You run a business and you are looking for some free advertising. But you don’t know where to start.

Pitch the media!

But there’s only one problem: you have no idea where to begin.

First you will have to create a great idea for a newspaper or magazine article to be run about your business. And it may be simple and right under your nose.

So you want to gain more publicity for yourself or business but you are not a writer.

The best way to workaround this is to pitch the media still, and to share your story in a credible publication which will write the story themselves.

How do I get a Story Published?

To pitch the media, you will need a newshook – a reason that your story is newsworthy.

No editor will run a story about a random flower store. But they will run a story about a flower store which gets orders from Barack Obama. This is an example of a hook.

Or maybe your flower store sells the only purple roses in North America. As an editor I would think: are there even purple roses? And what makes this store so special that they are the only store to carry this color? And what does a purple flower symbolize?

Make sure your story has a lot of question marks that will get attention.

Keep in mind that the publication will most likely want to write the story themselves, which is absolutely fine – as long as your business is getting that exposure.

Why Pitch the Media about your Business?

The short and easy answer is free publicity.

The long answer would include publicity but also that a story would generate a buzz about your service. And also other businesses will want to start doing business with you.

Despite skepticism, people trust the media and what they are reporting on – even if it is still to a certain extent.

And with a saturated online world of information mixed with misinformation, newspapers still have a certain level of credibility.

So how do I Pitch the Media?

Pitch the media by writing a query letter. A query letter has several key components. The letter will be ignored if it does not include these things:

• A declaration of intent

Be very clear about who you are. Newspapers get a lot of spammy type pitches of businesses pretending to be journalists writing a story.

Be honest that you are the business owner. Something to the effect of:

My name is Riaz Sidi and I am the owner of Sidi Flowers.

• A newshook

The newshook is the reason people are talking about your story. It also gives the newspaper something exclusive to share to the public.

If they know people within your niche are buzzing about your story, newspapers will want to pick up on it.

The newshook would read something like this:

My name is Riaz Sidi and I am the owner of Sidi Flowers. I am contacting you in regards to a rare purple rose which is unique to North America.

Sidi Flowers is the first store on the continent to carry this flower – a real honour to our establishment. Purple roses are getting alot of attention within the botany industry and we are very proud to display and sell them.

• A benefit to the publication

There needs to be a benefit to the publication. This can include a good newshook but also be an aspect of the story which will get readers to look at their particular newspaper over the next one.

Some benefits to a publication would be possible national exposure, a big name in a small story, or a bizarre or unique story which people will be talking about tomorrow.

Let’s include the Obama part to the pitch:

My name is Riaz Sidi and I am the owner of Sidi Flowers. I am contacting you in regards to a rare purple rose which is unique to North America.

Sidi Flowers is the first store on the continent to carry this flower – a real honour to our establishment. Purple roses are getting alot of attention within the botany industry and we are very proud to display and sell them.

U.S. President Barack Obama has specially ordered ten dozen purple roses from Sidi Flowers. We are very proud the President has chosen our flowers and that a flower store in Ottawa is getting this attention.

I am sure you will agree that this is important for Ottawa residents and Canadian newspaper readers to know about.

• Make it clear that you do not want any financial compensation for the story

Even though it may seem like you are getting free exposure, many newspapers are expected to pay out for good stories. But offer to write it for free to minimize their workload.

I would be happy to write the story free of charge, or if you would prefer, I can give you any information you require so that someone from your publication can write the story.

Once you send over the pitch, find the editor’s phone number and call around 15 minutes later. This gives them enough time to receive the pitch and have a glance.

Most likely they will be swamped with emails and not get to yours in time for your call. But your story is important!

You calling in will show that and you can pitch them on the phone, letting them know you sent them an email. Then get into more detail about the idea.

Newspaper editors are BUSY. They do not have time for your story. That is unless it is irresitible.

Make it that way for them and you will get exposure for your business in no time.

Realistically, it would be best to pitch a very small community paper in your local area. Community papers love stories about small businesses in their area. And residents get gratified by supporting a business in their local area.

So what type of business do run? And what is your newshook to pull in publications and readers?

In the B2B sales world, we often come across sales gurus who just appear from nowhere. They have an unwavering confidence – often possessing an aura of being able to sell dirt to a germaphobe.

But what gives them this confidence? And how are they backing it up by translating leads into sales?

