Save Money At The Pump

Despite historic high gas prices, Americans continue to travel the roads in record numbers. Follow these guidelines to have a little extra money in your pocket when you hit the road.

• Tires tie in to gas savings: You can save money at the pump simply by checking the air pressure in your tires regularly. The U.S. Department of Energy reports one pound of under inflation costs consumers two to three miles of gas per gallon. That wastes four million gallons of gas per day nationwide. Take time out of your busy schedule at least once a month to make sure your tire pressure matches the manufacturer's recommended amount found in your owner's manual.
• Tune in to tune ups: Keeping your engine properly tuned can save you big bucks. The U.S. Department of Energy says fixing a car that's noticeably out of tune can improve gas mileage by 4 percent.
• Healthy air filters: You should check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.
• Get the pedal off the metal: Fifty-five not only saves lives, it saves gas. Government figures show gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.15 per gallon for gas.
• Beat the heat: Buy gasoline when it's cooler outside, like early morning or later at night. That's because gas is denser in cool temperatures, and gas pumps measure by volume. You'll get more bangs for your buck.
• Plan ahead: Cars hate gridlock as much as we do. Avoid congested areas in order to keep your car from idling.
• Drive sensibly: If you drive aggressively, by accelerating and braking abruptly, you're wasting fuel. By driving a little more sensibly, avoiding jackrabbit starts and stops, you can save yourself money by increasing gas mileage by up to 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town.

How to Exceed Your Clients' Expectations

Today we will see one if the keys to success, setting realistic client expectations up front and planning to over-deliver on every project. Why? It's much easier to get another project from a satisfied client than it is to get an initial contract from a new client. The success of a project is often resulted before it starts. The client defines success; it is a mental image clients have of what they will receive. So the consultant's goal is to shape the client's expectations so that the consultant can deliver more than the client's definition of success. How? The client's expectations lay in the consultants the initial proposal. If the proposals exaggerate the deliverable, then the client will expect to receive the sun, moon and stars. Conversely, if the consultant presents a modest proposal and explains clearly what will be delivered and what will not, the client will be pleasantly surprised if the consultant delivers more than promised. The best strategy for any consultant is to under-promise and over-deliver consistently. Set the bar at a level you're sure you can clear, and then clear it comfortably and easily. In conclusion, the smart consultant manages the client's expectations to ensure a win-win scenario for both parties.

7 Habits of Highly Innovative People

Creativity is more about psychology than intellect, and there are no secrets to being creative. There is no such a thing called “being more creative”; we are already creative beings, but we hardly knew this truth. Isn’t it? Here are seven habits found in highly innovative and creative people that are organized and summarized from “the myths of innovation“.

1. Persistence – Innovation involves more than just great ideas. We need faith, hard work and focus for the end result to keep persisting for our vision in the face of roadblocks. We have to see the actions, hard work and persistence behind the scene to make the vision a reality.

2. Get Rid Of Self-Limiting Inhibitions – Under the spell of inhibition, we feel limited and stuck. We need to free ourselves from these mind-created restrictions by eliminating assumptions and limitations. This is what is called “think outside the box”. Encourage to be open to new ideas and solutions without setting limiting beliefs.

3. Risks, Mistakes Are Useful – Due to the fear of failure we create self-imposed inhibition for ourselves. It is so natural that some of the ideas will fail in the process of learning. Rather than treating the mistakes as failures, think of them as experiments. “Experiment is the expected failure to deliberately learn something.” Instead of punishing for the failures, accept them, then take newfound knowledge and put it towards finding the best solution.

4. Escape – Environment can effect how you feel and do. The more relaxed and calm you are the more open to tap into your flowing creativity. This is why ideas sometimes come to us in the shower. Do some thing that simplifies your problems and find the solutions. Experiment and find what works for you.

5. Writing Things Down – Many innovators and creative people keep a journal to jot down ideas and thoughts. Some keep a sketch book, scrap book, post-it notes and loose paper. They all have a method to capture their thoughts, to think on paper, to drop their inhibitions and start the creative process.

6. Find Patterns & Create Combinations – Ideas come from other ideas. You can increase your exposure to new ideas, look for patterns and see how you can combine ideas to improve upon existing solutions.

7. Curiosity – Many innovators are just curious people who are inquisitive, and like to solve problems. Practice sees things differently. “What are some alternative ways to doing this?” Ask a lot of questions and challenge the norms or existing methods.