind. The idea is come back to the problems one has set for oneself and to remember to come back circular fashion, freeing the mind to free association, day dream or whatever. The mind works on problems subconsciously. Come back and see what new may be there.
   
6. Analyze your surroundings. This is another means to help you think for yourself. This essentially means examining why someone thinks and believes that which they do, the origin of that thinking, and the possibility of motives that may or may not lie behind them. This involves taking common assumptions that you may have heard or been taught, and questioning it. This might be common knowledge or even actual experience. Examine it. Ask yourself, "Why is that true? Why do I believe that? Is it valid if I have not proved it myself?"
   

Tips

• Immerse yourself in artistic/creative outlets. Write a song or poem. Draw a picture. Build or cook something from scratch. Valuing your own creativity is a key step on the road to independent thought.
  
• Avoid one sided systems such as political parties. Associating yourself with groups that do not actively question their goals and objectives, or consider opposing views, will in the long run close your mind, rather than open it. You should be able to adapt yourself to any perspective—not limit yourself to a single one. Belonging to a stagnant thinking group may invoke in people of average intelligence—a "group mentality".
  
• If you don't agree with a particular "law", or "rule", then DO NOT FOLLOW IT! The consequences are probably worth the peace of mind that you get knowing that you stood up for yourself. Keep in mind that YOU only get ONE life. If you spend your life following orders, you'll follow them right to your grave.
  

Warnings

• As one learns to think independently, one may change one's values and become intellectually and emotionally at variance with one's family, friends and community.
  
• Being too independent may cause one to be labeled as "socially maladjusted" or "crazy".
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Be Yourself
  
• How to Improve Yourself
  
• How to Love Yourself
  
• How to Pamper Yourself
  
• How to Rediscover Yourself
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Think for Yourself. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Develop Insight Into Your Own Life

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

This can be very easy, but may still take time. That's okay... more to discover!

Steps

1. Think of places that inspire you in many different ways. If listening to music, watching chic flicks, reading books, watching the news or going out to watch the stars sounds inviting then find a time to to all that you like.
   
2. Inform yourself on the going-ons of the world. Observe your and other people's daily routines. Write in a diary. Make lists if you like. Lists of good characteristics, of what you see in people, of good and bad moments, of your favorite foods, everything. Mental lists are just as good in this case as real ones if you would rather not write it down.
   
3. Allow yourself to expand. Study and learn things about people, places and ideas from biographies, mysteries, fact books, personality quizzes, and conversations with older and wiser people.
   
4. Consider participating in some leisurely activities... if you are younger, perhaps karate, sports, a religious group, community service, etc. Really anything you haven't tried that is legal and poses little risk is a good idea. Getting out and about will help you get the big picture.
   
5. Sometimes taking REALLY good care of yourself helps. Bubble baths, manicures, styled hair, etc. can be great.
   

Related wikiHows

• How to Become Mentally and Spiritually Emancipated
  
• How to Build an Artistic Brand
  
• How to Think Clearly and Logically Under Pressure
  
• How to Reach Inspiration Any Where Any Time
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Develop Insight Into Your Own Life. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Become Creative

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

There are so many ways to be creative; it's just a matter of finding the one that fits you best. Soon, you'll be expressing yourself in ways you could never imagine!

Steps

1. Pick a form of creativity:
   
   • Music. You could play an instrument, sing a song, or write a tune.
     
   • Dancing. Try the tango, belly dancing, fox trot, cha cha, ballet, tap dancing, hip hop, pop, ballroom, etc. You can even make up your own!
     
   • Writing. You can try writing songs, poetry, novels, or children's books.
     
   • General Art. Drawing, sketching, painting, oil painting, abstract arts, etc. Manga is becoming more popular, as well as comic strips.
     
   • Photography. Use you're imagination when looking at things you see every day.
     
   • Fashion. Sewing, adding things on clothes like buttons, ribbons, patches, rinestones, cutting t-shirts, ripping pants, tye dye, etc. You design it!
     
   • Cooking. Make your own recipes, using what you like!
     
   • Crafts. Make whatever comes to mind. Anything goes!
     
   • Wood working. Making things out of wood can be really fun.
     
   
   
2. Look for inspiration in your everyday life; things are happening all around you, and can make you even more creative.
   
3. Try to find others to share your creativity with. You'll feel happier when you do.
   

Tips

• Basically being creative means making it your own!
  
• Join a class, rent an instructional video, or do whatever else will help you get to be as good as you can be.
  
  • For composing, you can find writing tips online. Carry around pen and paper wherever you go to write down inspiring ideas.
    
  • For art in general, make sure you have the right tools; classes, and books are available.
    
  
  
• For fashion, go to thrift stores and find things if you plan on cutting stuff up so you won't waste, say, $50 on jeans or something.
  
• For cooking, present food well. Using decorations, and pretty plates and cups help.
  
• The most creative ideas come when your mind is loose and feeling good. Don't bog yourself down by trying too hard to think in a way that you believe is creative. Just take any idea that interests you and follow it naturally without looking back. You'll be surprised at where it takes you!
  

Things You'll Need

• Inspiration! Keep your eyes and ears open to the world around you, and appreciate the efforts of others.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Be a Cool and Creative Teenager
  
• How to Exercise an Open Mind
  
• How to Get Inspired
  
• How to Solve a Problem
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Become Creative. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Start Your Own Business

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Running your own business is a rewarding but demanding career and life choice. There are many different opinions about how to start a business from writing and researching a detailed business plan to jumping into a passion and trying to make money out of it.

