How Poor Are You?

One day a father and his rich family took his son to a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be.

They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"Very good Dad!"

"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.

"Yeah!"

"And what did you learn?"

The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon." When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless.

His son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are!"

Wealth really is a state of mind isn't it? You can have all the riches you want but on the other hand you can be the poorest person in the world.

It's a matter of how you think about the riches that are already a part of your life. You have to be grateful for what you have and appreciate any new riches you attract.

Wealth comes in many forms other than monetary, and it's all in the way you think about it. You don't have to be the wealthiest person in the world to have wealth. You already have it.

Susan Denny has been happily married for 38 years, has 4 adult children (all married) and 6 grandchildren. She has many years experience with families and relationships and has been involved in the Self Development industry for nearly 20 years.

Being healthy is a pre-requisite to creating the wealth and happiness you desire in your life. Go to: Health + Wealth = Happiness for more information, tips and ideas and sign up for my free report, Living With Anxiety and Depression.

Goal Setting For Changing Times

Have you noticed that you've experienced much change over the past year, months, weeks, and even days? Your situation may have changed due to the challenges presented by these changing times, and you may ask yourself if you have achieved your goals of the past year. How do we go about starting our goal-setting activity with all of this change happening around us?

The following seven goal-setting steps will help you successfully implement your goal-setting and achieve your dreams in the future in these changing times:

1. Successful Goal Setting Requires Thinking About Your Goals

You are told how to think and what to think about each and every day. From when we get up in the morning until we go to sleep at night, television, radio, personal computer, family, friends, managers, and colleagues tell us how to think, feel, and act.

Invest time fifteen minutes to an hour to think. Turn off all the external distractions, go to a quiet place (home, park, etc.), and think about your goals and how you want to accomplish them. Think about how you will feel when accomplishing them.

Your goal-setting thinking session should also include how you will benefit from these changing times. What special skills do you have or need to acquire to take advantage of these changing times?

2. Successful Goal Setting Requires Writing Your Goals

Nothing happens in goal setting unless you write your goals and put these goals on paper. Put a pen to paper and you are ahead of all ninety-five percent of other people because they do not write down their goals and then wonder why they are unhappy in their business, their career, and their life. Take the time to write down your goals. It doesn't need to be perfect the first time; successful goal setting is an ongoing process that will change as you accomplish your goals.

3. Successful Goal Setting Requires Shorter Time Periods

Break the length for your goals into shortened time periods. This allows you adjust as needed in changing times. For example, break your goals into twenty-year, ten-year, five-year, one-year, six-month, monthly, weekly, and daily increments. This will allow you to gauge whether you are on course to accomplishing your goals, or whether you need to make adjustments to get back on track.

4. Successful Goal Setting Requires Flexible Goals

You need to be flexible when goal setting more than ever in the past. As the world changes, planning for these changes is essential. An opportunity that is there today might not be there tomorrow. What are you going to do with shifting opportunities? When setting goals, successful people have a Plan A, Plan B, and even a Plan C for these changing times. Take time to think about what changes might happen in your business, your career, and your life and develop plans to overcome these obstacles.

5. Successful Goal Setting Requires Passion

Do your goals make you excited? If they do not, you are not setting goals high enough. Set your goals so that you are excited about accomplishing them. When you are excited about your goals, you create positive energy, and the energy creates passion. With this passion, you will find ways to remove any barriers to your success.

6. Successful Goal Setting Requires Embracing Technology

Many times in our workshops, we run across students for whom technology is a barrier to their success. Their jobs or industries have changed so that being proficient in technology is a requirement. Yet, these students resist learning the new technologies required for their success.

Include a section on what technologies you will learn in your goal setting so that you are successful. Overcome your fear and challenge yourself through these goals to learn how to master new technologies.

7. Successful Goal Setting Requires Balance

In these changing times, you are asked to do more with less. Whether in your business, your career, your community, or your family, you have ever increasing requests for your time and talents. Unless you include balance in your goal setting, someone else will create unbalance in your life which leads to stress and possibly illness.

Take back control of your life with successful goal setting. Make sure you set goals in the following areas:

* Family

* Health

* Education

* Technology

* Spiritual

* Career

* Community

* Business (if needed)

I am sure you can think of some others; however, these form the foundation of your goal-setting activities. Master these areas to be successful in achieving more in less time while staying in control.

Don't delay! Take the time to put think about what you want and deserve, then put a pen to paper. Invest in yourself and the seven goal-setting techniques discussed in this article and you will be successful in these changing times.

Ed Sykes is a highly sought after leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building expert, success coach, professional speaker, and author of Jumpstart Your Greatness. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site,

http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the free success newsletter, OnPoint.

Rejection is an Illusion

Does rejection exist? There's no such thing as failure or rejection. Let me ask you when you wiped out on your bike, did you feel rejected? Did you take it personally? No! It was simply a result. And it was simply a result you didn't like. So, you got back on the bike and committed yourself to obtaining a better result. You weren't offended that the bike "rejected" you or you experience "failure". You didn't feel "bad" because it was an "experience" and you probably learned from that experience.

"Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it." - William James Duran

If someone "rejects" you, and it's seldom personal, just a person making a decision. It could even be a poor decision on their part. If you "fail," it's just a matter of not doing something the way you'd like or the way someone else might like. Most opinions - even your own - are subjective. So, don't let the opinions of others dictate how you think about yourself. Compare yourself only to yourself, and set goals for you and your own fulfillment, not to impress others.

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." - Bill Cosby

A man named Spencer Silver was working to create a super glue or adhesive. After many attempts Mr. Silver developed a new adhesive, but it was super weak instead of super strong. Many of us would have labeled this experience as a "failure" or "rejection" Mr. Silver classified it as a result and stored the data. Then one Sunday four years later, another scientist named Mr. Arthur Fry was singing in the church's choir. He used markers to keep his place in the hymnals, but they kept falling out of the book. Remembering Mr. Silver's, "result" Mr. Fry used some of the super weak adhesive to coat his markers. Success! With the weak adhesive, the markers stayed in place, yet lifted off without damaging the pages. If Mr. Silver had thrown away his "failure" - Post It Notes would not be here today.

If you believe you've failed you may want to ask yourself some questions. What could I learn from this? How does this result help me? Remember each result is just another experience to learn and adjust bike path. If you don't like your results, change your approach and try for a different result. You might need to fine-tune your skills. Maybe you need to scoot your bike up to the curb when you climb on in order to prevent yourself from falling. Maybe what you need is some help, like a mentor or additional training. Maybe joining a professional organization will give you the contacts and information you need to take that step further. Explore, discover, and research! Find out what you need to do, and repeat, repeat, repeat!

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas A. Edison

What is your definition for rejection? Most people define rejection as not obtaining my goal, examples: She turn me down for a date or He won't let me or something along those lines. But have you ever decided what your definition of rejection is or how did you develop your term for rejection?

Take a moment and define rejection in a way that supports your life and instantly your life will change. A student of mine, defined rejection has: "I need to start negotiating" could you guess he was in sales.

Once you have created your new definition practices, practices, practice, remember repetition is the mother of skill.

"Rejection or Failure are illusions the only true rejection or failure is not being allowed in heaven, if you don't believe me ask God yourself" - Bert J. Martinez

Bert J. Martinez

You Were Created to Succeed.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Bert Martinez started school in Spain, and went on to complete school in United States. As a young man he was amazed how some immigrants could a mass wealth or success so quickly while the majority struggle to survive. His curiosity has led to a life study of "Success" to determine what qualities successful people shared. Surprisingly, he found, age, gender, race, family history, education or the ability to speak English determined ones ability to be "Successful." Bert noticed one commonality; without fail, the successful managed their emotions differently. This discovery changed Bert's focus completely and he embarked on a life mission to help people Manage Their Emotions for Success and Fulfillment. His clients starting calling him "The Emotional Engineer" for his ability to wipe traumatic memories, fear, and even phobias in minutes.

http://www.bertmartinez.com or http://www.yourfinalspeaker.com

Good Communication Makes All the Difference

Have you ever heard the phrase "we just can't communicate?" We just don't get along anymore and we never did anyway or what about, she just doesn't understand me. Most people identify communication with the ability to read or write well. This might not be the case as you will soon find out.

How many times have you been to the doctor's office and listen to an educated professional explain something to you that just doesn't make any sense. These people keep asking you, "Do you understand," Am I making myself clear and sometimes out of embarrassment because you don't want to look like an idiot you tell them yes I do understand. This isn't a good way to communicate either.

How do we communicate in a positive way to get our point across? I'm going to share a secret that works time and time again and some very successful communicators use this often. Ask the person you are communicating with if they understand what you just said, if someone is talking to you then use the statement, "Just to Make Sure That I Understand What You Just Said" and then repeat back your understanding of their conversation.

Sometimes just asking a view simple questions and clarifying your understanding can bring great benefits to any communication.

