You may remember these timers from your CCNA studies as well, and you should also remember that these timers should not be changed lightly. What you might not have known is that if you decide to change any and all of these timers, that change must be configured on the root bridge! The root bridge will inform the nonroot switches of the change via BPDUs.

Hello Time is the interval between BPDUs, two seconds by default.

Forward Delay is the length of both the listening and learning STP stages, with a default value of 15 seconds.

Maximum Age, referred to by the switch as MaxAge, is the amount of time a switch will retain a BPDU’s contents before discarding it. The default is 20 seconds.

The value of these timers can be changed with the spanning-tree vlan command shown below. Verify the changes with the show spanning-tree command.

SW1(config)#spanning-tree vlan 1 ?

forward-time Set the forward delay for the spanning tree

hello-time Set the hello interval for the spanning tree

max-age Set the max age interval for the spanning tree

priority Set the bridge priority for the spanning tree

root Configure switch as root

SW1(config)#spanning-tree vlan 1 hello-time 5

SW1(config)#spanning-tree vlan 1 max-age 30

SW1(config)#spanning-tree vlan 1 forward-time 20

SW1(config)#^Z

SW1#show spanning-tree vlan 1

VLAN0001

Spanning tree enabled protocol ieee

Root ID Priority 32769

Address 000f.90e1.c240

This bridge is the root

Hello Time 5 sec Max Age 30 sec Forward Delay 20 sec

Bridge ID Priority 32769 (priority 32768 sys-id-ext 1)

Address 000f.90e1.c240

Hello Time 5 sec Max Age 30 sec Forward Delay 20 sec

Aging Time 300

Interface Role Sts Cost Prio.Nbr Type

—————- —- — ——— ——– ——————————–

Fa0/11 Desg FWD 19 128.11 P2p

Fa0/12 Desg FWD 19 128.12 P2p

Again, you should always take great care in changing these timers. Those defaults are set for a reason - helping to prevent switching loops!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages.

For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and “How To Pass The CCNP”, just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNP exam with The Bryant Advantage!

By now you should have an idea that your theme has to reach its conclusion just as your story does. But our theme has to do more than reach its conclusion - it has to be reinforced in the end and by doing this, it will strengthen all that we have said in our story.

So if we took a theme…

‘Persist and in the end you will succeed’

And I showed my character working hard to achieve his goals, persisting, even if at times those goals seemed unreachable, then I would’ve showed that all his hard work did pay off in the end. By having him succeed, it would reinforce the theme that had been running throughout the story.

Let me further illustrate this point by giving you a more detailed example.

The theme is…

‘Persistence pays off’

The story is about a writer, who has been writing short stories for years, but has not succeeded in getting published yet.

In your story you will show his persistence with…

•How he makes time to write, even when his day is already full by his full time job and other responsibilities

•How his every thought is consumed by his writing

•Showing him sending story after story to publishers

•How he doesn’t let the fact that his family believe he’s wasting his time, distract him from his purpose

Simultaneously I will place him in win and lose situations - Losing when his stories are rejected - Winning when he receives encouraging notes from publishers.

And in those instances where he is winning, I will show gradually that resistance is starting to pay off, till I reach the end of my story where I will have one of his stories accepted for publication and thus bring my theme of ‘Persistence pays off’ to its conclusion.

By showing the reader how persistence is paying off, I would have reinforced the theme in my ending.

Is your theme reinforced in the end of your story?

As I am able to discuss the effects of dealing with a ghost, I think it is proper at this point to discuss the possibilities of demons. First, let me make it very clear that in over ten years of performing investigations in buildings, graveyards and homes I have never come across anything evil or malevolent. I am not saying that there isn’t anything like that out in this world but it is not something that I have ever come across.

Personally, I don’t believe that such things exist. I also don’t believe that these things have anything to do with religion or God. You cannot demand them to go away in the name of the Lord. The Lord didn’t make them. How can you expect the Lord to take them away? Religion has nothing to do with any of these things.

