How to Pilot Your Business and Navigate Your Way to Success - Ebook

"How to Pilot Your Business and Navigate Your Way to Success" is now available as a downloadable ebook.

Here's the information from www.lulu.com.

"In this guide you will find ten pointers for piloting your business and navigating your way to success. These pointers are based on Fran’s flying experiences both as a pilot and as a passenger.

Fran West has certainly achieved success following her dreams and reaching her goals. She is an award-winning pilot, adventurer, author, photographer and motivational speaker.

After a radical career change in 1999, Fran became the first woman pilot to fly a light aircraft around the coast of mainland Australia and Tasmania during Oz Flight ’99.

With a background in management, local and state government, and small business, she’s observed that there are many parallels between flying and business. Fran’s lived the adventures, learnt lessons from them and put those lessons into practice.

Now she wants others to share in and benefit from her knowledge and experience. So, use these pointers to help you to be successful and your business to soar."

Click here to purchase a copy of "How to pilot your business and navigate your way to success" for only $9.95.

Review:

This ebook has a number of strong features:

• The simplicity of its language and the avoidance of business jargon
• It recognizes that when you bite off more than you can chew in business (as you will), success requires you to simply chew harder!
• I like the analogy of the coastline being like business – ups and downs, smooth patches and constantly changing
• The book reflects life experiences, rather than management textbooks
• The importance of taking time out to reflect. Sometimes its necessary to slow down in order to go faster
• The fact that negative experiences can be turned into positive outcomes
• That life is what happens while you are making your plans

Dripping with life’s experiences and their relevance to business development.

Peter Nicholls
Australia’s People Gardener
Website: www.workleisure.com
Blog: http://www.workleisure.com/enjoy-being-you-blog.html
Twitter: @enjoybeingyou

Fran's Backpack - Bryce Canyon National Park, UT - Trails Illustrated Map # 219

Fran's Backpack brings to you various products on travel, adventure, flying and photography.

They could be books, ebooks, videos, or gear. Check each one out as it's highlighted on the day.

Today's item in the Backpack is Bryce Canyon National Park, UT - Trails Illustrated Map # 219 [Folded Map] from National Geographic.

To get the most enjoyment out of a national park, you need a good map. Check out this one.

Click on the ad for more information.

Product Description
The map includes the entire national park area, with detailed trails and topographic information. Also included are portions of Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument, Bryce Ampitheater, Sunrise Point, Bryce Canyon Lodge, Black Birch Canyon, Rainbow Point, the Queens Garden Trail, and more. Includes UTM grids for use with your GPS unit.

Scale = 1:35,000 Size: 26'' x 38''

About the Author
Founded in 1915 as the Cartographic Group, the first division of the National Geographic Society, National Geographic Maps has been responsible for illustrating the world around us through the art and science of mapmaking.
Today, National Geographic Maps continues this mission by creating the world's best wall maps, recreation maps, atlases, and globes which inspire people to care about and explore their world. All proceeds from the sale of National Geographic maps go to support the Society's non-profit mission to increase global understanding and promote conservation of our planet through exploration, research, and education.

Squirrel Stands Up To Snake in Zion National Park, Utah

A hike along the trail in Zion National Park, Utah, led to several discoveries of wildflowers and also wildlife.

Walking in a group may allow for socialising but the noise made by the group can often scare away wildlife and it sometimes drowns out the sounds of nature, like running rivers, bird songs and animal antics.

I'd just left the trail to escape the endless number of noisy hikers and have a closer look at the river and enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. On my way back to join the trail I heard this commotion in a fenced off clearing. I thought it sounded like a rattle (I may have been mistaken though).

However, when I looked closer I saw a squirrel and a snake having a go at each other.

The snake definitely didn't like the squirrel in its patch and there was dust flying everywhere with the squirrel artfully dodging the snake's strike. However, it didn't matter how angry the snake was (click on the photo to zoom in on it), that squirrel was determined to stand its ground even if it meant being bitten.

I took several photos (without tele lens unfortunately) before the snake gave up and retreated from the dust bath created by the squirrel. I've always thought squirrels were cute and quick but this particular one was a feisty little critter as well!

A couple of observations:

• if you're going to enjoy nature en masse, then keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut
• watch where you're walking (as an Aussie, part of bushwalking is watching out for snakes on the trail anyway)
• cute and cuddly doesn't necessarily mean weak and lacking courage (perceptions can often be wrong)
• even if you think you're facing insurmountable odds you can sometimes achieve success through sheer determination

Flyabout in Alaska - "Float Planes of Alaska" DVD Out Now!

For people who live in North America, especially mainland USA and Canada, I've produced a DVD devoted entirely to float planes in Alaska.

This would certainly bring back memories for so many who have flown as a part of life and an easy way to travel from place to place.

Although my videos are mostly designed for aged care, they're still great to watch for relaxation and armchair travel by people of all ages.

While I was in Alaska a couple of years ago, I spent a day and a half walking around Lake Hood, near the main Anchorage Airport. I also did some float plane training from Lake Hood and Trail Lake at Moose Pass, south of Anchorage.

The planes are colourful and the background shows the beauty of the mountains, the lakes and their surroundings. Reflections in the water abound. There's nothing quite like float planes. You have to be a sailor and a pilot at the same time. You need a life jacket, rope and a paddle and in some cases a rifle case attached to the wing strut.

