Hope is Action - Self Help Tips

I am going to talk about a forgotten necessity of your life. With daily stress, financial obligations, and competition you get to neglect the most important thing in life, YOU. Your self is so important that it is the only source of happiness, and success in your life, the world, and the universe. How can you ignore it?

Yourself is Dignity, Responsibility, Courage, Love, Action, and Power.

I am talking to adults that care about themselves, enjoy their present, and have a vision of their future, however they are entangled with surrounding negativity, global crisis, and personal obligations. They are hoping for things to change and improve by itself, so they can proceed toward their goals. Let me tell you that your hope is a wishful thinking. It is just a word you say to comfort yourself, not an inner feeling.

Hope, optimism, motivation, and self confidence comes from within yourself. It becomes active and rewarding only with action.

First you must make a choice to be aware of who you are based on your creation, not on psychological loops. Then you take action toward positive change of yourself and therefore to succeed in all perspectives of your life.

You have to BE before you are able to DO

Ask yourself "what do I have to lose to function at my maximum potential?" Nothing, you have nothing to lose, and all to gain. And your only cost is your will. "Why settle for less than your significant complete creation?"

I was so frustrated with everyone around me complaining about economy, marriage, and relationships. And I had to repeat the same words again and again, that you are the source of whatever is happening in your life, your job is yourself, when you change, everything around will too. I chose to positively channel my frustration with taking action toward a change. I have put together a coaching program that will guide you to explore yourself to become a master of your existence, and a leader of your life, through understanding the greatness of your creation.

I am going to work with you, everyday to get you back to who you really are, a complete human, with a mind, a heart, and a body. To transfer your wishful thinking to reality of happiness and success in all aspects of your life.

To claim your program "Hope is Action" go to http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs009/1102313419702/archive/1102366204153.html

Rola Jabri is a founder and president of MAOC Studio Inc. As a marketing consultant, and trainer she ventured in different venues with entrepreneurs to reach out to individuals as they are the source of any positive change in the world.

Copyright 2008 Hope is Action. The name and content of this article may not be copied, published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of MAOC Studio Inc.

Writing Or Evil Influence

The Latte' Factor - Never Too Late to Learn to Save (Even With Pocket Change)

In my early adulthood, when I was finally able to afford, at least some of the things I wanted and/or needed, I became a big fan of frivolous spending. I had to have that new issue of Esquire, that personal trainer at the gym (not just the gym), an office in a better location, a more trendy breed of dog or cat, live in a nicer neighborhood, and, of course, later, "My morning Starbuck's". I "had arrived". The "American Dream"...or so it seemed, for awhile.

I am not proud of having been a male version of Madonna's "Material Girl", but I was young, in my thirties and early forties, and was naive enough to believe that peer pressure at least ended after high school, and certainly after college. Not so. It became worse. If my friends bought a better house, I sure better call my Realtor immediately. They got a Lexus, time for a Mercedes. It all seemed like fun and games and, in fact that is all it was. A proverbial game of "show off".

Then came the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. Within twenty minutes, all that I had acquired as a material consumer was gone. And insurance didn't come close to covering my collectibles, antique furniture, family albums/videos, memorabilia from as far back as kindergarten, etc. I was left with my car, and a few boxes of clothes, and a one year old golden retriever puppy named Otis who saved my life (barked wildly before the earthquake), I thought to go out to do his business, but to alert me at 5 a.m to get out of harm's way.

Fifteen years have passed and I learned something I never had before, and never thought I might learn. It is called "humility". Please do not confuse humility with sainthood, far from it. Rebuilding one's life from scratch midlife, after "having it all" teaches a few lessons, and, I am certain I am not

unique in this situation. When I say "having it all'; I don't mean the Forbes 400. I mean whatever I wanted, I could generally afford it.

At least I had my health. For awhile. But then that went too for a number of years. This was a motivating factor in my going back to college as an adult, and reading voraciously when not in college, visiting the library often.

One of the most interesting books I ever read was not within the genre of books I usually consume. The book is titled "Start Late, Finish Rich" by David Bach. In it, he talks at length about something called "The Latte' Factor". Strange name I know, but it describes how the American consumer is taught from birth to consume all he/she can in this material world, that life is short, get it while you can, carpe diem, etc.

Then he calmly suggests ways to counteract that. Do we really need that magazine subscription, must we have a latte' and bagel each morning at Starbuck's. Do we have to even buy his own book if its available at the library. Must we have a car that is made to "show off"when a pre-owned Honda, Saturn, etc. does the trick. I have a wonderful eight year old 4-door Saturn now and it rides better than my old fancy German car ever did. Better gas and reliability as well.

