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Steve Gillman Profile and Articles
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201). Knowledge Is Not Power
Whoever first said that knowledge is power was probably selling encyclopedias. Knowledge is a tool, like money and influence. Tools are only powerful if they are used effectively. How, then, do you make a headful of knowledge into a powerful tool?
1. By seeing clearly what can be done.
2. By seeing clearly your own limitations.
3. By acting on what you know.
202). A Mental Wilderness Survival Kit
A survival kit should be carried by anyone who goes deep into the wilderness. What should be in it? Matches, a blade of some sort, and first aid supplies are among the usual recommendations. When you read the true stories of survival, though, you start to see that it is what's in a persons head that often determines if they survive or not. What, then, should be in this mental survival kit?
A Survival Kit In Your Mind
1.
203). A Bad Credit Rating Can Be A Good Thing
Can a bad credit rating save you from bigger problems? Hasn't it done just that for many young people? I'll explain how with a couple true stories.
Good Credit Rating Story
My friend started his adult years with good credit. Soon he was able to get credit cards at will, as well as finance cars, snowmobiles and more. He made the payments, and went deeper and deeper into debt while he was at it.
204). Survival Foods For Hikers
Survival foods are not the most important thing in most emergency situations in the wilderness. You survive weeks without eating if you have to, so it is usually more important to find shelter, water, and stay dry and uninjured. On the other hand, just knowing you can find food out there, and having something in your stomach, can do wonders for your state of mind, which CAN be crucial to your survival.
205). Real Estate Investment - One Simple Formula
I saw the ads in our small-town newspaper for years before I realized exactly what was going on. They were always the same: A house for sale with 5% down and payments of 1% of the purchase price. It might be a three bedroom home for $90,000, for example, with $4,500 down and $900 per month payments.
A friend started doing the same thing and explained the process to me.
206). Bad Ways To Save Money
Finding new ways to save money on almost anything you buy is almost like getting a raise. Maybe it's even better. When you save twenty dollars on a coat you get to keep the whole twenty dollars. When you make twenty dollars more on your paycheck, you lose five dollars or more of it to taxes.
Finding ways to save money can go too far, though. In a recent newsletter on how to save money, one contributor suggested getting free flowers for weddings by picking up the leftover flowers at a cemetery.
207). Real Estate Research By Talking
Real estate research might start with a look at the U.S. Census information about a town. It can include inspections of specific properties, too. There are many statical tools and information that can help, but don't forget one of the easiest and most useful research tools: talking. Let me explain with a true story.
My wife and I were on vacation, and stopped in Farmington, New Mexico for a few days.
208). Online Writing - Is This The Perfect Title?
With online writing, an article title has to accomplish many things. It has to make it easier for the reader to find the article. It has to tell the reader what the article is about. It has to entice the reader to read the article. It has to be acceptable for submission to article directories. How do you accomplish all this in one title?
Sometimes you can't.
209). Why You Buy, Part Three
Part 3
Still more discoveries from the recent studies in behavioral economics:
Over-Valuing "Mine"
People consistently place a higher value on things they own, even if their "ownership" is temporary. The research is interesting, and I often saw this phenomenum used by salesmen on busses in Ecuador. A product is thrust into your hands, and after a ten-minute sales pitch, you pay or give back "your" item.
210). The Fastest Way To Pay Off Credit Card Debt
You have credit card debt, and you wan to pay it off as quickly as you can. We will assume that you are going to stop creating more debt. You have changed your ways. You also understand that paying credit card balances with a consolidation loan or rolling it into a mortgage isn't paying it off. In fact, paying a lower interest rate, but paying on the debt for many more years, usually means paying much more, not less.
211). Secret Sales Techniques
What new sales techniques are coming out of the science of behavioral economics? Mostly better explanations and applications of old techniques. Though the science it is relatively new, many of its findings have been known intuitively by good salesmen and marketers for ages. Maybe now, however, it is time to apply this knowledge more systematically in the real world of business.
212). Ultralight Backpacking List - 3 Days, 10 Pounds
Here's an ultralight backpacking list, an example of what I typically take on a weekend hike. We're all different in our needs and skills, though, so please don't take it as a recomendation. My list, with weights (not including what I wear to start):
*GoLite Breeze Backpack: 12 ounces
*Western Mountaineering Bag: 17 ounces
*Nylon Tarp: 17 ounces
*Frogg.
213). Moving And Relocating Tips
I know how stressful and chaotic moving and relocating can be. We moved from one part of Tucson to another in March of this year, and then in June we bought a home and relocated to Colorado. Here are some of the lessons we and others have learned.
