South Africa 2010: What they said
Johannesburg, July 1 : Fifty-six FIFA World Cup matches have flown by, as have countless press conferences and interviews with the key figures of South Africa 2010. But that only tells half the story, as the greatest show on earth has a tendency to provoke all kinds of passions in those involved. ROWAN ATKINSON – LIVE – ELEMENTARY DATING (German / deutsch)
im a piseces f, who likes a scorpio m, but he also likes a scorpio chick. And the scorpio chick is my friend, and hes told me he likes her and me, but he knows its wrong, but he feels like hes waiting for the scorpio chick to dump her boyfriend and start dating him. But me and him have such a good connection i cant explain it, its like we talk without saying anything, and everything we do, we do with style and we add an artisticness to it. I feel taht i am better suited to him then the scorpio. And the scorpio chick, i dont think she likes him in that way, cause they r best friends and she doesnt want to ruin it. But scorpio guy and i have agreed to just be friends and see where it goes. But i know im going to be upset if we lose contact, or he meets someone else, or goes out with my friend. I guess im just asking, how will the situation turn out from an astrological point of view
Astrologically speaking to see which couple would be most compatible :
PISCES +SCORPIO:
When Scorpio and Pisces make a love match, theirs is a splendid union of much respect and understanding. These mates share the same Element — Water — and thus have keen insight into one another’s minds and hearts. Scorpio is very profound and covert, often caught up in their own secret plans, while Pisces is idealistic and looks for the nuances of a situation. However, Pisces also has a tendency to withdraw into their own mind, and can forgive Scorpio for being mysterious or withdrawn at times.
Both Signs are intuitive and in touch with the subtleties of human interaction. Scorpio can help Pisces fulfill dreams and ambitions — to turn ideas into reality. The Scorpion will provide a steadfast foundation for the relationship to revolve around, and the more ephemeral and intuitive Fish will become entangled in Scorpio’s web. In return, Pisces offers gentleness, kindness, and sympathy, which Scorpio admires and appreciates. Scorpio is interested in certain material comforts and intense emotional dramas, and at times cannot understand the simplistic, charitable attitude of Pisces. Their long-term aspirations can be completely unalike. Once they can understand and overcome this difference, theirs will be a very rewarding relationship.
Scorpio individuals aggressive, courageous, daring and sometimes-belligerent. Scorpio can take it, but they can also most certainly give it. Pisces has a dreamy aura and a love for popular culture and media. Pisces dreamy, ethereal energy softens their Scorpio love’s rough edges. The composite power of these four planets creates a balanced relationship, one of drama and emotional intrigue; this is a true celestial bond. However, a Scorpio mate must let their beloved Fish swim about a bit; a sensitive Pisces will suffocate under too many demands.
Scorpio and Pisces are both Water Signs.[ They're so compatible because Water is a tangible, physical entity, and both Signs appreciate and use this characteristic to their advantage]. The destiny of a Pisces is to bring people together, and when this energy meets Scorpio’s intensity and tenacity, there is no stronger bond. Also, Scorpio has an absolutist view of life; everything is either golden or tarnished. A patient Pisces opens the world up to their Scorpio mate, allowing them to see the bigger picture rather than just all that minute detail. Scorpio could grow weary of Pisces’s unsteadiness, and Pisces may see Scorpio as self-absorbed and insensitive to their emotional needs. Still, it’s not beyond these partners to seek out and find a compromise.
Scorpio is a Fixed Sign, and Pisces is a Mutable Sign. Scorpio puts their energy into one thing at a time, but Pisces skips around to wherever their feelings take them. Pisces, as a Mutable Water Sign, then, molds easily into their Scorpio lover’s life and pastimes. In turn, Scorpio needs to give Pisces the freedom to enjoy personal interests. A Pisces can show a Scorpio that flexibility can be fun and exciting, that compromise can be reached without a big fight or struggle. The energies of a Scorpio and a Pisces feed off of one another’s energy well, making for a powerful and emotionally satisfying union.
What’s the best thing about a Scorpio-Pisces love match? Their similarly intense emotional natures, their shared sensitivity to the undercurrents of life, to the more ethereal magic of love. This is a relationship of harmony and fulfillment. Scorpio and Pisces both live empathetically and seek true, profound commitments, and this connection will keep the ties strong and their love enduring.
SCORPIO+SCORPIO
When two Scorpions make a love match, it is a fierce tempest of intense passion. Both are obsessed with one another, and they move forward in love, sex and romance at an accelerated — some would say foolish — way. Personal relations are positively steamy but, to the equal and opposite extreme, disputes will also be frenetically powerful. This relationship could go either way: It will either be the most wonderful thing in the world or a destruction of both involved.
