Each year thousands of people take steps to collect items that they have an interest in. It is also important to mention that collecting is a hobby that is not only enjoyed by those all around the world. Popular items collected include anime characters, sci-fi collectibles, stamps, and coins. Although collecting is a hobby that many wish to enjoy, many are curious as to what the rearwards are for doing so.

What is nice about collecting, whether it be sci-fi or anime collectables, is the options that you have. For starters, it is important to focus on exactly why collectors collect. Many collectors are consider pure hobbyists. These are individuals who collect for the sole purpose of personal fulfillment. For example, a hobbyist who collects movies, books, figures, and other items surrounding sci-fi, is likely a sci-fi buff. This means that they have an interest in science fiction in general, whether it be films, movies, or a combination of both.

Despite the fact that a large number of collectors do so simply for the sake of enjoyment, there are many other collectors who choose to do so for the sole purpose of making a profit. For example, a sci-fi collector who collects for a profit often spends a great deal of time researching hard to find sci-fi collectibles, as well as those that are valuable. This is because these types of collectors are investors. They are investing their money to purchase sci-fi collectables, with the hopes of one day selling their collection for a profit.

As nice as it is to hear that there are collectors who collect for the sole purpose of making money, many beginners wonder if they really can make a profit. Of course, it possible to make a profit with anime or sci-fi collectables, or really anything for that matter. With that in mind, it is often easier said than done. As previously stated, many collectors, who are also known as investors, spend a great deal of time researching and examining collectibles in their particular field of interest. This is the best approach to make money with collectibles, whether those collectables be sci-fi, anime, coins, or stamps.

In addition to researching values and needs, collectors are also urged to familiarize themselves with proper care. To make money on collectibles, including sci-fi collectibles and anime collectibles, all items should be in new or like-new conditions. Anything else will decrease in value and possibly significantly. For that reason, many professional collectors, especially those who collect anime or sci-fi, are encouraged to leave all items as is. This means leaving all figurines or plush characters in the box. The same can be said for movies, puzzles, and books. If they must be taken out, a display case is often advised.

As touched on above, there are thousands of collectors in the United States and many of those collectors choose to collect different items. Sci-fi and anime collectibles were given as examples multiple times above. With that in mind, it is important to remember that you do have other options. One of the best ways to develop a collection of valuable collectibles, which can later be sold for a profit, is to choose a topic, issue, or hobby that you enjoy. For example, if you regularly find yourself tuning into the Sci-Fi channel to watch their science fiction movies or television shows, sci-fi collectibles may be best for you.

In the early part of the 19th century dream interpretation had fallen out of fashion and almost no one practiced this art seriously. In the early part of the century dreams were thought to have no meaning at all and to be simply the result of a heavy meal before bedtime, noises heard in the night, and other trivial causes.

By the latter part of the 19th century however, Sigmund Freud would revolutionize the world of dreams and dream interpretation with his radical new ideas incorporating dreams and deep seated childhood fears.

Born in 1865, Sigmund Freud revolutionized the world of psychiatry and dream interpretation with his seminal work “The Interpretation of Dreams”. Freud started to analyze the dreams of his patients and he used this dream analysis to diagnose and treat their psychiatric ills.

Freud also studied dreams as a way to understand certain aspects of the personality especially those aspects that lead to psychological problems and disorders. Freud believed that nothing that human beings did happened by chance and that every action, no matter how small or seemingly trivial, was at some level motivated by the unconscious mind.

Of course in order for a civilized, modern society to function certain primal needs and desires must be repressed and Freud’s theory was that these repressed urges and desires were released by the unconscious during dream sleep.

Doctor Freud saw dreams as a direct connection to the unconscious mind and he studied that connection through the interpretation of symbolic objects found in dreams. The theory was that with the conscious mind acts as a guard on the unconscious preventing certain repressed feelings from coming to the surface. During sleep however, this conscious guard is absent and the subconscious mind is free to run wild and express its most hidden desires.

Freud was especially interested in the sexual content of dreams and he often saw ordinary objects in dreams as representations of sexual desire. To Freud every long, slender item encountered in a dream, from a knife to a flagpole, was a phallic image while any receptacle such as a bowl or vase represented the female genitalia.

