And I do mean EVERYTHING. Okay, here it is in simple language- everything you've always wanted to know - from unclogging a toilet to health and body image. This being the new year, we're all trying to make changes in our lives, to improve ourselves, to learn new things, and we need a little boost of inspiration and encouragement along the way.
The Girls Guide to Everything can be your bible to making that life transition. Got a question about almost anything? The book provides quick and easy answers at your finger tips. read more...

Over time, you’ve probably learned what not to say in a relationship. “Are you losing your hair?” “Yes, you do look fat in that dress.” “I should give my old boyfriend a call.” “You’re just like your mother.” Experience has taught you just how much trouble you can get into with a few words.

When it comes to the workplace, however, you might not realize there are plenty of things you can say to damage your work relationships or even your own career. An off-the-cuff remark that you think went unnoticed, for example, might be the first thing your boss remembers when he thinks about you.

LIFE Foundation Offers Six Misconceptions about Disability Insurance and the Risk of Becoming Disabled - Sources collected by Amanda Bach - Washington, D.C. – It’s been said that life is what happens while you're busy making other plans. But while Americans have a knack for planning – whether it’s for a business, a wedding or a vacation – many do not have a plan in place to protect their greatest asset – their ability to earn a living. In an effort to turn a corner on this issue, the non-profit LIFE Foundation is addressing some commonly held misconceptions regarding disability insurance and offering tips to help consumers evaluate their coverage needs.

IT IS 20 years since the term “glass ceiling” was coined by the Wall Street Journal to describe the apparent barriers that prevent women from reaching the top of the corporate hierarchy; and it is ten years since the American government's specially appointed Glass Ceiling Commission published its recommendations. In 1995 the commission said that the barrier was continuing “to deny untold numbers of qualified people the opportunity to compete for and hold executive level positions in the private sector.” It found that women had 45.7% of America's jobs and more than half of master's degrees being awarded. Yet 95% of senior managers were men, and female managers' earnings were on average a mere 68% of their male counterparts'.

Women are transforming the face of business and society, moving into leadership roles as business owners and in corporations. What are the characteristics that set successful women business leaders apart? Research and experience suggest that these top ten characteristics are key for women business leaders to maximize success the 21st century.

1. DEFINE SUCCESS IN YOUR OWN TERMS

It is so easy to let others -- usually very well intentioned friends, family, mentors and business associates -- define your goals. Take control of your destiny by deciding how you define success.

The study examined the ease with which women re-entered the workforce after taking a hiatus to raise a family, care for a parent, or tend to other personal matters. Among the findings: An overwhelming majority (70 %) of women initially felt positive about leaving their full-time jobs.

It seems that if women own businesses equally with men, or are a minority stakeholders, they are largely unaccounted for in the annals of women’s business research. Thus, while previously released estimates of women entrepreneurship show it to be a dynamic and fast-growing segment of the economy, it is far larger than originally thought.

Here’s why: The U.S. Bureau of the Census excludes many businesses in which women play an equal or minority ownership and management role, including many of the largest women-owned and led firms. Approximately one in seven U.S. workers is employed by privately held majority women-owned firms or 50% women-owned firms. These statistics are not included in the more narrow definition (majority owned businesses) Census data collectors use to assess the economic impact of women-owned and operated businesses.

HealthDay News -- If you're stuck in a low-level job where your boss pushes you around, you may be at increased risk of heart disease. The reason: Such a setting makes your heart beat faster and reduces its ability to respond to challenges, a new British study contends.

Previous studies have found a higher incidence of heart disease among low-level workers, said Eric Brunner, an assistant professor of epidemiology at University College, London, and a member of the research team.

Stalled in your job-search efforts? Check out this list to make sure you aren't committing some of the worst job-search mistakes.

1. Sending a resume that doesn't set you apart from your competition.

Since employers and recruiters read hundreds of resumes a week, you'll catch their attention quicker with a resume that differentiates you from your competition. The best resumes target one career objective which is supported by quantifiable accomplishments relating to corporate bottom-line results. Peppering your resume with relevant accomplishments that emphasize benefits over features helps the employer see your potential value to their organization. Send an accomplishment-driven resume and keep your calendar clear for the interviews that you'll generate.

If you want to know where the jobs are, you probably need to ask where the retirees are going. Indeed, that's still the Sun Belt.

A new study finds that Florida is a potent job-creation engine. Five of the top 10 cities for job growth are located in the Sunshine State, and researchers say a lot of those jobs are in health care or service sectors that cater to an older population.

