Become A Business Leader

By Amanda Rice

It’s not easy to think like a leader, that’s probably because most women are not given, nor do we create the opportunity.

But all that could change if you can adopt the mentality of a leader. It is difficult, no doubt, because you are always required to go above and beyond the typical reaction to certain situations, but if you practice the following, not only will you begin to think like a leader, before you know it, you may actually become one.

Become a business leader tip #1
Learn discipline
It’s tough to be a disciplined woman when it seems like everything is working to make you give in to the easy way out. But whether it’s deciding to stay at work until you complete the project or go to the gym five days a week without fail, committing yourself to anything and following through each and every time will demonstrate your ability to accomplish whatever you set your mind to.

Become a business leader tip #2
Erase negative words
Words like “I can’t” or I’m unable to” need to be banished from your vocabulary. You need to believe in yourself and push yourself beyond what you imagine are your limits if you want to become a leader in all facets of your life. Every day, work a little harder, move a little faster… use baby steps to make huge strides.

Become a business leader tip #3
Find wisdom
Wise people listen a lot and speak very little. Not only does this give them an air of mystery, but when they do finally speak up, you can bet that everyone will want to hear what they have to say.

As well, being a good listener allows you to pick up some great advice and will help you learn more about those who surround you.

Become a business leader tip #4
Set an example
In a perfect world, others would do as we say and not as we do, but in reality, if you want to encourage those around you to set high expectations for themselves, then you need to make yourself the example for all of them.

Whether it’s showing up on time or putting together a high-quality presentation in a small amount of time, prove that it can be done and others will rise to the occasion.

Become a business leader tip #5
Accept nothing less than respect
If you allow anyone to walk all over you or treat you in a way that you wouldn’t treat others, those who witness this will begin to lose respect for you. And when it comes to leadership, respect and admiration come above all else.

If anyone tries to demean you in any way, call them on it in a very respectful manner and if they insist on being rude, then dismiss them from your life.

Become a business leader tip #6
Present a clean appearance
It’s an unfortunate reality for all of us, but we are, without a doubt, judged by our appearance. That said, you need to present yourself in a sharp, clean manner that leaves no room for negative judgment. Dress professionally, smell clean, look neat, and walk with confidence.

Become a business leader tip #7
Maintain calm
In the face of chaos, it is your responsibility to keep cool and keep everyone around you cool. If one of your colleagues loses the presentation or spills coffee all over the handouts, you will be the voice of reason and keep everyone around you from losing their marbles.

Of course, this is quite difficult to accomplish, especially if you tend to wear your emotions on your sleeve, but in due time, you can change your mindset and look at everything on the bright side.

Become a business leader tip #8
Look for solutions
In keeping with maintaining a cool, calm and collected front, it is also your duty to search for solutions to every problem that presents itself rather than point the finger at anyone.

If the problem persists with the same person, it is your job to confront the person in a private setting and find out what’s going on. You will not call someone on their mistakes in front of others because that breeds resentment and, as aforementioned, your objective is to gain everyone’s respect.

It’s time for women to lead

Being a leader is not an easy task; that is why there are so few of them. But if you can apply the above to all facets of your life, you will fall into leadership positions on every front.

And while it may require a lot of work on your part, in time, these habits will become like second nature to you and you will have the world coming to you for guidance.

Now get out there and lead.

Music Reviews - James Blunt

By LadyThrills.com Staff

Released on September 18, 2007, James Blunt's All The Lost Souls is what music fans have been waiting for. After his debut album Back to Bedlam in 2005, fans have been anticipating his sophomore effort.

Released in a new format called MVI (Music Video Interactive), the All The Lost Souls DVD is more than just a DVD; it contains all his latest hits including "1973," "Same Mistake" and "Carry You Home," rich video content, portable music files, and interactive computer features.

Now fans can create James Blunt ringtones, check out some beautiful photos of him, get some buddy icons, and even set him as their wallpaper. Just when you thought that technology was at its apex, here comes a 2-disc DVD that contains more James Blunt than you'll know what to do with.

The music is fantastic, the documentary is inspiring and the ability to get interactive with James Blunt makes this man all the more extraordinary. And after you see the preview for Return to Kosovo, you will develop a new respect for Blunt, and perhaps even fall in love with him all over again.

