Picking out a great holiday gift is the first step, but how you wrap it or present it will really help to make your gift extra special. There are so many fun ways to conceal a gift to make it a great surprise to open, and many of them go beyond the standard box and bow. Get inspired with these creative ways to present holiday gifts.

A gift within a gift is always a memorable presentation. The recipient opens the outer gift, thinking that is pretty great, only to realize – wait, there is another treat within the first present! It is especially fun when the outer gift can give a subtle hint to the main present tucked within. For instance, if you are giving your wife a trip to Hawaii for Christmas, tuck the tickets inside a new monogrammed piece of luggage. Or give your husband a membership to a golf club tucked into a new golf bag or even a small related item like a new pair of gloves to wear on the driving range. Perhaps you found a great holiday gift in Raleigh for your sister who loves pearls – slip a pretty pair of earrings inside a personalized travel jewelry roll. The gift-within-a-gift never fails to delight!

Gifts which have to be found are also a lot of fun. As they say, good things come in small packages, and this goes double for tiny things like jewelry! While it is always exciting to find a tiny box with a big bow under the tree on Christmas morning, it is even more fun to hide the jewelry inside a pretty ornament and hang it on the tree. After all of the packages have been opened, utter the words every woman loves to hear…”I think there is one more gift here”. The surprise of finding her present within an ornament will make the gorgeous jewelry even more fantastic. It will definitely be a holiday gift she will always remember receiving.

Pretty packaging is a great way to dress up a gift box. Think beyond the basic wrapping paper and bow formula for something a little more creative. Wrap up the pretty holiday gift you found for your mom in Raleigh in a beautiful scarf instead of paper. Wine bags work very well to make odd-shaped presents look neat and pretty, like a great little sculpture picked up in an art museum gift shop in New York. You can also attach special baubles or decorations to packages to make them extra exciting. Tie a holiday ornament to a box to make it extra festive or raid the silk floral department at your local craft store for sprigs of faux holly, silk poinsettias, or sparkly berry sprays. The great part is that these little extra details can cost very little, but really make a great impression.

It can also be fun to give your gift in a place that will make it even more special. If you surprise someone with their holiday present while you are also having a wonderful time in a favorite place, it adds to the whole experience. So take your girlfriend to dinner in her favorite little bistro and whip out her present while sipping wine, instead of just doing it at her house sitting in front of the t.v. Or give your guy season tickets to his favorite college basketball team while attending a game. A great presentation will definitely show thoughtfulness on the part of the donor, which makes any gift more special to receive.

One of the most wished for items or gifts this Christmas are digital cameras. And why not, when the digital cameras today are sleek, stylish gadgets that will allow someone to capture moments in time and keep them forever? If you’re thinking of getting someone this special gift, then you better do some research first. Below is a list of the Top 10 Digital cameras – Christmas gifts for 2008. Hopefully it will help you crop your choices when buying a digital camera as a gift. Good luck!

1. Canon PowerShot A590IS 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom – this beauty right here can capture images with such detail that they can be used in making 16×22 inch prints. The 8MP CCD is one of the best in the market. Add to that a 4x optical zoom with Image Stability, Face Detection Mode, and an Easy Mode for beginners, and you’ve got a great digital camera for a perfect Christmas gift.

2. Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Blue) - another 8MP digital camera from Canon, this one comes in a stylish blue color. The same features are present, with the additional Motion Detection technology to reduce blur. Another great addition from Canon.

3. Canon PowerShot SD790IS 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom - the beauty of this digital camera comes with the fact that it is perfectly designed. But beauty is not all that it has. Its astounding 10MP CCD can capture images for poster prints, and it has Face Detection, Motion Detection, and Image Stabilizer technologies to boot.

4. Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) - the fourth placer in the list of the Top 10 Digital cameras – christmas gifts for 2008 is another Canon digital camera. It’s the same SD1100IS digital camera but it comes in a silver color which would appeal to your friend who likes the sleek, silver design. All the features are unchanged, of course.

5. Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black) - this digital SLR camera is perfect for those friends of yours who are serious about their photography, but at the same time, wants the ease of use of a digital camera. Equipped with a 12.2 CMOS sensor, a huge 3.0 Inch LCD display, and powerful lenses, this digital SLR camera is the perfect choice.