Steps

1. Start with an idea. This doesn't have to be a brand new invention or new product. In fact, many successful small businesses have found a way to deliver an existing service more efficiently or economically or have customized an existing product or service.
   
2. Put together a business plan. This doesn't require hundreds of pages with thousands of charts. Use the plan to research things like how much you can charge for your product/service, how much it will cost to produce or deliver (include variable & fixed costs), and the size of your potential market (i.e. # of customers). The plan should evaluate your competitors - how many competitors, how strong are they, where are they, how will you compete. The plan should state what is required to enter this market, barriers to entry such as high fixed costs (factories, restaurants) and government regulations that must be met.
   
3. Determine if you need financing. Your business plan will include a section on financing. How will you pay the costs to start and run your business? Do you need a bank loan? Use credit cards? Self finance? Also, you'll need to consider how much salary you need to support yourself while starting your business.
   
4. Put together your initial marketing plan. Marketing need not cost a fortune. Some businesses require very little. For example, many service businesses such as accounting firms build their practices through word-of-mouth referrals. You can also join free or low-cost associations to build awareness of your small business. Again, your business plan (product, customer, competitor) will help you determine the marketing efforts you need to undertake.
   
5. Build your infrastructure early. This doesn't mean build a big factory or a fancy office. It simply means keep accurate customer records, a clean set of updated books and a technology foundation, if necessary. One of the downfalls of many small businesses is that they don't know if they're making or losing money (i.e. the need for a clean set of books). Another downfall is when small business owners try to sell their company years later but lack accurate customer history and customer information. Many times, the customers of a small business are its best asset, and, without the records, the small business can be sold only for salvage.
   

Tips

• Use free resources. Your local library contains numerous useful references regarding incorporation, writing business plans, marketing, as well as information specific to your industry. The Small Business Association, Chambers of Commerce, AMEX Small Business website, associations for your industry, associations by ethnicity...all of these offer training, materials, networking and sometimes financing. Another good option is SCORE, a group of retired executives who provide business start-up advice.
  
• Recognize that getting your business off the ground will take time. Most businesses don't become profitable right away, so plan for that in your personal life too. You will be making sacrifices to be your own boss.
  

Warnings

• Running your own business is extremely time-consuming. You can rarely leave work "at home" because you're the boss now.
  
• Be sure to carve out time for yourself. Make sure you stick with an exercise program or build in time to see your family. As mentioned in Warning #1 above, running your own business can consume you.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Become an Entrepreneur
  
• How to Create a Brand Positioning for a Small Business
  
• How to Create a Logo for Your Small Business or Website
  
• How to Find out What Kind of Business to Start
  
• How to Form a Limited Liability Company (LLC)
  
• How to Incorporate Your New Business
  
• How to Invest in Stocks
  
• How to Become a Caterer
  

Sources and Citations

• Buy an Ecommerce Website Bizatomic's E3 Ecommerce website is a feature-rich, secure ecommerce solution which allows you to easily sell your products online. E3 Ecommerce is a complete solution offering: integration with comparison shopping portals, Search Engine Friendly urls, powerful marketing & reporting tools, built-in content management and an easy to use administrative interface.
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Start Your Own Business. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Learn to Manage People

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

"Management is nothing more than motivating other people."
Lee Iacocca
Congratulations! You finally got that promotion you’ve been wanting and now, you’re a manager – perhaps for the first time in your career. So, now what? If this is your first foray into management, you might be a bit nervous. That feeling is understandable, common and, in fact, quite warranted. This is going to be very, very different from what you’ve done before. Management has an entirely different set of goals, rules and a different skill set is required. Very often, people that are new to management do not completely understand what it means to be a manager – how their life will change (yes, your life will definitely change). This is especially true if you’ve moved from an hourly wage to a salary… more about that later.
This article will present you with a set of guidelines you can use to help make some sense out of what is often a confusing transition. This is not meant to be a complete set of day-to-day instructions; that concept is pretty much gone forever now that you’re a manager. It is, however, a reasonable outline that will help you through the process of goal setting and managing staff. So take a deep breath and let's get started!

Steps

1. Understand what management is: What significantly sets managers apart is the migration away from a concept known as "individual contribution." Managers are not, primarily, individual contributors. That means that you are going to be responsible for the work of others; your success depends on how well your team performs. You are now responsible for far, far more work than you could ever possibly produce by yourself (see warnings). You can’t fix all the problems – don’t even try… that’s not your job anymore.
   
2. Prepare for the transition: This will become confusing and frustrating... perhaps not immediately, but managers are often pulled in multiple directions. You may have a different dress code to follow. You will have new rules to obey (particularly in the area of Human Resources).
   
   • Find a mentor: Not your immediate manager, but find another manager with lots of experience and ask that person to help you transition. This is a very important and often overlooked tool. It will also gain you considerable esteem in the eyes of the upper level management team. It shows maturity.
     
   • Join a networking group: There are lots of these (Toastmasters for example). Ask other managers and executives about local clubs. Take advantage of the networking opportunities in your area.
     
   • Contact HR: Go to the Human Resources department and ask if there are any HR books or training courses you can use to help you. Read a bit about being a manager. There is a mountain of literature on the subject. Read some of the more well-known books ("The One Minute Manager" and "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" are management staples).
     