One can appreciate Blunt's DVD release because every song has its own character and flavor, and it wasn't simply thrown together on a whim. This is an artist who embraces his craft whole-heartedly. The music is worth listening to over and over again, and the rest of the DVD is just butta, baby.

Best Song: "I'll Take Everything"
Best Video: Preview of Blunt's forthcoming James Blunt: Return to Kosovo
Best Interactive Computer Feature: Ringtones
Visit MVIMusic.com/JamesBlunt to get your copy.

LadyThrills Rating: 4.5 out of 5

How To Look Thinner Instantly

By August Gertz

You know you shouldn’t have eaten the entire tub of Haagen Dazs last week, but you did, and your plan to drop 10 pounds in the next two months has been put on hold.

Of course, you don’t want to spend the year looking fat; you at least want to create the illusion that you’ve lost weight or are thinner than you really are. And who can blame you? Dieting is tough, but instant results… now that’s something you can work with.

So if you want to look thinner before you leave the house each and every day, here are some simple tips that will make your waistline look thinner and body look leaner.

Look thinner instantly tip #1
Avoid baggy clothes
If you’re overweight and you wear baggy clothes, you probably think that you look thinner by default because people know that the outfit is just too big on you. What it’s actually doing, though, is making you look bigger than you actually are.

Your best bet would be to select a top and bottom that are more flattering to your shape. A flowing top (like a Bohemian shirt) that cascades over your upper body and lean pants that stay along the leg would definitely give you a leaner look.

Look thinner instantly tip #2
Push your boobs together
If you have monstrous boobs, then squeezing them together may not be the best idea (they probably get squeezed together anyway), but wearing a bra that offers no support will not complement your body in any way.

Invest in a bra that holds your breasts together; doing so gives your upper body a tighter, leaner look.

Look thinner instantly tip #3
Mind your posture
Many women I encounter have posture problems. Some don’t stand up straight because it seems like they’re sticking out their boobs, others just have weak abdominal and back muscles.

If you want to look leaner, you need to stand up straight all the time. If it looks like you’re sticking out your chest, what’s wrong with that? You’re standing up straight, if they happen to stand out, then so be it, don’t sacrifice your health for it.

On another note, if you want to improve your posture, take yoga and pilates classes and do some back and abdominal exercises. You’ll notice a significant improvement within weeks.

Look thinner instantly tip #4
Wear one color
A uniform color typically serves to give the wearer a longer, leaner look. Of course, you don’t want to look like a big grape, either. So opt for more earth-tone colors and use an accent like a scarf or necklace to complement the color you’re wearing.

Even wearing different shades of the same color will serve to create the leaner look effect. So pick a color that suits you and invest in a top and bottom.

Look thinner instantly tip #5
Choose the right footwear
If you have thick ankles, wearing a running shoe that hugs your ankles would not be the best idea. Opt instead for mules; they take the attention away from your ankles and place them on your entire leg.

As for heels, if your ankles are thick, opt for a thicker heel and avoid straps across the foot or ankle. Open-toe shoes are also a good option.

When it comes to boots, if you have thick claves, the last thing you want to do is call attention to them by wearing boots that stop mid-calf. Get yourself a pair of boots that cover the entire calf instead.

Look thinner instantly tip #6
Get a tan
Without taking the dangerous route, you can opt to give your body a golden hue by investing in a self-tanner or even professional spray tanning. The darkening effect will make you seem thinner. After all, why do you think bodybuilders tan so often? It’s to accentuate their muscles.

Of course, you don’t want that orange-look effect; a golden tan is enough to create the desired effect. So if you opt for an artificial tan, keep in mind that less is more.

You look so much thinner

All the aforementioned tips will make you look thinner, but your best move would be to get active and eat well for the long-term. Until you decide to make those lifetime changes, however, a chunky heel and uniform color will have to do.

Balance Ball Workout - Lower Body

By Vanita Gautum

Walk into any gym nowadays and you will find a bunch of balance balls all over the place. And although you see most people using them for abdominal workouts, balance balls have many more uses than meets the eye.