When you add it all up, just the small non-necessities, that we don't need, or, in the case of Starbuck's could make coffee at home with flavored creamer for pennies and a bagel for a quarter, nix the magazines, etc. We are talking saving anywhere from $800-2000 or more a month. If that is put into an IRA, even if you are in your fifties now, you will be wealthy by the time you are of retirement age.

Gifts need not be expensive. He recommends memorable personalized gifts that people see daily and enjoy and think of you when they see or use them.

He recommends losing the credit cards and paying as you go, cash, check and/or debit card. I began doing that, and noticed a huge difference in my extra cash at the end of the month. I never used to budget. I do so now.

There is much more to the book, but the bottom line is that The Latte' Factor need no longer be a part of our lives. Yes, at first it seems strange and a little boring, but it is a self behavior modification in which, once done, we never go back. And we are happier and more prosperous in the long run for it.

Rick London is a cartoonist, freelance writer, and e-tailer, and was founder of the Internet's top-ranked award-winning London's Times Cartoons which is known to feature the Funniest Cartoons On The Internet and owns a number of critically-acclaimed e-shops featuring his images on funny gifts He offers personalization for $2 and most gifts are in the $15 range.

Can You Change Your Life

Unbelievable High School Inspiration Video

What a great inspirational story about a young man on a high school basketball team. Sometimes it's not all about what you think

Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a self help 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.

Small Things Lead To Change
Amazing Sai Baba

Weight Loss Motivation Secrets

Weight Loss Motivation Secrets and Subliminal Weight Loss

Does this sound like you?

Decide to lose weight
Set a goal of how much to lose
Start new diet
Lose a few pounds
Feel really good
Have a small treat because you've done so well
Feel bad about the small treat
Promise yourself you'll start again
Start again
Give up

Weight loss is not easy. Anyone who has ever struggled with weight knows that. You know that. But it is possible.

When you first start a new weight loss regime you will be excited at the prospect of losing weight. Excited about getting back into shape, maybe buying some new clothes. You might even be excited about the new diet plan you've found that everyone is talking about.

Good intentions only take you so far and weight loss motivation is no different.

You already know how it works. Something happens that breaks your new resolve and it's one step forward and two steps back. Maybe you go out with friends from the office for a meal - you can't avoid it. Maybe you have a bad day at work and just need that familiar comfort feeling.

Whatever it is, willpower alone is not enough to keep you doing what you know you need to do to lose weight. And once you've broken the diet, you know as well as all the other dieters out there that it's really, really hard to get back into it properly.

It's very frustrating, especially if you've been through this routine before. Does it mean you lack willpower? No. Do you lack discipline? No.

What it means is that you may need some help to focus your mind on the right thing. The right thing to focus on is gaining a trim, slim vibrant body. Once you focus on that your mind takes over and knows how to achieve it. Once you give your mind the right instructions you start to move towards what you want, instead of away from what you don't want.

Most people trying to lose weight are concentrating on the negative aspects. In other words they think about what they can't eat anymore. Ever heard a dieter say "I'm not allowed that"? Ever said it yourself?

It's very easy for most of us to concentrate on the negative side of things, instead of the positive, but there are ways to change that.

You know how positive you generally feel when you first start on a new weight loss program? Well supposing you felt like that all the time. Can you imagine how much more likely you are to be successful?

Subliminal messages can give you the edge to make that change. Powerful and easy to use, subliminal messages can help keep you motivated and enthusiastic about your positive lifestyle changes.

Use what works for you. For some people it might be audio subliminal messages and for others it might be subliminal message software that works all the time you are using your computer.

One thing is sure, if you think about it, you already know that what defeats you when you're trying to lose weight is not the food. It's your mind giving in to the temptations in front of you. Change your mind and you can change your life.

-----------------------------------------------
For a free report with more weight loss motivation secrets, visit easiest-weight-loss-ever.com

Is King Solomon Going To Heaven

Avoiding the Health Risks of Anger

Well, you should have thought about that first!

The womans voice was loud, too loud for the restaurant. We were trying to enjoy a relaxing meal when the argument erupted a few tables over- a couple in open disagreement.

I didnt want to think about it, he shouted at her.
By now my meal was loosing its flavor, disrupted by the unpleasant outbursts projected from across the room.

Its called anger. We all know it. Weve all experienced it. For some of us it happens rarely. Others dip into its dark shadows daily. But did you know that anger isnt just emotionally damaging?

Its true. Anger can do more than upset us emotionally. Anger can have deleterious effects on our physical bodies. It can actually produce heart disease and keep us from having a healthy heart.

Sound far-fetched? It shouldnt. Medical science has known about the harmful effects of anger for hundreds of years, but only lately have physicians been recommending people address their anger.