1. Make and use lists. We all forget things, even after remembering them several times. Put them on that list during one of these times.
214). Ultralight Backpacking Skills - A Three Day Test
On Lake Michigan, at the end of the Stonington Peninsula, there's a stretch of empty beach. Part of the Hiawatha National Forest, it's framed on either side by private property, with no easy access. To walk on the beach, however, is legal. Past the last cabin, the public land starts, and goes for six or seven miles. This is where I would test my ultralight backpacking skills and gear.
215). Housing For Alternative Lifestyles
What are alternative lifestyles and why would they require alternative housing? To answer the first part it is easiest to give examples. Then the answer to the second part becomes self evident.
One winter we were camping in our conversion van at a hot springs area in Arizona. We met a man who sold stuffed animals on the side of the highway. Having been through a bad divorce, and having little money, he was living in the van at places like these hot springs.
216). Save On Food - Ten Ways
To save on food, be an opportunist. Buy what you like, but buy on sale. Do you need oranges every day? Buy them when they're cheap, then buy grapefrui
217). Be The One With Something Interesting To Say
How Do You Learn Something New? If you could learn fast and effectively, you might become the person with something interesting to
218). Stopping Stress
How To Defend Yourself
Do you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed? Do you sometimes feel like you just have too much to think about? Does it
219). Remove Chewing Gum From Carpet
To remove chewing gum from carpet, you can use your hair dryer. Just heat the gum, being careful not to melt any carpet fibers. Then you can use a pie
220). Backpacking Food - What To Pack
Weight is always a concern with backpacking food you'll be carrying everything on your back. Some will tell you to find your weight savings in other a
221). Bivy Sacks - Making Them Yourself
If you have ever looked at bivy sacks in catalogs or online, you know they can be claustrophobic and expensive. I can't help you much with the first,
222). Lightweight Backpacks - How Light?
How light is light? Lightweight backpacks weigh less than three pounds, a standard I just invented. There are good packs under three pounds for almost
223). Poop Bags On Mount Shasta
Topped by snow and glaciers, Mount Shasta rises up above everything else when you approach it from the north.As soon as I saw it, I wan
224). Camping In Montana With Aliens
Ten minutes out of town, we found the dirt road that goes up to Storm Lake. We had been there before, shortly after moving to Anaconda, Montana. The r
225). Cheap International Plane Tickets
Cheap International Plane Tickets The best place to buy cheap international plane tickets is online. We've tried travel agencies an
226). Cheap International Travel Secrets
What is the real secret to cheap international travel? It is the same as the secret to doing anything for less. Learn to be an opportunist. Opportunis
227). Florida Alligator Stalking Vacations
Alligators were the furthest thing from our minds as my wife Ana and I traveled along the coast of northern Florida. We had paid $23 to camp in our co
228). A Photocopied Travel Letter To Home
As we drove from Traverse City, Michigan to Tucson, Arizona, I wrote a series of letters, and photocopied them to send to family and friends. This wa
229). Mechanical Poetry Techniques
you can stop waiting and start using systematic techniques for creating poetry. If it seems too mechanical or artificial at first, don't worry. The
230). Hostels For Cheap And Interesting Travel
Hostels are a cheap travel secret of budget travelers. They have been around in one form or another for a long time, and are oriented towards young travelers and anyone else seeking inexpensive accommodations. The U.S. version used to be more complicated, with guests helping with chores. They are simpler now. You rent a bed instead of a room, sharing the bathroom, living room and kitchen.
231). Selling Your Own Home - An Outline
Selling your own home can be a time-consuming and frustrating process. Though listing with an agent is probably the best plan, I won't leave you do-it-yourselfers without some helpful information. In the right market, it may make sense to save the commission and do it yourself - if you know what you are doing. Use the outline here to do it right, and to avoid common mistakes.
232). Success In Life Is Possible Right Now
Success in life? What is it? If you're making money doing something you enjoy, are you less successful than someone who happens to make more money? Of course not! Your life isn't a competition against others, to be fought on their terms. Two businessmen can be compared for their success in business, but this doesn't tell us about their entire lives, does it?
If you'll be happier, wealthier and healthier sometime in the future, does this mean you are a failure now? No! Success in life is about the process, not about lists of accomplishments.
233). Finding Secret Swimming Holes
Swimming holes have a certain nostalgic feel about them. Long before swimming pools were common and in areas where there weren't many beaches, kids had to go to a wide spot in a stream, or to an old rock quarry to swim. Perhaps you did this as a child. Well, these spots are still out there, and they are not just for the kids.
