The Age of Small Business | World of Psychology

Every single entrepreneur on the face of this earth is actually writing a book. And the nature of that book must begin right now. Where you are. With the question: what do I wish to say?
~ Michael E. Gerber

The United States was founded on a system of free enterprise in order to cultivate freedom and opportunity. A free enterprise economy matters since it enables individuals to achieve success, to ?plant their own seed,? and to leave a mark on others? lives. This foundation is based upon the voluntary exchange of goods and services, where both parties benefit from this transaction.

With our recent economic woes, unemployment is still a relevant issue. This has taken an emotional toll on fathers and mothers who struggle to put food on the table. College graduates, who?ve spent several years working diligently toward a degree, are having trouble finding positions in their desired fields. Then there are those who have stopped looking for work altogether.

Maybe this is the time that lends itself to a ?call to action,? where individuals can take a leap of faith and personally invest in their pursuit of happiness. Aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors and dreamers, of all kinds, must take initiative.

In a blog post in Psychology Today, Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Ph.D, discusses how teens learn: ?We now know that learning to overcome challenges during adolescence develops initiative, an important characteristic of how we successfully pursue goals,? she says.

While trying not to confuse initiative with achievement, Price-Mitchell advocates that initiative is one?s inner ability to move forth with purpose. As adolescents grow into young adults, they realize the power of choice. By choosing to participate in activities that illustrate creativity, dignity and autonomy, they will feel internally rewarded. Price-Mitchell is a firm believer in encouraging teens to challenge themselves and seize the potential to think critically, while also learning to get along effectively with peers and adults.

?They may be judged by others and given feedback that prompts an adjustment to strategies or behavior,? she notes. ?These are important, valuable experiences that help adolescents learn to propel themselves forward.?

What drives initiative? Particular attributes are needed in order to exert control, and to go the extra mile in developing a business of one?s own. (Forbes contributor Eric T. Wagner lists seven in particular in his article 7 Traits of Incredibly Successful Entrepreneurs.)

Wagner stresses the significance of persevering and staying focused on your journey, even when the finish line appears a bit out of reach and overwhelming. ?Are things going to look impossible for you as an entrepreneur? You better believe it,? he writes. ?Will you feel like giving up and throwing in the towel? Absolutely. But do you need to fight off the urge to quit and keep pressing on? Yes!?

Small business guru Michael E. Gerber draws parallels with starting your own company to writing your own book in his article, Traits of a Truly Entrepreneurial Mindset. Just as the process of writing asks you to think of the kind of wisdom you wish to impart to the reader, starting a company requires similar questions to be asked.

?Your business is a product of how you, its creator, think about it: what it sells, what it does, how it does it, who your people are, and how you help them grow,? Gerber said.

The year is young. Possibilities are everywhere.
Do you have any interesting business ideas?

?

????Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 18 Jan 2013
????Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Suval, L. (2013). The Age of Small Business. Psych Central. Retrieved on January 20, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/01/19/the-age-of-small-business/

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Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/01/19/the-age-of-small-business/

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Azarenka holds off injured Hampton to advance

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) ? Defending champion Victoria Azarenka struggled to hold off injured American Jamie Hampton 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on Saturday before advancing to the fourth round of the Australian Open.

Hampton, who needed a medical timeout for a lower back problem before she served out the second set and winced in pain, frequently on the verge of tears, throughout the third, still managed to hit 41 winners to keep the top-ranked Azarenka under pressure.

Azarenka appeared frustrated at times, but overcame an early break and fended off triple break point in the seventh game of the deciding set before clinching the match in 2 hours, 9 minutes.

She didn't help herself with six double faults and 28 unforced errors, but was often pushed to the limit by a rival who was swinging hard at every opportunity.

"She played incredible, went for every single shot. I felt it was touching every single line," Azarenka said. "She took a medical timeout but she rips winners all over the place and I was like, 'Can I have a back problem?' I'm feeling great, but I'm missing every shot."

After wasting two set points on Azarenka's serve late in the second set, Hampton had to leave the court for nine minutes to have treatment on her back.

Azarenka practiced her backhands and serve while Hampton was in the locker room, but the break didn't help her immediately. Hampton returned and held in the next game and needed more treatment in the break at the end of the set.

