Stage fright is by far the most common reason for people to develop their fear of speaking in public and reducing stage fright to overcome your fear of public speaking may be the best way to go.

There is actually no definite science that will help you reduce your fear of public speaking, but surely, here are some common steps to use to make it work for you.

Try to accept the fear and embrace it, not that you want your fear to take over, but for you to know how your fear works and understand its nature.
Don’t try to fight the feeling, instead, try to look for a way around it.
Rest assured, your fear will pass more easily once you get to terms with it and not be frightened about it anymore.

Next, try to feed yourself with the idea of calming exercises and gain firm footing by taking deep and slow gentle breaths to help relax your mind and body.

You may also aid this by thinking of positive thoughts and enjoyable images to help clear your mind and attention to the matter at hand.

Never ever try to lose track of reality and stay connected with what goes on around and what is happening at the present moment.

Listen closely to others and pay attention to what goes on around you.
Make the most of the situation by telling yourself of supportive, positive, encouraging and esteemable things.

Think of yourself as your greatest fan and supporter, who could help you go through the circumstance of fear you hope to overcome.

Reflect on your past successes and make the most out of our strengths and abilities , by drawing out that inner strength within you to make you weather through the situation.

Practice makes perfect, since it is important to help you keep track of focus by mastering your topic or subject.

Maintain a positive mental attitude, since it will surely reflect on your current disposition and attitude towards your audience.

Make sure to prepare ahead of time and never ever entertain the thought of cramming. Rehearsing more and even overdoing it can be good for you, since it will help you gain mastery of your subject matter.

Always make it a point to project confident and self-assured attitude. Body posture is an important indicator so try to make it look as if everything is fine even if you don’t feel like it. Your body language can tell if you are at your weak spot or not.

Always have focus, never try to be distracted by anything, lest you lose your train of thought and panic. If it should happen just try to pause for a while and compose your thoughts.

Avoid trying to be perfect or be number one. The key to overcoming your fear is not against others but convincing yourself that you are doing a good job and you are good at it. Try to avoid focusing on what mistakes could happen, but on what you think you can do to better improve your performance.

Surely, these are things you may be able to do on your own without having to spend countless amounts of money, just as long as you know that reducing stage fright is the best way to overcome your fear of public speaking.

Leaning to take good photos is one of the most common hobbies of most people today. This is because they would want to preserve whatever memories they have during specific event or gathering. That gathering would not be complete without fond laughter, memories, and of course, food. So, what better way to preserve all these than to learn food photography?

The meeting of food and photography

Photographing food is probably one of the most challenging kinds of photography out there. It is considered difficult by most professional food photographers because there is a time constraint in the whole photo shoot. And since the marketability of the food itself depends primarily on how it is seen in print, food photographers should be well trained and skilled in order to come up with satisfying results.

If you are one of those who are trying their hands on food photography, the first thing that should be paid attention to is the camera well. It is a must that you familiarize yourself with all its features and functions especially the basic operations like focus/auto focus, exposure compensation, white balance, image resolution and size, and flash modes operation. Know when to use these features in order to highlight the best angles of your subject. It would also be best if you familiarize yourself with other equipment such as the proper use of a tripod or stabilizer will help you focus on your subject better and will also avoid camera shake that usually causes blurring.

Next is to learn the basics. In photography, you cannot break a rule if you have not mastered it so make sure that you familiarize yourself with the basics such as filling the gap and the distance. This is a major basic rule in food photography because getting close to the subject as close as possible is most ideal setting since you fill the entire frame of with your subject to create a satisfying image. Distance will give a full view of the food’s texture and ingredients.

Next basic thing is knowing to calculate the focus and depth-of-field (DOF). The use of depth-of-field never fails to create wonders in food photo shoots. With careful adjustment of focus and depth of field, you can bring to life any dish that is your subject. (TIP: Use wider or more open for a shallow DOF and a smaller or more closed one for a deeper shots.)

You should also be familiar with the simple layout of the food you wish to photograph. You can do this by identifying which is the standout ingredient. Before taking any shot, assess the scene closely and look for something that can grab people’s attention right away. You can use this main feature of the food as the subject of your subject. Also, pay attention to your set-up. It is a must to take the time off to setup your food photo shoot. If there are distracting elements in the background, remove them. If you think there’s something missing in the set up, then think of something else that would fill the empty space or gap. Prepare the garnish, the props, and other materials you might need for the shoot.

Learning to control your lights is another surefire success tip in food photography. Like in any photography styles, lighting or available light can make or unmake any photograph. Since food is the major subject in food photography, it is better that the setting is bright and the lights are soft so as to make the food more appetizing. In digital cameras, turning on the White Balance feature of the equipment can solve dark settings in an instant.