   • Help your staff cope: It's possible the people you will manage used to be your peers and that will be the cause of envy (possibly resentment) and friction. You can't prevent it but if you keep the lines of communication open it will reduce the issues. However, you must remember that you are now management and while you don't want to flaunt it, you can't let your former peers take advantage of your previous relationship. Even if they weren’t your peers, getting a new manager is always disconcerting. Address the staff and let them know your plans. Establish the manager/staff relationship early. Even if it seems a bit awkward at first do not be bashful about it... just follow the steps, be yourself, and don't forget where you started.
     
   • Don't neglect family: Your husband-wife-playmate-whatever and children, if any, and friends still need your attention just like they did before. You will have a lot more on your mind now - management is a hard transition. Keep your priorities in check. If you hear people mentioning that you're distant - take note. You don't want to let your career ruin your family relationships (you wouldn't be the first).
     
   • Don't neglect your health: OK, you've discovered that this is actually fun. The work is exciting, you're working longer hours, maybe working more at home, staying up a little later, getting up a little earlier, doing a great job handling the family and kids... are you sleeping enough? Are you sure?
     
   
   
3. Identify your goals: What, specifically, are your measured goals? Do you have hourly, daily or weekly targets your team must meet; what about your new goals such as reviewing productivity? Write down everything and post it prominently (see tips). This will be your checklist. A word of caution here, this list will change over time; it is a living document. Some things may stay the same (service levels, for example) but other things may change depending on the strategies handed down to you from the Executive Management suites. Review your list frequently, with a critical eye, and revise it when necessary.
   
4. Know your team: You need to know individual strengths and weaknesses for each team member. John works extremely fast but occasionally misses some of the details. Jane is incredibly thorough but has issues with the volume of work processed. Bill has spectacular customer relationships but can never say "no" to the clients whereas Mary has excellent technical skills but falls short in people skills. You really need to know all this very, very well. You will use this knowledge to balance the productivity of your team.
   
5. Match tasks with staff: Use the information you gleaned from the above steps to match people with work. This is termed skill-based work assignment. You want to play into each person’s strengths and minimize work assignments that would target his or her weaknesses. If you have the opportunity, put people together that have complimentary skill sets. You might put John and Jane on a project together, or have Mary and Bill consult together on a presentation.
   
6. Meet with your team members: Regular one-on-one meetings are critical to good management. These meetings have several purposes.
   
   • Give feedback on job performance: Discuss the previous week’s objectives including what went well, what areas might improve for next time and how that improvement might be obtained. This will lead into…
     
   • Outline the goals for the next meeting: These are typically referred to as "action items" and will form the basis for the next weekly production review.
     
   • Learn about staff issues: You’re going to be a bit out of touch now and you absolutely must realize that. The only way to keep track of issues that affect the performance of your team (and therefore your job) is to listen to your employees!
     
   • Ask for ideas: Your staff wants to feel engaged. Without exception, the number one motivating factor behind people leaving a job is poor management – that very often stems from feeling ignored. You will be graded not only on your team’s performance, but also on your turnover rate.
     
   • Motivation: In Peter Scholtes' lectures, he points out that people motivate themselves. The best managers find ways to get their people to become motivated to do their jobs well and with pride. Use these sessions to find out what motivates your employees and use that feedback to improve their contribution.
     
   
   
7. Be visible: You must not isolate yourself from the team. Sometimes the initial workload will seem overwhelming and you might have a tendency to sequester yourself away from the staff to keep up – especially with the new paperwork load you’ll have. You absolutely must not give the appearance of being an "ivory tower" inhabitant. If your team members don’t see their leader, they’ll develop an attitude of anarchy. Things will go very badly for you. Even if you’re managing remote staff, you need to make sure they "feel" your presence. If you manage multiple shifts, make sure you visit all shifts regularly.
   
8. Document team activities: Your personal performance review will focus largely on your team’s performance so make sure you keep a written record of issues and accomplishments. This will be especially important if there are significant issues that arise. Problems are expected; how you and your team handle those problems must be a focus of your efforts.
   
9. Reward performance: This doesn’t mean money… although money is nice, it’s not a primary motivator for on-the-job performance. Recognition is much more effective. If you have the authority, perhaps grant performance leave (an extra day off for doing something exceptional). Make the rewards regular and make them attainable but difficult. When you give a reward, make it well known (reward publicly, admonish privately).
   
10. Learn coaching: There will inevitably be times when you need to correct behavior. Learn to do this properly. If you do it correctly, you will get the results you want. If you do it poorly, things can go horribly wrong. See How to Give a Feedback Sandwich for ideas.
    

Tips

• Post your goals: When you post your goals, and your team goals, make sure it’s very visible. Your team needs to see these – all the time. "Increase service level by 5% over the next 6 months" shouldn’t be a secret. Distribute updated goals as soon as they’re available.
  
• Compliment your staff: Little things go a long way. Telling someone they’re doing a good job really, really does make a huge difference! Don’t do it so often it becomes meaningless, but do let your staff know they’re appreciated.
  
• Communicate, communicate, communicate! Your staff will feel much more engaged if you let them know what’s happening. Everybody wants to see the "big picture" sometimes.
  
• Be fair, but firm: There will come a time when you need to consider disciplinary action up to and including dismissal. This can be incredibly difficult even for experienced managers. How to discipline employees is a topic in itself and beyond the scope of this article, but there are many good references. The short answer is be consistent and document everything.
  