Even with the pain of two herniated disks, the 23-year-old Hampton, from Auburn, Ala., went down swinging ? making 47 unforced errors to go with the winners that caught Azarenka off guard and had her asking, loudly at one point, what she could do to counter them.

Sensing an upset, and stirred by the obvious pain, the crowd on Rod Laver Arena got right behind the No. 63-ranked Hampton, who had never gone past the second round at a major.

Azarenka had her share of supporters in the stands, too, including friend and musician RedFoo who was wearing a shirt emblazoned with "We Go Hard" across the front.

Azarenka's potential semifinal rival, Serena Williams, had the next match on Rod Laver Arena against Ayumi Morita of Japan. Williams is on a roll, having won the past two majors and warming up for the Australian Open with a title earlier in the month at the Brisbane International.

No. 14 Maria Kirilenko of Russia beat No. 20-Yanina Wickmayer 7-6 (4), 6-3 and awaits the winner of the Williams-Morita match in the fourth round.

Elsewhere, two-time major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over Spain's Carla Suarez.

On Friday night, Maria Sharapova celebrated with extra exuberance after her 6-1, 6-3 win over Venus Williams, her first victory over the seven-time major winner in a Grand Slam.

"I was just really pumped," she said. "Why shouldn't I be?"

After back-to-back 6-0, 6-0 wins in the first two rounds ? the first time that happened at major since 1985 ? Sharapova has conceded the fewest number of games en route to the fourth round at the Australian Open since Steffi Graf did so 24 years ago.

Graf also lost only four games in her first three matches on her way to the second of her three consecutive titles in Melbourne.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic took another step closer to a third consecutive Australian title, defeating Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 in the third round.

His victory came on the same day Lance Armstrong admitted during a television interview with Oprah Winfrey that he used banned drugs to win his seven Tour de France titles. Djokovic, a lifetime cycling fan, said at his post-match news conference that it was "a disgrace for the sport to have an athlete like this."

"He cheated the sport," Djokovic said. "He cheated many people around the world with his career, with his life story."

Djokovic did not have an easy time against the 31st-seeded Stepanek and was troubled at times by the Czech's serve-and-volley game. But Djokovic came out laughing, and he embraced his opponent over the net at the end.

Stepanek even had chair umpire Carlos Bernardes grinning after producing an unexpected, over-the-shoulder winner to save one match point in the last game.

Djokovic will play Sunday against No. 15 Stanislas Wawrinka, who knocked out the last American man in the draw with a 7-6 (6), 7-5, 6-4 win over No. 20 Sam Querrey. For the second straight year, there will be no American men in the fourth round at Melbourne Park.

Fourth-seeded David Ferrer finished off a 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over 2006 Australian finalist Marcos Baghdatis with an ace, advancing to a fourth-round match against Japan's Kei Nishikori.

No. 5 Tomas Berdych beat Austria's Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 and will next play South Africa's Kevin Anderson, who beat No. 22 Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2. Djokovic's Serbian Davis Cup teammate Janko Tipsarevic advanced to a meeting with No. 10 Nicolas Almagro.

In an all-Serbian match of two former No. 1 women, 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic beat Jelena Jankovic 7-5, 6-3. She moved into the fourth round against Poland's Angieszka Radwanska, who is seeded No. 4 and won her 12th straight match ? including titles at Auckland and Sydney ? with a 6-3, 6-1 defeat of Britain's Heather Watson.

No. 5 Angelique Kerber and No. 19 Ekaterina Makarova, two of the four women who beat Serena Williams in 2012, will meet in the fourth round. Kerber stopped 17-year-old American Madison Keys 6-2, 7-5 to celebrate her 25th birthday. Makarova had a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4 win over 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli.

Li Na, the 2011 French Open winner, advanced to a fourth-round match against No. 18 Julia Goerges.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/azarenka-holds-off-injured-hampton-advance-024249598--spt.html

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AP-GfK poll: 6 in 10 favor stricter gun laws

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Nearly six in 10 Americans want stricter gun laws in the aftermath of last month's deadly school shooting in Connecticut, with majorities favoring a nationwide ban on military-style, rapid-fire weapons and limits on gun violence depicted in video games, movies and TV shows, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.

A lopsided 84 percent of adults would like to see the establishment of a federal standard for background checks for people buying guns at gun shows, the poll showed.