In some countries like Japan for instance you might find them reading your body language more than the words you are communicating with. Sometimes just by the way someone stands or reacts to something you said can give you a valuable insight to what can be understood in the conversation.

Don't forget however this could lead to a misunderstanding also. Again if you think someone understands how you are communicating with their body language, try not to assume that you know for a fact how they are reacting. Always ask them if they understand what you're talking about.

A person is responsible for what he says and to make sure that the other person understands completely the point he is trying to get across. I don't know how many times I have mentioned something to someone only later to find out there was a problem with my communication.

One of the greatest problems in business, marriage and most relationships are poor communication skills. Why not start using some of the simple skills used in this article to help with communication. You will start to see the benefits within a short period.

How do we do it? Why do we do it? And when are we going to change? How do we change our lives to become fulfilling sources of extreme happiness and joy. What is it going to take to open your eyes and finally seek the information you need.

If you're looking for a secret to happiness or a missing piece to the puzzle you quite possibly could find what you're looking for but no guarantees at spiritual books.

Check out Greg Vanden Berge.

Find Out Why You Believe in Your Religion

Whenever I ask someone involved in a religious organization, the question, do you really believe in your religion? Most of these people will often answer would be yes and start their religious conversion. Some of these people can become very intrusive if I don't stop them soon, very few of these people listen with an open mind.

I have talked to quite a few men and women about their beliefs over the years and still find it hard to believe that most of them live a life of faith with very little understanding or education about their religion. Now some strong believers might take offense to that statement, while others will listen to what I said and start doing a little more research on their religion.

Most of these religions throughout the world make perfectly good sense to their followers and I understand the reasoning behind some of them, it's all they know, everyone around them believes in the same religion and they get some sort of happiness and joy from it.

It's not hard to imagine a young child, walking around with strong religious beliefs if their parents are strong believers in it also. These children grow up and eventually train their children to follow the same path of their parents. Our children should be able to choose, what they will believe in, by the time they are adults.

This is a natural process of life, your parents learned from their parents and whenever someone asked them a question that they really couldn't answer or were uncomfortable answering, they can always reply with, I'm living a life based on faith or you just have to believe. You have to believe that someone is looking out for you and taking care of you. Most of these people think that something else is responsible for the events that take place in their life.

Is it possible for people that live a life of faith to educate themselves about their religion, to find the origin and maybe the destination of their religions. Could these people actually assume responsibility for their choices, whether they're good or bad. It's often hard to listen to somebody tell me that some evil entity made them do something bad. These people are easily convinced by others who agree with them and support them with their statements and beliefs. This seems to be where the biggest problem lies.

Once the people around us support our beliefs, they soon become realities in our lives. These realities will be transferred to others around us and give them support eventually about their beliefs. It's like a vicious circle that never ends. One believe supports another belief, until it's a fact.

Education is the path to freedom and will soon deliver the students from religious bondage. Someone a long time ago said," Seek and You Shall Find, Knock on My Door and I Will Open It.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, Science Getting Rich

Greg is currently working on a religious education also visit our article library, filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion

Being Flexible

In each of our lives, there will be times of joy and times of sorrow. In trauma, we are born. In trauma, we leave the world. Somewhere in the midst of living, growing, and understanding life in our maturity, we find ourselves seeking to find what we were born with. Innocence is precious. We really never lose it. We might for a time lose innocence, but life is too large for one perceptual being to embrace fully with the mind and the heart.

Innocence comes alive the moment we realize life is beyond our control, our ability to perceive, and our emotional capacity to feel. It is here we realize that life is beyond our control and we open our hearts and mind to something greater than ourselves. Our ego finds its proper place in our lives and we shift from being the central core of life's existence and attention to something much greater. At this point, we begin to place our life, our heart, our mind, and our soul into the very wisdom that has created us.

This movement from self-centered awareness to life-centered awareness allows us to perceive and have revealed to us information greater than what we know life to be to what can be known through us. Here, we become flexible with life, instead of, life having to go our way. This level of knowing creates a 6th sense, a super sense of awareness, an awareness in higher consciousness. We become more soul than body at this point. We become the awareness that brought us into this world. We become spiritual beings having a human experience. We become sons and daughters of the Universe.

When we remember who we are. We re - member ourselves back into the awareness at birth and at death. This awareness is with us always. We sometimes forget who we are. But, when we re - member who we are. We reconnect ourselves into the sense of knowing we grow through life and we also go through life. Through it all, our soul is in process of maturing and in process of remembering. With this in mind, our ups and our downs find consolation in our essence - in our spirit.

Samuel Oliver, author of, "What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living" For more on this author; http://www.soulandspirit.org

You Are A Diamond So Scrapbook About Yourself

As a devoted scrapper, you probably gain satisfaction from scrapbooking about others.

Oftentimes, you are the one glaring missing light in your scrapbook albums. Simply because you're so caught up with hiding behind the camera and being a fixated shutterbug. Either that or you're tied up scrapbooking about others that you missed out on scrapbooking about yourself.

Somehow, it's happening too frequently.

Ever thought about why you should take a step back and start scrapbooking about yourself? Ever wonder how scrapbooking about "you" could bring out the shine in you?

Come on, you are special, there's no way to deny it. Rare like a diamond. Just probably covered up in layers and needed some polishing to bring out the natural shine. And scrapbooking is a powerful method to reveal the rareness in you.

There's so many glowing benefits to creating scrapbooks all about you:

1) Leaving Behind an Everlasting Legacy

For the people who will never get the chance of meeting and knowing you, your scrapbooks about yourself will leave behind memories of you as a person. It's a mean of letting them discover and know about you.

I once read of a mother who was seized with terminal stage of cancer. In her final days, instead of resting, she struggled to put together scrapbook albums of herself. Why? Just so that her two very young toddlers will get to know about the mommy whom they'll never see in person again. The scrapbooks will be constant reminders to the kids of their mommy's love for them and her thoughts about them.

It's a heart-wrenching story, but it's a wake up call that you don't have an eternity. You have to take steps now to make time to leave behind a part of who you are. Like they said, "You'll never know"...

2) Showing the World of You as an Individual

Yes, besides being known as the scrapbooker who so lovingly and tenderly put together the family scrapbooks, your children and present or future grandchildren would want to know how you look like. They'll wonder "How did Granny Kate look like when she's a baby? And what did she look like when she's a young woman?"

You're likely to have the same curiosity of your ancestors too. So do showcase your changing faces or appearances throughout the years or decades. Come out from behind your camera, and ask or plead with someone else to take over the role of the photographer.

You are important and you need to be in those pages.

3) Revealing the Real You

By scrapbooking, you'll immortalize a part of yourself in a permanent way. And through reading your journaling, others will get to know you in an intimate sort of way. You are granting them permission to be privy to your inner world of thoughts, which are usually hidden by the superficialities of your daily life. Your journaling will reveal the authentic side of you that many may not have the privilege to know of otherwise.

Do consider leaving those alluring computer fonts aside for a while, and write in your own handwriting. It may not be perfect but it's much more personal. Your handwriting is undeniably a part of you.

4) Passing on Your Beliefs and Values

Worried that your values and beliefs will be lost forever to your future generations? Scrapbooking about them is a great way to ensue that they'll get passed on from one generation to the next. "Great-grandma Emily is a strong believer of filial piety. It's her strongest trait..."

Your scrapbook albums will likely become treasured family keepsakes, where your words will echo and impact on your future generations lives.

5) Pulling You Out from a Crossroad

There's probably times in your life when you feel uncertain and lost about yourself. It's like your identity has gone missing. I've been at such a crossroad before too.

At such disheartening moments, try scrapbooking on themes like "What Makes Me So Unique", "The Many Hats That I wear" and "Top 10 Things that I'm Most Proud". These themes will once again call attention to your own uniqueness. Such meaningful pages will reinforce the value in you as an individual.

If you're daring enough, try "10 Things I Like About You". This is where you'll have to get a couple of your closest kin and friends to each make a list of things they like about you. You'll have to cast away your shyness and get those lists from the people you care about.

Because someday when you feel like you're in the dumps, pull out these precious little lists, read over them and call to your mind that you are wanted and loved by others.

So instead of dwelling on your failures and imperfections, these powerful lists will push you forward and make you look at the positive traits of yourself.

6) Pump You Up with Pride

When you're done with some scrapbooks on yourself, flip through them occasionally.

You'll find yourself looking at you with a renewed sense of respect and pride. Be it as a mother, nurturer, wife, partner, daughter, sister, colleague or dreamer, your scrapbook albums will showcase you in different roles. It'll tell others that you aren't merely just a mom.

The pages will remind you that you have meaningful contributions to make in various roles.

Are you beginning to see the therapeutic wonders of scrapbooking about yourself? Doesn't it reaffirm the goodness within you and unleash the power of you being a diamond?