Dr. Kirk Laman, a board certified cardiologist, with a special interest in heart disease prevention suggests that we look at anger just as we look at other risk factors for heart disease.

Anger is a powerful emotion. If left unchecked it can actually cause a heart attack, said Dr. Laman. All of us are aware of the traditional risk factors for heart disease- smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Yet, recently the American Heart Association has recognized that emotional issues can also place us at risk for developing heart problems.

Numerous medical studies have cited anger as a cause of heart trouble. In the medical journal, Circulation (October 1995) anger was shown to precede and actually trigger a heart attack.

In the article they studied 1623 men and women, evaluating the amount and timing of anger in the peoples lives. These researchers were able to find a direct relationship between having anger and developing a heart attack.

In another study on anger (Circulation, May 2000), 12,986 people who carried more anger were twice as likely to have a heart attack, die, or need angioplasty or bypass surgery when compared to people who were less angry.

Indeed, anger isnt just an emotional issue. It truly can be harmful to our health.

What can we do about anger? Well, the first thing is to become more aware of when we are having anger. We can do this by becoming more aware of our hearts in general. We can also begin thinking more about stress reduction.

One useful thing to do is to set aside 20 minutes each evening for reflection. Journaling can also be helpful. Reflect how your heart felt throughout your day. Were you upset, frustrated? Just by spending time reflecting, you can begin to conquer the harmful feelings that over take your heart.

If youre someone who is angry a great deal seek professional help. Find a psychotherapist or counselor and begin developing the skills needed for creating a more healthy heart.

Anger is a risk, but you can avoid suffering from debilitating heart disease.

Kirk Laman, D.O., F.A.C.C. is a cardiologist, author, and public speaker. His unique message, How Heart Centered Living is the Key to Health and Well Being captivates and motivates audiences to improve their lives.

Dr. Kirk Laman is a board certified cardiologist with a special interest in preventative cardiology. Dr. Laman has written for the Detroit News, Medical Economics, as well as Lansings, Healthy and Fit magazine. He has been interviewed on ABC, NBC, and PBS television in Michigan. His book, How to Heal Your Broken Heart- A Cardiologists Secrets for Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Health: http://www.drlaman.com/book.html published by Advantage Press. In the book Dr. Kirk Laman offers readers a simple and easy way to begin the process of healing the psychological and emotions issues that trouble their hearts.

Dr. Laman is also an avid public speaker. He brings his twenty years of practical experience as a cardiologist and healer/pastor to the table as he offers useful lessons in heart felt living. Developing a deep connection with others in one of the key skills for success.

Water Damage Mold

Breaking Through Obstacles With Chop Sticks

I remember accompanying a friend of mine to a workshop and taking part in a little demonstration. We were put in teams of two. One person held a disposable wooden chopstick firmly in front of them, with one end of the chopstick in one hand, the other end in the other. Their partner took a business card and was instructed to break the chop stick with the business card.

As soon as this little game was explained I had a powerful thought. "I'm going to break that chopstick on my first try." I don't know what made me feel so confident, but I just knew I was going to do it. Now mind you, I'm not particularly strong or fast. However, I was feeling particularly powerful and wanted to prove to my friend - and myself - that I could do whatever I set my mind to do.

My partner, Andrea, chose to go first. She whacked away with her business card until it was a pulpy mush. Other people whacked and smacked and swiped to no avail. It took a while, but eventually one person broke the chopstick. Then another and another succeeded. Now it was my turn. I took the card and made a bold swipe. The stick instantly broke in two. Andrea looked at me in disbelief. I just smiled. I did exactly what I imagined I would do.

I wish I could tell you that I'm always so successful. It's not that I (and you) are not capable of these little (and big) victories in life. We are. But little nagging voices of self doubt come marching in like ants to a picnic. Those old, sad stories of how we aren't good enough, or smart enough, or talented enough tug at our self confidence and stop our efforts before we start. I have heard these nagging doubts referred to as "your evil twin" mocking any attempt at success.

You can't tell other people to shut up (not safely anyway) but you can tell your evil twin to take a hike. And you should - as often as the little creep whispers nasty nothings in your ear. As long as you believe these sad stories, they will continue to have power over you. Make it a practice to rewrite your life's script and choose to believe the winning moments of your life as your model. Our actions are the direct result of what we believe we can do.

Robert Collier once said: "Our subconscious minds have no sense of humor, play no jokes and cannot tell the difference between reality and an imagined thought or image. What we continually think about eventually will manifest in our lives."