Demonologists cannot take away things that are evil. Taking the word for what it is and means - demon is obvious in that it is something not from this world but -ology is “the study of”, therefore, demonologist stands for someone who studies demons. The word doesn’t stand for remover of demons. I have a difficult time understanding, let alone believing that someone…a human being can take away something that is made from evil. Standing in the middle of a room with a cross that has probably been blessed does not make evil leave. It does make the person performing this ritual and the person who lives in the house feel much better but it serves no other purpose.

The idea that someone can be possessed is not an impossibility I suppose, however, I find that more often than not, it is merely the “raging hormone syndrome”. This is a phrase I have coined recently to explain the pre-pubescent hormonal feelings that emerge from young children that are soon to be young adults.

Demons are beings from the underworld, beings that might have super powers or are able to make humans submit to its’ whims. Demons are beings that have been made up by placing them in movies and on television. In my religion, there is heaven, hell and purgatory. I have learned of hell and what it constitutes, that is, the raging fires that burn in hell and all who must remain there because they have sinned. I don’t know if there is a hell but I do believe that there is a heaven. I believe that there is an all-knowing God.

I think that there are plenty of explanations that are manmade or natural that will explain the demons that present themselves in our world these days. I believe it is more of a psychological or psychosomatic entity than an entity that can overpower a young person’s mind and make them do whatever they want.

Our world has so many pressures in it that we are no longer the easygoing people we once were. We live in a world of hate, war, famine and to deal with our family life diminishing before our eyes makes it harder and harder to be surrounded by positive energy. We need to go to extremes to make the negative energy remove itself from our presence and continue to allow the positive energy, which makes us happy and comfortable, continue to thrive in our lives. Hopefully we are able to continue this ritual and be able to grow in our spiritual and physical lives.

About the Author

Gloria Young has been a ghost hunter and paranormal investigator for over 10 years. She has dedicated her life to researching paranormal activity. She has written, “Faces of a Ghost Hunter” as well as three other books. She founded the paranormal research group, “Ghost Trackers”. She has co-produced two documentaries on ghost hunting. (www.ghost-trackers.org)

One is conventionally pretty. You look at her and see no obvious flaws. She could appear in an ad in Seventeen Magazine, and fit right in.

The other lead isn’t pretty in any standard sense. Sexy, is closer to the mark, but not because she has any particular physical characteristic one would associate with that term.

She is just more interesting, magnetic, or what you could call, “watch-able.”

My guess is we’ll be seeing a lot more of her in forthcoming films, and much less of the pretty one.

Glenn Close, a very watch-able actor in her own right, whom I’ve seen on Broadway in two different productions, described Jeremy Irons, her co-star in one of them.

She said, “I like the way he disturbs the molecules when he enters a room.”

Wow, what a great definition of charisma!

Isn’t this what charismatic people do, whether we’re watching them in-person, or on TV or in a movie theater? Think about the great actor, Robert Mitchum.

Mainly, he was cast in bad-guy or shady roles, but still, he was generally likeable.

Today, Christopher Walken comes across the same way. Even when he’s evil, he’s fun to watch.

There’s only one word for that sort of unexpected appeal: charisma.

I’m convinced it can be cultivated. One way is through the study and practice of martial arts, yoga, and similar disciplines.

But if you’re hiring salespeople, or others who need to be effective with wide swaths of the public, be on the lookout for charisma. You can’t advertise for it.

But you can recognize it, and put their chemistry to work for you.

And then someone will be disturbing the molecules for a good reason.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

In this sad period of world wide financial fluctuation you very much need to deal with an established company which you can trust - to not only acquire you the finest associate achievable at the sad era but furthermore to provide you with assistance and sound advice. Foreign Currency Direct has been noted in such respectable publications as The Sunday Time and The Observer as a market leading business with whom to associate when you are securing foreign currency. Consequently, you can be secure in the knowledge you’ll be dealing with a reputable, professional and greatly noted company. Trading in profitable foreign currencies can be an easy way to make some extra money.