Antique collecting is one of those hobbies that can last a lifetime. This is because the “hunt” never ceases to fuel the drive of people to look for and eventually possess the finest things in their lives. This is also the reason why many are eager in learning how to spot the best pieces of antique there are.

Aside from giving people a chance to possess items that are truly works of art, antique collecting can also provide them an enriching learning experience as well as the possibility to meet people with various cultures and backgrounds in life. Collecting antiques can also be a helpful diversion especially to very busy people who don’t have enough time to assuage their personal hobbies.

But, among all the advantages of antique collecting, being a venue for a lucrative financial gain is one of the major reasons why more and more people get into it. No matter what are the reasons behind your antique collecting-whether it is for future investment, for pure appreciation of art, or for satisfying your need to possess beautiful things-you will never go wrong with the hobby as long as you know what your limitations are.

Reasons why you should start antique collecting

Antique collecting is an instinct to many people. This is because all human beings have innate desire to possess things that are valuable to them as well as the things that are beautiful and unique. But, unlike collecting just about anything, antique collecting can give the person deeper pleasure. This is because it can satisfy not only the need to possess beautiful and rare objects but also helps the person to be financially stable.

The population of antique collecting has grown into large proportions because of the seemingly limitless potentials it offers. If you are new to the hobby, then it is best if you familiarize yourself with the things that you need to know about antiques. These information should include the basic terminologies used in antique trading, types of antiques, ways to determine the authenticity of a specific item, and how to take good care of the antique piece/s. These pieces of information can be researched online or by reading various reference materials such as books, magazines, and the like.

If you are having doubts about buying a specific antique item, gauge how much you want the item. Many people who are starting with antique collecting tend to get overwhelmed easily. This is the case especially if they have seen authentic pieces for the first time in their lives. To ensure that you are not making hasty and impulsive decisions, know how much you want the item. If you want a specific item that much, throw all your cautions and hesitations and buy it. Just make sure that your financial status will not suffer from it.

Also, check if your budget can handle it. This is very important especially for beginners because it can help them spend on items wisely. Knowing your budget limitations and sticking to it no matter what is very important because it will help you develop the discipline needed when you decide on things in future.

Learning the theme of your collection is also important in spotting an antique piece. This is also very crucial in antique collecting because it will veer you away from buying things you don’t really need. Setting a theme for your collection will somehow limit you in buying antique items that you see in various stores or online auctions.

Learning to make a scrapbook is definitely one of the most enjoyable, rewarding and relaxing activities a person can get into. Aside from bringing out the creativity and resourcefulness in every person, it also helps people to organize memories and keepsakes in one place. Through the years, most people collect photos and mementos from their friends, family members, and loved ones. In order to organize these, more and more people are getting into scrapbooking.

The fun with album scrapbooking

One of the most common themes used in scrapbooking is album scrapbooking. This kind of theme usually involves the use of photos just like in several photo albums. In creating album scrapbooks, the first consideration should be the album itself. In the market today, there are two standard sizes of albums-the 8.5″x11″ and 12″x12″. If you are planning to create a family scrapbook, most scrappers will suggest that you use a 12″x12″ album because you will need larger space to accommodate all the photos and captions of your family members.

Other specifications of scrapbook albums include the post-bound albums that come with black or white cardstock pages and are covered by sheet protectors. The pages of which are bound into the album using three posts that enables it to be easily taken out so you can add or remove pages. This kind of album makes it easy for the scrapper to move pages around by pulling the cardstock out of the sheet protector or by sliding in a page where patterned papers are used.

Strap-hinge albums, on the other hand, are those albums that have flexible plastic straps in the cover that run through wire loops embedded in each page and expandable while the 3-ring binders or D-ring binders are those albums that are bound using rings that allow you to add or switch around pages quickly and easily. Aside from the album itself, other major considerations in album scrapbooking is the space or room and the supplies you’ll be needing such as:

– stickers that come in various themes, designs, colors, and sizes which are great but inexpensive and very fun and easy to use

– tags that can be used as major decorations

– cut-outs and punch-outs which are usually tags, alphabet letters, and laser lace borders that are used to decorate the page

– paper embellishments which are usually perforated so you can use them anywhere in the scrapbook,

– punches which are tools used to punch shapes out of paper that come in shapes of all sizes

– embellishments such as buttons, fibers or fancy yarns and threads, metal accents, beads, craft wire and fabric ribbon roses that are safely be used on any scrapbook page

– chalk or decorative chalks that come in a set with various colors and applicators perfect for shading and highlighting an album page

– eyelets which are great for attaching vellum to paper, for decorating a photo mat or for making a border and which also come in different sizes, colors and shapes

– rubber stamps that are very versatile and can be used for different purposes such as in card making

– die-cuts which are paper shapes made from that come in all sorts of colors and themes; embossed paper charms and

– templates which are ideal for unique embellishments that will make your album scrapbook great.