I've also done an "Alfred Hitchcock" in this DVD. Two of the planes I flew in are well represented. And by the way, you'll never guess what my favourite colour is!

Many of the photos have appeared in "Awesome Aviation" but there are quite a lot which are new. The soundtrack is also the same. As usual this is available in NTSC and PAL format and the price is the same at $25.00 plus postage.

Float Planes of Alaska DVD

Australia (incl. P&H) $27.50 Overseas (incl. P&H) $31.00

In future videos you may also see the scenery which I photographed from the plane but buy this one first.


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Giant Worms Found on King Island, Bass Strait, Australia

I thought I'd found giant worms on King Island, Bass Strait, Australia.

A couple of years ago I visited King Island, located between northwest Tasmania, to the south, and the Victorian coast on mainland Australia, to the north. Although there are some spectacular spots around King Island, the island doesn't feature any high mountains. It's mostly beef and dairy cattle (grazing on gently rolling hills), kelp and fishing.

Three days were spent on the island, with a flight around the coast and the rest of the time touring by car. On one of the days, I headed towards the southern end of the island, and saw these long green things in the distance.



With my weird sense of humour, I immediately thought of the Giant Worm Museum at Bass in Victoria. It's a structure which depicts a giant earth worm. Gippsland is apparently the only place in the world where these creatures can grow to about 3 metres in length (good food for nightmares I think).

Or, they could be giant wichetty grubs. In reality, they are only big round bales of hay covered in plastic (silage or haylage bales which begin to ferment with the moisture). Still, it makes for an interesting picture and a very tall tale.

The track that I was driving on was very windy and narrow and fortunately I didn't encounter a kelp truck which would have been around earlier in the day. I'll post about the kelp later on.

Check out the penguins on King Island too.


View Larger Map

"Float Planes of Alaska" DVD coming soon

For people who live in North America especially, I've decided to produce a DVD devoted entirely to float planes in Alaska.

This would certainly bring back memories for so many who have flown as a part of life and an easy way to travel from place to place. There are over 200 float planes in this DVD but as you'll see red is my favourite colour!

While I was in Alaska a couple of years ago, I spent a day and a half walking around Lake Hood, near the main Anchorage Airport. I also did some float plane training from Lake Hood and Trail Lake at Moose Pass, south of Anchorage.

Many of the photos have appeared in "Awesome Aviation" but there are quite a lot which are new. As usual I'll be producing in NTSC and PAL format and the price will be the same at $25.00 plus postage.

If you'd like to reserve a copy, email me at fran@franwest.com.

Fran's Backpack - Zion National Park , UT - Trails Illustrated Map # 214

Fran's Backpack brings to you various products on travel, adventure, flying and photography.

They could be books, ebooks, videos, or gear. Check each one out as it's highlighted on the day.

Today's item in the Backpack is Zion National Park , UT - Trails Illustrated Map # 214 [Folded Map]

To get the most enjoyment out of a national park, you need a good map. Check out this one.

Click on the ad for more information.

Product Description
Covering all of Zion National Park, our Trails Illustrated map contains detailed topography with shaded relief, up-to-date trails, roads, and points of interest, plus trail summaries and useful information to get the most from your visit.

The North side of the map covers the popular Zion Narrows with a companion hiking timetable, plus Kolob Canyons, La Verkin Creek Trail, Hop Valley Trail, Wildcat Canyon, the West Rim Trail, and more. The South side of the map details the park headquarters, Floor of the Valley Road, East Rim Trail, Telephone Canyon Trail, and the Virgin River.

Printed on durable, waterproof, tear-resistant and environmentally friendly material that will stand up to any outdoor condition. Both sides feature a UTM and Latitude/Longitude grid for use with a GPS, plus compass rose, scale bar and legend for easy interpretation.

Approximately 4 1/4" x 9 1/4" folded; 26" x 38" fully opened
Scale = 1:37,700

About the Author
Founded in 1915 as the Cartographic Group, the first division of the National Geographic Society, National Geographic Maps has been responsible for illustrating the world around us through the art and science of mapmaking.
Today, National Geographic Maps continues this mission by creating the world's best wall maps, recreation maps, atlases, and globes which inspire people to care about and explore their world. All proceeds from the sale of National Geographic maps go to support the Society s non-profit mission to increase global understanding and promote conservation of our planet through exploration, research, and education.

Fran's Backpack - Locomotives of Australia: 1850s to 2010

Fran's Backpack brings to you various products on travel, adventure, flying and photography.

They could be books, ebooks, videos, or gear. Check each one out as it's highlighted on the day.

Today's item in the Backpack is Locomotives of Australia: 1850s to 2010 [Hardcover].

Click on the ad for more information.

Product Description
The first edition of this book appeared as a 272 page work three decades ago, its main aim being to provide a potted examination of the multiplicity of steam, diesel and electric locomotives that have graced this country from 1854. Since this first humble appearance, the book has grown in content, photography and style, and examining in some detail the massive technological changes that have swept onto the Australian locomotive scene. With an up-to-date map of the nations rail system and photographs provided by some of the nations more dedicated photographers, this book continues to provide a concise profile of the country's diversified motive power in what is the largest railway book yet produced in this country.