Benefits of balance ball

There are many advantages to using a balance ball and if you’re a first timer, you may find that something as simple as sitting on it a little unsettling. But it won’t take you more than five minutes to get accustomed to the feeling and before you know it, this simple ball will become part of your everyday strength routines.

Benefits of a balance ball include:

Improvement of stabilizer muscles

Improvement of core (abdominal and back) muscles

Improved coordination

Improved posture

Improved strength in all planes of movement

So if you’re ready to improve your body while you make strength gains, then let’s find out how you can use a balance ball to build your lower body.

Some balance ball tips

Do ball exercises last
Before you jump head first into the balance ball, it is important that you complete your balance ball exercises near the end of your workout, as they don’t require heavy weight usage and there’s no need to tire yourself out on the balance ball and then move on to weights .

Listen to your body
If an exercise feels awkward or you constantly feel like you’re about to fall off the ball, don’t do it. Even if someone is urging you to, if you’re not comfortable with it, don’t do it. You know your body better than anyone.

Do exercises slowly
Whenever you perform any exercise on the balance ball, do it slowly to ensure that you aren’t using momentum to complete each repetition.

Don’t rest between sets
Because you’re using your body weight to challenge your body, there’s no need for any rest between sets. So jump from one exercise to the next and, if you’re feeling sore in a healthy way, it’s good to push yourself that extra mile.

Add weights when it gets easy
Once you adapt to any exercise, it’s important to add weights in order to make strength gains and challenge your body.

Balance ball lower body exercises

To target synergist muscles in the legs and glutes , as well as antagonist and agonist muscles, try the following balance ball exercises:

Wall squats
Place the ball between your middle to lower back and the wall and press your body firmly against the ball. Then, with your feet shoulder width apart and slightly ahead of your body, press your back against the ball as you bend your knees and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Return to the starting position and repeat without resting.

For a variation on this exercise, perform the exercise with one leg at a time; just make sure to keep each leg in line with its respective hip.

Sets: 2
Repetitions: 25

Leg curls
Lie with your back on a mat; place the balance ball underneath your calves, closer to your ankles. Place your arms on your sides, pressing your palms into the floor. Press your legs firmly against the ball and lift your butt off the ground until your body, from shoulders to toes, is at a 45º angle (this is your starting position). Then, bend your knees and slowly roll the ball in toward your butt until your feet are flat against the ball. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Sets: 2
Repetitions: 15

Reverse leg raises
Lie on your back on a mat and place the balance ball underneath your calves, bringing it in until your legs are at a 90º angle and the ball is also pressing against your hamstrings. Place your arms on your sides, pressing your palms into the floor, and lift your butt off the ground until your body is at a 45º angle. Hold for a second and then lower your body until your butt is almost touching the ground and lift up again. Repeat.

Sets: 2
Repetitions: 15

Lower body ball exercises

Next time, we’ll visit upper body exercises and, of course, abdominal exercises. But for now, try to perform a leg and glutes workout twice a week, and incorporate these exercises into your routine.

Celebrity Diets

By Meredith Thompson

Female celebrities spend most of their lives dieting because they get the big bucks to look perfect. Of course, the majority of them are starving, but some smart celebrities find diets that they can live with and enjoy a fulfilling diet.

Of course, famous women are also lucky enough to afford personal chefs and shoppers, and that someone who sits with them at every meal in a restaurant and tells them what they can and cannot eat.

Unfortunately, if you want to follow any of these diets, you’re going to have to chop your own vegetables and fruits, cook your own food, clean up your mess, and rely on yourself for discipline. Not an easy task, I know.

Nevertheless, if you want to look like Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Kim Cattral, and other beautiful Hollywood women, here are the celebrity diets you might want to try.

Celebrity Diets #1
Hamptons Diet
Celebrity Devotees: Sarah Jessica Parker, Renee Zellweger
Named after the high-end district in New York, this diet is much like the South Beach diet in that it banishes simple carbs like rice, potatoes, bread, and chips, and trans-fats like hydrogenated oils and processed foods from your diet.

The difference between South Beach and the Hamptons is that one is in Florida and the other is in New York. Kidding… the Hamptons Diet’s focus is on macadamia nut oil – an oil that is high in Omega-9 fats and has a high smoke point (in layman’s terms, cooking with this oil won’t transform it into trans-fatty acid).