Aren't the above reasons compelling enough to cajole you into scrapbooking about yourself?

Each delayed moment is a moment lost forever. So take positive steps now to uncover the diamond in you to share with others.

Happy scrapping about yourself!

About the Author:
Fion Lim is the creator of http://www.everything-about-scrapbooking.com. She enjoys scrapbooking as a hobby and finds pleasure in sharing scrapbooking ideas, tips and techniques with beginner scrapbookers through her scrapbooking site.

Keeping a Positive Attitude During the Financial Crisis

The President tells us we have staved off a Great Depression with the giant mortgage crisis bail out. The Democratic Candidates tell us that the middle class is dying, people are losing their homes and jobs and the economy is in shambles. We all know that fuel prices are too high and the costs of nearly everything we buy are on the rise.

Treasury Secretary Paulson warns us we are not out of the woods yet and former FED Chairmen Greenspan tells us that this is a one in a century emergency and the 700 billion dollar bail out is the only plausible option. The Commercial Real Estate Industry says they might be next and the retail sector along with car sales are in trouble. GM may need a bail out and the Airlines are all on the verge of stalling out. Corporate America has announced massive lay-offs and huge consolidations, all bad news, very bad news.

So, with all this doom and gloom how on Earth is anyone going to keep a positive attitude? Well, they need too, as "consumer confidence" can often be the difference between economic collapse and a short recession. It's up to all of us now, our leaders have spoken and are taking action, this can work, but not without our help.

It's up to all Americans to think past the mass media hysteria, to believe in our financial system, and to allow it to work through this crisis. After all if you allow yourself to dip into negativity, all you are going to do is cause yourself stress and health issues. And in doing so, you will not be helping yourself, your family or our nation through these turbulent times.

"Lance Winslow" - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

The Importance of Goal Setting

The whole point of setting a goal is to help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. If you set goals and work toward them diligently, you can have all the things you want. People who set and achieve their goals are people whove decided what they want, committed themselves to going after it, and havent let anything stand in their way short of violating the rights of others.

A proper goal gives you all the incentive you need to grow in your awareness of being a perfect expression of an Infinite power, designed for excellence and abundance. As you become more welcoming and aware of your relationship with God, and of all the potential thats been built into you, youll function more effectively in harmony with the laws of the universe. Living in synch with all of this will yield results youve never dreamed possible.

They say that awareness is curative. It gives deep meaning to life because it spells the end of your robotic existence no more walking in the deep ruts formed by your harmful programming and counterproductive thought life. These old ways of thinking arent ways youve chosen they were planted in your heart when you were young by your parents, teachers, and religious leaders. While some of these programs serve you well, many of them are harmful and ready to be replaced. The old way of living has kept you from a truly abundant life.

But, in order to truly change, your old habits have to be replaced with new, healthy practices. Having a solid goal in place serves as a constant help as you do this. In fact, without a specific goal, youre unlikely to ever make a significant change in your life. While youre on your way toward achieving your goals, you learn to choose which thoughts youll allow into your mind. Youll see the connection between these thoughts, the feelings and attitudes they produce, and ultimately the results they yield. Its not something someone else can do for you.

Ever notice how your life never really stays the same? Youre either improving it or damaging it your actions arent neutral. As a spiritual being, your spirit constantly seeks expansion and greater expression. When this deep desire is thwarted, you experience a feeling of dissatisfaction. That feeling is unpleasant enough to serve as a good motivator. We hate feeling unfulfilled, and work diligently to escape such an unpleasant feeling. Well do pretty much anything to satisfy this need.

This need for fulfillment goes way beyond just things and money although they are important. They give you comfort and opportunity. It goes beyond happy feelings or a sense of peace although theyre important, too. Our drive for complete fulfillment includes these things, but goes so much further its a deep desire for a big purpose, something that catapults you into creativity, into meaningful and effective service.

Great you were created to pursue worthy goals. How do you set them? How do you go after them? What can you do to make sure you achieve these grand goals?

Half the battle with goal-setting is determining exactly what it is that you want. Sounds easy enough you answer that question just fine at a restaurant, on your birthday, when you get your hair cut. But when it comes to the big what do you want question, minds go blank. We dont know whats okay to ask for. Whats too much? Am I overreaching? How am I going to feel if I ask for something thats beyond possibility?

Wow, such bad programming we pick up! Ask any little kid what they want to be when they grow up and youll hear answers like: the President, an astronaut, a gazillionaire, a cat, a rock star. Nothing seems impossible; nothing seems like itll come back to haunt you if it doesnt work out.

Deciding what you want is risky. Telling someone else can feel uncomfortable. You might feel like youve got to preface it with something like, Please dont tell anyone Can you keep a secret I know it sounds crazy, but But you know what? People who set and achieve awesome goals are risk takers theyve learned to be. They know that theyve got the privilege and duty to design their own lives, make their own decisions. They dare to dream, and dream big. The power is in going after what you want, not in going after what you need.

Think you dont have what it takes to meet your goals? Then heres some great news youve already got everything that could ever be necessary to produce amazing results in your life. Youve got access to all you need whether you see it right now or not. So, dont worry about that as you choose goals. Assume you have every resource you need, right at your fingertips because you do.

Andrew Cocks and Terry Zambri are Certified Life Success Consultants, Network Marketing and Internet Marketing Coaches. Their exclusive 3 step marketing system, combined with their unique home based business training program is creating massive success for their team. Visit: http://www.AndrewAndTerry.com/incomeaccelerationsecrets.html to learn how you can be coached by them for FREE.

Copyright, MMVVII- AndrewAndTerry.com. All rights Reserved

10 Ways to Deal With Negative Thinking, Panic and Paralyzing Fears

I recently heard from a friend who had been laid off at the newspaper she worked at because of the faltering economy. She didn't have many job leads and her motivation was at an all-time low. She felt that there was nothing more frightening than being a writer in an uncertain job market.

Panic and fear quickly took over; where would she go from go from there?

How would she pay her bills?

How would she cope with uncertainty?

Her mind was plagued with self-doubting, self-defeating thoughts and she began to spiral out of control, right into a dangerous state of anxiety that threatened to paralyze her into stagnant ground forever.

As she began to realize what a toll her predicament was leaving her in, it became clear to her that she needed to take action and do something to get herself out of the hole she was in.

Once she sat down and began to reflect on things, working through the paralyzing fear and the negativity that came along with the devastation of losing her dream job and having to start over from the beginning, everything started to make sense and she was on a roll!

Sometimes it takes a moment of crisis to help us refocus our thoughts and energies into what we want our professional and personal goals to be and what we need to accomplish.

The following points will help you focus and concentrate on the positive rather than dwell on the negative, motivating you to move forward into action rather than leaving you stuck in a rut.

Reading through them should help you gain some perspective into your particular situation:

1. Allow yourself to be upset and grieve if things have gone wrong

Sometimes you suffer from start-up inertia because you're having to make a new start and you're stubbornly holding on to the way things were.

It is perfectly normal to feel panicked, upset, angry, sad, even outraged; you wouldn't be human if you didn't feel that way.

Take some time to get in touch with those feelings.

The night my friend got laid off she drove home, fell into bed and literally could not move for 45 minutes.

Then she called me.

I got her to get up, take a long shower, change into some comfortable clothes, and then she spent some time sat in front of the television watching 'Friends'.

Give your mind and body time to settle into the initial shock of change, whatever it may be. But focus primarily on how you feel and let those feelings out.

2. Take a DEEP BREATH!

Your mind deserves it, your body deserves it, your lungs deserve it.

Taking deep breaths improves circulation, calms anxiety and helps you focus.

Once you're done moping, take a deep breath and start to move.

3. Organize your home, organize your life

Is your house a mess? What about your room or your home office? Can you not see yourself going through the piles of papers on top of your desk? Have you looked at your bills lately and seen what you have?

If you haven't done any of these things, now is the time to do it.

There is nothing more stressful when we are in a state of panic than a living space that has no room for us to live in it.

So tackle the mess; wash those clothes, clean out that pantry, throw out the clutter, get those bills out of the way.

You'll be surprised how much more motivated you will be when you surround yourself with cleanliness and order.

4. Surround yourself with positive people

Now would be a good time to reconnect with friends that you haven't spoken to in a while, or even with the friends that you talked to just yesterday, those friends that always have an encouraging word, who are helpful and positive.

Do yourself a favor and avoid people who are always down in the dumps, or who always have something negative to say.

However:

5. Don't confuse negativity with constructive criticism

Some friends may seem like they're helping but they're just feeding the cynicism. Conversely, friends that may appear to be negative are actually offering ways to help by sharing your experiences and showing you a better way to focus.

Listen to the people that are there for you, take what you can use, and dismiss those things that you don't want to use or that you can't use. Don't allow yourself to be brought down by it.

Take charge of your life again.