The best salespeople know what type of answer they are looking for before they ask a question.

When great salespeople ask closed-ended questions, they are attempting to get a customer into a pattern of saying ‘yes’. Every ‘yes’ in response to a closed-ended question opens up a bridge towards colourful responses for the open-ended questions which will follow.

If as a salesperson you go straight into asking open-ended questions which may be perceived as intrusive, it may come across as quite rude. The personal nature of getting into these discussions is not justified since a relationship worthy of a valid response has not yet been established.

But by building rapport, you will only help to reveal detailed information which will lead to transitions which can branch off into problem questions and implication questions.

And this is when true selling occurs.

The best salespeople don’t close sales – they allow the customer to be unable to resist having the product or service by showing the Return on Investment (ROI).

The bottom line for the customer is always ROI. Time is money and if a customer feels like they are already benefiting by spending time engaging with you, they will ultimately feel the natural trust to prolong and branch this relationship by doing business with you.

This is why the best salespeople can sell anything – the customer is not buying the product or service – they are buying the advantage of doing business with a credible, confident, and legitimate business as well as a salesperson of equal caliber.

Never close – let the customer close themselves by providing opportunities for them to initiate in their mind the positive effect of having your product or service.

If a customer can envision themselves taking advantage of the benefits rather than feeling they are obligated to spend money, they will see the natural benefit – ROI.

Internet marketing is different in terms of proving ROI because the medium is still in its infancy and ever-evolving – this is why credibility, confidence and trust are of utmost importance.

The best salespeople never hesitate or show insecurity.

Now in order to convey the ROI of engaging in business with you, a customer needs to hear in your voice that what they are doing is legitimate.

This is why confidence in tone is the only way to win over a customer. Would you do business with someone who hesitated or did not believe in what they were saying? Never.

Even if you were presented with the greatest product or deal, your natural instinct would be to question the legitimacy of the offer and to wonder how it is too good to be true.

This is why it is important to never oversell a product. Start small and figure out the direction in which the company or consumer is going and sell to those needs.

As the cliché goes, ‘one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure’ yet there are varying degrees to this statement, even within the same industry.

Does it make sense for them to have your product or service? And most importantly, why?

If you the sales representative can answer these last two questions differently for every customer interaction in which you engage, there will always be an open-path to creating need and solving a problem which a business owner was unaware they had.

In doing so, you will not only show the ROI of the product or service you are offering but also create a relationship by being empathetic to the needs of the business.

And it is this attitude which will take you very far in sales.

I talk to many people who don’t understand why I blog.

Some feel it is an attempt for me to float my boat, others think it is lame and a fad.

In fact, I was one of these naysayers some five years ago when I wrote an article for a magazine which ripped blogs apart, claiming it was a venue for extremism.

But a lot has changed.

It has been for me both therapeudic and educational. I have discovered what I am truly interested in and what I am not.

I launched my first bloga few years ago. I learned from scratch about WordPress, buying domain names, backlinking, SEO, and everything between.

I was a journalist who was looking for a new way to reach an audience. And although I had some mild success in terms of the amount of organic search engine traffic I was receiving, I wasn’t having a conversation with anyone.

I wasn’t inspired, and since my entries were all related to current events in the news, I realized my articles weren’t timeless.

But I don’t see it as a failure. In fact, if I did not experience all that I learned from making BiasViewer, there would be no sociablog.net. And here there are more conversations going on than there ever were at BiasViewer.

Enough about me and my experience.

Why should you have a blog?

Anyone in any career needs to market themselves. Whether you own a flower store, are a magician, or a lawyer, you need to sell your services.

People who blog can make a difference to their life and to their career in being considered for a contract or deal.

Reliability

Bloggers have lives too. I work my 9-5, I have family and friends, and other hobbies I enjoy.

But since I am naturally interested in communications and I do freelance public relations, copywriting and copyediting on the side, sociablog.net provides potential clients with an opportunity to get to know me on a consistent basis.

You can gain a following with any interest no matter the size. Actually, the smaller the niche the easier it is to become an authority within it.

Face Time

You may not have spoken to me in a long time, but if you are reading this you have a better idea of how I am doing than I do of you.

And since I started sociablog.net, I have received more business inquiries than ever before. I am being solicited on a rather consistent basis for new assignments.

