Botswana agate is a purplish-gray fortification gemstone exhibiting white patterns of, usually, circles or ovoids. Usually, it is found in the form of nodules.

Legends abound about Botswana agate. According to them, Botswana agate can be used to stimulate the exploration of the unknown and to further one’s quest towards the enlightened state. Banded agate is said to augment protection, fertility, sensuality, sexuality, passion, artistic expression and emotional comfort. Instead of dwelling on the problem, it lets one look toward the solution. Botswana agate stimulates the crown chakra, encouraging eternal love and allowing for the recognition that eternal love is a constant in the ever-changing universe.

Further, it is claimed that Botswana Agate helps one to maintain a forthright character. It also helps to sustain an attentiveness to detail which further facilitates the sensitivity to, and the recognition and the understanding of, the complete picture, however distorted the picture may be.

It is also said that Botswana agate can be used to treat disorders of the nervous system and help to rid the body of toxins. It also counteracts poisoning on the physical, emotional, and intellectual planes and can also be used to ameliorate depression and stress.

Botswana agate is usually sold by the pound. The number of stones per pound is determined on the average number for all types of stone. The type of the stone, how they were crushed and a number of other considerations will determine the cost of a pound.

Very Small (VS) size is 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch and the approximate number of stones per pound is 1,300. Small is 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch, where the approximate number of stones per pound is 180 - 250. Medium is about 3/4 inch and the approximate number of stones per pound is 80 to 100. Large is about 1 inch and the number of approximate stones per pound is 45 to 50. X1 is about 1 1/4 inch and the approximate number of stones per pound is 28 to 35. XX1 is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches and the approximate number of stones per pound is 16 to 20.

Botswana provides detailed information on Botswana, Botswana Safaries, Botswana Culture, Botswana Agate and more. Botswana is affiliated with African Safari Vacations.

Foreign Exchange (FOREX) Trading is the buying and selling of international currencies. Because the trading parties can come from every corner of the globe, there are various time differences that need to be taken into consideration when you engage in trading.

The first trade market begins in Tokyo, Japan, at 7:00 pm Eastern Standard Time

(EST) followed by markets in Singapore and Hong Kong that both open at 9:00 pm EST. The Frankfurt market opens at 2:00 am EST, followed by London at 3:00 am EST, for the European market. By 4:00 am EST, the Asian market has closed and all trading stops in that area of the world. The European market on the other hand is in its busiest time.

The market in the United States of America starts in New York at 8:00 am EST. By this time, the European market is coming to a close. The market in Australia comes to life at around 5:00 pm EST, and by 7:00 pm, the Japan market starts up again in Tokyo, completing one trading day.

This is why FOREX trading is a round the clock, 24-hours-a-day industry.

When looking for companies, or brokers, it is best to be able to look for those who have an international reach and have business hours covering the different time zones. Many companies have business hours starting from 2:30 pm EST on Sunday to 4:30 pm on Friday.

The availability of the company is important for you to be able to extend your influence in the markets from Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Moscow, Frankfurt, London, New York and Los Angeles, and trading in currencies such as the Australian dollar, Yen, US dollar, and European Euro. You want to be able to take advantage of the high availability of the market and the always-liquid currencies.

There is a misguided thought that being busy is the same as
making progress. With shorter deadlines, competing priorities,
interruptions and even higher quality expectations, it brings
today’s time challenges to another level. Yet the number of
hours in the day has not changed.

A common mistake that most people make is not allowing for a
balanced life-style. Remember, one’s overall health and wellness
require attention to six important life areas:

Physical (exercise, nutrition, sleep) Intellectual (cultural,
aesthetic) Social (intimate and social relationships) Emotional
(expression of feelings, desires) Spiritual (quest for meaning)
Career (career goal directed work)

Naturally you don’t need a required amount of activities in each
of these areas, but if you neglect one entirely, you may be
ignoring an important part of yourself. For example, if you set
aside time for exercise you will improve your overall
functioning and better manage your stress. If you take time for
your intellectual growth, you will gain new perspectives on
life, experience different pleasures, and be better able to
focus on your goals.

Consider your biological prime time - the time of day when you
are at your best. Are you a morning person, a night owl, or a
late afternoon whiz? Knowing when your best time is and planning
to use that portion of the day for your priorities is effective
time management.

You can conquer procrastination using Alan Lakein’s method of
“Swiss Cheese”. When avoiding something because you dread the
task, break it into smaller bits and do just one of those
smaller tasks. If this is not possible, set a timer and work on
that biggie for just 15 minutes. By doing a little at a time (I
hate filing), eventually you will reach a point where you’ll
want to finish it once and for all.

For myself, learning to say “no” was next to impossible. Such a
small word, but I wanted to please no matter the cost to me. But
focusing on your goals may help. You must be convinced that you
and your priorities are more important - that seems to be the
hardest part in learning to say “no”. But it does get easier
when you simply can’t find the time and refuse to be derailed
for that hour or that day.