Freud believed in five stages of personality and he saw dreams as manifestations of desired stemming from each of these five stages. To Freud personality formation consisted of:

Stage One – Oral/Dependency
Freud’s theory was that any needs not satisfied during the oral/dependency stage would cause the person to go through life trying to meet them. Thus, to Freud habits such as overeating, drinking to much and smoking were all oral fixations. People suffering from these oral fixations often dreamed about their unmet needs and desires.

Stage Two – Anal/Potty Training
Freud held that improper potty training could traumatize a child and cause him or her to become anal retentive, rigid and controlling. Such traumatized children often develop obsessive compulsive disorders as well. Recurring dreams of being out of control, such as dreams of falling were common in such people.

Stage Three – Phallic
According to Freud the personality is completely developed by the time stage three rolls around. The third stage of personality is identified with the Oedipus and Electra complexes. The Oedipus complex represents the love a male child feels toward the mother, coupled with fear and jealousy of the male parent. The Electra complex is the female version of Oedipus in which the female child feels anger toward the mother and develops “penis envy.”

Stage Four – Latency
Unlike the other stages the latency period is a time of relative calm. During this stage, the aggression and sexual urges are less intense and little psycho-sexual conflict is exhibited.

Stage Five – Genital
This is the period of sexual maturity and the creation and enhancement of life. The stage of sexual maturity is where reproduction, intellectual activity and artistic pursuits take place.

Freud believed that wish fulfillment was the source of dreams and that dreamers used dreams as a way to satisfy the fixations they had developed during childhood. In addition, issues like power and control frequently manifested themselves in dreams. The central part of Freud’s dream theory was that thoughts and desires repressed during the day were free to run wild during the dream stage.

Since Freud’s death many have criticized him for seeing sexual motivation behind every dream object. Many have pointed out that Freud was born into the sexually repressed Victorian era and his preoccupation with sexual matters could have been as much a product of the times in which he lived as a valid scientific theory. Even so, many of Freud’s dream interpretations have proven valid and are still used by psychologists and dream researchers today.

Are you frustrated with your current position at work? Would you like to advance in your company? If you would like to do so, you may be interested in asking for a promotion. The question is, should you?

When it comes to determining if you should ask for a promotion, it is something that you may not want to do on impulse. Asking from a promotion can work in your favor but there are no guarantees. A promotion request can cause no change or it can cause you harm. For that reason there are a number of factors that you will first want to take into consideration before you ask your boss for a promotion.

One of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration, when determining if you should inquire about a promotion, is an open position. If you want to be promoted, do you even know if there is an open position or one that will soon open? This alone can improve your chances of receiving a promotion as they often say that timing is everything. What you will want to do is keep your eyes and ears open. If you hear of any open positions in your company or if you see job listings online or in your local newspaper, you may want to consider asking your supervisor for a promotion.

Your length of employment is another factor that should be taken into consideration before you make a decision about asking for a promotion. While there are no guarantees, your chances of receiving a promotion are higher with long-term employment. Many companies like to promote from within as well as promote those who have been with the company for an extended period of time. A short employment term doesn’t mean that you can’t ask for a promotion but it is just one of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration.

Your intentions are another factor that you should take into consideration when trying to determine if you should ask your supervisor for a promotion. Are you interested in leaving the company in search of a better job, such as one that may offer better pay or better benefits? If you are interested in doing so you may want to consider asking for a promotion but in a pleasant matter. If you are looking for “greener pastures,” you may have nothing to lose by asking for a promotion. In fact, you may be surprised with the answer that you hear. Many employers will use promotions or higher pay to retain employees who they do not want removed from their team.

Of course, you don’t want to instigate workplace gossip but you may want to see if any other employees have asked for a promotion in the past. Did they see success or were they turned away? Speaking of which, were there any complications that arose from the asking of a promotion? This is important as it may give you an idea as to whether or not you should ask for a promotion. As a reminder, it is important to not take the approach of gossiping to get your information but you may just want to keep your eyes and ears open.

If you do decide that you would like to ask your supervisor for a promotion, you are advised to proceed with caution. Unless you have worked personally with your supervisors before, they may be unaware of your employment status or the tasks that you have completed. You will want to attempt to schedule a meeting with your supervisors. During this meeting you will want to try to sell yourself. Point out your accomplishments and mention how advancement has always been a goal of yours, and so forth.

These are just a few of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration when trying to determine if you should inquire about a promotion. Should you decide to do so, it is advised that you take a pleasant approach and do not get upset or feel offended if your request for a promotion is denied.