Three-quarters of Americans said they reacted to the Connecticut massacre with deep anger, while 54 percent said they felt deeply ashamed it could happen in the United States.

President Barack Obama was set Wednesday to unveil a wide-ranging package of steps for reducing gun violence, expected to include a proposed ban on assault weapons, limits on the capacity of ammunition magazines and universal background checks for gun sales.

Many of the more restrictive proposals under consideration, such as the assault-weapons ban, would face stiff congressional opposition, particularly among Republicans.

By contrast, the general public appears receptive to stronger federal action following the Dec. 14 shooting spree at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., which claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults.

Some 58 percent favor strengthening gun laws in the United States. Just 5 percent felt such laws should be loosened, while 35 percent said they should be left unchanged.

In comparison, after the Virginia Tech shootings in 2007, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that 47 percent wanted stricter gun laws, 38 percent thought they should remain as is and 11 percent wanted to see them loosened.

Caroline Konczey, 63, a retired Navy officer from Indio, Calif., is among those supporting a ban on military-style assault weapons. "I can't imagine why anyone would want one," she said. "What do you do with that, unless you're a collector?"

She suggested an underlying source of gun violence was the breakdown of the nuclear family and a lack of access to mental health care. "Until you strengthen the structure of the family that teaches respect for people, then this stuff goes down," she said.

Specifically, majorities in the new poll favored a nationwide ban on military-style, rapid-fire guns (55 percent) and limits on the amount and type of gun violence that can be portrayed in video games, movies or on television (54 percent). About half (51 percent) of those surveyed back a ban on the sale of magazines holding 10 or more bullets.

At the same time 51 percent said that they believed laws limiting gun ownership infringe on the public's Second Amendment right to possess and carry firearms. Among Republicans, 75 percent cited such infringement.

Most Democrats (76 percent) and independents (60 percent) back stricter gun laws, while a majority of Republicans (53 percent) want gun laws left alone.

There is also a gender gap. Gun control is a more important issue for women, with 68 percent saying it was very or extremely important to them, than for men (57 percent). And women are more likely to back stricter gun laws: 67 percent favor them, compared with 49 percent of men.

"Military-style weapons should be military guns, not John Q. Public guns," said Ellen Huffman, 55, of Huntersville, N.C., who supports a ban on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Huffman said early detection of mental health problems would go a long way to curbing gun violence. If such problems are caught early enough "you won't have people killing people," she said.

Among gun owners, just 40 percent back a ban on the sale of military-type, rapid-fire guns, and 37 percent favor a ban on high-capacity magazines, while 66 percent of non-gun owners would ban military-style weapons and 60 percent would ban high-capacity magazines.

However, 80 percent of gun owners do support federal standards for gun-show background checks, as do 87 percent of non-gun owners.

Gun owners lean more Republican than the overall public. Fifty-five percent of them are Republicans, compared with 30 percent who are Democrats.

Overall, 3 in 10 said the shootings caused them to wonder whether you could really be safe anywhere these days, up slightly from 25 percent after Virginia Tech, with parents more apt to react with deep worries about safety issues than non-parents.

And residents of the Northeast were much more likely than those in other regions to say the events in Newtown made them feel strongly that there may be too many guns in this country ? 46 percent, vs. 35 percent reacting that way in the South, 30 percent in the West and 28 percent in the Midwest.

Max Lude, 70, a retired teacher from West Frankfort, Ill., said limiting magazines to 10 rounds "is probably the smartest thing they can do" to reduce mass tragedies. Mandatory background checks also would help, as would mandatory prison sentences for those convicted of gun grimes, said Lude, a National Rifle Association member and hunter-safety instructor.

"It's a complicated problem with a complicated solution," he said. "It's not just a one-time, quick-fix deal."

The gun control debate heated up after Adam Lanza, 20, shot his way into the Newtown school on Dec. 14 and killed 26 people before committing suicide. Lanza also killed his mother at her home before the shooting spree. His mother kept guns at the home she shared with her son.

The poll of 1,004 adults was conducted by telephone Jan. 10-14, 2013. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Daly and AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.