6. Have someone objective to talk to

When possible, sometimes having an objective third party to talk to and run ideas by can be tremendously helpful.

In some cases, a therapist can be of vital importance in your growth process towards finding yourself and focusing on your career and life goals. They can provide you with a perspective that is sound, rational and unbiased, while still keeping your best interests in mind.

7. Keep a journal of your progress

Write your ideas and your thoughts down and read over them the day after. You will gain some valuable perspective and insight into your own growth and where you are at.

8. Get out of the house!

Take your laptop or notebook to the local coffee shop or park, somewhere with some interaction and get out into the world! This will give you a chance to get out of the house and possibly meet some people, network and create some opportunities towards accomplishing your goals.

9. Actively look for opportunities to do the things that you love most and turn them into opportunities for you

Do you enjoy attending art shows? Love doing volunteer work? Do you like fishing with friends or going to the library or attending meetings for local organizations?

These are all things that would not only satisfy the craving for you to do something that you enjoy, but it would also present you with opportunities to network, meet people that could help you get ahead, and spend time taking care of yourself and your mental and emotional health.

10. Finally, SMILE and BELIEVE!

Easier said than done, I know. Believe me, nothing about my friend's situation warranted a smile and some faith. But had she not kept herself smiling, it would have been so much harder to be positive and pull out of that state of anxiety.

Believe in yourself and the things that you have accomplished and remember that you are capable of achieving anything you set your mind to do.

So get your coat, get your shoes, get your smile and go out into the world!

Taking heed of these valuable insights will help you create and maintain a positive energy source in your life and keep inertia at bay. You will feel better, be more motivated and definitely more at peace.

All it takes is for you to make that first move. Don't let panic paralyze you into inertia. Anything is possible; it's up to you to make it happen!

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report that reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: stay motivated

The Power of Truth

Everything you need to succeed is found within you. How you see yourself and your ability to succeed will be "make or break" of your business. I've seen some amazingly talented people give up because they allowed two words to take over their psyches. These words have had a profound impact on their lives and businesses. The words are, "I can't."

"I can't" are the two most debilitating words in the English language. "I can't" usually starts with the all to familiar "You can't," or "You'll never". These words seem to carry an intrinsic power. For some, it's a call to stand up and say, "Yes I can! Watch me!" For others it's call to sit in the ashes of self-defeat. Which one are you?

For years I allowed, "You can't" to get in the way of my success. There was a time when I believed I would never be a success. My self-esteem was so low I didn't think I could get up again. Then I realized the Power of Truth. The choice to get up or stay down had been given to me. My success or failure was up to me, no one else. I became fully aware that I had the power to choose. I chose to stand. After I made that decision. I made several changes in my life in order to keep my mind set on belief instead of unbelief.

My rules to stay standing are:

1. Start where you are. Don't think about past failures. Start right here, right now, today. Move ahead one-step at a time.

2. For every negative thought that comes into your mind create an opposing positive thought. Say it out loud. Write them down and keep them front of you. Read them daily.

3. Commit to your goal. Write down your goals. Make sure they are manageable and commit to making them happen. Keeping them visible is a great way of keeping them real.

4. Be in good company. Stay around positive people. Read positive material. I highly suggest joining online groups to provide support and accountability.

5. Trust the Power of Truth. No matter where you go there are going to be those who will want to knock you down. Connect with your inner power. Remember who you really are. Don't go back to the ashes.

Make the choice to stand.

Jill Betz Freeman is the CEO of ROAR! Growing Your Business With Pride. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow. Jill has over 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, business development, customer service and corporate training. Shel is a saavy, vivacious, straight on consultant and trainer who is commited to working with companies, business owners and sales professionals who want to increase their bottom line. She has trained sales people involved in diverse industries such as healthcare and engineering. Stacy Kelly, CEO of PM Squared in Houston TX said, "Jill is the go-to person for sales advice." Beth Felege, BSN and Clinical Liason for a major skilled nursing company praised Jill as being, "the person who taught me the most about sales."

Check out ROAR! at http://www.roarcorps.com and contant Jill for more information about services.

Power To Change

How do we find power for change? There are some basic practices that will help us to make meaningful changes in our lives. The power to change lies within each us. We must recognize the value of learning positive practices that will help us to make dynamic changes in our lives. The power to change is within our grasps.

Action is one of the key elements to change. We must be ready to take some kind of action for change to take place. Positive talk is good, but action must be in the picture for effective change to take place. You must have a plan of action; list your steps. Do not put your plan of actions to far out in the distance future. Taking action sooner then later will help you to feel good about your change.

Another element that supports the power to change is motivation. When we begin to take positive actions toward change we often become motivated. Motivation is like a flame that turns into a fire. Our motivation will help us to continue on the road to successful powerful changes in our lives. Motivation is a by product of right actions, if there are no right it will be hard to get motivated.

Focusing must be part of the process to having the power to change. If we are not focused, it will be hard to change. We will expend a lot of energy without the ability to focus. The ability to focus will increase our ability to make positive changes. Our power to change is related to how focused we can become. By becoming more focused we have the power to make more changes.

In positive writings and books we can find the strength, courage and power to make real changes in our lives. The set aside scriptures can be used as a main source of gaining the courage needed to accomplish this task. Let us find the time to read these types of writings. A regular habit of reading the right materials will give you the strength for powerful changes.

The power to change is within our reach; we must walk the path.

I retired from United States Navy in 2003, after serving over 21 years of enlisted active duty onboard several different ships and a few shore assignments. I am married. My wife and i have two daughters. We have two dogs, Chow Chow's, to be exact. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts (Focus area Psychology) from Excelsior College class 2004. http://belwrites.com

Motivating Others - The Secret!

Can you really motivate others? In a word: NO!

I know that sounds weird coming from someone who makes a living in the business of motivation and engagement in the workplace; but I'm not going to waste your time with lies, platitudes, useless slogans and metaphysical crap. The fact is there is no secret when it comes to motivating others. You can provide external motivation, inspiration and incentive but ultimately all effective motivation is internal. If you want to motivate others you need to employ some simple protocols that are too often ignored by organization leaders:

• Find out what personally motivates each individual on your team.
• Empower people with the resources and opportunities that support each person's vision of success & happiness.
• Make sure everyone knows how important his or her role is in the success of the organization.
• Hold each person accountable for his or her role in personal and organizational success.

One more thing: Get rid of anyone who will not accept personal responsibility for his or her own success and happiness!

I define power as your ability or capacity to act or perform effectively. Give everyone in your organization the opportunity to perform effectively and the organization becomes more powerful. Simple, not easy!

Too often power is confused with control. Power is not control; control is an imposition of will. Power is effectiveness and a person is most effective when he knows his work is generating personal success and happiness.

But...some managers say it's impossible to know the individual needs of everyone in an organization. Divide and conquer! External motivation is a process of effective coaching and mentoring and that's best done on a small scale. You can manage the scale in two way.

• Delegate closer contact to smaller groups. Hold each management level accountable for knowing what motivates his or her immediate team.
• Make some time for nearly everyone you want to motivate. A little meaningful contact makes a large impression.

I'm not advocating an uncontrollable system of appeasement where everyone gets everything he thinks he's entitled to. Control should not be confused with power, but control is necessary to some degree at every level of an organization. Every individual is, however, entitled to at least one thing and that one thing is opportunity. A motivated person who doesn't see opportunity in your organization is going someplace else; you don't want to lose self-motivated people!

An effective organization understands the motivational drives of its people and strives to provide the opportunity for the individual to satisfy his or her drive for success. That drive converts directly to productivity and profit.

• Understand what motivates individuals in your organization.
• Establish effective coaching and mentoring that supports individual success.
• Provide opportunity for individual development and success.
• Hold individuals accountable for supporting organizational success.

You may not be able to motivate others, at least not on an internal level. You can provide external motivation based on the needs of the individuals on your team. Make sure external motivation is in synergy with those needs and the mission of the organization. Be a motivational example for others and you've got real power!

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER!

Visit: http://JimBouchard.org
Download your FREE white paper: The Actual Value of Motivation and Engagement in the Workplace: http://www.jimbouchard.org/BusinessPOWER.htm
Book Jim for your next corporate event, conference, convention or retreat. Call 800-786-8502

How to Motivate Yourself With Real Results

One of the hardest things for almost anyone to do is to keep their level of motivation at a peak level so that they achieve the results that they are looking for. Their is no question that being in a peak state of motivation is key to achieving whatever it is that you want. When you are inspired enough to keep going even when there are obstacles in the way, you are that much closer to getting the results that you desire.

So, what is the trick that can help you to keep yourself going even when it seems like the odds may be against you?

Passion is a key element. You have to be passionate about the results you are after. If you are not passionate enough, it will be easy to give up at the first signs of adversity. Setting goals that you can be passionate about is something that you must do in order to guarantee you stay motivated and stay in line with what you want to achieve.