Learning to make a scrapbook using these materials is just a start of you fun and enjoyable journey in the world of scrapbooking!

You may say that you’ve lost it when you feel that you have not lived up to expectations after delivering your speech, however, you can take control and overcome your fear of public speaking.

Fear oftentimes makes people lose track of a good train of thought and focus, but in reality, fear can be overcome and help one to even take control of his fear and turn the situation around, as long as he wills it.
Overcoming the fear of public speaking may not be difficult at all, as long as you understand how your fear affects you mood and disposition.

For many, the very thought of speaking in front of people or an audience is reason enough for them to be afraid, nonetheless, this is not an insurmountable problem.

The fear may be due to several reasons, like the fear of committing a mistake in the middle of the speech, public scrutiny, shame and not meeting up to expectations, which are among the many and common reasons why people fear the thought of going in front of the public.

But you can definitely take control and make the most out of the situation, especially if you are determined enough to overcome your fear and keep solid footing.

Try not to set too much expectations upon yourself, since the more expectations that are set, the more chances of you building up your own fears of not meeting up with those expectations.

So before speaking in front of a crowd, avoid the notion that you are perfect and that you cannot make mistakes .

Always come prepared, since you need to make sure that you need to get your message across in the most concise and comprehensible manner possible.
You don’t need to be perfect, all that is needed is for you to be prepared and ready since this will make you less fearful of committing a mistake.
Focus on images and thoughts that will help you relax and develop a positive mental attitude.

You can also do this by trying to calm yourself and gain a firm foothold of any situation by using deep and gentle breathing exercises to help you gain composure.

Use positive biofeedback by telling yourself that you can overcome fear and that you can take control of the situation, using supportive and self-encouraging pep talk can help boost self –morale and esteem, making you more confident about dealing with the anxiety of the situation or your fear.

Never always ever lose track of reality, this will help you gauge how well you are adapting to any situation that you are in.
Dwell on your strengths and make it the driving force that will push you to try out anything new and to conquer your fears.

Lastly, take things one step at a time, do not take on situations too seriously or you could lose focus and lose track of what helps you draw your strength towards achieving your desired goals and believe it or not, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a key factor that can help you develop that sense of reality.

So try to take these items to heart, understand it well and make the most out of it, since it will help you take control and overcome your fear of public speaking.

Many people are having a hard time overcoming fear of flying for the simple reason that they have developed a phobia on it. Phobia or the irrational fear of people to some things is what makes some individuals develop fear of flying.

For some, it seems really illogical to be afraid of something wrong that might happen during the flight. But, experts say that being afraid of flying is a very serious matter that should not be taken lightly. This is because it may follow a domino effect to people. In short, if the person is unable to overcome that fear, chances are it will be easier for him or her to develop other fears in things or experience in the future.

What causes fear of flying?

Experts say that there are basically two major reasons why people are having a hard time in overcoming fear of flying: bad experiences and media hype on air accidents.

The first reason is very valid because the person, him or herself, developed that fear because he or she experienced something bad in one of his or her flights. This bad encounter usually causes people-who used to enjoy flying and travelling by plane-before to hesitant ever taking a flight again because they fear that the same experience would happen again. Some of the bad experiences that might cause one to develop dear of flying are heavy or prolonged turbulence inside the plane that it caused by a bad weather. Aside from natural phenomenon, another reason is mechanical problems while one is up there. Usually, planes are checked before the flight. But even if they are double checked, it is unavoidable at times that it might encounter mechanical problems while aboard. The tendency of this occurrence is the flight will be aborted or will take an emergency landing which triggers the panic among the passengers.

Another reason is the media hype up on air accidents. Although it is a must that the media would do reports on tragedies up in the sky, sometimes, the reports are just too “tragic” that inculcate fear to many people. Can you imagine seeing a place bursting into piece during an accident. If you see that on national television or on the newspaper, this fear would instantly turn into phobia.

How to get serious

Overcoming fear of flying is not easy but it doesn’t mean that it is impossible to achieve it. The best thing that can be done is to really get serious in overcoming that fear. For people who would want to get rid of this phobia, the first thing that they should do is acknowledging that fear. Once fear is acknowledged, you can address surrounding issues. Here are some of the things that you can also do to really overcome that fear gripping you when the thought of flying enters your mind.

