Why do we need change - why we hate change

I am going to talk about change and how change affects things. Think about this. Why do we have to sometimes change just to be who we really are? When we are trying to be successful or trying to accomplish something in our life, have you ever noticed that one of the first things that happens is that we get told we should not do the thing, or we get asked why we are doing it? And what are we doing it for? Have you ever been a husband or wife in a relationship or someone’s partner and have decided to do something but everyone is telling you not to do it? And they are telling you to leave things the way they are.

Have you ever read the news or watched TV and seen how some bunch of people are agitating against their government  in some far off country, trying to get something done and having to get someone’s attention? Because they are trying to get something changed? What do they all have in common? They are all discovering that people don’t like change. Change can be very precarious. The change business can be intense, challenging, uncomfortable, and can even threaten the status quo in ways many people either don’t want, or just don’t like. The bottom line is – change is seen as bad. Imbalance in things creates change. An imbalance or situation of inequality, or an uncertainty or improbable principle can all cause a desire for change. We can disagree with an idea or ideology and want change as a result. Many things can make change possible. They can be random or ordered.

Our dilemma is in what we ought to do about the thing? Should we just observe the change, make a note of it and do nothing, just leaving our own circumstances generally as they are? Or do we take the other option, and decide to adapt that change into our own circumstance or the position of others and gradually introduce the change so as to improve the group circumstances for others and make things better, provided of course that they are willing to allow it?

Seeing change happen somewhere else and seeing how beneficial it can be is often a great experience. It can be an empowering experience. It can be even frustrating to see how by changing, other people and other systems seem to advance and do better than others. Or do better than us, by moving forward in some way. We are all human. We all want things to change if we see the real benefits. Those benefits can be so many things. And all because someone had the smart idea of changing something, and making things better somehow.

So what happens if other people don’t see it the way we do?  What if they listen and try to imagine, but they just can’t see the possibilities that we see? What do we do then?

Bioshock Infinite - a preview from Cheeky Girl

Bioshock Infinite is due out in 2012, and if you plan some games platform shopping - then I think this will hit the mark. Due on the Playstation and XBox, it sports some fantastic ideas and a weird new idea, a game that hangs in the air, kind of like some versions of Windows back in the old days. (The old days, Cassy?) Some well known names to people in the gaming universe are here. Ken Levine is back, and heading this BioShock project, which takes gameplay skywards in a very new and original way: so the game is set in the early twentieth century, and it involves this psychic lady and "evil steampunk cybullies", and that you probably shouldn’t fall off the edge of this colorful universe, as it's a long way down. The whole game happens high above ground level, affording fantastic views in every outdoor frame. Your character has been sent into this "rogue 1900s Death Star" to locate and recover a woman called Elizabeth. She’s at the center of some sort of oddball freaky situation, and she has magical powers that give her nosebleeds, and you’ll need to work some great solving skills to survive, win and escape. It’ll have more of the same consequence-driven story, although we’ve not sure what those choices will be. (Where's Deus Ex 1 when you need it?)

Game characters are a challenge. Apparently when you run into rooms, you have no idea how game characters treat you, nicely or monstrously - they are monsters graced with human voices. It all feels like those old wild west frontier moments when the hero walks into the bar, but with one hand covering the holstered pistol, just in case. Edge of seat stuff. Mr Levine has done the title proud here, and it's going to be immersive and satisfying. The game satirizes American Imperialism in new ways, and here the setting is in the sky. So no change there then. In actual fact, it is set in an era of an America which actually never existed, yet seems very familiar. Games are best when they try new things and change the formula a bit. Bioshock Infinite is definitely such a game. Check the full review link on my Hub page at the top. It has a trailer, very cool!

Sucker Punch - a movie with girls, guns, robots and leather

Finally Zack Snyder, the man behind the "Watchmen" movie has revealed his next movie, which is now in production. Starring Vanessa Hudgens - fresh from her success in "High School Musical" - she and her mainly female co-stars feature in a fantasy movie about being trapped in a mental asylum, where they have to band together to escape an evil bad guy. It's another brain-twister and effects-laiden film from Snyder, who made Dawn of the Dead, 300, and Watchmen.

Want to read a full preview, just follow the link to my Hub Page review of Sucker Punch.