Searching For A Swimming Hole
When we recently moved from Arizona to Canon City (pronounced canyon) in Colorado, we were looking forward to having water around.
234). Adventure Travel - Close And Cheap
Adventure travel is becoming more popular all the time. It can be very expensive, though, and even a bit too dangerous for some of us. It doesn't have to either, though. Here are a few ideas for small adventures you can afford. They are followed by a definition of adventure that will help you add your own to the list.
Try treasure hunting. Rent or buy a metal detector and spend a relaxing but interesting weekend finding coins, jewelry and who-knows-what in the sand at the beach.
235). Wild Plants Backpackers Should Know
Why learn about wild plants just to go backpacking? Of course it is interesting for some of us, but beyond that, a little knowledge of plants can save your life. This isn't just about the edible ones. Food is actually a low priority in most wilderness emergencies. However, there are many other important uses for the plants out there.
Useful Wild Plants
Cattails: The cattail is one of the most useful wild plants in the wilderness.
236). Find A Real Estate Agent
It's easy to find a real estate agent. Just put a for sale sign in the yard and wait for the phone to ring. The question is, how do you find a GOOD real estate agent? You can start with newspaper.
Pick up the Saturday or Sunday paper - whichever day they have all the homes for sale in your area. You can also collect a few real estate guides to look through.
237). Five New Product Ideas
Here are some new product ideas for things yet to be invented, or innovations yet to be tried. Why don't you be the inventor or innovator? Help yourself. There are no patents on the following ideas as far as I know - but do your patent research, of course.
1. A pavlovian dog calling device. The scientist Ivan Pavlov trained dogs to salivate when a bell rang - simply by ringing a bell whenever they ate.
238). About The Author - What To Say
That little "about the author" or author's resource box at the bottom of your article, is the most important part. Write a great article, get lots of people to read it, and you still might get nothing out of it. Those readers have to come to your website for the article to be of value to you. That resource box is where the link to your site is, and also where the "sales pitch" is that gets the reader to click on it.
239). Four Simple Mind Power Techniques
The following mind power techniques are creative ways to tap into the power of your mind. Some of them may be entertaining, but they also have more practical uses as well. A good example of one that is both entertaining and practical, is the "pupil trick." We'll save that one for last. In the meantime, here are a few of the more practical mind power techniques.
240). Strategic Linking
Strategic linking is more than just getting as many links coming into your website as possible. This can be a good start, but the "quality" of those links matter. It also matters what the "anchor text" of the link says.
Your incoming links do two basic things for you. First, they bring direct traffic from the sites where they are located. Second, they help optimize a website and get it found more often in the search engines.
241). 39 Miles In The Smoky Mountains
The Smoky Mountains can be hard on the ankles, and it rains a lot. I learned this on the first day of my hike, both through experience and from the stories of the other hikers. This was good, though, because hiking this stretch of the Appalachian Trail would be a good test for my new lightweight backpacking gear.
I was hiking in light running shoes, with a frameless fourteen-ounce backpack.
242). Write A Poem In Ten Minutes
Have you ever sat there staring at the paper, ready to write, but unsure where to begin? Want a solution that will overcome even the worst write
243). Best Way To Clean Carpet?
What is the absolute best way to clean carpet? Carpet manufacturers are almost unanimous. The best way is to use hot-water extraction, also called ste
244). Carpet Stains - How To Remove Them
Your short lesson on how to remove carpet stains: act fast. Carpets today (most) come with stain-resistant treatments, so spills can be removed if you
245). Get Candle Wax Out Of Carpet
You really can get candle wax out of carpet. It's not always easy, but wax can be removed with patience. Dyes from the wax are a different matter. Get
246). Daily Motivation: 7 Methods
Isn't a lack of daily motivation one of the biggest problems we face when trying to better ourselves? We often know what to do, or at least the first
247). A Lightweight Backpacking Adventure
I was in the Weminuche Wilderness Area when the snow came. It was my second day out of Silverton, where the locals told me it rains or snows every da
248). How To Stay Warm Backpacking
Stay warm or die. That's what it comes down to at the extremes. More people die in the wilderness of exposure than from any other cause. Staying warm,
249). Lightweight Backpacking
You aren't lightweight backpacking if you are carrying twenty-five pounds for a summer weekend. I invent these standards, but I try to be reasonable.
250). A Dirtbagging Trip
Dirtbagging is stripping camping or backpacking down to the essentials: fun and adventure. Just throw a few things in any old pack, and get o
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