• Use the Human Resources Department: If you have an HR department, they are now your newest and bestest friend. They are a resource to be embraced. They can help you with rewards, help you with discipline, help you stay out of legal trouble and they really like managers that recognize that. Truly, they are on your side.
  
• Become familiar with EAP: EAP = Employee Assistance Program. Most large companies have one and it can be incredibly useful. If one of your staff has a personal issue, refer them to EAP (do not try to play staff psychiatrist). If you start having personal issues (see Warnings) EAP is available to you, also.
  
• Lead by Example: A leader should focus on leading by example in all aspects of their work. Be a role model for your colleagues by exuding a positive presence. Show compassion, understanding, and respect, while focusing your tasks to be inclusive of teamwork and dedication. It is important that managers and supervisors exhibit the best possible values inside of the workplace. If you have a publicly-visible position that puts your personal life in the spotlight, understand that your entire life reflects upon this example you're setting.
  
• Hire a Coach: In addition to a mentor - hire a coach (if you have the opportunity and means). A mentor can be a great help but may not always have the time to devote. A coach is a trained professional with no agenda to pursue but yours and will help you develop your own authentic management style.
  
• Remember High Level Goals: Be consistent. Communicate clearly and make goals unambiguous. Listen. Provide frequent feedback, especially when positive. Remove obstacles to your team's success.
  

Warnings

• Do not try to do your staff’s job: There is an old saying: "If you want something done right, do it yourself." Forget that. Wipe it from your mind. You never heard it, it doesn’t mean anything, and it’s a counterproductive concept. If you want something done right, assign it to the right people and motivate your employees. If you try to be too hands-on, you’ll fall short of your management requirements. Your job is to manage. This is when it’s completely appropriate to live vicariously through others.
  
• Maintain employee confidentiality (when possible): There are some times this is not possible (certain HR issues like potential violence in the workplace) but if someone comes to you with a problem be very, very cautious with their secrets. It only takes once to destroy your reputation as a confidant and legal issues can arise. If someone tells you "this is in confidence" make sure that person knows that you, as a manager, are not permitted to keep certain things confidential.
  
• Maintain corporate confidentiality: You will learn secrets. There is often a tendency to tell secrets because that may make us seem more important. If you learn of impending staff cutbacks, and you release that information without authorization, prepare to be on the cutback list. It’s always hard to see this happen but nobody said being a manager would be easy.
  
• Be prepared for longer hours: It’s a fact. You're salaried now and the expectation is that you will do whatever is necessary to get the job done. Managers have perks and benefits that hourly employees don't have but you also have additional responsibilities. Don't be late, don't leave early. Oh, once in a while if you have something to do, of course - just like anybody else would. But do not make a habit of it. You're a leader now. Act like one.
  
• Weekly one-on-one meetings are not performance reviews. While you will review the activities of the previous week, that is not the sole focus here. You want this to be less formal and open to discussion. Do not try to control this too tightly - it's your staff's meeting just as much as it is yours.
  
• The transition to management can be very intimidating. It's not always that way but more often than not, new managers will experience a lot of stress before they become comfortable with the position. Find someone to talk with. If you found a mentor (see Step 2) that person can help. Don't keep things bottled up inside - stay alert for any unwanted behavioral changes (anger, suspicion, increased alcohol consumption, etc.)
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Give a Feedback Sandwich
  
• How to Be a Good Boss
  
• How to Accomplish More With Your Master List
  
• How to Give a Performance Review of an Employee
  
• How to Communicate Your Weaknesses
  
• How to Fire an Employee
  
• How to Reduce Employee Turnover
  
• How to Virtualize Your Workforce
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Learn to Manage People. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Realize Your True Potential

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Every human being, regardless of race, creed, sex or spiritual belief, has the incredible capacity to accomplish far beyond their wildest dreams!

Steps

1. Unlearn what you have learned. As children, we all have fantastic dreams of accomplishing what many adults believe to be 'unrealistic'. When we grow up into adults, we 'learn' the rules of the world and those dreams no longer seem possible. The first step in realizing your true potential is to cast off concrete beliefs about what you believe is possible in the first place. Take some time and actually inventory what you believe about your talents and capabilities - these beliefs were given to you through society. Identify exactly your career inhibiting beliefs. Make a choice to no longer allow these beliefs to govern you or your capabilities. Insert new convictions and beliefs that do not impose limits on your talents. Use the power in your subconscious mind, and master it over time with self-suggestion, hypnotism and constant positive input. (There are books on how to do this, its simply too much to list here).
   
2. Realize what it is you have! Inside your skull is a fantastic and extremely powerful biological machine that is, still to date, the most powerful computer on earth! Research tells us that we have over ONE HUNDRED BILLION neurons in our brain, and that each of those neurons have connections to anywhere from 5000, to 200,000 other neurons - creating an infinite number of possible thought combinations! Do you think that even for a moment, that we have this advance machinery just to 'survive'? You have this in your head right now - appreciate it and use it!
   
3. Aim High! Dream Big! Think un-realistically! The people who have achieve the most in their lives were those who had big plans and ideas and who were able to cast off the negativity of other people. You simply have to not care anymore about what others think and, to quote Nike, " Just do it "
   
4. Focus on what you can do, and other and better tools will be put in your hands as your move through your plan. People fail because they immediately fasten their attention to the negative. Change your thinking and work the part of your plan you can, do everything you can!
   