Regardless of whether that is directly or indirectly because of this website, I don’t know. But having this site is keeping my focus narrow, my goals intact, and my energy high.

It is providing me with an opportunity to test the boundaries of what I am capable of doing. And if someone reads my blog and sees my personality shine through, they will be likely to take a chance on me.

Releasing Thoughts

We have millions of thoughts a day. Sometimes these ideas churn away and I feel like I need to save them for some great big article. I write some down and others float away.

But why waste any idea by never turning it into anything tangible?

We can all get lazy when it comes to writing. I know, seems weird for someone who writes for a quarter of his living to admit.

The reason is that procrastination always occurs because people are afraid of what they produce not being as good as they believe their potential to be.

When that happens on a consistent basis, your tools will start to rust.

So I would rather create something which puts my idea into fruition, while improving my writing, and allowing me to share my views on different things – even if it’s not a masterpiece.

If I can my promote abilities at the same time, all the better.

Do you have a blog? What kind of business do you run?

How do you use the internet to promote yourself?

The most important thing to remember in the digital age of job hunting is that there is no standard protocol!  There are no set guidelines which make one cover letter better than another.

So with that said, these words of advice are just that, advice.

Finally, before I get started, I won’t go into detail about the fundamental cover letter law, the rule that you will find on every other cover letter article on the internet: write a unique cover letter for each job for which you apply.

It’s so obvious that if you don’t do it, you really don’t deserve the job, since you are too lazy to give an eff about the finer details pertaining to the job itself.

Heeere we gooo:

• Find and put the ACTUAL hiring managers name

This is the #2 fundamental cover letter rule.

When you check the mail and you receive a hey home owner, please open letter, what do you think?

SPAM!

Even if the content is good, it wasn’t addressed to you directly. The content will be perceived as too good to be true adding to the spammy-ness.

Dear Hiring Manager: you just won $1 million!!!

So how do you find it?

In order from most obvious to least obvious:

1. Check the bottom of the job post.
2. Go to the website and hit the contact us button
3. Googlize – <company name> human resouces
4. Go back to the website, get the phone number and CALL!

If you feel uncomfortable calling, don’t get the job, it’s completely your choice. No one is stopping you from failing.

• Attach or Paste?

Ideally, you will hand deliver your application to the hiring manager. Snail mail is a bit taboo nowadays so I understand if that route seems undesirable, I don’t think I would do it.

But the question remains, when you email your application should you attach the cover letter or paste it right in the body of the email?

I personally, and again this is advice, feel that posting it right in the email body is the best route - why?

Well it’s so unoriginal to receive an email which reads: Please find attached my cover letter and resume in applying for the position of whatever.

As a hiring manager, I haven’t even opened the application and I already hate how boring you are.

There is someone on the other end of the email! Talk to them right away.

Flesh out the details of why you’re good for the job. Every line is an opportunity to slam the facts about you home.

Sell yourself every chance you have (but never be over-the-top).

I would even go so far as to not even mentioning that your resume is attached.

It’s almost like saying: hey retard, do you know what an attachment is? Do you know what a resume is? Well I attached the resume.

Thanks buddy, you just wasted 4 seconds of my life I can’t get back.

I would go with a more general approach – a two-in-one shot – thank you for reviewing my resume.

Also, forget the snail mail address on the cover letter. No one cares.

• Know Your Role

Before I write a good cover letter, I go to the job posting, copy and paste the responsibilities and qualifications, and synthesize myself within them.

Take a responsibility: you must watch over monkeys

Take a qualifcation: past experience cleaning cages

Synthesize and Explain How: At the animal shelter, I was responsible for efficiently cleaning fish tanks while attentively caring for exotic animals.

How? Efficiently and Attentively

Anyone can say they did something, but it is only when you have the experience, that you can explain HOW you did something. And really that’s what employers want to hear.

It’s like selling, the benefits don’t sell, the features do.

Bland attire ravages our world.

Many humanoids stick to simple clothes which enable them to remain blended in the background.

I prefer a different approach to how I dress.

Have the Outside Reflect the Inside

If you feel silly, dress colorfully. If you feel sad, dress cozy.

I allow how I feel each day to determine what I wear.

As others, I sometimes do rely on the weather to appropriately suit up. Yet instead of being a uniformed person, I am an individual.

Do you dress unique? Do you follow the herd? What makes you different?

