This is a fantastic stop motion video
I don't think I want to eat this spaghetti
Good business writing is at the heart of successful marketing. Without it you will be at best, misunderstood, at worst, totally ignored. Follow these simple guidelines to ensure your business writing hits the spot.Write readable sentences by writing the way you talk
There is a misconception that good business writing is complex and flowery. It is simply not true. The only people who can ignore this advice are lawyers by virtue of the fact that it is their intention to make everything more complex than it need be, especially as they are paid by the hour to explain to you what they have written!
Use ordinary words
Don’t try to be too clever; don’t use a long word where a short one will do.
Variety
Vary your punctuation and sentence length to add life and movement to your writing.
Use the personal pronoun
Use "I" or "we" wherever you can.
Make your point
Make your main point early and make it easy to find. Don't introduce new ideas until you have thoroughly explained the first.
Intention
Make your purpose for writing clear. Say what you have found, address the issue or problem and make a recommendation or provide a solution. Tell the reader very clearly what you want them to do. Never make the assumption that the reader will make the mental leap between the information and what you want them to do about it.
Structure
Help your reader get to the point by revealing the structure of the document. Allow them to have control over what they discover and when.
White space
Leave plenty of white space. This can be created by using headings, lists, bullet points and short paragraphs.
Use font types wisely
If in doubt stick to the classic fonts. Don't litter your writing with bold, italics CAPITALS or underline; it makes the text harder to read.
Wherever possible, remember:
- Use the active voice
- Use ordinary words
- Construct clear, simple sentences
- Concrete not abstract – use examples, metaphors and details
- Personal
- Informal, conversational style
- Make every word count or get rid of it
- Use just enough punctuation to assist the reader
- Watch your grammar – don’t switch tense.
- Say what you mean and mean what you say
- Don't use jargon - if you have to, explain it the first time you use it
- Strive to express yourself clearly
- Get to the point fast, or at least allow the reader the option to if they choose to
But most of all have fun with it. Never be afraid to reflect your own personality in your writing and it's okay to break a few rules now and again!
Karen McCreadie is a freelance writer – capable of writing anything from a marketing brochure to a website to ghost writing your next book! Ghost writing is her specialty.
Original article link http://www.flyingsolo.com.au/p196318265_The-essentials-of-good-business-writing.html
This is sort of what I have been doing, that is:
It’s working for me so far – see me at Gyminee
I like the reference to low HI diet. The less processed the better
Off to the gym this arvo I think :)
ninemsn talks to the hairy man's trainer Michael Ryan about how he got that body.
Fancy a superhero's body? The Hulk is a mean, green muscle machine, Superman's a six-pack wielding cliché and Spider-Man is too lycra-clad to envy. But Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is quite a different story. A well-conditioned torso, chest and arms are something your everyday man could aspire too.
Building up a new burly physique isn't something that only the likes of a celebrity preparing for the part of the animalistic superhero can achieve, of course. According to his personal trainer and good friend, Michael Ryan, it's within all of our reach with a little dedication.
So, is Hugh naturally muscular and therefore not a good representation of your average man?
Not at all! I've worked with him for over 20 years and when we first met he was skinny. In fact, he had chicken legs! He has built his body gradually over the years. He's 39 now and looking better than ever.
Hugh's very well-stacked for his title role in Wolverine. Did you put him through hours of gruelling training a day?
The routine was intense but it was for 1.5 hours for six days a week. It wasn't a complicated regime at all and something anyone can do. It was based on four or five lifting sessions and a cardiovascular session.
The key to our success with his body was variation. A lot of guys head for the gym day-in day-out and do the same thing every time and then wonder why their body stays the same. Make a point of working different muscles, building on the weight you can lift and getting your heart beating with a mix of running, swimming or cross-training.
No tight-clad yoga sessions then?
Not for this role! But we have used yoga in the past to condition his body. It's a fantastic way of toning and elongating muscles.