Believing that you can and will get what you want is also necessary. When you have a strong belief in yourself and your ability to break through any barriers and climb over any obstacles, you are going to be able to keep yourself inspired to keep moving forward towards achieving what you want.

Believe with passion that you can and will achieve anything that you want to and that you can do this. This will help you to stay motivated so that you will keep moving forward in your life.

Learn how to attract love, money, or happiness or all three in YOUR LIFE NOW! Go to http://www.successfulfather.com and SIGN up for the FREE newsletter and BOOKMARK the site and return as often as you can!

You can attract the life that you truly desire! All you have to do is learn HOW!

Law of Attraction Secrets

Bryan Appleton is an investor/entrepreneur who has dedicated himself to teaching others how to achieve their dream life. He is also a proud single father with one son.

You can publish this article as long as you leave it intact and in full as well as keeping the url link clickable.

The Power of Truth

Everything you need to succeed is found within you. How you see yourself and your ability to succeed will be "make or break" of your business. I've seen some amazingly talented people give up because they allowed two words to take over their psyches. These words have had a profound impact on their lives and businesses. The words are, "I can't."

"I can't" are the two most debilitating words in the English language. "I can't" usually starts with the all to familiar "You can't," or "You'll never". These words seem to carry an intrinsic power. For some, it's a call to stand up and say, "Yes I can! Watch me!" For others it's call to sit in the ashes of self-defeat. Which one are you?

For years I allowed, "You can't" to get in the way of my success. There was a time when I believed I would never be a success. My self-esteem was so low I didn't think I could get up again. Then I realized the Power of Truth. The choice to get up or stay down had been given to me. My success or failure was up to me, no one else. I became fully aware that I had the power to choose. I chose to stand. After I made that decision. I made several changes in my life in order to keep my mind set on belief instead of unbelief.

My rules to stay standing are:

1. Start where you are. Don't think about past failures. Start right here, right now, today. Move ahead one-step at a time.

2. For every negative thought that comes into your mind create an opposing positive thought. Say it out loud. Write them down and keep them front of you. Read them daily.

3. Commit to your goal. Write down your goals. Make sure they are manageable and commit to making them happen. Keeping them visible is a great way of keeping them real.

4. Be in good company. Stay around positive people. Read positive material. I highly suggest joining online groups to provide support and accountability.

5. Trust the Power of Truth. No matter where you go there are going to be those who will want to knock you down. Connect with your inner power. Remember who you really are. Don't go back to the ashes.

Make the choice to stand.

Jill Betz Freeman is the CEO of ROAR! Growing Your Business With Pride. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow. Jill has over 15 years of experience in sales, marketing, business development, customer service and corporate training. Shel is a saavy, vivacious, straight on consultant and trainer who is commited to working with companies, business owners and sales professionals who want to increase their bottom line. She has trained sales people involved in diverse industries such as healthcare and engineering. Stacy Kelly, CEO of PM Squared in Houston TX said, "Jill is the go-to person for sales advice." Beth Felege, BSN and Clinical Liason for a major skilled nursing company praised Jill as being, "the person who taught me the most about sales."

Check out ROAR! at http://www.roarcorps.com and contant Jill for more information about services.

Motivational Humorous Speakers

Motivational humorous speakers can help to inspire people to laugh more at meetings, if you follow these simple yet effective suggestions below.

Aptness of Humorous Speakers for Meetings

Ideally, business meetings should be interesting, engaging, effective, and provide a platform for a smooth exchange of ideas. Meetings should be conducted in a relaxed atmosphere to encourage the emergence of path breaking ideas and effective dissemination of information. Importantly, business meetings should have an element of cheerfulness or fun underlying its proceedings. Are business meetings fun at all? They should be, but they are not. That's why you should consider hiring a motivational humorous speaker for your next motivational humorous speaker meeting.

Far from being funny and peppy, business meetings are made to be solemn affairs. Visualize a typical meeting scenario - do you see people falling off their seats with laughter or you see people frozen with seriousness, with their mobile phones switched off, body highly strung with stress, and their minds on "alert" mode? The latter image is more likely to form than the former. How often do we see an executive jumping with joy and proclaiming that he has a big meeting scheduled the next day? Very rarely. The topic of meetings have staidness writ all over them. Meetings are serious events. Unfortunately, they are invariably made to turn out that way when actually the need of the hour is - meetings should be easy, fun and yet purposeful - motivational humorous speaker to the rescue.

Professional motivational speakers meet this cardinal need of the world of business as they are gifted with the ability to transform drab and boring business meetings in to beautiful, lively and engaging platforms. Funny motivational speakers are much sought after for they have the knack of diffusing unwanted tension in the air of a meeting room. Meeting attendees' like to laugh and appreciate a motivational humorous speakers' wit and commitment to making the meeting successful.

Inspirational motivational speakers become indispensable when meetings become events where motivation is in short supply; the underachievers are pulled up; and competitors are lauded grudgingly for their successes. Keynote laughter speakers lighten up the atmosphere and put things in perspective in business meetings where big monetary figures are put on the tables; falling graphs are dissected to tiny atoms to be analyzed; and achievements are celebrated briefly only to facilitate the announcement of the next set of ambitious and sometimes over-ambitious business goals.

Doug Dvorak is the CEO of DMG Inc., a worldwide organization that assists clients with productivity training, corporate humor and workshops, as well as other aspects of sales and marketing management. Mr. Dvorak's clients are characterized as Fortune 1000 companies, small to medium businesses, civic organizations and service businesses. Mr. Dvorak has earned an international reputation for his powerful educational methods and motivational techniques, as well as his experience in all levels of business, corporate education and success training. http://www.dougdvorak.com

Anger Management For Teens - Self Help Steps to Control Your Emotions

Anger is unavoidable. Feelings of anger are triggered by factors in our environment and are accompanied by certain physiological reactions. Anger management focuses on the negative expression of these feelings. When one externalizes anger, one can mistreat the world around him.

Teenagers have a unique experience with anger. Adolescence is a major growth stage emotionally, socially and physically. Teenagers go through this stage without the benefit of a fully mature brain. Thus, their understanding and ability to self-regulate their emotions is often difficult. There are, however, several ways in which teenagers can gain better control of anger management. Managing anger involves becoming aware of the physiological "signals", such as blood pressure and heart rate, before the thinking part of the brain is bypassed and the action part of the brain is engaged. Following are some of the concepts I offer teens:

1. It takes 10 steps before you "lose" your temper. Here's an example: If I throw a ball to you, you catch it. However, if you were two-years-old, it might hit you in the face. Through trail and error, you have learned to lift your hands up, cup your hands, keep your eyes on the ball, bring your hands together at the right moment, press hard enough to keep the ball in your hands and suddenly you have caught the ball. This "catching the ball" technique took months or maybe years to master. In the same way, learning techniques to control your anger takes time to learn. Let's take a look at how we can break down the way we react in a situation to see how we might handle our anger differently: You ask your mom if you can go out while thinking to yourself: "She won't let me." You feel sick to your stomach, your heart races. You feel hot and angry and you're ready for a fight. A little too rudely, you ask your mom if you can go out. She responds to your tone of voice and says "no." You explode and scream, "I knew you were going to say that!" You go to your room and slam the door. You kick the bed and throw yourself down and think hateful thoughts. In order to begin to control your anger, you need to deconstruct your behavior and see all these "steps" you've gone through.
2. Prevention is the best medicine. If you understand step 1 and step 2 of your angry reaction, you can prevent steps 3, 4 and 5 from happening. Awareness is the key. Catching yourself before those other steps occur takes practice (like a child learning to catch a ball). You need to find a way to prevent yourself from going too far. In our example, from the moment you thought about asking your mom for permission to go out, you felt and behaved angrily. You need an alternative plan. One alternative during the early stages of anger is to pause and tell yourself, "I've got to break this pattern. Acting this way solves nothing. I don't feel good when I get distressed. I need to calm down and then cope with what I'm feeling." How do you do that? Take a deep breath. This allows you the opportunity to plan a different conversation with your mother. Use an external "reminder" to "stop, look, and listen" to different behavioral options. For instance, wearing a certain bracelet, ring or band can be a reminder for you that you need to stop long enough to consider the outcome of the path you are on.
3. Give yourself a break. Go outside for a bit. Take 10 deep breaths. Go to your room, lie down and listen to music. Write a page in your journal. Any of these techniques will allow you the "space" to talk yourself through the problem at hand. Like that child learning to catch the ball, it takes time to learn to control your behavior. In the event that you reach the point of losing your temper and expressing your anger, you need a plan as well. Some have found the following techniques as helpful at times like these: going for a run, punching a pillow, or throwing a ball. Screaming into your pillow can be more productive than screaming at your mother. These physical releases can produce a calmer state in which you can take a look at what led to the angry response and make a plan for the next time it happens.
4. Finally, write yourself a letter. Tell yourself the situations that trigger your anger. Describe the first steps as you move towards an angry outburst. Then, describe alternative plans for calming yourself and dealing reasonably with your anger. Give specific behavioral options that you've learned and calm you down at that stage. Also include plans for safe releases of your anger if it goes too far. This letter should be available at all times. Your own words can be your best coach when you feel circumstances getting out of control.