1. Be informed. Being educated about this phobia is the best weapon in overcoming fear of flying. If you know very well what may cause your fears and you know how to overcome them, it will be easier for you to overcome greater fears while aboard.

2. Always be relaxed. Relaxation is also another effective way in overcoming fear of flying. If you are relaxed during a flight, the tendency is for you to have a clearer mind. Remember that phobia is related to one’s imagination, if you are relaxed, you won’t think too much of untoward possibilities.

Almost everyone has that sense of fear with public speaking and what better way to address it than to know several tips to overcome the fear of public speaking.

It is not a surprise to know that the fear of public speaking is a common problem that hounds a lot of people all over the world and many are not aware about how they may easily get through with such fears and lay it all to rest.

Here are some common tips that one can apply and to help overcome the fear of public speaking.

If you come prepared to speak before a group, make it a point to always come prepared.

Some good points in ensuring that you are prepared is to establish the topics you will be discussing what particular points you want to drive to your audience and ideas you want to sell to the listeners.

Coming prepared to a talk or a speech helps boost self –confidence and establishes your mastery of the things you want to discuss and share.

Make it a point to practice at least twice or thrice before going through the process of delivering your speech.

Not only do you get to master your discussion, but this also lessens the burden of committing mistakes.

Another positive note to practice is that during the practice sessions, you get to iron out kinks that may occur along the way or make some necessary modifications or revisions to what you hope to work on.

Prepare a mental outline of the things you want to discuss or say, this will arm you with the idea and the things you want to say and reduce your fear of speaking before your audience.

Try to reduce your fears through positive mental attitude.

You should always consider that nobody is perfect and this is one of the most important facts that would arm us in overcoming your fear of the stage or speaking before a crowd or a group of people.

Keeping and sustaining a positive mental attitude will help you through the negative energy that causes you to be anxious or fearful of the situation that you are in.

Relax and do not dwell on unrealistic fears, especially those you may think can happen, but also has the tendency of not happening.

Frankly, no one can control what can or may happen in the next hour, or day or month, however, disregarding that fear of the uncertainty can indeed help a lot in diminishing, or better yet, totally eliminating the fear that you may have of public speaking.

Even when you are not about to speak publicly or are just going through your daily routine, try to keep in mind to practice every once in a while.

It may be with an officemate, a group discussion, a conference or convention, a staff meeting, always grab the opportunity to try and make yourself be heard or interact with those around you.

This is one good way of conditioning yourself in the art of communicating and public speaking, which will pave the way for how you can master the art of conversation and communication.

Although there are varying degrees as to how effective these methods are, but truth be told, these common tips are very effective tips to overcome the fear of public speaking.

Memory is important. We use it in our daily lives but often we take it for granted. Not many people realize the important function that memory has in our lives. But this should not be the case. Having a great memory is vital to our survival. Thus, it is important that you take steps to better your memory. Here are some of the reasons why you should:

1. It defines who we are
The memories in your lives define who you are. Try erasing all your memories and you will not have a sense of who you are. It is the experiences that we have in the past that will determine who will be in the future. Without a memory of the past, we will find it hard to go forward in the future. We will have to start building relationships again and have a sense of who we are like what we did when we were still growing up.

2. It helps us learn
We use our memory to learn new things and develop new skills. Memory is actually important in school where we need to memorize a lot of information in order to pass our subjects. Memory is the one what we rely on when it comes to examinations and recitations. But memory is not just for memorizing. Knowledge is also acquired with the use of memory. We learn to do things because of our brain’s work.

3. It helps us with our jobs
Although we will not be answering examinations when we are on the job, we need memory to help keep up with our schedules and the meetings that we have had with people. There are professions who rely a lot on excellent memory. You need it as a secretary when you have to be on top of your boss’ schedules. You need when you are a journalist especially in remembering statements that your interviewees have made. You even need it as the owner of the company. You need to remember all the products that you are manufacturing, the capital that you used and the income that you get for the second quarter of the year.

4. It helps build relationships
People who easily remember the names of people are seen as much warmer and more intelligent than those who can’t remember names even on the same night. This is why personal relations employees are trained to remember names on an instant as this shows respect and appreciation for others. When people remember our names, we feel a sense of importance and we in turn forward those feelings of good will to that person.

Having an excellent memory also helps people remember birthdays. This is especially true with men who usually forget dates of anniversaries and birthdays. People who remember special dates come across as more thoughtful and more caring as opposed to those who forget all the time. Even if remembering birthdays are not really a sign of love or a measure of love, people still see it that way.