6. Kodak EasyShare C713 7MP Digital Camera (Pink) -Kodak’s offering is at number 6 in this list of the Top 10 Digital cameras – christmas gifts for 2008 . This digital camera is definitely an eye-catcher with its pink design. However, it’s not just all looks for this one. It also comes with a 7MP resolution and a 3x optical zoom. It can also take VGA videos with audio. It’s a fun, stylish camera for your fun and stylish friend!

7. Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom - the 10.0 MP resolution alone is great. Add to that a 20x Optical Zoom with Image Stabilizer and a movie mode, and you’ve got a great multi-purpose camera for your loved one.

8. Canon PowerShot SD880IS 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) - Canon proves itself as the leader in the digital camera range once again. This time, it’s this 10 MP beauty with Image Stabilization and Face Detection that has garnered a spot in our list. It’s a great point and shoot camera with a lot of special features that would make your friend fall in love with it.

9. Canon PowerShot SD1100IS 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Pink) - this pink version of the SD1100IS digital camera is great for the sophisticated ladies. It’s classy, it’s elegant, and most of all, it doesn’t lack in any of the features that all the other Canon SD1100IS digital cameras have. In one word, it’s perfection.

10. Canon PowerShot SD770IS 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) - the last in our list of the Top 10 Digital cameras – christmas gifts for 2008 is another Canon camera. You could never go wrong with this one. It has everything that the higher versions have (SD1100IS and SD880IS, for example) except that it doesn’t have the Wide Angle option. Still, it’s a great camera for your friend or family who’s just starting to love photography!

Are you involved in a network marketing or MLM business? Do you need talk to people in order to tell them the advantages of your company? Do you need to build a relationship in order to enroll new marketers?

What method do you use in order to reach your prospects?

Many companies have a long presentation they have put together. This involves details about the history and development of the company. Then it moves on to the fabulous products they have and how they can help you improve your life. Sometimes they even want you to have samples of the products for them to try.

Next they have you demonstrate the marketing plan, explaining how many it takes to move forward and all the different levels. Finally, the big close, trying to convince your audience to enroll.

WAIT!!! How many people do you think want to hear all of that on their first meeting with you? Remember, you want to build a relationship, not fill their heads with so much information that the result is confusion. Remember, you want them to become interested in what you have to offer, not have their eyes glaze over from information overload.

Have you ever tried to give your presentation on a napkin? Think about it. What better place to begin relationship building than over a meal. You can be talking, mention what you are doing for business these days. Then, when the person shows a slight interest, begin by asking a couple of questions. These questions should relate to your company and its purpose. For example, if your company is selling weight loss products, then you might ask if they are interested in losing weight. How about helping others lose weight? How about asking if they are interested in money?

From there you can go into a very simple explanation of how they can do exactly those things and make some money at the same time. Show them the basics of how your product can improve their lives, a quick explanation of the matrix system your company has, and a little about how this has changed your life.

From there you may go directly to: Are you ready to get started? Or, you may need to arrange another time if the person really does want the details. Then you can give a more detailed explanation and get them started. The truth is that people have different personalities and you need to remember that. Some people are willing to take you at your word, catch you excitement, and sign right up. Other personalities want all the details so they can do their research and make what they consider to be an informed decision.

There are many new occupations available to workers now. Some governments offer free or very reasonable education if you are not earning what you need. More and more of us, the workers, are looking for new ways in which to increase our income.

Should you wish to change from your present job you need to make some interesting decisions. If your job is far too difficult for you physically you need to consider a job that does not have the physical requirements that are in your present occupation. If you find the job boring, then you need to decide what sort of job would be more interesting for you. If you wish to be able to feel as if you have accomplished more in your work day, you may find that a part-time course would give you what you need..

There are many schools who present their lessons on the internet. For many of the new jobs that are appearing, you would find education necessary. This certainly would be one option.

The internet contains a rich field of work opportunities within its search engines. As you study what is available consider whether there is an occupation that you really would like in your life. If there is a preferred job, then you need to search out occupations in that area of life

Making a good list of what you see as your unused capabilities at this time would be productive. When we enjoy our occupation our stress level decreases so that we feel and work much better. Should some of your unused talents or abilities fit into your dream job, then you are ahead of most who are seeking a different job.