Many people are afraid of being different.

You may think, this isn’t a problem for me at all Riaz, we are all different.

And yes, this is true. But when we are all stuck in the same costumes, our unique individuality is compromised.

What is your style?

Do you have a funky hair cut? Crazy shoes? Accessories that turn heads?

Maybe your style is more simple, and that’s fine.

I feel better knowing that I am wearing my personality on my sleeve - literally.

This has also allowed me not to be stuck in one style of attire.

Some days I wear a hockey jersey, other days a shirt and tie, and these decisions are rarely based upon the venue or time.

Of course there is expected dress decorum to follow.

We can’t wear our comfortable jeans to a funeral - although some people do, and that’s their individual choice.

What I am talking about here is when you have a chance to display your persona in the physical form.

Why isn’t it superficial to care about what you wear?

The reason it’s not superficial is because we are expected to be a certain way.

When we step away from the norm in our style decisions, people who are insecure with themselves judge our right to be unique – to express our identity.

But that will never stop me from being bold, daring, or taking a risk.

And I highly encourage you to do the same.

Dressing to digress means having clothing pieces worthy of conversation.

A great way to communicate and connect with others on a deep level is to start on a more shallow surface level connection.

And if you wear personal items like a band t-shirt or your favourite hockey team’s jersey, your connection to others will escalate.

Friendly Reminder

If you feel you are not expressing yourself in the best possible way, it may be time to take a look in the mirror and ask why?

This could be an opportunity to take the first steps in showcasing who you are on the inside with the rest of world.

Share the best you by starting on the inside and working your way out.

And if you do, you will attract like-minded people.

Please note that I said like-minded and not like-dressed people.

So who are you?

Since I launched riazsidi.com a few months ago, I have learned a lot about effective communication skills from your comments and emails. I want to truly thank you for visiting and engaging with the site.

But this is just the beginning! There are plenty of topics still to be covered and I hope you continue to return.

Email me or send me a Tweet if you want to see me write more about a certain topic like job hunting, business marketing, confident public speaking and personality – to name a few.

Receiving your comments and emails have made me think about how we present ourselves, both offline and online.

Making an impression is unavoidable. Meaning it will be either good or bad – there’s a grey area too – but it will fall somewhere on a spectrum, an impression will be made.

Many times we are afraid of putting ourselves ‘out there’ because we fear judgement. Passing judgement, both positive and negative, is natural.

We should accept that people will judge and to not let it bother us by staying true to our moral principles and ethics.

For one, if you don’t break your shell and say something, do something, or take a risk, the world will never see the potential you possess. That in itself is the biggest tragedy of all.

Generally, I believe people who comment on my posts or send me an email have the confidence to be well-understood through their interactions. They probably post comments on other blogs, have their own blog, or tweet.

If you have emailed me or commented on my posts I wonder, are you as proactive offline?

I know some of you have told me you are introverted whereas others are similar to myself – you do before you think and hope for the best.

Regardless, we all make an impression. Do you make a bad first impression?

Here are a few surefire ways to make a terrible first impression when you meet new people:

• Don’t smile

If you want people to think you are poutty before you even open your mouth, don’t smile. This is especially true if you are the only person entering a larger group of people. Make sure to keep your mouth in a locked position. If you open it even in the slighest, you may give off the impression that you are interesting, warm, or confident. People want to talk to someone who smiles, so don’t make the mistake of smiling.

• Don’t say Hello

Again, entering a room and saying hello is going to get you a positive response. If you really want to make a bad first impression, you could ignore others, walk right past them, and even grumble under your breath.

Say hello if you want to engage others – although I don’t see why you would want to do that.

• Forget their Name

When you meet someone, forgetting their name is the best way to make a bad first impression. You could even mispronounce it rather than asking them kindly to repeat it.

Better yet, you could point at someone whenever you refer to a specific person instead of using their name.

• Talk about Yourself

Don’t people hate talking about themselves? Don’t they only want to hear about you?

Be sure to keep talking about yourself and you will give that award-winning bad impression you seek.

The first time you meet someone new, talk about uncomfortable topics like health, religion, politics, or the moldy pizza in your fridge you haven’t thrown out in 3 weeks.

And most importantly, don’t attempt to gauge a situation or be socially aware.

Hopefully these tips will help you make a terrible impression and leave others thinking you are absolute scum.