___

Online: http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-gfk-poll-6-10-favor-stricter-gun-080355481--politics.html

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Europe and US tie down space plan

16 January 2013 Last updated at 11:33 ET By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent

The US and Europe have cemented their plan to work together on the Americans' next-generation capsule system to take humans beyond Earth.

The Orion vehicle is being built to carry astronauts to the Moon, asteroids and Mars, but it will need a means to propel itself through space.

Europe has now formally agreed to provide this technology.

Space agency executives have just signed an "implementing agreement" to cover the legal aspects of the work.

The first flight of Orion with its European-built "service module" will take place in 2017.

This demonstration will be unmanned and will see Orion go around the back of the Moon before returning to Earth for an ocean splashdown.

If all goes well, a crew is expected to repeat the feat in about 2021. The venture would echo the famous Apollo 8 mission of 1968.

The service module is the unit that sits directly behind the capsule and provides the propulsion, power, temperature control, as well as holding the astronauts? supplies of water and air.

"This is a new page in the transatlantic co-operation," said Thomas Reiter, the director of human spaceflight and operations at the European Space Agency (Esa).

"This is the first time that Esa is involved in the critical path for a human transportation system. It is a fantastic perspective for the future, taking humans beyond low-Earth orbit to new destinations for exploration," he told BBC News.

The current plan calls for Europe to build the prototype module for 2017 and a number of components that would be needed for the second vehicle in 2021, although a formal go-ahead to complete this additional model is some years off.

A clear subtext, of course, is that Europe hopes this initial deal will develop into a long-term relationship, and that this will increase the chances of its astronauts joining their American colleagues on missions into deep space.

Europe and the US will be using a barter arrangement to fund the module?s production.

This means the Americans will pay no cash for the unit. Rather, they will view the free receipt of the hardware as compensation for the costs they themselves have incurred through Europe?s use of the International Space Station (ISS).

To date, these costs have been covered by Europe?s deliveries of cargo to the platform using its big robotic freighter known as the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV).

But the production of these ATVs is nearing its end, and without the Orion option Europe would be in debt to the US to the cash-equivalent of 450m euros (?375m; $600m) for the period 2017-2020.

"More importantly than that financial piece is just the experience gained through the International Space Station," said Bill Gerstenmaier, Nasa's associate administrator for human exploration and operations.

"To build that wonderful facility on orbit, we needed to work a lot of technical issues, a lot of technical problems. And that experienced gained and that trust that grew between our European partners and our Nasa teams allowed us to go ahead and put together this service module agreement you see today."

European industry will now take key elements from the design of its ATV to make the Orion service module.

This work is quite advanced because feasibility studies in recent years have already considered how the ATV itself could be adapted into a crew vehicle.

"We are not starting from scratch," Mr Reiter explained. "Were that the case, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to meet the scheduling constraints."

One small, but nonetheless intriguing, aspect of the service module?s production is the role, if any, that might be given to UK industry.

It was Britain?s offer during discussions at the recent Esa Ministerial Council in November to put 20m euros (?16m; $27m) into the cost of the vehicle that helped ease the project towards approval. Under Esa rules, the UK could expect some return on this investment.

Mr Reiter said it was too early to talk specifics. However, he did add that at least some of the return could take the form of equipment procured for use on the space station's European science laboratory, Columbus.

Esa is expected to sign a formal contract with Astrium (Bremen, Germany) in the coming days to lead the production of the service module.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21044408#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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"This sows up golf for Nike through the next generation."

Steve DiMeglio has reaction to the Rory-Nike deal...on the eve of the announcement set for 9:30 ET Monday.

Rick Horrow, a visiting sports marketing expert at Harvard Law School and the host of Bloomberg TV's Sportfolio, got a little carried away:

"This is a win-win-win-win," Horrow said. "It's good for Nike because they will wrap up the presumptive apparent heir to Tiger Woods, and McIlroy looks like he has the wherewithal to pass Nicklaus' record of 18 majors. This confirms Nike's ability to control the world of sports marketing and define their brand. This sows up golf for Nike through the next generation.

Source: http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2013/1/14/this-sows-up-golf-for-nike-through-the-next-generation.html

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Video: New Miss America hails from New York

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BASEBALL FANS! App State baseball?s 2nd-annual Hot Stove First Pitch Banquet is...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/AppalachianStateMountaineers/posts/372405782856215

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