Two other places on the list that are cranking out new jobs are really special cases: Las Vegas, which continues to benefit from gambling tourism and an influx of retirees, and a three-town area in Arkansas that hosts a nice retail company called Wal-Mart.

Figures released by the US Census Bureau last week show that the pay gap between women and men widened in 2003. Women's pay slumped for the first time since 1999, with women earning only 75.5 cents to every dollar men earn. The Census Bureau stated that this marks the first "statistically significant" decline in women's pay since 1995, AccountingWEB.com reports, with real median earnings of women over the age of 15 fell 0.6 percent to $30,724. The Institute for Women's Policy Research has stated that the 1.4 percent decrease in the gender wage ratio is the largest backslide since 1991.

Like many stay-at-home moms, Christie Thomas spends much of the day doting on her daughter, reading her stories, making her lunch and putting her down for afternoon naps.
But Thomas is among a new generation of moms who have chosen to stay at home but earn an income, too. She's a loan officer and independent contractor for Pacific West Financial, doing loan work and research while Carlyjo, age 2, sleeps or watches TV. She also gets some work done after her husband, a teacher, gets home from work.

The boomers are rejecting conventional notions of retirement and crossing into a new stage of work--and their energy could transform what work means for all Americans. The movement of millions of sixty-somethings into a new phase in their working lives constitutes one of the most significant social trends in this country in nearly half a century. Encore describes the competing visions for work that are already lining up to capture the hearts and minds, and the time, of waves of baby boomers who are not content, or affluent enough, to spend their next twenty or thirty years on the golf course. Baby boomers are searching for a calling in the second half of life; they are moving beyond midlife yet refusing to phase out or fade away. If the old dream of the Golden Years was the Freedom from Work, the dream of this new wave is the Freedom to Work--in new ways, on new terms, to new ends. As their numbers begin to swell, these individuals hold the potential not only to transform work in America, but to create a society that balances the joys and responsibilities of contribution across the generations--in other words, one that works better for everyone.

Would you like to return to the work world but are concerned about how to find an opportunity that will allow you to fulfill your family or other non-work obligations, nervous about how to “market yourself” to potential employers, or unsure about what type of work you want to do? They took time out to be home with their children, and then relaunched their careers years later. Based upon our experience, and that of the 100+ women they interviewed for this book, as well as the career counselors, recruiters and employers whose advice they sought, they’ve developed a detailed process to help you negotiate this major transition. Returning to the workforce can be a daunting job for full-time moms. Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin understand, because they've been there. And as women who have successfully relaunched their careers, they know it can be done with careful planning, strategizing, and creativity. Now, in Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay at Home Moms Who Want to Return to Work, they offer a prescriptive, seven-step program that covers such topics as building confidence, assessing career options, updating job skills, preparing for interviews, getting the family on board, networking, and much more

Other job search books may change your job; Excuse Me, Your Job Is Waiting will change your life! Learn how to make the Law of Attraction bring your dream job to you! Make traditional job search tools work for you. Learn why human resource people do what they do. Excuse Me, Your Job Is Waiting approaches job-hunting from Lynn Grabhorn's philosophy of the astonishing power of feelings introduced to more than half a million readers. Laura George applies the powerful Law of Attraction to the life experiences of both losing and getting a job. George captures the style and substance of Excuse Me, helping you identify the qualities you want in a job. She shows you how to flip the negative feelings you may be carrying ("the economy is terrible"; "I can't believe I got laid off"; "I'm too old") so you can stay focused and upbeat to attract that perfect job to you. Experienced in job hunting from both sides of the interview table, George understands all the highs and lows in this emotionally draining process. By exploring the power feelings have on your job search, this new job seeker's guide is unlike any other. George shows you the job market through the employer's eyes and offers insider information on Resume and cover letters, internet job boards and on-line applications, interview and salary negotiation strategies, and much more.

I Didn't See It Coming provides savvy advice and strategic insights for recognizing and dealing with the situations that can threaten your career. This book will help you develop the skills you need to read the room, correctly assess what is happening around you, and control your career destiny. It shows you why you need an exit strategy, how to navigate the political terrain, how (and why) to differentiate between colleagues, and why it's important to follow the money. Everyone can benefit from understanding how office politics works and what you can do to enhance your position. For anyone in a dicey situation—even if you don't know it yet—this is the ultimate guidebook for office survival. When it comes to your career, don't take chances! Take charge and make sure you see it coming.