When someone delivers a PowerPoint presentation to an audience, it is not a comfortable experience to remain tied to your computer. This may potentially hamper your interaction with your audience and interrupt the flow of your presentation. An alternative approach is to have an assistant manage the slides and carry out your instructions. That way, you would not be needed to be tied to the screen, but passing on the instructions can similarly affect your flow of speech. You can find a way out of this by using a presentation clicker. Equipped with these presentation or PowerPoint clickers, you will be able to roam the room as much as you want and change the slides or point at different sections of the slides at ease.

These clickers are just like remote controls, which will enable you to manage your slides from a distance. The first of these clickers used to come attached with a wire cable, but the current presentation clickers are wireless ones and afford the presenter complete freedom of movement. A modern presentation clicker or pointer works through the laser technology and comes with other useful features as well. One of them is the automatic time manger. With this, you can pre-set time limit for each presentation slide. So that you will get to hear a warning sound when you are halfway through the time mark and again when you have gone beyond it. This is a very useful feature since you will have a set time to deliver your presentation and you will not like to miss presenting any of the valuable information just because you have no more time in hand.

Typically, a presentation clicker will allow you to navigate between slides, control volume, present a blackscreen and manage your time. The most basic of the clickers would allow one to navigate the slides from a distance of a maximum 40 feet, which is enough if you are presenting your speech before an office audience. However, for public representations, which are generally organized in large hall rooms, you may consider having a clicker able to function from a maximum of 100 feet.

Some of the best PowerPoint clickers that are currently available in the market are SP400 Smart-Pointer Wireless Presenter, priced at USD 39.99; Remote Red Laser Wireless PowerPoint Presentation Pointer, priced at USD29.99; Kensington Wireless Presenter with Laser Pointer, priced at USD49.99. For a more sophisticated presentation clicker, you may choose from the range of Crystal Graphics models, starting from USD49, with the high end models costing as much as USD 249.

When the homeowner deals directly with the lender, there shouldn’t be any fees associated with the modifying your mortgage. When you negotiate with your lender, it is important to be prepared. Have a complete financial analysis – this includes all sources of income and all expenses. It is important to have all documents prepared to negotiate with your lender, a complete loan modification kit can help with this. Also keep in mind that lenders negotiate with the following guidelines:

o Maximizing returns on mortgages
o Minimizing losses on mortgages
o The best interest of the stockholders and the bottom line

If you don’t feel that you can successfully negotiate for yourself, there are other options. Using a home loan modification company is one such option. If you choose to use a professional like a home loan modification company, there will be fees paid for services rendered. A company that specifically deals with modifying home loans will have a diverse staff with the experience needed to successfully negotiate with your lender. The combined experiences and backgrounds of the company’s employees can be a powerful force in your favor when negotiating a home loan modification. When choosing a company, make sure they are able to deliver what they promise. Never work with a company that asks for an upfront fee and always check with references.

Another option is housing counseling agencies that have been approved by HUD. These agencies are funded by tax dollars and perform home loan modifications at no cost to the consumer. With the current economic down turn and the rise in the number of homeowners needing assistance, these agencies have become overwhelmed with cases and are forced to turn people away.

If you do not feel comfortable negotiating for yourself, you may feel that hiring an attorney is right for you. Make sure to find one that will fight for your best interest. A good attorney with ample experience negotiating modifications to mortgages can be a good way to get yourself a modification that will get you back on track and keep you there. Many home loan modification companies have attorneys on staff, which is something else to consider.

Remember, that while lenders are going to negotiate for terms that are in their best interest, an attorney or home loan modification company will fight for yours. If you are going to hire either a company or attorney, it is a good idea to conduct an interviews. If possible, conduct the interview in person and at their office in order to get the most accurate impression.

Questions to ask:
o What are all the costs associated with getting you a home loan modification?
o Are the fees flat or hourly?
o How many modifications have you successfully completed?
o Are there any customers you can speak with to get a recommendation?

If you find yourself falling behind on your mortgage, there are remedies available. Calling your lender and opening the lines of communication is the first step in solving your mortgage problem. When entering into negotiations with your lender, remember that they will have their best interests in mind, it is your job to fight for your best interests. If you feel that you will not be able to successfully negotiate for yourself, there are agencies, companies, and professionals available to assist you. Using one of these options may cost more than negotiating for yourself, but they be better able to get you a modification that will be a long term solution.

There are 3 basic reasons we do not enjoy the present and these brain machinations keep us from enjoying the present and then potentially the future as well.

• We are living too in the past [memory]
• We are living too much in the future [dreaming of what is ahead]
• We have a fear of change

Now for you and me it may not be that hard to reach our dreams,
But that magic feeling never seems to last.

And while the future’s there for anyone to change,

Don’t you know it seems

It would be easier sometimes to change the past.

[Jackson Browne; Fountain of Sorrow]

Too many of us fail to live in the present because it seems to be the nature of the human brain or mind to skip over what is happening and to dwell on the what-ifs of the past and/or the I-wills of the future.

If we could change the past as the lyrics say – would we? Would we make different choices? It’s an idea to ponder but in reality we can only change the future by changing the present choices – not actually undoing previous ones.

The past is easy to think about precisely because it already happened! We do not need to invent that reality. We replay events wondering what if we had acted differently or had not done a specific action or had done an action.

We can easily depress ourselves via this course of thinking because there is nothing we can do and we feel helpless.

Or we can think about the future and what we will do “when”

• When we have enough money
• When we are married
• When we are happy
• When we feel like doing [whatever it is]

Thinking ahead about “whens” is different than making actual plans for those “whens” or actually moving toward them.

And there are some “whens” that are too vague or too distant or too unrealistic to get us moving toward them.

Many of our “whens” are actually thoughts we use to protect ourselves from any real or imagined failures.

Which leads to the 3rd barrier – fear of change. We as humans like inertia – even if it is an inertia that keeps us stuck in an uncomfortable place. It is one of the odd conditions of being human that this happens.

So we remain rehashing the past or putting up future “whens” to keep us feeling safe rather than getting outside of our own minds and creating that change for our own futures.