We are all hypercritical of our work.

As writers, we would rather hold onto an article forever than turn it over for a deadline.

As my j-school instructors would say: A good journalist always thinks they write bad. Translation: writing  can always be improved.

But if you came here looking for 3 ways to improve your writing, I have trapped you.

How?

Well my 3 ways to improve writing are not tips to improve your piece as you write, but rather to improve your writing upon completion – to edit!

But if I had named this post 3 Ways to Edit, you would have glanced at the title, thought about how you don’t like or don’t believe you are good at editing, and walked away.

But you’re here now – not stuck but here – so you might as well stay for the main event: 3 ways to edit your writing.

But before I get to the 3 editing tips, here is one quick tip that everyone should apply to their writing.

Academics may shudder, possibly some magazine writers too. But I feel it is the one thing you can do to dramatically improve your writing and get others to read your content.

Also, it will make the editing process much easier.

Break it Down

We are naturally inclined to glance at a screen.

This is why the internet has altered writing forever – check any article on this site and the paragraphs are mostly a sentence or two.

Always write short paragraphs.

If the paragraphs in my articles were any longer, you would be bored, your eyes would start to become hazy, and you wouldn’t be stimulated at all.

And this may not be because the content isn’t good but because a chunk of text is boring for anyone.

People prefer a destination, a quick trip, so get them there with shorter sentences.

People will start to pay attention to what you have to say.

And now to the editing tips.

I am not going to use the classic editing tip of sleeping on it. I think that you should have a night to refresh but let’s face it, your work is probably due pretty soon.

We are all procrastinators and the internet has allowed us to go back and edit, which is fine.

But if you are editing something for publication, giving an extended period of time between the writing and editing processes will dramatically improve your writing – I would say ten-fold.

So consider it.

Print it Out

Print a copy of your work. It reads so much smoother on actual paper.

You will see things you never thought you would.

Sit down and review it with a pen and a tea (or coffee if you prefer).

Sometimes when a word is missing a vowel you might not even realize. It is simple for a sentence to make sense even without vowels. Mssng vwls r smpl.

Read it like a Robot – Out Loud

If you read your work out loud like a robot in a monotonous tone, it will be easy to comprehend the information like a stranger would reading your work for the first time.

This method also helps to break down every word. Exaggerate your punctuation like commas, (breath), “quo-tay-shons”, annnd periods. (moment).

Some people use the method of reading their work backwords. I don’t really like this method because for me it doesn’t do enough to improve my writing versus the time it takes up.

I do know some people for whom this works and it really comes down to your personal preference.

Write Less, Describe More

We have each heard it a million times: less is more.

But how can you say the same thing in an easier way. Descriptions are the best way to eliminate excess word usage and really help to craft wicked prose.

Adverbs (words that end in -ly) answer the question how.

How did he jump? repeatedly? fiercely? innovatively?

Each one of those adverbs draws a different image in your head.

Surely I could have said over and over again for repeatedly, with a wild look on his face for fiercely, and in a style I have never seen before for innovatively, but these adverbs already represent those definitions.

We can also eliminate excess literary fat or what journalists call ‘purple’ by putting adjectives (description words) ahead of nouns.

You wouldn’t say the lady who is pregnant but the pregant lady. This is an obvious one.

But the same method can be used for more complex descriptions which are in the passive voice.

The boy who is smart (adj.)and is wearing a red (adj.) hat, took a test today. It was really (adv.) hard (adj.). The boy failed (v.). (22 words)

This can be simply put into the active voice and eliminate fluff for easy reading:

Today, the smart (adj.) boy wearing a red (adj.) hat failed (v.) a really (adv.) hard (adj.)test. (14 words)

We eliminated 8 words and helped to complete a single thought in one sentence. Using descriptors before the noun or verb helps to shape the story before the reader has a chance.

Editing will take your writing to new heights. And your readers will appreciate it and be more engaged.

I read this article around 10 times before hitting publish.

I will read it another 10 times over the next couple of days fixing small mistakes and improving how the article sounds.

What editing methods do you use? What part of this article would you edit?

We meet many people throughout our lives who speak a different language, come from a faraway land, and who have no experience interacting with a person like you.

Getting lost on Earth is scary but exhilarating at the same time.

The people are different. The customs are different. And often, the language is completely different.

Whether you meet them in your city or on your travels abroad, it is important to remember that people are people.