Trading in foreign currency can often be a hard business - the rates forever change, so, if you don’t enjoy the ability to access to the latest info and expert knowledge you might well wind up forfeiting a lot of cash. Foreign Currency Direct are without peer when it comes down to dealing with exchange rates - in operation since 2000 the firm have gone from strength to strength.

Foreign Currency Directs exchange rates are based on live, second by second interbank’ prices (the price at which one particular bank sells to another) that are constantly quoted in real time, making them way more competitive than rates offered by less specialised banks and building societies.

The only thing you must do is open your account at Foreign Currency Direct & you can begin trading - you can obtain exchange rate quotations by telephone, if you take the offer you will get an email, fax or postal conformation of the contract.

Joe, VP of Sales, Building Products Industry

Dear Joe;

Wow! If I used this term with my wife she’d probably take my head off but you have what is typically known as a high maintenance “Cry Baby Salesperson”

This condition is known as “High Affliative Needs”. It can be a sales person’s downfall. We all have affiliative needs but for a sales person, if they become excessive, they can undermine any real talent they have. This type of person is generally a very likable person and can strike up a conversation about anything, anywhere. That is why they seem to achieve relative success in field sales. But remember, if this person is wasting your time due to this condition, chances are, some or most of his customers feel the same way. You need to find out.

The question you need to ask yourself: “Is this sales person maximizing the full potential of his territory in market share, profitability and share of spend at existing accounts?

The answer to that question will determine whether you must coach, mentor or manage this individual.

Mentor

• If he is attaining peak territory performance. Become a confidant and be totally honest with him. When his points are valid - acknowledge that. When he is just whining — let him know. Be constructive and supportive. Encourage him. Give him examples and help him come to the same conclusions about each situation as you do.

Coach

• Since you stated he put up decent numbers, it sounds like he is worth your investment of time. Start with the numbers. What should peak performance in his territory be? Set some stretch goals. Work with him utilizing your sales expertise in targeting, goal setting and action planning to achieve these stretch goals. During the process, his high maintenance, affiliative needs should be apparent. Demonstrate how they can interfere with the achievement of his goals.

Manage

Some managing is certainly mixed in with the coaching process but if coaching doesn’t do the trick and he is actually performing below territory expectations it may be time to get tough. Stick with objective facts. Stick with the numbers. Clearly define expectations and stick to them.

Dr. Rick Johnson (rick@ceostrategist.com) is the founder of CEO Strategist LLC. an experienced based firm specializing in leadership for wholesale distribution. CEO Strategist LLC. works in an advisory capacity with company executives in board representation, executive coaching, team coaching and education and training to make the changes necessary to create or maintain competitive advantage. You can contact them by calling 352-750-0868, or visit http://www.ceostrategist.com for more information.

Rick received an MBA from Keller Graduate School in Chicago, Illinois and a Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from Capital University, Columbus Ohio. Rick recently completed his dissertation on Strategic Leadership and received his Ph.D. He’s also a published book author with four titles to his credit: “The Toolkit for Improved Business Performance in Distribution,” the NWFA & NAFCD “Roadmap”, Lone Wolf-Lead WolfThe Evolution of Sales” and a fiction novel “Shattered Innocence.” Rick’s next book due in November is titled; Lone Wolf - LEad Wolf The Evolution of Leadership

Here are a few smart online advertising secrets to do that:

1. Sell your product at a higher price. This increases the perceived value because people usually associate the higher priced product as being better.

2. Offer a free trial or sample of your product. This increases the perceived value because people think you’re confident in your product, so it must be good.

3. Include tons of testimonials on your ad copy. This increases the perceived value because you have actual proof of other people’s experiences with your product.

4. Load your ad copy full of benefits. This increases the perceived value because people think they are getting solutions to a number of problems.

5. Offer an affiliate program with your product. This increases the perceived value because people can also make money with your product.

6. Give people a strong guarantee. This increases the perceived value because it shows that you stand be- hind your products.

7. Package your product with a lot of bonuses. This increases the perceived value because people feel they are getting more for their money.