The proof of this is illustrated as my little story continues. I went home and repeated the chopstick demonstration to my 14-year-old daughter, Brittany. I got out a pair of chopsticks and a business card and tried to replicate my earlier success. There is something a little intimidating about a teenager's disbelief and mocking smile. I took the business card and swiped it against the chopstick. It didn't break. I took a moment and thought about my plight. What was different? It only took a second. A little self doubt had crept in. I paused, took a deep breath, mustered up the power I knew I had within me WHACK!. The chopstick broke in two. Brittany was amazed. I was proud and relieved.

So what is the moral of this story? If we believe in our personal power, rather than focusing on our failures, we can be heroes in our own life story. So, don't just sit there reading. Go out there and do something amazing. Chop, chop.

Sally Marks

Coauthor of upcoming book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within. Check out her blog at http://www.erasenegativity.blogspot.com

Starting Your Own Religion

Spiritual Journal Writing Video

This can make a difference in your life.

Question Your Religion

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

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.

Greg is currently working on a motivation help 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.

Chakras Book Review
Power Of Intension

One Personal and One Professional Goal For 2009

Good bye 2008. It is over and it is gone. Only what we did in this year remain, as a witness for this great year that have slipped away from us. The year which made us jump with joy, made us take crucial step's and decisions of our life and spent a life we always wished to live. Lot of happiness and achievements, and it is time to tell a fair well good bye to 2008, and whole heartedly welcome 2009 to our life.

Welcome 2009. As fresh as it could be. A new year to go for our life ambitions. Life passions. A new year to see our dreams being fulfilled. A new year to achieve the impossible. A new year to bring out the best out of us, and make it the best life we ever had in our life.

Life Resolution New Year resolution is part of our rituals for January 1. However, study shows that 95% of those who make new year resolution fail to keep them up for more than 2-3 weeks. Today I want to ask you not to keep a New Year resolution, but a Life Resolution. We are going to pick 2 Life Goals for 2009 - one from our personal life and one from our professional life, and go through a life journey to achieve them. This is the first installment of power article's in sijith.com and the whole 2009 will be dedicated to article's in achieving these life goals we are going to set today.

Let us pick the best two goals for 2009 that would make 2009 the best year for us ever.

One important point here: You commit one thing to me. "I am going to allocate a weekly quota for these goals and commit that I will not take any other personal/professional goal, unless my primary goal quota is complete."

Question ? What if I have two goals in each category.

Answer: It is perfectly fine to have two or more goals for each category. BUT, you should make one of them as primary for each category, and other's as secondary. You are going to work towards the secondary goals, only if your weekly quota for these goals is achieved.

Personal goal 2009:

I want you to do an exercise here. Take a paper/pen. Write down one personal goal that if you achieve will totally change the way you live. It could be something as small as mending a broken relationship, or could be something big, say changing your dietary habit or come out of a bad habit or improving your financial life or learning a foreign language. Just one goal - not more nor less. Just one personal goal, that could change your life and turn your dream into a reality. This goal could be also a spiritual goal or any goal that would improve your inner/personal life.

Now that you have this ONE personal goal written down, I want you to do the second step.

Write down 5 steps that if you do one at a time, you will achieve the above goal. Let me explain you with an example.

Imagine your goal is: "To learn a new foreign language".

So here is how, I would break down the goal into 5 steps. (For each person, the steps would be different. Identifying what works for YOU is the most important part here).

Sub Goal 1: Join an institute teaching this foreign language.

Sub Goal 2: Decide on a syllabus for 2009 that if I complete them, would reach my target.

Sub Goal 3: Buy/Get the required books/resources that I am going to use for this goal.

Sub Goal 4: Decide how much hours/time I am going to spent every week for this goal.

Sub Goal 5: Commit to stick with my goal and constantly check my goal progress.

Professional goal 2009:

Now let us come to a professional goal. This is a goal that would make a real real positive impact on your professional life. This is THAT goal if you achieve, would change your professional career life, and achieve what you always dreamt in your life in your career.

I want you to write this down. How you are going to achieve them is not important here. What you want to achieve is important here.

Here is an example of a professional goal:

"I improve my communication and interpersonal skills"

Sub Goal 1: Join a toastmaster's club and start a public speaking course.

Sub Goal 2: Work with a professional mentor to identify the area's of improvement.

Sub Goal 3: Spent sometime every day for exercise. Join yoga classes or a gym.

Sub Goal 4: If you look to become a manager, work towards achieving managerial skills/qualification. Like improving relationships, increasing personal contacts, etc.

Sub Goal 5: Proactively invest time in one project that would make a difference and help me towards my life goals. (This is a quadrant 2 activity and we will cover about four quadrants of time management in one of the future article).