Society teaches us that we are too different from one another, but these are just social constructs – like wealth, race, and language.

Regardless of these differences, it is important to understand our fundamental connection to one another, humanity and life. Our similarities outweigh our differences.

Like I say, Oprah goes to the bathroom just like anyone else.

Who Am I?

My story is quite unusual – but just as unusual as the next person.

I was born in London, England to parents who immigrated from East Africa. My ancestors are East Indian and I was raised and live in Canada.

Many people can decide who I am based on any of these things – but they usually initially look at me, see my race and decide: he must be Indian.

On a trip I took to Berlin, Germany, I was out with some friends. Over the night we became lost from one another – which was fine because I am quite adventurous and don’t mind the path less travelled.

Along the way, I took a seat because I was feeling a little sick.

Two East Indian men came upto me and said, are you alright? I replied yes.

They had noticed my unusual Canadian accent and inquired.

I gave them the spiel about my roots and said sincerely, “I am Canadian.”

They replied with a glare and in a half joking but half serious manner: “You are Indian!”

I told them that I had never been to India and so the only thing I knew about India was from the movies my mother watches and the food which I was gratefully raised with.

“But you are Indian!” they said again. “What Indian language do you speak?”

I replied again with an answer they were never expecting: “…well I speak French, just like German is your second language.”

They decided to drop the argument. But the important thing was that they saw past the social constructs. I was able to have an interesting conversation with them.

Soon after, the fact that we were all technically Indian, but that we did not share any regional, linguistic or cultural similiarities, was no longer an issue.

They invited me to their Indian restaurant which was right around the corner – how typical I know. They nicely treated me to an Indian meal with a beer. It was a solid gesture which I was thankful for.

And yet, I had a blank stare on my face as they sat around the table with their friends speaking Hindi.

Your experience in a foreign country, with similar or different people can be the same way.

How?

Be a Cultural Ambassador

I could easily reject all aspects of my culture. Instead I acknowledge who I am based on all of my traits and none of them at the same time.

When you meet someone new who has visited from the town over or the country across the world, understand they are probably in a strange place and feel vulnerable.

Be proactive and tell them about what your city and your friends have to offer.

And not only tell them but follow up and show them. As someone who has travelled, invitations by locals are very often followed up by nothing, so be an ambassador of your homeland – you’ll probably learn something and get a free place to stay abroad at the same time.

Speak Their Language

I have been able to meet many people while travelling because I made a conserted effort to learn a few words in their language.

People are understanding and will laugh with you at your miserable attempt to speak with them.

But one word turns into a sentence and into a conversation. And remember, smiling and laughing are universal traits on our planet.

Just because everyone is supposed to speak English, doesn’t make our language better than any other.

England colonized most of the world and so did English. That’s about it.

Don’t ignore differences. Acknowledge and understand them. Learn and seek similarities.

It is natural to be afraid of what you don’t know. But instead of trying to hide the fact that we aren’t all the same color, height, or wear the same clothes, we can embrace these differences by learning how it is to experience life as a another person.

The only way to do that is to meet people who don’t share your experience or specs.

It can be interesting to learn why cultures adopt habits.

When and where did the Chinese start using chopsticks?

How did the LGBT community annex rainbows?

Why are Brazilians so good at soccer?

Why are rich kids without jobs socialites and poor kids without jobs bums?

Why is Germany still seen as a racist country when Berlin – at least in my experience – is more multicultural than many parts of Canada - Toronto and Vancouver excluded.

There are an endless amount of questions out there to be answered. We need to learn not to judge but to accept that we are each unique.

The great accomplishment is to find answers to cultural questions and remember at the end of the day – Oprah goes to the bathroom just like anybody else.

You are having a great chat on fb, trying to finish a project for work, and downloading the latest season of Entourage. You remember another task you gotta complete and start opening more windows.

The sound of your music starts to get drowned out and choppy. Your computer fan kicks it up a notch and things start to slow down, considerably.

The multiple applications and browsers you have open start to become choppy with random blotches of color that should be scrolling with the rest of the content.

You minimize, you maximize. You right click on the desktop and hit the refresh button which seems to have no purpose at all.

If you have used a computer, which I can guarantee at this point,  you will have surely used or at least heard of the reboot shortcut – CTRL  + DEL + ALT.