5. Shield yourself from negativity. If you are in a negative environment, get out! If you have negative friends, drop them. What is in your mind is more valuable than all the gold in Fort Knox, so protect it!
   
6. Constantly give yourself positive messages and support! Listen to self-help audio, read books and keep company that is positive. Hang up positive quotes and messages everywhere; in your office, at your home, in your car.
   
7. Never quit. Thomas Edison's most outstanding quality is the same thing that made him a success; it was not that he was so much smarter than everyone, it was just that he never quit. It took 10,000 failures to make the light bulb. Never quit.
   

Warnings

• Again, protect your mind from negative people.
  
• Never stop believing that you can do it!
  
• Keep your true thoughts to yourself. Display what the crowd/population is thinking. And remember change doesn't happen all at once. It takes small increments to obtain big results!
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Be Humble
  
• How to Be Happy
  
• How to Be Confident
  
• How to Be Confident in Starting New Things
  
• How to Be Confident and Outgoing in a Job Interview When You Are Blind or Visually Impaired
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Realize Your True Potential. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Stay Organized with a Routine

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Need some structure and consistency in your life? Here is an article on how to do just that!

Steps

1. Making a routine. Make a checklist. First start with things like "Get up at 7:10am and eat breakfast" and etc. Plan your day so you get used to it first.
   
2. After becoming accustomed to that system, get more advanced. Checklists are a good way to start a routine.
   
3. To change a routine, mix things up, add things, or take away things.
   
4. Stay organized. Clean is a key. Clean up once a week.
   
5. Make sure everything has a proper place and is in the appropriate room.
   

Tips

• Get an organizer (planner). This will help a lot!
  

Warnings

• The first time you make a checklist, number it from 1-10. Add more items after you are in the habit of dealing with the more limited list.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Be Organized
  
• How to Organize Your Locker
  
• How to Organize Books
  
• How to Get Organized and Concentrate on Your Work
  
• How to Get Work Done in a Home Office
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Stay Organized with a Routine. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Join a wikiHow Team

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

As a wikiHow contributor, you will expand your knowledge in different areas and tasks and the have the ability to share that knowledge by assisting others by joining one or more of the wikiHow teams.

Steps

1. Determine what interests or kind of contributions you enjoy doing on wikiHow. Are you someone who enjoys welcoming new members, offering assistance, reverting vandalism, or being creative?
   
2. Find out which teams are a good fit for you:
   
   • Help Team: providing one to one coaching to help people learn their way around wikiHow. This is the most general team as questions may be about how to make links inside of wikiHow, add an image to a page, or ideas of how to help out.
     
   • Awards Team: providing assistance and promoting the use of awards throughout wikiHow. This group also comes together to design awards and curb any vandalism of award misuse.
     
   • Merge Team: group of volunteer editors that comb through wikiHow articles & look for articles that can be merged to make a more comprehensive single article.
     
   • Welcome Team: volunteers whom dedicate their time to greet new users and answer their questions. This team can answer beginner's questions, for example how to create an article or how to find their way around wikiHow.
     
   • Recent Changes Patrol Team: otherwise known as "RC Patrol", this team patrols the edits that are made in wikiHow. They give cheers to regular or significant helpers and rollback or undo vandalism.
     
   
   
3. Click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the article page, scroll down to the bottom, and add the code provided in each team page.
   

Tips

• After adding yourself to the respectable team you chose, be sure to add the corresponding or matching User box to your user or talk page. This not only automatically adds you to the team category, but also identifies you to wikiHow users that you are "motivated" or knowledgeable in that specific area.
  
• If you are a minor or teenager, it's advisable not to put your age or any other real life information as you're doing your team profile. Please read the article, How to Be a Safe and Smart Kid on wikiHow for more details.
  
• If you have Firefox/Mozilla, using the wikiHow toolbar is a great help with patrolling recent changes.
  

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• Contribute to wikiHow While at Work
  
• How to Find Help As a New wikiHow User
  
• How to Make Friends on wikiHow
  
• How to Import Old Public Domain Books to wikiHow
  
• How to Receive a Lot of wikiHow Fan Mail
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Join a wikiHow Team. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Cash in on Your Hobbies

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Have you ever considered turning one of your hobbies into a business? You may be surprised at how virtually any hobby can be converted into profits, and without tremendous overhead or ridiculously high start up costs. What's even better, you aren't required to have a specific product to sell! In fact, you can make your knowledge of your hobby your product.

Steps

1. Define a niche market. Defining a niche market is important, as it puts you into contact with the consumers who will most likely want whatever it is you’re selling with your hobby business. If you’re going to sell top quality baking supplies, than you will want to ensure that your advertising targets people who bake, and possibly even professional bakers. In this example, the niche market of the hobby business includes bakers and bakeries- and it would not do you much good to advertise to new parents!
   
2. Choose your hobby business. How do you pick a particular niche to set up your hobby business? If you want your business to be one in which you will honestly enjoy the time you spend working on it, and one that can fulfill your financial needs, ask yourself the following question: What do I really love? If you don’t pick a subject that you are truly passionate about, you will end up having a difficult time enjoying your work. Whether you consider yourself a salesperson or not, any businessman must invest in his or her products and services, believe in them - love them - in order to offer them to others in a way that encourages people to purchase them. As the authors of "Hobby for Profit" explain, when setting up a hobby related business, you want to "specialize deep NOT wide". This means if your hobby is comic books, you'll have a hard time being one of the top listed sites in the search engines for comic books in general, but if you specialize in a specific comic book, released during a specific year, than you would be seen as the expert on the topic, and your site would become the site people would go to for information on this particular comic book!
   