The romantic merger of two sexy Scorpions can bring out the best in both love mates; each will use their intense emotional and intuitive natures to love their partner very deeply. Resolve and passion will keep these two together. The most powerful and threatening external forces will have a difficult time intruding on the happiness of a truly committed Scorpio couple. If they can wrangle their ardent energies, this power pair can set off fireworks.
The Planets Mars and Pluto rule Scorpio. Mars is the ancient God of War, always charging forward — passionate, aggressive and courageous. Pluto is the higher octave of Mars and controls the power, destruction and re birthing elements of the Scorpio-Scorpio relationship. These two planets together allow the Scorpion to bounce back after disappointments or tragic
Increase Profits Without Adding Resources – Part 2
In Part 1 we explored two profit drains, commodity pricing and a “lack of time to think”. In Part II we’re going to discuss two more profit drains, problem employees and troublesome customers.
Problem employees
Problem employees would be easy to spot if they all looked like Freddy Kruger in “The Nightmare from Elm Street”, but they don’t. Many wear friendly façades. How can you tell when you have a problem employee? Observe your employees. You know you have a problem when several of your employees:
consistently avoid one of their cohorts
indicate that they would rather handle a project themselves than “bother” the other person
regularly come to you with information “just to keep you up-to-date” or so that you don’t “hear it somewhere else”
regularly withhold information from one of their coworkers
state that there were “witnesses” to the conversation they had with a coworker
The coworker your employees are avoiding is making life difficult for the others. You may be thinking, “Well, I can see how that’s a problem, but is it really a profit drain?” Let me share the “black hole” analogy that a good friend and fellow consultant, Andy Klemm, Klemm & Associates, uses.
Whenever an employee doesn’t do his job or causes a fellow employee difficulty in doing her job, some of his/her work has to be absorbed by coworkers. The coworkers then aren’t able to complete all their work, which means their superiors or other coworkers have to pick up some of their work. On and on it goes. This one person ends up being a “black hole” absorbing energy from everyone around them. In fact, he often absorbs energy from several layers above him.
Now, think about where the time and energies of his coworkers and superiors could be devoted. Here’s a simple formula for measuring the cost. Simply list the things you want to accomplish. How much would it add to your bottom line if you could accomplish them? That’s the immediate cost of one problem employee; the long-term cost can include loss of your most creative, highly productive employees. Now the question is “What do you do about it?”
Take action
The first step is to take action quickly. I know that confronting employees with behavior problems is unpleasant, but the longer you wait the greater the risk that you’ll lose your better employees; besides, these situations only get worse. In over 30 years in management, I’ve never seen a problem employee turn around on his own.
What action should you take?
Identify the problem behavior(s). If it/they are not obvious to you, talk to the person’s coworkers. Assure them that you’ll keep what they say in confidence, then honor your commitment to them. Also let these employees know that your goal is to help the problem employee overcome these problems – that termination is a last resort.
Approach the “problem employee” as a coach. Most people aren’t problems, they simply have behaviors that cause them (and others) problems. Let the person know that you want to help him avoid the problems he’s experiencing. Ask him to come up with alternative behaviors that will help him accomplish his goals without hurting his coworkers. The more you can get him to participate, the greater the likelihood he’ll adopt new behaviors.
Schedule a follow up meeting 30 days later tojointlyevaluate his success. If you see that he’s not making any attempt to change his behavior, you can and should call an earlier meeting to discuss his lack of effort and the inevitable employment termination that will occur if he isn’t willing to change his behavior.
Encourage coworkers to help him in the transition from “problem employee” to valued colleague. When you see that the person is trying to adjust, ask his coworkers to encourage him openly and honestly whenever possible. During times of change we all need positive reinforcement.
Terminate his employment quickly when he ignores your guidance and continues the problem behaviors. Remember the “black hole”. The costs, financial and emotional, are mounting quickly while energy levels are dropping.
I’ve seen employees so happy to see a problem employee gone that they picked up the extra workload and handled it without requiring a replacement employee. If that happens, it’s wise to take some of the savings to give those employees a bonus to reward their efforts. Now that we have an approach for dealing with problem employees, let’s see what we need to do with troublesome customers.
Troublesomecustomers
Pareto’s Principle, also know as the 80/20 rule, certainly describes the experience most of us have with our customers. 80% of our customers are fair-minded, reasonable people with whom we have an enjoyable association. The other 20% drive us bonkers. They also cost us a lot of money. How much?