The above goal/sub goals is just shown for an example. You can choose them based what you want in your life, and how best you want to use 2009. Here is a criteria for choosing your goals : "It is the ONE goal that would change my life, make 2009 the best year ever I had, and take me closer to achieve my life dreams."

Let's can take our time, and work towards our goals. Let us bring out the best out of us. Let us go for to achieve the impossible and get want you dreamt in your life. Believe me, you are in the process of changing your life, and changing the life of people's aroundyou, and let us be excited that we are in the process to make 2009 the best year ever we had in our life.

Wish you all the best and New Year greetings to all the readers.

I maintain my personal success blog website http://www.sijith.com, and you can visit this website to read more success articles.

Sijith Salim

Goal Planning For Success

5 Tips For Handling Conflict

If you live long enough you will experience conflict. The chance that everyone will like us or get along with us is very minimal. Inevitably we will disagree with someone. When this happens, handling the conflict with a level head avoids stress and keeps the chance of the conflict escalating less likely.

Handling conflict does not have to be confrontational in the classic sense. When someone mentions an altercation we think of the showdown at the OK Corral. Coming into the meeting ready to fight is not the best way to handle a conflict.

Conflicts can occur at any time. You could be in a grocery store and the cashier may act rude as they ring up your groceries. We've all had that happen at least once, right? The first reaction is to slam the money on the counter or to snap back at them. In that instant we have taken their problems as our own and created a stressful situation that changes the tone of the rest of our day.

Here are five tips for handling conflict. They work for coworkers, family members, friends, and even strangers. You never know when the proper response to a conflict could save your life or someone else's.

1. Think about the situation. We are quick to respond when someone says what we don't like. Take the time to breathe before responding. In that breath replay the words spoken.

2. Make the hard decision. In many cases, the conflict that arises is not the first of its kind. Harsh or offensive words or deeds could be a recurring theme in the relationship. Decide if this affiliation is worth saving or if it is time to cut the person loose. Leaving the association could result in a lost friendship, a divorce, or changing jobs. Sometimes, for our own sake, these things are better in the long run than staying in a bad relationship.

3. Wait a day. Don't respond right then. Give yourself time to talk over the situation with a trusted friend. Maybe you overreacted. Sometimes, a third party can see something that you missed in the heat of your anger. In these cases, apologize where necessary. If the consensus is that you were wronged, then bring the matter to the attention of the other person with a level head not a hot one.

4. Find a solution. A common conflict, especially among spouses could result from wanting to make a purchase that there isn't enough money for. Instead of brooding, come up with favorable solutions that could get you what you want or need. Get a second job to earn the money.

5. Apologize if you were in the wrong. Just because something is true doesn't mean that it has to be said. Telling someone that they are wearing a dress that is too small for them is not a positive way to help them lose weight. Understand how it could be offensive to them and apologize. Better yet, stop and think before you respond in situations such as these. Put yourself in the other person's shoes before hand. Part of resolving conflicts is realizing our role in it.
Facing confrontational situations is not easy. But, it is not inevitable and sometimes it has to be done. Learning conflict resolution techniques can alleviate the stress of these situations.

Gregg Zban is a General Manager with Coca-Cola Enterprises and has created a website dedicated to better time management in business, with family, at school and more.

To learn more please visit http://www.choice-time-management.com

For freebies please visit http://www.GreggZban.com

Laws Of Attraction In Action

The Purpose of Dreams

Dreams have been somewhat of a mystery to man for a long time. Dreams hold many captive at night wondering if it is reality or simply the imagination working overtime. We have all awoke from dreams upset that it wasnt reality and on the same hand, we have woke up thanking God that a terrible nightmare wasnt a reality.

There are many different theories about the meaning, origin, or purpose of dreams. Some believe that dreams are an extension of our subconscious. In other words, we may dream about things that we think about, whether we are aware of our subconscious thoughts or not. Others believe that dreams are a part of REM or Rapid Eye Movement sleep, which helps to restore our minds and bodies while we sleep. Finally, some people believe that dreams are one mode of communication that God uses to send us messages.

I believe that there is some truth to each of these theories of dreams, but I will focus on the theory about God using dreams as a mode of communication with us and what I believe his purpose in communicating with us through dreams is. Although I do believe that God communicates with us through dreams, I dont believe that every dream that we have is from God or even God attempting to communicate with us. Since I believe that some dreams are from God and others arent, this poses the question, How do you know which dreams are from God and which ones arent?. This is a difficult question to answer because there is no scientific answer to this question. My answer to this question is that you will know in your spirit. In other words, the inner voice will say this dream meant something.