Restrictions: White flour, refined carbs, processed foods, sugar, high-sugar fruit like bananas and dried fruit, trans-fatty acids, Omega-6 oils like corn, safflower and sunflower, and highly processed oils like canola and many olive oils.

Celebrity diets #2
The Zone
Celebrity Devotees: Jennifer Aniston, Cindy Crawford
Around about 1995, The Zone went against the grain and began touting the 40-30-30 rule – a diet composed of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat.

Somewhat complicated (this is where your chef comes in), The Zone was essentially designed to increase the performance of elite athletes. And due to all the complicated numbers you need to come up with in the form of your protein to fat ratios, lean body mass, and how many carbs, proteins and fats you’re eating at every sitting, this doesn’t seem like an easy diet to follow.

Restrictions: High-glycemic index carbs (white bread, baked goods, sugars) and bad fats (cold cuts and fatty red meats).

Celebrity diets #3
The Raw Food Diet
Celebrity Devotees: Carol Alt, Donna Karan, Woody Harrelson
The Raw Food Diet touts exactly what it says – eating raw, unprocessed foods in order to keep all the food that you ingest full of its natural enzymes and vitamins.

It’s believed that if you heat food at a temperature higher than 116º F (47 º C), the enzymes that help you digest the food will be compromised, resulting in unwanted bloating, gas and a general discomfort.

Of course, not all the food is raw, but at least 75% of it must be in order for the diet to be effective. Health benefits of this diet are believed to be healthier skin, more energy, easier digestion, and, of course, weight loss.

Restrictions: Processed foods, baked goods, anything cooked above 116º F.

Celebrity diets #4
The Perricone Weight Loss Diet
Celebrity Devotees: Kim Cattral, Julia Roberts, Heidi Klum
The Perricone Diet is not designed for weight loss (although that may be a default result), but rather as an anti-wrinkle treatment .

Dr. Nicholas Perricone concluded that it’s possible to look younger by eating right after he figured out that certain foods cause inflammation and water retention. The 28-day diet recommends eating wild salmon (it’s believed that farmed salmon contains chemicals), fresh berries, nuts, and drinking lots of water.

Restrictions: High glycemic index foods like bread, bagels, bananas, pizza, pasta, potatoes, saturated fats, and refined sugar.

Celebrity diets #5
Don’t Eat Crap Diet
Devotees: Jessica Simpson
A strict diet to say the least, the “Don’t Eat Crap” diet, designed by personal trainer Michael Alexander, helped Jessica Simpson build the perfect body for her turn as Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard.

The diet allows whole wheat bread, plenty of fruits and veggies, and lean meats. But it doesn’t end at the diet alone; devotees are required to drink mass amounts of water and work out five or six times a week, for about 90 minutes a day.

Restrictions: Sugar, refined carbs, and fried foods.

Celebrity diets #6
Macrobiotic Diet
Celebrity Devotees: Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore
If you’ve seen Madonna over the 2000s, you’d know that she is as fit as a woman can get. And she credits a macrobiotic diet and Ashtanga yoga for her amazing physique.

A macrobiotic diet consists of whole grains, plant-based proteins, and natural sweeteners like barley malt, rice and maple syrup. Essentially, the macrobiotic diet is a high-fiber, low-fat, predominantly vegetarian one.

Restrictions: Dairy products, meat, poultry, and eggs.

Celebrity diets secrets

There’s a reason why most celebrities look perfect; they diet and exercise, and they get the privilege of airbrushing in magazines. For those of us who can’t dedicate our lives to a strict diet and exercise regime, it’s probably best that we simply watch what we eat and get on the treadmill as often as we can.

You don’t have to suffer to look good, you just need to be logical – put down the muffins and French fries, and pick up an apple. Ultimately, having a great body doesn’t usually come naturally; you need to work at it. But you don’t need to starve to have one, either.

7 Tips For The Perfect Resume

By Jennifer Towers

Whether you’re a first-time applicant to the workplace or recently decided to tell your boss to stick it where the sun don’t shine, an up-to-date, perfect resume should always be part of your professional arsenal.