3. Know that size really does matter. How large of a niche do you want to work with? This is a vital piece of information to consider when deciding on what you want your hobby business to be. If you want to turn your antique collecting hobby into a business, you know that there are two ends to the spectrum. It's important that your niche is neither too large or too small as you will be lost in the sea of big businesses if you define your niche to broadly, and you won't have enough customers to remain in business if you define your niche too narrowly. You'll need to do your research regarding your hobby to find out whether or not there is a market for what you want to do.
   

Tips

• Defining your market and figuring out the details of your new hobby business can seem daunting at first, but the time spent on the preliminary decisions is well worth the effort. Clearly defining your niche is often the difference between a successful business and a failed business. A niche that is too broadly defined would be trying to sell everything that is considered "antique". Too narrow of a niche would be selling only one, very specific item, for example, antique chairs made in the year 1804. If you attempt to operate a hobby business within too large of a niche, you’ll be swallowed by industry giants with far greater resources. On the other hand, if you create too narrow of a niche market, you won’t have very many customers. If you wanted to sell all antique chairs made in Italy, then you’ve created a reasonable niche market within your hobby, and will have a sizable potential customer base. You will be able to position yourself as an expert in the field of Italian antique chairs- which is exactly how you want to approach your hobby business niche!
  
• Join a craft society. They may already have developed a market, possibly with a bigger company and contacts with both suppliers and retailers.
  

Warnings

• Starting any business requires bookkeeping. There are also business and tax laws. Talk to your bank, and unless you are confident with your own finances, think of hiring a bookkeeper or accountant
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Have a Hobby
  
• How to Ascertain the Basics for Business Online
  
• How to Sell on eBay
  
• How to Raise Money from Banks for Your Business
  
• How to Sell Original Artwork for Profit
  
• How to Be a Good Ventriloquist
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Cash in on Your Hobbies. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Avoid Internet Addiction

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Spending hours and hours in front of the computer? Many people suffer from the addiction from the internet and have a hard time paying attention to the important things around them. Read this and then get off the computer.

Steps

1. Get a hobby or an interest. Get involved with teams, clubs, sports, music, dancing, or singing. Go for a run with a friend or exercise. Sleep instead of thinking of the internet. Keep up with the local events in your community. There may be talks, film screenings, concerts and book signings etc. that are of interest to you.
   
2. Complete your studies. Do your homework and study. This is a great thing to do the first thing when you get home and you will feel great knowing that you did your homework early. Read books or research at the library instead of browsing Wikipedia for information. Study lessons that you learned for the day, whether there's a test the next day or not.
   
3. Help with meals. Your parents will be happier that you're helping out with dinner or dishes than chatting online. This also will achieve self-accomplishment knowing that you can get off the computer for a while. Cook or bake something one night for the family.
   
4. Hang out with friends. Plan a trip to the bowling alley, mall, or ice rink. Places that have internet access such as coffee shops, may give you second thoughts about jumping online for a few minutes. Get a friend to walk a dog with you for the afternoon.
   
5. Plan family nights. Instead of watching TV or doing individual things during dinner time, eat dinner as a family on the table and plan games afterwards.
   
6. Limit your computer time. Make sure not to turn it on too many times a week. If you have a laptop, make sure to put it somewhere that you can remember, but don't come around there that often. Try keeping the lid closed when you are not using it; when the computer is not looking at you, you are less likely to use it. If you have a desktop PC, try not to go near it or put something over it like a sheet.
   
7. Call people instead of IM'ing. Call a friend and ask them to go outside for at least 3 hours a day.This will distract you from the computer.Also make your homework together. Avoid addicting sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Limewire, etc.
   

Tips

• Get your family members after you about being on the Internet too long.
  
• Think about the electric, internet and computer bills you will save without having internet.
  
• If you plan on quitting the Internet forever, do not think about doing anything with the internet.
  
• Exercise at your computer.
  
• Make a list of reasons why it's better off the computer.
  
• Try to stay off websites that are addictive such as FaceBook, MySpace, Xanga, and MyYearbook. Photobucket counts too. If you have problems getting off of these sites, just have someone else block these sites using your built in Content Advisor or if you are using Windows Vista, use the parental controls to control internet access and time on computer.
  
• Try using the computer at the library. You won't be as tempted to look at certain websites (such as porn, MySpace, etc.) and they do have a limit on how long you can stay online. Also, the library is a good place to get some good books and magazines to read, so you won't be as tempted to be on the Internet at home.
  
• When you are younger than 14, limit your time on the Internet to about 2 hours per day. You are pretty much too young to be on most sites under 9th grade, especially MySpace.
  
• Make sure to not go near it when ever you feel the urge.
  
• If you have a laptop make sure you do NOT forget where you put it.Keep a note in your office or something like that.
  

Warnings

• You may still need the computer for school/work or for a college project. That's fine, just don't overdo it.
  
• Try not to look at too much pornography; it's not so healthy and it may ruin your mind. Site such as YouTube and MySpace might get you hooked onto porn at a very young age.
  
• After about 15 mins on the computer, get up and stretch to prevent eye and muscle fatigue. Long periods of time with your hands at a keyboard or mouse can cause carpal tunnel syndrome and other serious disorders.
  

