Present moment is the only moment we have yet a lot of people miss the point and continue to live in past or future. With a little practice we can teach our minds to live in the present.

It is a universal fact that the only moment we have is the present moment yet lot of people live either in the past or in the future. Thus wasting a lot of their energy on the things they have no control over. The key to focus all our energy is to live in the present moment only. The best way to do that is to be involved in a “flow” activity. Flow is defined by the Psychologists as a phenomenon by which we lose contact of our surroundings and also our time. Our brain is quite and we are totally absorbed in that activity at that time. The good news is that it is very easy to achieve flow. It can be achieved from any activity that interests us a lot like reading an absorbing novel, watching your favorite TV show, enjoying your favorite hobby etc. It can be anything which is absorbing and which makes you forget anything. During that activity time just flies away and you do not notice at all!

Thus if you want to be totally present in the NOW, do some activity which creates flow. It can be any simple and interesting activity that absorbs you completely in the present and lets it forget you totally about the past and future.

Roger Dawson is a renowned public speaker and author. He has been a professional speaker since 1983, but he has many years’ previous public speaking and negotiating experience. His experience was primarily based in the real estate field. At one point he ran a real estate empire that included 28 offices, and over 500 real estate employees. In the real estate industry, one has to have the innate abilities to negotiate, and to present themselves well in their public speaking. So it was with this background and experience that Roger Dawson transitioned into motivational speaking, and teaching. He has authored many books and has created several DVD series. One of his series that deals with everyday scenarios is the DVD series called Guide to Everyday Negotiating.

The whole premise of the DVD series is that we all face scenarios in which we will have to negotiate. We negotiate when we make purchases. We negotiate at the job. Certainly businesses and business owners have to negotiate. We also negotiate in our interpersonal relationships. Roger Dawson has such a wealth of experience with people, and certainly with negotiating in the real estate business. So he uses his experiences in the DVDs to give us examples that can help us feel stronger, and more confident in our dealings, because we will have the tools that we need for successful negotiation.

For example, people buy cars all the time. In fact, buying a car can be a source of extreme anxiety, because of the negotiation process. Many people find they didn’t get the best price on their cars either because they didn’t know how to negotiate, or they didn’t want to be bothered with the negotiation process at all. This is all to the delight of the car salesman of course! However, if a person purchases a program like the Guide To Everyday Negotiating DVD, they can go to the car dealership with confidence. They can also have the empowerment for any other major purchase that they might need to make.

Another example is asking for a raise or a promotion at work. This is another avenue where keen and sharp negotiating skills are crucial. Unfortunately, because most people fear the negotiation process, they don’t ask for the promotion, and they don’t ask for a raise. If they do get up the nerve to ask, they go in to the scenario with so little confidence, that they don’t get taken seriously or, they don’t get what they deserve. A program such as the Guide To Everyday Negotiating DVD will help them in the future.

The DVDs work for a host of different scenarios in life. This is why it’s called Guide To Everyday Negotiating! Roger Dawson has a large internet presence. He even has a website where you can get more background information about him. He has been described as charismatic, humorous, and dynamic. So the listener of his audios and DVDs don’t have to worry about getting bored when listening or viewing his products.

Negotiations are a part of our everyday life. Sometimes we might find that we have to negotiate several times a day. Since this is a skill set that we have to employ whether we want to or not, we might as well know how to be good at it. When you purchase the Guide To Everyday Negotiating DVD, you will be well on your way.

Often, I have seen people refuse to use a microphone when they’re presenting, whether at an office meeting, community event or industry conference. Yet, using a microphone correctly can make it easier for the audience to hear you and understand your message – which is the whole point of your presentation.

Here are the 5 reasons I hear for not using a microphone – and how you can overcome them.

1. You Don’t Think It’s Necessary
You may think, “my voice is powerful enough and I don’t need it,” but often, that is not the case. Realize that it may be difficult for the audience to hear you, given the size of the room and the amount of surrounding noise. Also, according to a 2009 study by the Better Hearing Institute, the number of Americans with hearing loss has grown to roughly 11 percent of the U.S. population – and six out of ten of them are below retirement age. So it is likely that there are people in your audience with some level of hearing difficulty.

2. You Aren’t Used to Hearing Your Own Voice
The more you listen to your own voice, the more comfortable you will get listening to it. Almost every computer and smartphone has an audio recorder, so use it to record yourself and play it back, so you can get used to how you sound.

3. You Don’t Realize It Can Protect Your Voice
Most people don’t project well without a microphone (unless you have been trained in singing or acting). So you end up shouting when you try to project, which can leave you with a sore throat, laryngitis or vocal cord damage.

4. You Don’t Know How to Use a Microphone
This concern is legitimate and can easily be addressed by practicing with the microphone. Ask the AV staff or a techie friend to help. You want to find out things such as: where to clip the microphone or how to hold it; who will control the volume; how to avoid ear-splitting feedback (don’t point the microphone at the speakers) and where to get an extra battery. Then get in the room ahead of time and practice using it.

5. You Think It’s Too Formal
You may think that using a microphone is only for professional speakers on a stage in front of thousands of people and that it would be arrogant to use it in a smaller setting. Not at all. Used well, a microphone can demonstrate that you’re a smart and respectful presenter who cares enough about your audience to use every tool at your disposal to ensure they can hear and understand your presentation.