But building the perfect resume is not always as easy as it may seem. Too many women tack way too much irrelevant information on what could otherwise be a welcome sight to employers.

If you want to ensure that the perfect resume you hand a potential employer stays in his hands and doesn’t end up in the trash, here’s what it takes to increase your chances of getting that highly anticipated phone call for an interview.


Perfect resume tip #1
Cover letter
You have about 30 seconds to capture an employer’s attention and while something original like a joke may keep him reading, it may not do so for the right reasons.

Your cover letter should be short and to the point (under a page). It should include:

· Your name
· Your address
· The date
· The employer’s name and address (Do not use generic salutations like “To whom it may concern”)
· The position you’re applying for
· How you heard about it
· Why you’re qualified and how you can contribute to the organization
· What you expect to get out of sending this information (an interview)
· What follow-up action you will take
· Appreciation for their time

Keep paragraphs short, provide bullet points, if applicable, and don’t state the obvious. Focus on the employer’s needs and try to steer clear of starting all your sentences with “I.” As well, don’t recap your entire resume.

If you’re sending your cover letter and resume via snail mail, make sure to use high-end white paper. If you’re sending it via email, make sure to make it part of your resume pages so that it all flows together.

Perfect resume tip #2
Clear & concise information
The information your perfect resume contains will include:

· Contact information
· Objective
· Education
· Experience
· Skills

Let’s start from the top. Your contact information should include one phone number, one email address and your home address. You don’t need to list all your contact information because no one wants to feel compelled to call seven different phone numbers to reach you.

What you can do is list the number that has an answering machine or the one you use most frequently, that way, you’re sure to answer or get the message.

Your objective should be no longer than a sentence or two, and should be pertinent to the job you’re applying for. As well, don’t write a “one size fits all” sentence because it only demonstrates that you’re not trying to impress the person that’s looking it over.

For example, if you were applying for a management position, you would write something along the lines of, “Seeking a management position in which over 6 years of experience will add value to operations.”

When listing your education, the only time you would list your high school is when that is the highest level of education you have reached. Otherwise, there’s no need to tell anyone what high school you attended.

What they want to know is what you received your degree in. List your college or university education, your degree, and whether or not it came with any accolades. And unless you’re applying for a technical position, your GPA should not be included in your resume.

I have experience working as a hostess, a waitress and even an envelope stuffer, but I wouldn’t list those things on my resume unless they were the only experiences I had or if those were the jobs I was applying for currently.

When listing your experience, try to keep it relevant to the job you’re applying for, and this includes seminars and workshops you’ve attended.

If you are skilled at C++, but didn’t use it in your last job, list it in the skills section of your resume. From computer languages to languages spoken, these skills can make the difference between a phone call and the shredder.

Do not, however, list “Outlook Express” or “Internet” as part of your skills set. It’s a given that anyone using a computer has these skills, so they’re not unique.

Perfect resume tip #3
Neat page
Organize the page so that anyone looking at it could easily find what they’re looking for. Keep the fonts simple and neat, and don’t go crazy with colors. The only time you should opt for a variety of colors is when you want to draw the reader’s attention to something specific.

Perfect resume tip #4
Pertinent information
If you had to sift through hundreds of resumes, how much time would you give to one that was four pages long? That’s right. No one wants to spend 10 minutes on anything if they don’t have to.

Keep any personal information, such as hobbies and interests, out of the resume unless they have a direct impact on the job at hand.

Perfect resume tip #5
Proofread it
If there’s one reason above all others why an employer would dismiss you, it’s due to bad grammar and spelling.

This is the first impression you’re making on a potential employer and not looking over your resume with a fine-tooth comb tells them that if you make such blatant mistakes on your resume, chances are you’ll make many more on the job.

Perfect resume tip #6
Customize it for each employer
Although life would be a whole lot easier if you could just print up 20 resumes and send them off to a bunch of employers, the reality is that a generic resume is very easy to spot. And very easy to reject.

You need to customize your resume for each job you apply for and let the reader know that you wrote this resume just for them.

Perfect resume tip #7
Follow directions
When it comes time to send out your resume and cover letter, it’s incredibly important that you follow direction to the tee, otherwise an employer who has to spend all their time sifting through them will dismiss you.