Your spirit may even be troubled when you wake up like Nebuchednezzar was in the Bible after he had a dream from God. In the Bible, in Daniel 2:1, it says Nebuchednezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. I believe that this was his spirit communicating to him that there was a message in the dreams for him and maybe others. Also, in the Bible, in the book of Daniel 7:15, Daniel states that after having a dream, that he was troubled in spirit and the visions that passed through his mind disturbed him. When I have had dreams that I believe are from God, the same thing has happened to me when I have awoken from a dream from God. I usually will first remember the dream or many parts of it very vividly. Next, I feel unsettled in my spirit, as if something needs to be resolved or settled.

After establishing that God does in fact, communicate with us through our dreams just as he did with Daniel and Nebuchednezzar, and Joseph in their dreams, you may have been wondering why. Why would God choose to communicate with us through our dreams? I believe that God has 6 purposes for communicating to us through our dreams and it is up to us along with our communication with the Holy Spirit to discern which purpose he has for communication with us.

The first purpose that I believe God uses dreams for is to call us to pray or intercede for ourselves and/or others. Sometimes God gives us dreams to call on us to pray about a situation or for a person. If we have a dream about someone or something that we know is not positive, even if we dont know the interpretation of the dream, we can pray and intercede about the situation or for the individual(s). Prayer changes things, so if we are obedient, we can change someones outcome for the better.

The second purpose for our dreams may be to warn us. God may want to warn us about a direction we are headed in or a decision that we are about to make that may be outside of his will and that may lead to destruction. In the Bible, in the book of Daniel, chapter 4, God gave Nebuchednezzar a dream to warn him. King Nebuchednezzar was warned in his dream, that if he didnt acknowledge that God is more powerful than man and things, his power and riches would be taken away from him. Nebuchednezzars warning was to acknowledge and turn to God or lose his earthly privileges. Having this dream and having it interpreted by Daniel, a Godly man, gave Nebuchednezzar the opportunity to take action to avoid disaster and calamity in his life. God gives us this same opportunity if we heed and are obedient to God.

The third purpose for God give us dreams is to give us hope. The Bible says in the Book of Proverbs 13:12 that "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." You may be experiencing a dark time in your life and you may be tempted to throw in the towel and give up. God may give you a dream to show you the light that lies ahead and to give you hope in your future. Having a visual image of a dream that he births in us gives us the opportunity to think about and hold onto that vision when things arent going the way we hoped or planned.

The fourth purpose for dreams is to encourage us and encourage others. This goes along with hope, but it may be a bit more subtle. God may want us to share a positive dream with the person we dreamed about to encourage them, or he may just want to encourage us that he is with us and hasnt forsaken us.

The fifth purpose may be to give us confirmation about something that he has either already tried to communicate to us either through our spirit or through someone else. Also, if we asked God for confirmation for something, he may give it to us through our dreams.

Finally, I believe that God communicates with us through our dreams sometimes to let us know that he is God. It is hard to forget or disbelieve in the power of God when he is using something like dreams to communicate with people and ordinary people like Daniel and I to interpret dreams.

If you believe that God has been communicating to you through your dreams, do the following : 1. Pay close attention to them; 2. Write them down in a dream journal as soon as you wake up from the dream, so that you capture all of the important details; 3. Obey his instructions and heed to his warnings, in other words, pray for yourself and others immediately when he calls on you, act when he gives you confirmations that require action, always hold onto hope, and always give God all of the Glory!

If you are interested in having a dream interpreted, sharing your dreams with others, or simply being a part of a discussion group and learning more about dreams, please visit my website at www.dreamsinterpret.com. Try it out for free.

Written by : Lisa M. Kohut

Is King Solomon Going To Heaven

Five Ways to Stay Motivated and Achieve Your Goals

Are you having one of those days when nothing seems to go right? Is every task you try to do harder than you thought it would be, and do you seem to encounter problem after problem along the way? We all have stressful times during our lives when everything seems to be going wrong, but it's crucial to stay positive as giving in will usually make the situation worse. Here are five ways to stay motivated and achieve your dreams:

1. Think less and act more

Stop putting off that difficult job because you're worried it will be too much for you, or you won't be able to do it. The more you worry about something you have to do, the less you will want to do it, so just making yourself get started is one of the best ways to stay motivated. You may have all sorts of excuses for mot doing something, but once you make a start you'll feel so much more motivated to continue.

2. Plan your time and stick to the plan

Having a large task ahead of you, or a big project to complete, can be very daunting, and without a clear view of how much you have to do and when you are going to do it, it can be easy to get sidetracked and put things off until the last minute.

If you have a large project at work, set aside two hours at the same time each day to work on that particular job. Be clear about which tasks you want to complete during that two hours. If you are trying to get fit or lose weight, decide on two evenings a week when you are going to do an exercise class, or go to the gym, and stick to that.