Well let’s see. What could you do with the extra time? Could you spend more time with your customers exploring trends in their business? Would those insights allow you to anticipate their future needs? If so, how much earlier could you position your company to satisfy those needs? If your company is the only one that offers solutions for your customers’ needs, what does that do for your pricing and profit margins? Let’s face it, the first to market with a new product or service that’s needed has carte blanche when it comes to setting prices. If you’re the only game in town, customers have only two options, pay your price or do without.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you gouge your customers. That strategy will come back to haunt you. I am suggesting that you can get 5% to 10% more than the typical profit margin for your industry by being first to market – that’s $5,000 to $10,000 per $100,000 of revenues. Not exactly chump change, is it? This is only one way that troublesome customers cost you money. In addition to robbing you of valuable time, these customers also rob your employees of time.
What could your employees be doing instead? Improving collections of your receivables? Managing cash flow to reduce interest costs? Planning the next job so that you achieve better margins? Bidding more jobs? Meeting more prospective customers? Exploring other markets to serve? Wouldn’t any of these activities dramatically improve your bottom line?
Then there’s the inevitable wait for your money. The most troublesome customers are never satisfied; consequently, they hold your money. They may even force you to take them to court to get your money. Again, the costs go well beyond interest, legal and filing fees. Every moment spent dealing with these issues is time taken from more productive, more profitable activities. You can avoid many of these problems? How? Learn to identify problem customers before they become customers. How? Simply monitor their negotiating style.
If they’re reasonable, (they want a fair deal for both you and them) they’re likely to be a good customer. If they’re unreasonable, if they keep trying to get the price down without giving anything up (a reduction in quality, fewer services, slower delivery, quicker payment), you can almost make book on them being a troublesome customer. You’re better off letting them eat your competitors’ lunch than yours.
Now, for those of you who absolutely hate to walk away from the deal, here’s one more approach you can try. Establish very early in the discussion that you desire a fair deal for both parties, then ask the prospective customer to evaluate his requests in light of “fairness”. This approach will help you determine whether or not you can retrain the prospect to deal with you in a way that makes sense for both of you. Years ago, I used this technique successfully with a difficult prospect who became a very good client. To this day, I consider myself lucky that things worked as well as they did. It is the only success I’ve had with this approach in twelve years.
The best advice I can give you regarding troublesome customers is to spot them early,
then refer them to your competitors.
Problem employees and troublesome customers are two more profit drains that, when closed, will help you increase profits without adding resources.
Dale Furtwengler is a professional speaker, internationally-acclaimed author and business consultant. All of Dale’s work is based on the skill of counter-intuitive thinking – a way of thinking that is contrary to what our human nature suggests. To see more examples of counter-intuitive thinking at work visitwww.furtwengler.com/theinvaluableleader/.
Dale Furtwengler is a professional speaker, internationally-acclaimed author and a business consultant who uses counter-intuitive thinking to help his clients increase profits without adding resources. For more information on how counter-intuitive thinking can work for you visit www.furtwengler.com/theinvaluableleader/.
How to find Christian singles in their 30s who have lived in a monastery for some time but returned home?
How to find through the Internet Christian single people in their 30s who have lived for some time in a monastery but returned home, understanding that monastic life was not their vocation. And though now they live in the “world”, their life and worldview are not secular but, in some sense, remain monastic, or, in other words, they are very conservative and old-fashioned Christians. I need to find such friends or soulmates. Please give me advice what I can do to find them.
Are you from the monastery yourself?
Look for a church with the believes you want and start attending.
Do they make medicine for social anxiety disorder/chronic shyness?
I have finally admitted to myself that I have social anxiety disorder. It has kept me from having any kind of social or dating life. I have it bad. I need to know if there is any kind of medicine that can help me act like a normal 22-year old male.
Awh AJ, I’m so sorry you’re going throught this. I do too, and can really relate to and understand it, The thing I find that works for me is just getting out there (cold turkey), meeting people, being ‘myself’ and believing that I am on level with these ppl. I know the ease of mind doesn’t happen instantly but in time you’ll feel wanted, desired, needed (These feelings help more than anything) Getting over it is not that simple either, that’s just a minute part of it. You’ve just got to realise your importance and worth in this world, not only that, but if you could see yourself the way others see you.. you would really love yourself for who you are. Please see
that “why be him, when you can be the best so easily?!”
Email me to discuss your feelings more. I feel exactly the way that you do now. I have good days and bad days. Some days I think I’V conquered it and then the next day I’m back where I started… but with a bit of communication from my nearest and dearest, it really helps. I don’t have them everyday though so I need to get over it, help myself. Pls email me, Rly want to
talk to you. I know you see it as a huge thing! Well of course it
is,it’s YOU. I do too sometimes, but with a bit of confidence and a positive outlook, you can easily get over it and happily express yourself. email me. Love Caz xoxo