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• How to Create a Username
  
• How to Post a Parody Thread
  
• How to Put a Website on Your Desktop
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Avoid Internet Addiction. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Succeed in Life

WikiHow has given the title, 'How to be a God'. But I think the title, 'How to Succeed in Life' reads better. Don't you?

How to Be a God

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit


An editor has suggested a title change:Become Superior To Others In accordance with the title policy, titles should be the most concise, most commonly searched way to describe the content. To suggest a new title, change this template or comment on the discussion page. Notice added on 2008-02-25.

This article is a stub. You can help by expanding and clarifying it. Notice added on 2008-02-10.
Many humans were worshipped throughout history as gods. The Japanese emperors, the Egyptian pharaohs, the ancient Roman Emperors; all of them were official deities within their state religion, and yet there are very few who honor them as deities today (though a few who worship the Japanese Emperor as a deity still remain.) The main problem with these individuals is that as their state backing declined, their religious stature did, as well. Despite that, there is no reason why you couldn't follow in their footsteps. True they're just humans, but even humans can be gods...
The truth is that you cannot become a god. There is no god but god.
All those who claim to be god are liers. They will suffer the same fate as others before them.

Steps

1. Set your goals. Why do you want to be God? What is your purpose? What is your resolve? If you can't do this then don't bother.
   
2. Study. If you want to achieve power among the masses, you must at least have some sort of special intelligence or ability. Be a brilliant tactician/strategist, strive to be a resourceful and competent leader. If possible, get an IQ higher than 120.
   
3. Choose your path. Either be a sociopath and wipe out all those who you believe to be unworthy to live in this world, or be a type of leader who lets everyone be themselves with equal footing all around.
   
4. Gain allies. As much as being God of a new world, you're still human. There's a 100% chance that others will gang up on you to try and defeat you so allies are a must. But choose carefully, don't choose a complete idiot as they will become useless and don't ally yourself with a mind more powerful than you, as this will surely backfire in the future.
   
5. Learn the art of war. Every conqueror will gain enemies, so strive your best to learn how to build, manage, rule and fight with an army of your own. Master the basic skill of psychological warfare: Learn your enemy's weakness and learn to exploit that weakness. Again, be, as much as you can, a brilliant tactician/strategist as this will help in eventual future skirmishes.
   
6. Find resources. What kind of conqueror are you if you don't have funds? You're only human so you can't possibly make money just by imagining it. Invest in stocks, save money, etc. Do whatever it takes to get money... as an old saying does go, "Money makes the world go round."
   
7. Master deception. At times, your last resort would be to lie. To achieve your goals you must do everything necessary to get them. That includes elimination of your own men, etc.
   
8. Eliminate your obstacles. The second hardest to pull off, as you must eradicate any type of threat in your way. Be it a political leader, enthusiast, or just someone whom you feel as a threat, especially those who're smarter and better than you. Think two steps ahead of your opponents consider it just like a game of chess.
   
9. Retain your sanity. Finally, the hardest task to pull off, keep your head in the game. Don't lose it. Don't have pathetic delusions of being a god when you're not even close to being a government lapdog. There's a 100% guarantee that most times you will think of giving up. Don't. When you ever feel that you're losing it, overcome it. Note that some consider this optional.
   
10. Become omni-everything. This is vital to developing true deity.
    
11. Make your move. If you feel it's time to dominate and attack, then trust your instincts. Go for the win, never look back and win the war. Be the new God of your new world.
    

Tips

• You're never too old or too young to be a god.
  
• It would be smart to first get a high ranking career before trying to do anything risky.
  
• Considering the number of allies, it depends solely on you. It doesn't really matter how much as long as you have a guarantee that you can trust them.
  
• There's a lot of books out there about "The Art of War". Mostly done from Asia or Europe but they're still useful in some ways. But if you want the really useful ones, then you're on your own. These certain 'special' books were published over centuries ago during the dark times of war and misguidance and are hard to get a hold of.
  
• It would take years and years of patience to gain enough funds so just strive for it. It would really pay off once you've got sufficient assets.
  

Warnings

• It's no question that if you ever begin this conquest, you'll be shunned by many and thought of as nothing more than a crazy deluded individual.
  
• Obviously if you get somewhere and start your campaign, don't be surprised if you be accused of treason and be sent to prison.
  
• You're gambling everything once you begin this journey of god-like proportions. Think carefully and consider your luck.
  
• If not careful, then no doubt you'll end your own life.
  
• Remember, this is only an article. Just by following these steps doesn't mean you'll automatically turn into an actual god. These are only suggestions.
  

Things You'll Need

• An unquestionable purpose
  
• Unbelieveable gullability
  
• A strong will
  
• A firm desire
  
• A tenacious resolve
  
• Faithful allies
  
• Funds
  
• An insignia or emblem of sorts (optional)
  
• Intelligence
  
• Books of war
  
• Connections (if you know what i mean)
  
• Supplies
  
• Invulnerability
  
• An unlimited infinite lifespan
  
• Complete power over all things. This takes time.
  
• A coffin (just in case)
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Convince Yourself That God Is Real
  
• How to Have a Personal Relationship With God
  
• How to Love God
  
• How to Become Closer to God
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be a God. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Make Money Online Without a Website

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

You don't need to have a website to make money on the Internet. Here is a proven strategy to make money online without a website.