Pay attention to the directions; if you’re told to send it via email with the subject header “Freelance Writer from Craigslist,” then that’s what you need to do.

As well, it’s important that you submit any additional requests, such as sample works, without making any excuses.

Perfect resume & cover letter

Now that you know what it will take to get your foot in the professional door, get to work on your cover letter and resume, and before you know it, you’ll be looking over other people’s resumes in no time.

Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler Vital Stats

Birth Name: Gerard James Butler
Birth Date: November 13, 1969
Birth Place: Glasgow, Scotland
Height: 6’2”
Romantic Link: Not known

Gerard Butler Interesting Facts

Growing up, Gerard Butler sang in a band while he obtained his law degree at Glasgow University.

Gerard Butler’s father disappeared when he was only 2 years old and showed up again when he turned 16.

For his role in 300, Gerard Butler was working out 6 hours a day with two different personal trainers.

Gerard Butler Biography

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 3, 1969, to parents Edward and Margaret Butler, Gerard was just a baby when the Butlers, which included Gerard’s older brother, Brian, and sister, Lynn, moved to Montreal, Canada.

Unfortunately, Gerard’s parents separated soon afterwards, and his mother took the children to her hometown of Paisley, Scotland, when Gerard was only 2 years old.

Gerard Butler gets law degree

As a child, Gerard took an immediate interest in acting and made his first appearance on a stage at the age of 12 in Oliver. Gerard took the next steps to pursue his dream of becoming an actor by enrolling at the Scottish Youth Theater in Livingstone, but was discouraged by “career officers” and opted instead to go into law.
While his mother remarried, Gerard would remain estranged from his father until he was 16, at which point the two rekindled their relationship and became incredibly close. Sadly, Gerard’s father would pass away when he was into his 20s.

By this time, Gerard was already attending Glasgow University, majoring in law and serving as the president of the school’s law society, thanks to his good looks and outgoing personality.

Gerard Butler’s music band Speed

While he was a student, Gerard formed a band called Speed and served as the lead singer. After receiving his law degree, however, Gerard opted to revive his dream of becoming an actor (after he was fired from the law firm that hired him after only 1 week), and moved to London in 1995.

Without an agent’s help, by 1996, Gerard starred in 2 stage plays: Coriolanus and Trainspotting. His film debut came the next year in Mrs. Brown.

A small role in the 1997 Bond flick Tomorrow Never Dies, got him a touch of notice all over the world, but it was his role in the 2001 U.S. TV movie Attila, in which Gerard got the lead, that got him noticed.

Gerard Butler in Dracula 2000

Before the TV movie was released, casting for Wes Craven’s Dracula 2000 was underway, and Gerard was hell bent on getting the role. Eventually, he got the role and the release of the Dracula 2000 and the TV movie Attila garnered Gerard a fan base that had the Net buzzing.

In 2003, Gerard starred alongside Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, and it was obvious that Gerard had finally arrived in the U.S. market.


The next year, Gerard got the lead role in the film version of The Phantom of the Opera, although his mask may have kept fans from taking full notice. The film did well and Gerard’s singing was praised by critics and fans alike.

Gerard Butler in 300

Although Gerard worked steadily every year, it wasn’t until the much hyped 2007 film 300 was set for release that everyone and their mother would do a double-take to get a better look at the man with the solid 6-pack and voice of authority. Gerard Butler was cast as King Leonidas of the Spartans, and his grueling workout regimen left him with the body of a god.

The epic film became a blockbuster and thrust Gerard into the spotlight like never before. After that, movie offers came pouring in, and Gerard is doing his best to keep up.

Gerard in The Untouchables: Capone Rising

2007 sees Gerard starring in Butterfly on a Wheel and P.S., I Love You, 2008 will show him off in Rocknrolla and Nim’s Island, and Gerard is also set to star in 2009’s The Untouchables: Capone Rising and Game.

On the personal front, Gerard divides his time between London, New York and Los Angeles and was rumored to be dating model Naomi Campbell. Word has it that he's now single.

Resources:
IMDb.com - Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler News at WhosDatedWho.com