3. Set yourself targets and treat yourself when you reach them

One of the easiest ways to stay motivated is to set yourself achievable targets. If you are setting up your own business, saying that you want to be earning $40k in five years time is a far away target. Break that five years down into periods of six months and decide how much you aim to be earning in each six month period, building up to the five years.

When you reach your targets, you will feel a great sense of achievement, and if you don't quite make it you can evaluate where you could improve to make sure you are on track for the next six months.

4. Mix things up a little

Boredom with the same routine can easily cause us to become unmotivated, so if you are feeling that you need a change then make one. If you are tired of going to the gym, start running in the park instead. If you always work in your home office, try relocating to the deck for a few hours. Even small changes in your routine can be great ways to stay motivated.

5. Make time to relax and avoid burnout

Many people go head on into a project or business venture, and give it all their time and energy, only to collapse with exhaustion after six months and give it all up. One of the most important ways to stay motivated is to take time out to rest and enjoy yourself. Step back and appreciate what you have achieved, make time for a hobby, and spend a few hours with friends and family.

Perhaps some days you have planned to work, but you wake up feeling totally unmotivated. Don't take a whole day off as this will set a precedent, but it's ok to reduce the amount of work you do. Maybe decide just to work until lunchtime and take the afternoon off, but make sure you accomplish something tangible in the morning that you can be proud of to keep you motivated.

Wondering how do you change yourself? Join us now! Improve your self confidence and learn ways to love yourself. Sign up for your free course now at Rediscovery Women.

Cookie Thief

Book Review - The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide

The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide: Essential Skills for Living Well in an Overstimulating World

By Ted Zeff, Ph. D.

Copyright 2004 Published by New Harbinger Publications

Get ready for many suggestions and alternatives to life as usual when you read this book! Liberally sprinkled with real-life examples, you get to see how other HSPs like you have adjusted factors in their lives to suit them.

So many suggestions makes this a valuable book and somewhat overwhelming at the same time. Even with the author's own words encouraging you to take it slow and adopt a few things at a time, it holds the possibility of stopping a HSP in their tracks. You might want to read this one slowly, working on chapters with their suggestions one at a time.

What's very valuable about Zeff's perspective is his no-nonsense look at what really has to happen to be a happy HSP. He deals directly with the inner journey that is so important to reshaping life. He asks you to get clear on your goals, whether living the way you are now is either helping or harming you, how the impact of low self-esteem and not loving yourself affects you and how to constructively look at your beliefs to change your habits. He even gives a healthy six-month time frame to cement a new habit -- the longest I've ever heard quoted.

Valuable topics include:

• Coping with time pressure
• Calming your senses
• Finding agreeable foods
• Sensible exercise (at about 50% of your capacity, which is great for those of us who hate sweating)
• Getting external support while you are changing habits
• Thinking ahead to prepare in advance
• Learning to be more in control and other attitude adjustments
• The importance of routine and pacing your activity
• Nurturing your sensitive soul
• Finding health practitioners and healers

While highly instructive, Zeff's writing 'can be somewhat annoying. He is very repetitive in his points. For example, food choices, television and yoga seem to come up in every chapter. Additionally, his choice of words can appear somewhat judgmental in how he labels society and cultural norms. Still, I find some assurance in this as I know it was written by someone who is highly sensitive.

You may have heard or read some of this advice before cracking the cover of this volume. It is still good reading because perhaps for the first time, you are getting from someone who shares your sensitivity. That slight twist of perspective shows you how to take what the rest of the world does and modify it for your own peace of mind and body. That's a valuable skill to hone!

Then, there are areas included here that you might never have considered as alternatives otherwise, like Ayurveda. Exploring these choices can lead you in new directions and benefit you at the same time.

With each chapter ending with lists that recap the valuable points, you can easily morph this book into a refresher guide that keeps you in tune with your own nature. Read a list each day and you will keep valuable choices on the top of your mind. How much easier could it be to tune up your life?

Sarah Dolliver is the Founder of InnerVantage, the online community for inner-directed individuals (those who focus inward to restore). Her vision is to remove the stigma from being introverted or highly sensitive (HSP) to allow these individuals to lead rewarding lives that bring distinct contributions to the world. She educates, inspires and empowers them to use their gifts, talents and strengths as the basis from which they approach life.

Subscribe to the Awakening Your InnerVantage newsletter or get other free resources at http://www.InnerVantage.com

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Management (Bentley College, Waltham, MA) and is a graduate of Coach U and The Graduate School of Coaching from CoachVille.