Ever wonder how thousands of “under the radar” businesses which earn well over $100,000 per year out of their own home do it?

Over the last year I’ve had the great fortune to speak with many of these true entrepreneurs at conferences, seminars, etc. What I’m about to share with you also came true for me.

Here’s an example of their business model…

1. Information Products. Without a doubt, each one of the successes I know market their own info products. For some, it’s an e-book. Others have special reports. Still others run online coaching programs, membership sites, paid newsletters, tele-seminars, or produce digital audio or video products. It’s not their only source of income, but is a MAJOR source of income, and more important, brands them an expert in their field leading to success with 2 and 3 below.

2. Market related affiliate products. Again, in almost every case these online success stories become experts at finding and creating joint venture deals with partners.

But, they work differently than most affiliates…

They start by ALWAYS reviewing the product they will market. Second, they look for a different way to present the product or service – a more beneficial way to show users the real benefit in the affiliate product. Third, they use their branding to negotiate higher commissions and focus on high commission programs only.

3. They monetize their traffic using AdSense or selling advertising on their sites. For high traffic pages where adding paid ads or Google’s AdSense will not impact their own sales, they will run ads to further monetize their sites.

4. Sell their time. You will find that truly successful people online LOVE to help people succeed. But, …for every person who is really dedicated to succeeding there are 10 “tire kickers” who want someone to hand them success on a silver platter. It doesn’t work that way. Nothing works that way. In order to leave time to help those who really want it, coaching programs are formed. Yes – you have to pay big money, but you should easily be able to get ten times the value for money spent.

As you can see there is NOT a SINGLE method to build your wealth online. Instead, you build a diversified, rich and healthy business by focusing on these pillars. Not only will you earn more money, but your business will be stronger and build momentum faster when you do.

Article directories are websites that post free articles. These articles are sometimes put there by whoever owns the copyright to them as a promotion method. Each article has the owners byline placed under it so that those who eventually read the article will know who wrote it (or at least who owns it) and will be able to get in contact with or visit their website for further information.

Articles directories are a great place to put your articles so that they will make you money. By using this method, people who are interested in your product or service will see your article, view you as an expert in the subject, and will visit your website. Even if you cannot write or do not have any knowledge on the subject on which you are promoting (for example for you run an affiliate website), you can always hire a writer to do the work for you. Getting quality articles written will be expensive up front, but they will pay for themselves in no time, either through affiliate sales or selling your own services, and everything from then on is pure profit.

Let’s take a real life example. Imagine that you are an accountant working from home. You write an article on an accounting topic and place it on various article directories. Those who are looking for the subject you wrote about will read your article, see that you have the knowledge and skill that is needed to do a job for them and visit your website or contact you via e-mail. Your article just gained you a new client who may use your services regularly but will definitely give you a nice profit at least once.

Furthermore, since you have posted it on a free article directory, others who have affiliate websites about accounting will inevitably use your article for their website. Since they must attach your byline to it, this will bring you even more exposure for every website that re-posts your article. This is because you will be benefiting from the traffic they get to their website.

There are numerous article directories for you to utilize. Your best bet is to put a copy of each of your articles on every one for maximum exposure. It will eventually help to bring more traffic and customers to your website, which will lead to new orders and more profit.

Personal Branding is about honing your skills, narrowing your focus, and getting clear on what you’re passionate about. It is not just about you being better than your competition. It’s about getting your prospects to choose you as the ONLY solution to their problem.

Here are some great benefits of creating a strong personal brand…

Creates a sense of individuality and uniqueness in the marketplace so your clients are able to easily differentiate your company from your competitors.

Be known for who you are as a person and what you stand for. Your brand is a reflection of who you are, your opinions, values, and beliefs that are visibly expressed by what you say and do, and how you do it.

Take control of your identity and influence the perception others will have about you and the services you offer.

Effortlessly attract clients and opportunities. You will position yourself in the mind of your marketplace as THE service provider of choice to dominate your market and command higher fees – work less and make more!

Become a celebrity in your area of specialty. Gain name recognition in your area of expertise where it counts the most – in your customer’s mind. Make a lasting impression and be super-rewarded for your individuality.

Trust, respect, and admiration will follow when your name and message are embedded repeatedly into the consciousness of your target market. You will be perceived as an expert the more you are visible to your target audience. Your brand will propel you to the top in your marketplace.