Memory is actually a reflection of our mental processes. Having excellent memory usually means that you have great brain power. Thus, when you are making an effort to better your memory, you are also improving the way you think. And with that, you don’t really need so many reasons.

It will start with some small incident like forgetting the birthday of a colleague. Then you will start to forget the birthdays of people close to you. After that, it will be the turn of the directions to your favorite restaurant and then god forbid, you will forget your own keys inside your home. We all suffer from moments of forgetfulness but sometimes, things go worse that you find ways to make your memory better.

Although we are not all blessed with a photographic memory, there are ways to at least improve what we are given and make us a little less forgetful. This is especially true with people who are already growing older. As we age, the neurons in our brains also age. Some die while others perform slower than usual. This is why people who are older have faultier memories than their much younger counterparts.

But hey, as mentioned, there are ways to improve memory. Here are some of them:

1. Use visuals or sounds
Depending on what kind of learner you are, people can either use visuals and sounds to remember something. For instance, if you are trying to remember a to-do list, all you need to do is stare at the paper and you will be able to see in your mind the list. There are people however who need to hear the list of their to-dos before they can remember everything that they have to do. To find out which technique will work for you, try remembering how you memorize in school. Do you read the words silently or read them out loud?

2. Use associations
Our brains also need help when it comes to remembering things. The easier we make the remembering task for the brain, the better it will be able to remember the information. This is where associations come in. Associating information with things that we already know or things that we can see is a technique that has been utilized in improving memory. For instance, have you heard of mnemonics? When memorizing a set of words, we often take the first letter of that word and then form a sentence or words from those letters. Associating the word that we are trying to memorize with the first letter makes it easier for our brain.

3. Visualize it
Do you ever wonder why photographic memory is the term use for people with really excellent memory? This is because people who really memorize well or have great memories do not see one item or one information when committing them to memory. They see a picture of the words in group. For instance, a person with a grocery list will usually memorize the items one by one but people who learned to improve their memories will memorize it as a whole. They will look at the list and visualize it as a whole until they can see the list in their mind’s eye.

4. Eat right
Another important way to improve memory is to check what you eat. Your diet will factor a lot in your ability to memorize things. Eating nutritious foods will help your brain perform better and faster. This is especially true when eating known brain foods like tofu, milk and fish.

There are many ways to make your memory better but the most important thing is to commit to the task and promise to improve it no matter what.

We all want to have a photographic memory. Just imagine being able to remember every single fact that you have read since you were a kid. You would be a shoo in when it comes to game shows and trivial pursuit games. Besides, havig a great memory will get you through tough times in college. Unfortunately not all people are blessed with such great memory but there are ways to make it better. Here are some of them:

1. Exercise your mind
The more you use your brain, the more it will be better. When it comes to the brain, there is no such thing as drain. If you want to improve your memory, then use your brain as much as you can. Read a book. Answer a crossword puzzle. Engage in memory games that will develop your brain’s power.

2. Play memory games
There are a lot of games out there that will help you exercise your memory. Log on to the internet and look for memory games that you can play. There is also the game board mastermind and Games of the Generals that will help you improve your memory and your logic skills.

3. Use visual tactics
Most people who have had to improve their memory have used visual tactics to help them remember things. For instance, if you want to remember a grocery list without writing them on paper, all you have to do is visualize your house and associate every part of it with the things that you have to buy. If you need a bathroom cleanser, then visualize it with your bathroom. The same goes with a vinegar and cooking oil with the kitchen or a moisturizer for the face with your bedroom. Thinking visually will help you keep the list in mind.

4. Say it over and over again.
Some people remember when they repeat it to themselves. For instance, the best way to remember the name of a person is to use it in a conversation with that person. That way, you will be able to associate the name with the face right on the onset. It will be easier then to remember that person’s name the next time you meet her or him. The same also goes with remembering telephone numbers. The more you use it and repeatedly use it, the more you will be able to remember them.

5. Eat right
There are foods that will help keep your brain healthy and thus improve your memory. Foods like peanuts, tofu and milk help keep the brain in tip top shape. The same goes with fish and meat that have proteins that help nourish the brain and keep it developing. In fact, these foods are especially important with children who are growing because their brain is just developing.

6. Group them
Another effective way to remember things easily is to group them. For instance, in remembering telephone numbers, it will be easier to group them into two and remember them as two chunks than remembering them as seven separate numbers. Thus, numbers are given hyphens to make it easier to commit to memory.

There are a lot of other ways to better your memory but before you can do it, you have to first commit to the task.