Laura Doerflinger, a licensed mental health counselor, is the Executive Director of the Parent Education Group at http://www.familyauthority.com and the author of the audio book, Emotionally Balanced Parenting

Copyright 2008 Parent Education Group - Reprints Accepted - Two links must be active in the bio.

Positive Daily Affirmations

Having positive daily affirmations in your life can only help you in whatever you want to achieve with your life. It has long been believed that repeatedly affirming quotes that are relevant to what you wish to achieve can enhance change. Some use affirmations to help them lose weight while others use positive affirmation to bring prosperity into their lives.

How this is believed to happen is reportedly due to the sub conscious mind being told what to believe. The sub conscious mind does not reason or any free will, it will believe whatever you tell it to if you say it often enough. There are documented reports that show that criminals who recite their defense posture often enough actually believe it is true after a period of time, even when it is proven later that it is completely false the criminals still believe in their own version and cannot be disuaded form that belief, of course if they were repeatedly given daily affirmations to the effect of their guilt over a period of time they would also start to believe they were guilty.

This ability to control the sub conscious can be used by us all to improve our beliefs about ourselves. If through childhood abuse or trauma we have beliefs that are un productive then if we decide we want to change them, we can.
If you were told as a child you were dumb and stupid often enough you would actually believe you are because of the daily affirmation coming from your parents even though you actually are no less intelligent than the other people your age.

The structure of the positive daily affirmation is important as we can waste our time if it is not constructed in the right way. For example, telling yourself that you do not want something in your life is not a correct affirmation, what you should be saying what you actually want in your life not what you dont want. As you can see there are small differences that can make a huge difference to the outcome.

Our advice would be for anyone considering using positive daily affirmations to change their thinking to seek experts in this field and use their experience to your advantage.

You can find daily affirmations review of the best expert advice available. Best affirmations guide.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Emptying the Bucket of Angers That We Carry

Have you ever felt your anger boil over to the point that it spilled out in ways you wished it hadn't? Has your blood pressure ever risen when someone offended you and you could not respond? Have you ever clenched your teeth, biting back your words till your jaws ached or you got a headache?

This can easily happen when the bucket of anger we carry around with us gets full to overflowing. Some of us also have leaky anger buckets that allow resentments to drip out.

Prevention is often a better approach to anger than bandaging the wounds we suffer as people respond to our anger. Prevention is also better than having to offer salve to others who are bruised when our angers bend their noses the wrong way or sear their flesh.

The habits of burying angers begin in childhood, when we are unhappy with situations that we cannot change and are unable to avoid them. In childhood, it may be very helpful, therefore, to stuff these unpleasant feelings into our inner bucket. This lessens our suffering, and helps us keep from expressing some of our angers - which in many cases would just generate more unpleasantness for us.

These habits continue into our adult lives, even when we have much better resources to cope with situations. Burying our angers and other feelings may still be entirely appropriate in some situations, but often leads to accumulations of resentments that may eventually spill over with excess intensity when our bucket reaches the point of overflowing.

WHEE: Whole Health - Easily and Effectively is a super-fast and easy way to deal with angers. It works best when used preventively. By systematically emptying our bucket of issues that have left major contributions to the annoyance load we are carrying, we end up with a bucket that has space for something new that comes along and is stuffed into the bucket, with less likelihood that old angers will come spilling out in response to the new aggravations.

WHEE is a very simple technique, in which you tap on the right and left side of your body while reciting an affirmation. Despite its simplicity and ease of use, it can be profoundly effective, within minutes.

Molly had suffered verbal and physical abuse as a child, as both of her parents had quick tempers and her father was a heavy drinker. She had also been encouraged to hit anyone who "messed with her" at school. She was finding it difficult to deal with co-workers on her job, due to her quick temper. WHEE not only helped her release the residues of angers from childhood mistreatments, but also helped her let go of her irritation and rising angers when they were triggered at work.

A good thing about WHEE is that people can use it any time they need to de-fuse their angers. It can be used without anyone knowing they are practicing a de-stressing method.

Doug was a quick-tempered 8 year-old who was always arguing and fighting with his classmates. When seen initially for counseling, he was highly oppositional and denied he had problems with his temper. He was able to say, however, that Joey, another child in his class, made him particularly angry. I asked whether he felt any of that anger as he was describing Joey to me, and he responded with an emphatic "You better believe it. If he was here, I'd teach him a good lesson!"

I looked around the room in an exaggerated way, saying, "I don't see Joey anywhere in the room, Doug, but I think he's really got you going! He's really got you mad at him. He's got you so mad, that he's got you carrying a big bucketful of that anger inside you, right now, even though he isn't anywhere near here." I paused to let that sink in, and commented, "And I bet you don't know how to get rid of that Joey-anger you're carrying around with you." Doug was able to respond more positively from there, accepting my invitation to show him how not to let Joey get him upset and keep him angry, even when Doug was nowhere near Joey.

Children learn WHEE quickly because it is so simple, and often release their angers more rapidly than adults because children haven't stuffed their anger buckets as full as adults have.

The principles of WHEE are described on my website, where you can also find articles and other materials about this potent method.

I'm a wholistic psychiatric psychotherapist, with a passion for teaching self-healing, bodymind and personal spiritual awareness. I authored Healing Research, Volumes 1-3 and many articles on wholistic healing. I am editor of the International Journal of Healing and Caring http://www.ijhc.org a Founding Diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine; and appear internationally on radio and TV.
See More by and about Daniel Benor, MD.

Sigmund Freud

Real Affirmations That Work

Affirmations are a great tool that you can use to enhance and benefit your life. They can also be used to help you break away from limiting thought patterns or habits that you may have that are not beneficial to you. The more that you can create a feeling within you that the affirmation is real, the better off you will be.

There are a number of theories or different ways that you can use affirmations to improve your life. There are also some people who seem to believe that an affirmative phrase is all that you need in order to achieve whatever goal that you may have in your life. This of course is not entirely true. You have to do more than just repeat words in order to make your affirmations work!

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

To get the real power and benefit from an affirmative phrase that you may be using, you have to make sure that your entire body gets a good and positive feeling from what it is that you are repeating in your mind or out loud. You also have to be committed to using these affirmations on a daily basis and multiple times throughout the day.

And you can also never deny the power of taking action based on your affirmation. Words without action do not hold much power at all, so you have to make sure that you are ready to take whatever actions that may be necessary for you.

Words plus action will create a powerful force to change your life!

Learn how to attract love, money, or happiness or all three in YOUR LIFE NOW! Go to http://www.successfulfather.com/signup/ and SIGN up for the FREE newsletter and BOOKMARK the site and return as often as you can! You can attract the life that you truly desire! Learn HOW!

Law of Attraction Secrets

Bryan Appleton is an investor/entrepreneur who has dedicated himself to teaching others how to achieve their dream life. He is also a proud single father with one son. You can publish this article as long as you leave it intact and in full as well as keeping the url link clickable.

Bathroom Water Damage

The Religious Background of Unicorn Tapestries

The unicorn has been a mythical symbol since ancient times. Some of the earliest depictions of the unicorn are from ancient China and featured a creature resembling a large horse with a single horn protruding from its forehead. The writings and drawings of many ancient cultures throughout Asia and Europe included unicorns and eventually they evolved into religious symbols.

By the middle ages, the unicorn was considered both a religious and secular symbol by most of Christian Europe. The unicorn represented chastity, holiness, and purity, and was even used as a symbol for Christ. Because of the unicorn's important symbolism, it was often featured in tapestries and other art of the period. There are even references to unicorns in the bible, although some historians question their inclusion in the Bible because of translations issues. References to unicorns can be seen in Deuteronomy 33:17, Psalm 22:21, 29:6 and 92:10; Numbers 23:22 and 24:8; and Isaiah 34:7. These passages do not infer that the references to unicorns are fictitious or that unicorns are not in fact real animals.

There are many examples of medieval art and tapestries that feature unicorns and once they were accepted as a religious symbol they became very popular subjects. Unicorns represented purity and the myth perpetuated by their holy meaning was that only a virgin could tame a unicorn. Tapestries were common among the aristocracy in the Middle ages and were used as decoration as well as insulation for windows and openings. The most common tapestry designs were biblical allegories including unicorns. One of the most famous sets of tapestries are the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, Created in France in the late 1400's.