Steps

1. Find Affiliate Product
   
   • Find a product to promote where you make good commission on each sale. Generally, you will get the biggest commissions on digital products. Digital products are defined as something that is downloaded directly to a customer's computer after purchasing, like electronic books or software. Since there is no extra cost per unit, no inventory and no shipping, the commissions are much greater than on regular "physical" goods. The most common commission on digital products is 50%.
     
   • Sign up as a reseller (also called affiliate) for a product that looks the most appealing to you. After you sign up, you will get a unique affiliate link where you need to send people to purchase the product. Your affiliate link will have a special code that will tell the product owner that it's you who referred the customer. The affiliate link code will allow your commissions to be tracked correctly and assigned to you.
     
   
   
2. Get Domain Name
   
   • Get a domain name to redirect to your affiliate link. A domain name is a .COM name (like yourproduct.com). You can get it for under $9 at GoDaddy.com. GoDaddy.com will allow you to redirect your domain name to your affiliate link at no extra cost.
     
   • So when someone types in your .COM domain in their browser, it will go to your affiliate link. The visitor will see the website with the product you promote, and the commissions will be tracked correctly.
     
   • The reason why you need a domain name is that it's memorable and it makes you look more trustworthy. Affiliate links tend to be too long and arouse suspicion. For example, most people would rather click on the link bestwidgets.com as opposed to abcwidgets.com?reseller=john
     
   • A domain name will make your affiliate link look like it's your own website. So basically, you will have a product to promote and a website to send people to and get commissions – without really having your own website.
     
   
   
3. Get Traffic
   
   • In order to make sales, you need to get visitors to your domain name (which will forward them to the website of the product that you resell). You can pay for advertising and hope that your profit will be greater than advertising cost, or you can use free ways to generate traffic.
     
   • The most effective way to get free targeted visitors to your domain name is by writing and submitting articles. You can write short articles on the topic related to the product that you promote. At the end of the article, you include your author bio and your domain name link.
     
   • You will then submit your articles to various websites, and allow them to publish your articles as long as your link is included. Your articles will get published in many places on the Internet, and will be advertising your affiliate link at no cost to you whatsoever. People will read your articles, like what you have to say and click on your domain name link ready to buy.
     
   • Once you start getting regular sales from your articles, you can go back to step 1 and find another product to promote using this strategy. After a while, you will build up a nice source of Internet income – without even having a website.
     
   
   

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Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Money Online Without a Website. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Be Smart

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Much of our media looks down on smart people. Sometimes it almost seems to be unpopular to be smart. Such an attitude will not fare you well in the real world. Cultivating your intelligence, not just faking it, is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your happiness in life.

Steps

1. Work on your vocabulary. Read good books, read and use a few definitions from the dictionary each day, or subscribe to a "word-of-the-day" service online. You can also take the vocabulary tests in Readers Digest or buy a book on increasing your working vocabulary.
   
2. Further your education. Get good grades if you're in school, you don't have to study all day long. Just make sure that you finish your home work. Believe it or not teachers will change your marks, depending on your behavior with them. If you're not in school, consider going back. Study hard. Do your homework. Show that you're willing to invest into your greatest capital-- your mind.
   
3. Watch the news and talk about recent things that have happened around the world.
   
4. Cultivate an interest in subjects like current events, interesting facts, funny and inspiring quotations, good books and movies, scientific studies and interesting inventions. Even educational television is a great way to learn about new things. People who have something to talk about other than their own internal problems and worries appear far smarter than most, and probably are.
   
5. Read good books. They will make you both appear and actually be smarter and reading really is fun. Keep your reading diverse by reading books of all genres including non-fiction. Make sure the books are interesting to you. As you read more you will soon learn that, just like movies, some books are better than others. Keep searching out the ones you think are good.
   
6. Be organized. Get a notebook or small digital planner to write down your homework assignments and write down the due dates. Get a weekly planner with your class schedule and plan your activities. Get a monthly calender to write down birthdays and big events. Write down what classes you have, when to do homework and what your homework is, dates, when you are hanging out with friends etc. in your planner.
   
7. Learn to listen carefully to others' opinions about controversial things, or things they know about and you do not. You do not have to agree with them but remember everybody has something to teach you. Keep an open mind.
   
8. Be nice to people. They may call you a nerd, a freak, a geek, or use a racial or homophobic slur, but in this case they really will only be jealous. Being nice to most people is also a sign of maturity and intelligence. Keep it up and people will notice, and so will you. Sometimes a good tactic is to go along with their mockery, and laugh at yourself. Stand up for people who are getting bullied, even if you might start getting bullied. Never insult anyone, gossip or hurt someone physically. Don't make offensive jokes.
   
9. Be friends with smart people who do all of the above. It will boost your self-esteem and your confidence, make you less likely to be teased, prevent depression, help you study harder, make your life happier and otherwise enrich your life. You can also make studying fun with your friends.
   
10. Know how to solve the Rubik's cube. It is easier than it appears if you learn tricks in visualizing the cube's geometry.
    
11. Learn how to do mental sums or speed math. There are all sorts of tricks for doing complicated math in your head that will amaze others.
    

Tips

• Do not hesitate when someone asks you a question to which you don't know the answer. Instead ask the person back.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Exercise an Open Mind
  
• How to Be Organized
  
• How to Be a Nerd
  
• How to Improve Your Memory
  
• How to Become an Excellent Student
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Be Smart. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.