There are also a lot of part-time business or work opportunities out there. Sometimes when we calculate our work costs and compare what it would cost us for fewer days, we would be financially better off with fewer days of work. This is a rather amazing fact that I discovered when the machines were broken for a day in the factory in which I was employed.

You know that when your mind is challenged, you are a much better worker. Choose something with a potential for growth in the future. If possible a job that had the potential to change as you learn would be great.

Begin to dream huge now. There are no limits to what you can achieve. Draw or cut out a picture of what you would like most int the material world and pin it on a bulletin board. Enlarge your former ideas of prosperity.

Some steps will be small, some large and some huge. Your future can be the best part of your life that you have ever had. Stand tall and look ahead.

Quality is intentional not accidental

All of us want to create and present great PowerPoint shows, but how do we know if we have achieved our goal? In trying to define quality in PowerPoint we are tempted to echo the famous 1964 statement of Justice Potter Stewart regarding what constitutes obscenity: “I know it when I see it.” A substantial degree of subjectivity persists in any attempt to be definitive, yet we can all agree on a few essentials: your slides must be readable, clear, and memorable for PowerPoint to be effective.

In keeping with these essential principles, here are four rules to follow to improve the quality of your PowerPoint.

1. Remember less is more

One of the most common mistakes people make in designing their own PowerPoints is trying to get too much information on a single slide. Here’s a good rule of thumb: if your presentation consisted of a written-out script, consider each paragraph of that script to be a separate slide. Then, summarize that paragraph into three or four lines, omitting all of the articles (“a” or “the”) and as many forms as possible of the verb “to be.”

For example, let’s say the summary statement of a paragraph of your script is: “Unexpected noise is a distraction–please turn off the cell phones you brought or set them on the silent mode now.” Your slide might read: “Avoid distractions. Please mute your phone now.” The text on your slide serves to remind you of what you are going to say; it is not your word-for-word script. If you have ever seen and heard a presenter read word for word from a PowerPoint, you know how boring it inevitably becomes.

2. Back away from the edge

PowerPoint slides are designed to contain color and graphics all the way to the edge, but because the various presentation vehicles–monitors, flatscreens, projections–contain a degree of variability around the edges, avoid allowing the text on your slide or any essential part of your graphics to get close to the edge. You may find when you are trying to present that it gets cut off. In fact, back away from all of the edges–top, bottom, right, and left–by at least an inch. This will ensure your resulting slide is less susceptible to embarrassing cut-offs.

3. Apply the rule of thirds

Photographers and artists scrupulously avoid putting their subjects into the exact center of the field because they realize how static and boring formalized symmetry can be. Instead, they draw imaginary “tic-tac-toe” lines, dividing the horizontal and vertical space into thirds. They then place the focal points on one or more of the crosshairs. This makes the composition more naturally dynamic. Take a look at the 1945 Pulitzer-Prize-winning photograph by Joe Rosenthal, “Old Glory Goes Up on Mt. Suribachi [Iwo Jima],” for example. The focal points are the flag (upper-left crosshair) and the marines raising it (lower-right crosshair), creating a diagonal that runs along the flagpole through the center of the photo. If you are consciously targeting the four strategic potential focal points (where the lines of your “tic-tac-toe” cross, you automatically ratchet up the punch-impact of your slide.

4. Point to the center

Do what you can to draw the viewer’s eye toward the center of the slide. You can do this by paying attention to where the graphics point. If they are pointing away from the center, either move them to the other side of the slide or flip them so that they now point toward the center. If your graphic has motion (such as a baseball in flight or a moving automobile), allow more space in front of the motion than behind. If your graphic includes a human figure, place the graphic so that the human is looking at, turning toward, or pointing at the most important text on your slide.

Observe the difference!

If you apply these four rules carefully and consistently, you will discern a marked improvement in your PowerPoint presentations. Each slide will be simple and direct. None of what is essential will be cut off. It will be well composed in the field, with graphics that move the eye toward the center of the slide. The graphics will lead the eye toward the text, not away from it. All of these elements will support the presentation and greatly enhance the effectiveness of your communication.