Starting Over

Sometimes our lives can be like computers. We run into issues that put us into overdrive and things start glitching. But alot of the time our pride gets the best of us and we don’t know when to restart our system.

It can be difficult to know when we reach that point and when it it is time to CTRL + ALT + DEL our lives.

Are you at the end of your rope in certain areas of your life? And are you finding difficult to configure it?  Starting over can be alot like rebooting our hard drive.

There is Always a Potential Gain Lost by Starting Over

Those glitchy programs could start working again. Sometimes we try everything to get our computer working before we have to start over.

That conversation will end. Our work will be lost. The download will stop.

The hardwork will not be recognized because of a malfunction beyond our control.

But it can be better to understand when you reach a block in the road where you can’t move further without going back a couple of steps. Refreshing your life is the same.

There is always a chance that if you keep on your path that things will work out. Realize that we spend more time trying to fix problems that won’t effect us in the long run and that it may be better just to start over.

Rebooting Requires a Concious Effort

It is impossible to use the reboot shortcut without using two  hands placed in an unlikely configuation. CTRL + ALT + DEL requires two fingers on the left and one finger on the right side – spread apart.

There is almost no chance that you could accidentally reboot your system – just like you can’t accidentally reboot your life.

Understand what you need to do to start over and just do it without worrying that you might get things wrong.

Cut Your Losses

Whatever happened in the past is gone. The present requires your attention.

If you are thinking about how you can get your computer running again without restarting your system, you are not looking at the hope that arrives with a new beginning.

Instead you are dwelling on the fact that things aren’t going your way – and without acknowledging it, you are allowing it to take over.

CTRL + ALT + DEL your life and reboot your life for an instant upgrade.

Be confident in your decision to recalibrate your life. It could mean starting an assignment over to improve its quality, or accepting a loss.

Once you reboot, your experience will start over completely. You have to open new windows with new goals. The experience won’t be the same and there is a risk it could be worse. But unless you take that leap of faith, which requires a concious effort, you will be stuck in the same circle of glitchy experiences.

Keyboard shortcuts make surfing the net so much easier, assuming you know which ones to use.

We all know CTRL + X, CTRL + C, and CTRL + V. These are the most used shortcuts and serve us to cut, copy, and paste text and images.

So why am I writing about keyboard shortcuts when they have seemingly nothing to do with effective communication skills?

Well they do, in a different way.

Surfing the net is a daily interaction we have with the cyberworld. We roam digital pathways searching for answers and networking opportunities.

So shortcuts will naturally make that process faster.

If you are anything like me you have 5 or 6 tabs open. Some of them have content that caught your eye that you will get to later. Others have you sucked in soaking up every word of content.

These three shortcuts will aid you in being a faster surfer. They have helped me considerably.

CTRL + ENTER

How do you enter a URL into the website bar at the top? Some people take the laborious route of typing www.whatever.com, other people type in the website name without any domain text.

CTRL + ENTER will add the www. and the .com without you having to type them in manually.

I use CTRL + ENTER and its a simple way to get to a website after typing in the website name. Try it out. Type riazsidi in the URL bar followed by CTRL + ENTER.

I find this more useful than simply typing in the website name without the www. and .com parts because without the domain extension it will take a longer time for the network to retrieve your requested information.

Careful though, it only works for .com’s!

Windows Symbol + D

The windows symbol under Z combined with the D will minimize everything. This is great for when you have many computer processes going on and you need to just grab a new page or document.

Or maybe you need the desktop to find a file but can’t be bothered to minimize everything manually.

Sometimes when a computer starts glitching I will use this tool to lower the amount of processing power used to run all the different applications I have open (although I am not techy enough to know if this actually makes a difference).

I love windows + D and it has become one of the most regular shortcuts I use.

CTRL + A

Wait a second, you may be wondering. I have heard of and use CTRL + A all the time!

Ok, that may be the case. The reason I am adding CTRL + A to the 3 useful shortcuts list is because of the way in which you can use it.

CTRL + A will select all your text. But many times people will use it to select an entire page in a document.

Another way of using this shortcut is when you click the URL bar at the top and don’t want to click and drag to select everything.

I also use CTRL + A to select all the text in the Google or YouTube search bars.

Do you use this one as well?

How about the other ones I mentioned? Or do you have some other useful shortcuts that you use all the time I failed to mention?