In the Malaysian culture, only the gods are considered capable
of producing anything perfect. Whenever something is finished, a
flaw is left on purpose so the gods will not be offended. Of
course some things need to be closer to perfect than others but
perfectionism can be a form of procrastination. Shed the stress
of always being perfect.

Gaining control over your business (and personal) life, means
gaining control over your calendar. Eliminate the trivial tasks
or those that do not lead to your long-term goals. Focus your
efforts where they count. Managing your time requires an
understanding of where your time is going, outlining your
priorities, and defining a time budget and plan, even if it
means changing some behavior and monitoring the results.

© 2004 Esther Smith

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I have had many confidence issues in my life, all of which I have either dealt with or overcome. I have written about some of these issues below.

1. The Bald Patch

2. My height

3. My weight

4. The stutter

5. My lack of belief in myself

6. My career

THE BALD PATCH

Even though to some people it may seem trivial, I was born with a bald patch the size of a ten pence piece. As I went through childhood and especially the teenage years I became more and more self-conscious and paranoid about it.

It was especially noticeable when it rained or when I went swimming as my hair would become wet. People at school would ridicule me and I was forever trying to hide and cover the bald patch even though most people knew about it.

It hurt when people laughed at me and eventually I stopped going swimming altogether.

MY HEIGHT

Out of all of my close male family and friends, I am the shortest at 5ft 4. This probably should not influence my confidence however with people continually looking down on me it did. I have been called many names, the nicest being “Shorty”.

I was always jealous of other people taller than I was. I hoped that one day I might have a late spurt. This never came.

My height affected me with sport. I wanted to be a striker at football however the coaches only wanted people over 6ft tall. At snooker I am constantly have to use the rest which makes it difficult to play up to the best standard and at tennis I was constantly being lobbed. It also meant that I only felt comfortable dating women 5ft 3 and under which reduces the available market considerably.

MY WEIGHT

During senior school I was very thin. This may have been the result of my parents turning vegetarian when I was twelve. At the time there were very few replacement foods and it seemed as though we went from having meat and two veg to just two veg.

As my parents cooked the food I had little option but to also turn vegetarian. After a few weeks I approached them and told them that I missed and wanted to eat meat. They were understanding to a degree and said:

“If you want it, you cook it”

At this age I could only really be bothered to cook properly a few days of the week and that gradually became less and less.

People at school would call me names like skin and bone and my weight became another area of paranoia for me.

THE STUTTER

At the age of four I developed a stutter. This became gradually worse as I became older even though my parents were told that I would grow out of it.

For what fluent people would class as simple tasks like reading from a book at school, answering questions, saying my name and address, ordering items at the bar or in a restaurant, and speaking on the telephone became a constant battle.

It was a very frustrating impediment, as I seemed to be able to talk quite fluently to people I knew well and whom I felt comfortable with, but at other times especially under any form of pressure could not say a word.

At the age of twenty two after about eleven months of sheer hard work and practice I managed to overcome the stutter and I now help other people who stutter to achieve fluency as well as helping people with confidence problems.

MY LACK OF BELIEF

I always had a lack of belief in certain areas.

I would notice a female in a bar for example and would want to go over and talk to her but would have the negative attitude of I’m not good enough, why would she be interested in me? I stutter, I have a bald patch, I have a menial job and I am very thin.

Even if I approach her and am successful, I would then be expected to buy her a drink, possibly phone her, possibly meet her parents, and maybe even get married! The thought of attempting these things with a stutter and with a lack of social confidence was far too daunting for me.

I left school at sixteen mainly due to a lack of confidence and the stutter, but then had the problem of finding a job. Again my lack of belief came shining through. Who would want to employ somebody with a stutter, who has a lack of confidence and who is shy around people?

MY CAREER

After leaving school at the age of sixteen I now had to find employment. Suffering with a stutter and a general lack of confidence meant that work involving the phone or regular interaction with other people were not really an option.

I decided that I could probably cope with filing duties in an office and eventually gained a position at an insurance company.

I started at the lowest grade, a grade two and the work was routine and mundane. The average time to stay at this level before being promoted was six months. The grade three post involved sharing a phone and this is something I found very difficult to use.

To become upgraded you had to apply in writing to the personal officer and then if you passed the interview were then promoted. My attitude was that if I don’t apply I would stay as a grade two, which is what I wanted. I was probably the only person in the country who did not want to be promoted.

My boss would ask me at regular intervals why I was not applying and I would make up an excuse. To keep him happy I took the insurance exams. After three years I had completed the first qualification which was a set of five exams. To my horror my boss congratulated me by stating that he was upgrading me to a grade three starting Monday without the need of an interview.

This promotion should in effect have given me a confidence boost however with my stutter out of control under the pressure and some of my colleagues mocking me I became more and more withdrawn and depressed.

I would be invited to social events and would make up excuses of why I could not go as I had a lack of belief that I could cope with the occasion and all the socialising involved.

Stephen Hill has a number of websites including:

stuttering
therapy

alternative health treatments

lasik surgery