The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are perhaps the most famous examples of unicorns in art in the entire world. They were not discovered until late in the 1800's by Proper Merimee in a castle in Boussac France. They were damaged but were later restored and then put on display in the Cluny Museum in France in a room specially designed to house them. The novelist Georges Sands was responsible for making them so popular and included them in her writings.

It is not known who designed and wove the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, but historians do know who they were created for. The coat of arms on the tapestries belongs to the Le Viste family and the tapestries were probably created for this family in the late 1400's. Like other tapestries and art depicting unicorns, the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are said to represent the human senses with the subject of the tapestries a virginal maiden and a unicorn. Five of the six tapestries represent the five senses, hearing, tough, taste, feeling, and sight. The sixth tapestry is one that carries some debate as some say it represent love, other think it stands for the "6th sense" while other think it represents understanding or empathy. Unicorns have long been a part of art and folk lore, and are still symbols of holiness and purity today.

http://www.touchoftapestry.com/servlet/StoreFront

Hope In Religion

Ideas About Your Religion and Trees - Something To Think About

Smiles Are Free So Give Them Awa
Sai Baba Spiritual Leader

A Culmination Of Pagan Practices

Christmas Is The Most Celebrated Holiday In Christianity. Some Consider It The Most Holy Day Of The Year.

The exaltation of Christmas is in itself a travesty. Most historians, and Christian scholars know that Jesus was not born on December 25th. They realize that his birth date was probably in the fall. This is backed up by circumstances surrounding Jesus birth.

People knowingly follow a false date set aside to exalt Jesus. Not only is the date a fraud, but also so are the practices. Many manmade traditions have been mixed in with the worship of God. This is like mixing dung with balsam.

The majority of the activities associated with Christmas have no relationship to Jesus. Sure there is an adopted religious (paganish) Nativity scene about Christ. But there are many more adopted pagan customs that are totally unrelated.

Christmas originated in Rome in the 4th century. The tradition came after the Council of Nicaea met in 325 C.E. For kingdom unification, the Council adopted the idea that Jesus was God. Christmas was a Christian substitute for the pagan celebration of winter solstice.

The winter solstice usually occurred around December 25th on the ancient Julian calendar. This celebration was a part of another Roman celebration called Saturnalia. Saturnalia began each year on December 17th. At that time the Romans honored Saturn, the ancient god of agriculture. Also celebrated was the lengthening of daylight following the winter solstice. Romans did this by glorifying Mithra, the ancient Persian god of light. These and other winter festivities lasted until January 1.

The Roman Catholic Church chose December 25 as the day for the Feast of the Nativity. This was in order to give Christian meaning to existing pagan rituals. The Church replaced festivities honoring the birth of the Mithra by commemorating the birth of Jesus. They called Jesus the light of the world. The Church hoped to draw pagans into its religion by overlapping their revelry.

Traditionally, the sacred Christmas season starts with Advent. Advent continues to Christmas Day. During Advent, Christians make preparations for commemorating Jesus birth on December 25th. They also look forward to the Second Coming of Christ.

About 600A.D., Pope Gregory I decreed that Advent start the fourth Sunday before Christmas. He decreed that the season end on Epiphany, January 6th.

Over the next 1200 years, Christmas observances followed the expansion of Christianity. It expanded throughout Europe, into Egypt, and eventually into America. Along the way, Christian beliefs combined with other pagan feasts and winter rituals. This created many distorted long-standing Christian traditions of Christmas celebrations.

Some examples are:

1)The ancient Europeans believed that the mistletoe plant held magic powers to bestow life and fertility, to bring about peace, and to protect against disease. They associated the plant with the Norse goddess of love, Freya, and developed the custom of kissing underneath mistletoe branches.

2)The Roman Catholic Church first introduced the midnight Mass in the 5th century. The dramatization of the biblical story of Jesus birth was a practice begun by Saint Francis of Assisi in the 13th century.

3)Many cultures continue the pre-Christian custom of burning Yule logs during the midwinter season; the Yule log symbolizes the victory of light over the darkness of winter. According to ancient tradition, the ashes provide protection against bad luck during the year.

4)The German custom of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmastime has become one of the most popular images of Christmas around the world. At one time, Germany supplied the world with almost all of the decorative glass ornaments for Christmas trees. On the evening of December 5th, children wait for a visit from Saint Nicholas, who brings them gifts. Most children also receive gifts on Christmas Eve. In some parts of Germany, Santa Claus distributes gifts, but in other regions Knecht Ruprecht, a mythical figure dressed in animal skins, delivers childrens treats. On Christmas Eve, families traditionally gather around Christmas trees decorated with lights, ornaments, and Lebkuchen, which are spiced cookies cut into decorative shapes. Worshippers holding candles illuminate Church services on Christmas Eve. The Advent wreath, which consists of four candles anchored in a circle of evergreen branches, originated with German Lutherans; many churches and families have adopted the tradition. At the beginning of each of the four weeks preceding Christmas, Christians light an Advent candle as they say a prayer.

5)In Italian folklore Santa Claus is not a prominent figure. Instead, Italian children wait for La Befana, a good witch who rides her broom to their homes on Epiphany to distribute gifts. According to folk belief, La Befanawhose name refers to the word Epifania (Epiphany)was too busy to accompany the Three Wise Men on their journey to visit the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Now, to atone for her failing, she visits all good children, leaving treats. She also visits bad children and leaves them lumps of coal or bags of ash.

6)In England religious customs of Christmas celebrations center on recounting the story of Christs birth. Most people who celebrate Christmas also participate in such secular customs as watching Christmas plays, feasting, singing, and helping the poor. Before Christmas Day, children write wish lists to Father Christmas, who is the British version of Santa Claus. They then throw these letters into the fire. Children believe that if a draft draws the letter up through the chimney, their wishes will be fulfilled. Children open their gifts on Christmas afternoon. Many people in England also make charitable contributions to churches and to the needy on the day after Christmas, known as Boxing Day. They also give small gifts known as Christmas boxes to those who have performed personal services throughout the year.

7)America has become a melting pot for many world Christmas traditions, with many new customs, many of which started in the 19th century. Before then Christmas had been an ordinary workday in many communities, particularly in New England, where early Puritan objections to Christmas celebrations remained highly influential. Families almost never exchanged Christmas gifts among themselves.

These early Christmas traditions in America quickly changed. Among some groups, Christmas became an especially boisterous event, characterized by huge feasts, drunkenness, and raucous public revelry. In an English tradition that survived in some parts of North America, Christmas revelers would dress in costume and progress from door to door to receive gifts of food and drink. Most holiday gifts were limited to small amounts of money and modest presents passed from the wealthy to the poor and from masters to their servants. The rapidly expanding industrial economy of the 19th century flooded the market with new goods for sale, and also helped establish a new middle class. Christmas gained increased prominence largely because many people believed it could draw families together and honor children. Giving gifts to children and loved ones eventually replaced the raucous public celebrations of the past, and Christmas became primarily a domestic holiday.

With the new custom of Christmas gift giving, the marketplace exerted an unprecedented influence on holiday celebrations. Commercial innovations such as department stores and mass advertising further expanded the custom of exchanging Christmas gifts. Seasonal retail sales helped fuel the economy, causing merchants and advertisers to become some of the seasons most dedicated promoters. Many holiday celebrants regretted these changes and began voicing the now common grieve that Christmas has become too commercial. With the influx of immigrants, who introduced a wide variety of religious and cultural practices to North American life, celebrating Christmas became a way for people from different parts of the world to create a sense of community in the cities. The holiday forged a sense of nondenominational Christian spirit in the communities, as it promoted a sense of collective good will.

Christmas, the most Holy Day of Christianity, has many built-in errors and influences. Although it has become a Day to reflect on goodwill toward mankind, the core of Christianitys foundation (Jesus birth) has pagan roots. Just imagine how many more pagan customs are embedded into other Christian holidays and beliefs. All of the Christian traditions need to be investigated thoroughly, if one is to take them literally.

With Christmas, like other holidays, Christians give reverence to images and symbols. With Christmas there is the symbol of the Christ child. In Rome this image is called Santo Bambino Jesu.

There are also other pagan images, adopted for various reasons. Some of these images include: mistletoe, prayer cloths and beads, people, spirits, Crucifixes, etc. To include the worship of any image or object is an abomination. God wants our total dedication to Him only, in spirit only.

Biblical Scriptures read:

Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Deut. 5:8.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deut. 6:5.

Jesus said:

Have ye ever seen dung mixed with balsam?

Now I tell you that there be in the world greater madmen, because with the service of God they mingle the service of the world. So much so that many of blameless life have been deceived of Satan, and while praying have mingled with their prayer worldly business, whereupon they have become at that time abominable in the sight of God. Tell me, when ye wash yourselves for prayer, do ye take care that no unclean thing touch you? Yea, assuredly. But what do ye when ye are making prayer? Ye wash your soul from sins through the mercy of God. Would ye be willing then, while ye are making prayer, to speak of worldly things? Take care not to do so, for every worldly word becometh dung of the devil upon the soul of him that speaketh. GB: 84.