Ah, but once you've got all that muscle, a few days off and it turns to flab?
Not the case. I think if you ask anyone who has successfully improved their body with a regular workout, going back to old ways is not an option. It's not hard to maintain muscle if you are dedicated to keeping up a routine. Hugh's finished filming now but rang from New York to let me know he's keeping up the good work!
How big a part does diet play in achieving a body like Wolverine's?
It plays a huge part. If you think about the fact that only 1.5 hours is spent training, it's the 22.5 hours after that are the worry. We put Hugh on a six-meals-a-day plan that consisted of high-protein foods. Think fish, meat and pulses.
What we put a big focus on was basing the diet on as low an HI [human interference] diet as possible. Basically as untouched, unmodified by human hands as possible. It's how the body functions at its optimum level.
Does it get harder to achieve a Wolverine-esque body as you get older?
Well Hugh's almost 40 and we didn't face any issues. Men can peak in their mid-40 so age isn't as big a factor as you'd think. Getting the body you want is about balance and dedication.
Imagine you are Mr. Bill Gates, czar of the wealth. Life is great; you're the richest man on the earth. You can buy anything in life, right? Wrong. Before you ride on the jet of euphoria and focus your entire life on earning money, know there are simply things that a roll of hundred dollar bills cannot get for you, not even if you are Mr. Gates.
If you are perplexed, let me explain my theory. It may sound like an oxymoron but money has its Achilles’ heel. All of our false perceptions about money have one common flaw - they identify money as something external to us, they identify money as the tool to accumulate abundance to please others by accumulating possessions.
What money can't buy mostly lies within us. Nonetheless, trading our life energy for money can deprive us from inner nourishment that can eventually lead our lives into a downward spiral.
1. Time: Money is a tool for trade. With that said, we spend a good chunk of our allotted time on this earth getting, spending, worrying and fantasizing about money. You can't buy the time and save it in your storeroom even if you are Mr. Gates. On the contrary, money takes away your time that could have been spent playing with your children or having a long walk with your alter ego. When the sun sets, a day goes away from our life forever. No money has power to bring that back to life.
2. Self Awareness: Ignorance is bliss, right? It's a curse. Not having self-awareness and self-consciousness lead to decisions that can cost you dearly. Well, the cost may be life itself. As a result, many people live a mediocre life without living for a true purpose. Their ignorance can't be transmuted into awareness with money. They believe that their ignorance is their awareness.
3. Self esteem: I have a plethora of examples to prove that no money can purchase self-esteem. Self-esteem is earned from within. If you are your worst enemy, gods of money can't rescue you from the self-destruction you inflict on yourself. King of rock Elvis Presley had the best life one can imagine with no dearth of cash. He took his own life with the deprivation of self-esteem.
4. Health: As I write this, I found out that Senator Kennedy has brain cancer, and it is terminal. Of course money can get him the best health care possible but no money can buy insurance for a life. We buy insurance for just about everything including our life but money can never bring life back.
5. Respect: Try this. Slap someone on his face and then hand him $100 to get his respect. Will you get it? I doubt it. We all live our life in pursuit of self-respect from peers, from family members, from our alter ego and even from strangers. No money can buy respect from others if our actions speak volumes about our negativity - insult, rudeness and lack of respect for others.
6. Happiness: This is controversial. Money can buy happiness if it is spent on to bring grater financial security for the family. However, money can't buy happiness if the purpose is to make money to make other people happy. The chase of possession of possessions can never find its destination with incessant desire to accumulate more possessions. Happiness comes from within. When we trade so much time and energy to get money, we deprive our inner self from the food of happiness.
I'm sure that you either are nodding you head in disbelief by now, or you've been enlightened by the revelation that, after all, money can't buy some of what matters most in our life. I'll be glad to get a zap or a hug from you.
This is a bloody amazing video of life on the International Space Station. I am sure they don't spend all day goofing off but this just looks like fun