8. Get your product endorsed by a famous person. This increases the perceived value because people think that famous people wouldn’t want their name associated with a poor product.

9. Include the reprint/reproduction rights with your product. This increases the perceived value because people can start a business and make money.

10. Get the word out about your product and brand it. This increases the perceived value because people believe the brand name products have better quality.

May these online advertising secrets help you to make a lot of money.

Warmly,

I-key Benney, CEO

Property can be bought no matter where these days, unquestionably the choicest area being properties on the market in Dubai. It should really be no big challenge to write a list of the fabulous real property available in Dubai, the rationale for investigating estate here is land available and the phenomenal possibility of being able to live together with this animated and exciting populace. It is one of the most popular markets these days, and in view of the overall attractiveness and the great weather surrounding you, how could you go wrong? Property in Dubai is immersed in culture, art and history, this region has long been home to quite a few indigenous nations.

PropertyIndex.com make it easy to find property in Dubai City, whether you are looking for a villa or an apartment, they can help you find the right property.

About thirty years back you would find very few of Englishmen in search of real property in Dubai. Ask any one single person who has relocated to Dubai and they will be certain to confirm this. Well, some would tend to see it as a short-lived rage and others tend to see it as a practically a fixation. Clients actually transferring over here extend from young yuppie couples in search of an exciting life perspective to older shoppers who intend to enjoy themselves and have a break. Note that you may have to wrestle with a few predicaments when purchasing real property overseas: there are hundreds of actions to care about be it when strategising, popping in or actually purchasing. If you miss out on a single procedure it could generate huge predicaments not to forget, preeminently, a financial hammering.

Naturally, as can be presumed with this favored location, real property could be dear in this area and that’s naturally a consequence of the increasing market pressure. Notwithstanding real estate buyers are presently spoiled in such a location so great in terms of great environment and shining panorama. It doubtlessly has the lot real estate buyers might ever hanker after etc.

Prepare for the Toughest Journey of Your Life
The challenge of the Grand Canyon requires preparation for the worst. The journey must be mapped out and planned, for the best times of hiking in the day. It is critical that you save energy for the return hike out. In the heat of summer, the temperatures can rise beyond 120 degrees and inexperienced hikers die in the canyon. The canyon can be brutal. I know because, on my first trip in 1970, on the last mile stretch I felt like I wasn’t going to complete the journey. On my first journey I wasn’t prepared and did a lot of things wrong which impeded my rise through the challenges. Although, I finished the journey, I vowed never to experience the same problems again.

This has been the same for me in sales. Each time I start a sales adventure, I use my sales process and follow it like a map to success. The sales journey is always similar, but never the same. If I didn’t have my sales process, I could easily vanish in the canyon of lost sales and never come out. Preparing for each sales call is important and makes sense as it does in hiking. Keeping the sales objectives in focus helps us reach goals faster.

Hike With a Guide or Get Lost on the Trail
Hiking with a guide makes sense on the trail. It also makes sense using a guide or business coach in tough sales territory. If you aren’t familiar with the tough terrain of sales, you can get lost. A guide can show you where to go, what to see and how to get there. This analogy is most appropriate in new markets and business ventures.

Remember Accomplishment, for Inspiration
When you are hiking out of the Grand Canyon, you should never look up to see where you are going unless you want to become depressed. Instead, turn around and look to see where you have come from. This is true in sales as much as it is in hiking. There is a point on Bright Angel Trail when you are on the last mile where it becomes very depressing. The long winding trail seems like it will take forever. If you look back to view a wonder vista of colors, you also see the challenges you have already conquered. This perspective always inspires me to push forward.

It will do the same for you in sales. When you reach the point where there is so much to do, look at what you have accomplished. It will always refresh your soul. Because the sales process is a repeatable journey, you can use the successful experience from one sales adventure to inspire you for the next one.

Steve Martinez is a Sales Management Growth Strategist and Founder of Selling Magic. Ask for a “Sales Audit” and subscribe to his ezine to Increase sales with the best practices of sales management at http://www.sellingmagic.com.