More is revealed on this subject of: False holidays and customs, as well as on the subjects of: Gods Knowledge and Worship, and the Judgments of God, in the Guide Book: ONE GOD ONE WORD: The TRUTH About The KNOWLEDGE and WORSHIP of GOD.

Visit website: http://OneGodOneWord.com/ for additional information.

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The Sound of Soul

Have you ever wondered if soul has a sound? We may experience the sound of soul more than we know. Any time you move your attention to the inner dynamics of what lies behind your body and your mind, your soul will reveal itself to you.

Soul can be experienced outside your body and your mind as well. Just the other day, I was riding in my car with my friend Suzanne. We drove by an old barn that was caving in upon itself.

At some point, this barn stood upright. It was strong and enclosed many vehicles and animals for years. As with people, this barn aged over time. What once was a structure capable of containing many experiences of life, now, became a broken reflection of moments filled with life suspended in time.

You and I are a structural mind/body system that holds experiences within us just like this barn. As we recall these memories, these past experiences move our awareness toward an expression of experience where stillness allows us to re-live soulful memories filled with life and vitality. These inner visions, feelings, and experiences are our soul's way of speaking to us.

In silent reflection, our attention moves into expressions of living that are eternal. It is the part of us that is aware of our awareness. The part of us aware of our awareness and not identifying with the need to compete, become successful, or any other manifestations of the material world.

Our soul is the identification with what lies behind all appearances of separateness. This part of us needs no eyes to see, no ears to hear, no hands to touch, no tounge to taste, and no nose to smell. Our soul is completely free of any expression of our world. Our soul is the part of us that infuses all these qualities of attention.

Our soul is the silent spaces between every thought, word, and deed. It is a pregnant silence, all pervading, all knowing, and filled with eternity. Our soul is a connecting point from the world of flesh and the world of Spirit. The sacred human relationship between the form and formless states of our being create a spacial quality of existence within and beyond us whereby infinite possible correlations become the path of our soul.

* Try this exercise:

The next time you wake up in the morning, listen to your surroundings, just listen and do not analyze any sound. Let your attention be drawn into the sounds around you. Notice how far they are from you or how close. Do not try to define anything - just notice. You may hear birds, cars on the street, or the sounds of your home. Now, notice the part of you noticing all these sounds. What does this part of you sound like?

There is another sound within you. It is the part of you constantly speaking, analyzing, and judging. This part of you begins to plan your day, organize, and worry. It is the part of you that drives you out of silent witnessing all the events taking place around you. This part of you will get you out of bed in the morning.

At this point, learn to integrate the two consciously. They are going on anyway. This way ordinary events in your life will become sacred human awareness and a life filled with gratitude for every moment. Did you notice the difference between these two sounds? One moves your attention into the material world. The other moves you deeper into silence - the part of you aware of life's inner qualities the Sound of Soul.

Sam Oliver, author of, "A Fish Named Ed"

http://www.soulandspirit.org

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Physical and the Non-Physical Consciousness

The junction point between different states of consciousness; i.e. waking and sleeping is a good time to notice this experience.

As your mind and body start to settle down to rest. You become aware of the more subtle nature of the body, mind and aura. For me this experience is one of first scanning my body and my feelings and becoming aware of my deeper connection.

If I become aware of any discomfort in the body, I take my attention into that region and consciously breathe, relaxing the physical body and clearing the mind of any associated thoughts.

As you continue with this process, you may become aware of a third level of awareness; a field of energy that both surrounds and permeates the mind and the body. I say field, as it is a kind of electromagnetic field of energy, similar to magnetism.

This field of energy is the aura, the energy field of the body, it has consciousness too and you may notice your awareness passing from the physical body to the non-physical aura as you settle down to sleep.

Sometimes I experience this like clouds of white light washing over the body and passing through the body. As you take your awareness from your physical body and step over and become aware on your feelings as being within the clouds of white mist of the aura. You notice a freeing of your awareness an expansion and raising slightly of ones vibration.

The human body is such a wonderful thing as we can experience it on many levels and see the connections into may different aspects or dimensions of its nature.

As we become aware of this non-physical connection to our higher Self we may also become aware of its nature. We could invite in our guides and angels to come around us. We could take a few minutes just appreciating the work they do for us.

We could start to ask them for guidance or plan what we would like to do or experience tomorrow. This is a magical time, as we start to drift off into sleep, and if you witness your sleep, you may even have the experience of your spiritual awareness going out of body and astral travelling through the Universe.

This is all apart of your higher Self, the clouds of white light that you feel, is your spiritual connection into the non-physical world. This non-physical, although it is not localised like your body, is still as much apart of who you are as the physical nature of your body, in fact I would say is more your true nature.

So next time you are going to sleep, just in an innocent way, stay a little more aware of your feelings and experiences and consciously enjoy being aware of the many aspects of who and what you are.

Message channelled by George Lockett (C) Copyright 2006, All Rights Reserved.

* New book * "A Journey into the Self -- the multi-dimensional nature of being human": HealerGeorge Web Site and New Book

Description: What is this book going to do for YOU? For those who are seeking a complete energetic makeover, as you read it you will feel a stirring and awakening in the depths of your heart. For those who have questions about Shifts in Consciousness, Energy Balancing and Healing within the body, you will find clear answers.

Read HealerGeorges Blog: Curezone Blog or ask at question at: Ask HealerGeorge

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Yoga And To Force Or to Feel

Most of us who do yoga yearn for more from the practice than just physical benefits--indeed, for more than just benefit to ourselves. But how can twisting our bodies, opening our hips, and straightening our legs make a difference in the wider world? How can lifting our chests help lift up this troubled planet?

Our asana practice can have a positive impact because it constantly asks us to become more sensitive, more conscious, more aware of ourselves--not just our bodies but also our minds, feelings, emotions, and our very nature. The real value of asana practice is that it can teach us to tune in and truly feel. As our sensitivity increases, life becomes more rich and enjoyable because we can taste the unique flavor of each individual moment. More important, we also become more aware of what moves us toward out dharma and what takes us away from it. This awareness makes us clearer and more peaceful, more able to elegantly handle life's endless dilemmas without feeling overwhelmed or fearful. As a result, we become more effective in all of our actions, and our presence begins to inspire and bring out the best in people around us.

The opposite of feeling is forcing. When we force, we cannot feel, and when we feel, we cannot force. The moment we start to force, we begin to lose awareness of the effect our efforts have on our nervous system, on the situation itself, and on the other people involved. Forcing makes us angry, inflexible, and intolerant; raises our blood pressure; and can eventually create heart problems. Feeling, on the other hand, makes us calmer, more receptive, more understanding, and healthier.

If we force ourselves into Ardha Matsyendrasana II (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose II), the spine will twist where it always has, where it needs the twist the least. In this pose, it is particularly easy to force the body while attempting to reach around the back and grab the shin. To the extent that the desire to do this comes from the ego's urge to satisfy itself--just to prove we can do this pose--it manifests itself as force. Feeling, on the other hand, allows us to tune in to the habitual tendencies of the body and sense which vertebrae are twisting and which are not. Cultivating feeling in Ardha Matsyendrasana II allows movement where there was stagnation, release where there was stiffness, and freedom where there was bondage.

Just as force and feeling are opposites, so are violence and awareness. We often get angry, and sometimes even outwardly violent, when a situation arises that is not to our ego's liking, rather than using it as an opportunity to become more aware. But violence inevitably breeds more violence. The more forceful and violent we are, the further we move from feeling and awareness; consequently, the more violent we become.

I believe much of the violence in our world comes from our lack of awareness, which has historically manifested itself as an unwillingness to see other people's point of view. When we pause and feel, we become more open and more receptive to the possibility that there are valid ways of thinking other than our own.

Sensitivity is often portrayed as weakness, yet it actually gives us the strength to lower our guard and say to an enemy, "Let's sit down and talk this through. How are you feeling? Why are you behaving the way you are?" People who have the security that comes with deep sensitivity and awareness have no desire to be violent; it is insecurity that contributes to violence. Through feeling, sensitivity, and awareness, we can bring insecurity and its resulting violence to an end.

What does all of this have to do with our individual practice of asanas like Ardha Matsyendrasana II? The awareness that we develop on the yoga mat, though seemingly small, affects all that is. As we become more aware in our yoga practice and in our lives, as we move away from force and violence and toward sensitivity, feeling and awareness, we change our individual consciousness and actions. In turn, these changes influence the consciousness and actions of everyone we meet. Slowly we shift the direction the world is taking. As we practice each asana, whether it be a challenging twist like Ardha Matsyendrasana II or a simple standing pose, we have the opportunity to become the embodiment of peace and to make our practice a prayer for harmony in the world.

2008 Aadil Palkhivala

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