Kosovo gets the green light for Independence

Well, it had to happen eventually and now it has. Kosovo has cleared the way to stepping closer to becoming an independent Nation State. It has been judged by the International Court of Justice that it has breached no laws by applying for independent status from Neighboring Serbia. Serbia (supported by Russia) does not want Kosovo to be independent, but as Kosovo has the support of the USA, Uk and about 70 other major countries, it looks as though international support for Kosovo becoming independent is now closer.

It also opens the possibilities for other small areas in the world that are seeking their own independence and autonomy from other bigger countries to be separate and independent. Asia could see some places become independent nations, as boundaries are drawn in new ways. While Kosovo must draw up its own Declaration of Independence and it's own Constitution and decide what currency and other factors to resolve, that is all part of the joy and challenge of becoming independent. Many countries already want to trade and do business with Kosovo, now that the conflict has ended. Kosovo plans to open 20 new Embassies around the world by the end of 2010. The future for this newest country in Europe looks bright. And naturally, it is one of Europe's newest holiday destinations.

Well done Kosovo.

How to be more assertive - gain more confidence

What are assertive people doing right that others are not doing at all? How do you become more confident? People who have more confidence are more assertive, thus more in control of things. The human mind is an amazing thing. It has such control over our lives. There are at least Three Steps towards becoming more assertive. These steps are proven, and can make a big difference in our lives, our work place with colleagues and customers, in our home lives, in relationships, in education and in parenting. This is all about better emotional health, assertiveness training and about the ability to think clearly. So what do we need to become more assertive? Why do some of us have no confidence, and others do have it? We can discover through learning. There is the Three Step Program, and the Six Techniques to enact and enable. There are some strange new words and terms we will discover, like Self-talk and Assertive Behaviour. And believe me, this is do-able. Click the above link for the full article.

A Video Guide to making money from Google Adsense

There are a lot of people using the internet and some are looking at ways to monetize their sites or blogs. That is understandable. I am one such person. My aim is to make enough money to have my own domain name for my website, and have my own paid-for hosting. Then the sky is the limit! Many people spend a long time reading reams of text and literature to learn how to make money from Google Adsense on Hub Pages. It doesn't need to be this difficult, people! There are other sometimes easier ways to learn how to optimise Adsense and make an income from your website or article page content or Blog. So this article I have written will do just that. This is Cheeky Girl's Video Guide to making money from Google Adsense. I have selected some of the best videos on the net that honestly show you how to do this. Most of what you will learn is in the videos provided. Just click the link to this posting and you will be taken to the article. If you would even like to leave a comment, that would be nice!

Cheeky Girl

Can a person make money from Clickbank?

Clickbank has for a while now, been a source of income for many people and it provides an alternative way to generate money from the internet, or rather - make money from selling things on the internet. Except that it does not involve selling. Here in our blogs or websites, we tend not to hear much about Clickbank, since the emphasis is mostly on Google Adsense, Amazon, eBay and Kontera. Google rule the roost as far as earning money from the internet is concerned, with Amazon coming in behind it. But I am amazed by the number of people out there who ask - "Clickbank, who are they? Are they a bank?"

How does Clickbank work then? Well, imagine going into a shopping mall and looking at the things that are for sale. Most people buy them by putting the stuff they want in a shopping cart and taking it to the cash till or check out and paying for it. On Clickbank, you are setting up a web page (it can be any kind of web page) where the product or products will be displayed, complete with photo, description and details, and of course the price. When the buyer comes along on your page and decides to buy, they click on the item in question and proceed to a check out where they process how they pay for it and presto, they receive it, usually via the internet or email. EBooks are sold over the net this way, as is music, and movies, and other items. So the products are Digital. Clickbank is easy to use and free to join. You will make money of up to 50% of what the item costs. It depends on what Clickbank set the price at. The beauty of Clickbank is that you can sell things that someone else wants sold - so you sell other people's goods and make a commission on each sale. You do not have to be the one who makes the product. So yes, you can sell stuff that others are selling.

I have created an online article complete with videos - for anyone who would like to know more about how to earn a few extra bucks from the internet. If making money is not your thing, no worries. I just hope the videos help explain a few things about Clickbank. Click the link to go to the page.

Cheeky Girl