Game Of Life And How To Play

Believing in God Doesn't Make You Right - Compassion and Love

I was talking to a Muslim man who lives in another country through e-mail and we have been having a very pleasant conversation about why we believe, what we believe. This man seems very caring and someone I can actually have a educated conversation with. Some people that believe in their religion so strongly, are hard to communicate with and often start yelling and screaming at me. These conversations and very abruptly and sometimes painfully.

If believing in God makes you right and everything in your religious texts is true, then the least you could do is back it up with some factual information. Factual information is the key to proving any theory or belief. In a court of law, you have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt,... but if my life's at stake here, this really doesn't apply. I won't bet my life on reasonable doubt, but only hard scientific facts and sometimes this doesn't even apply.

Sometimes scientific facts can be proven wrong over time.

Let's say for an instance, that we take the Bible into a court of law and are going to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that one verse is true from this book. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Now that we have our Bible verse, let's just say for the record, that our hypothetical court case was proven to be true, beyond a reasonable doubt. In other words this is now a factual statement.

Just because it's a factual statement based on something that was proven beyond a reasonable doubt doesn't really make it a truth. When someone tells you, for example your parents or a teacher, that something is true (factual information) and you start spreading this rumor as a truth, because you believe these people, without any evidence for factual information, you're spreading a rumor. If these rumors were to be spread for about 2000 years, we come up with a factual belief not a scientific fact.

Nobody wants to hear that their religious text don't make sense to an open-minded person, even beyond a reasonable doubt. The belief that God created the earth isn't a fact, but if enough people say it is, then in their minds it becomes a truth. This doesn't make them right but often makes them feel comfortable.

Life Changing Books

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

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, You Can Have It All

Visualization And Affirmations

You Were Born Into Your Religious Thinking

Most of us have been exposed to at least one religion while we were being raised by our parents. I was raised a Christian and lived in a Christian community. Like most Muslims and Hindus, we never had a choice, about which religion we wanted to belong to. Our upbringing determined our future religious beliefs. No matter how good or bad our childhood was, our parents justified their behaviors and we accepted these and will probably pass them down to our children.

I was wondering, what if you took the strongest Christian in this country and put them into a Tibetan monastery, shortly after they were born. Instead of growing up in a Christian community and gathering strength through other Christians, this person would now be exposed to Buddhism.

What do you think would happen now? Do you think that God would intervene and somehow bring him back to the United States or put him in a different Christian community, to be raised as a Christian, instead of a Buddhist? What God intervening and put an end to this nightmare? Do you think that the Christian would now be a Buddhist follower?

We are all products of our environment, whether we like it or not. How you were raised, who you hung around with, the people you admired and of course your parents have all had a certain impact on your life. Believe it or not, your religious views are from your childhood. Now there is a certain exception, those who switch religions, but this is extremely rare.

However, there are people who seem to be waking up from this fog of reality. As the Internet becomes more popular and easier to access, people can often visit other countries from the comfort of their home, through the World Wide Web. The more we are exposed to different points of view and other religions, the more real our world becomes.

The conclusion to this story is, there's a very good chance, by switching a child at birth, their beliefs would be entirely different.

Life Changing Books

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

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.

Find out a little bit more about Your Religious Freedom.

Spiritual Benefits

The Aging of Relationships

"Yes, I will marry you.....and they rode off into the sunset and lived happily ever after." If only it were that simple. Most of us have visions of our relationships turning out this way, but that is often not the case. Somewhere between the "I do" and "happily ever after" problems arise. Over half of all marriages end in divorce. Of those marriages that stay together, a large percentage are not necessarily happy. What happens? Why do the majority of couples find it so difficult to stay together and remain happy? Just as individuals go through identifiable stages (infancy, childhood, adulthood, old age) so to do relationships pass through distinguishable stages. There are many different ways to name the stages of relationship. We prefer to use the following three stages: Romantic Love (also known as the honeymoon stage), the Power Struggle Stage, and Mature Love.

Many people are familiar with the romantic stage. This is where our lover is in our thoughts 24 hours a day and every moment apart seems like an eternity. We live for the moments that we can be together. We are aglow with love. Everything in our life seems to go well. Colors are brighter, sounds more distinct, foods tastier. We find that we need less sleep. We can stay out with our loved one dancing the night away and still be up early the next morning, energized and ready to tackle the day ahead. If we have disagreements with our partner, we are willing to listen and even let them win. We are in a state of bliss. Then something happens. Instead of continuing along happily in this state, our eyes (and our hearts) begin to shift their focus and we enter Stage 2.

Stage 2 is the power struggle. Most of us are familiar with this stage as the majority of relationships stay here a long time. It is the stage in a relationship where two individuals try to live together harmoniously while still standing up for their individual differences. This is the time when we try to combine two different ways of being and two different backgrounds into one workable relationship. It includes but is not limited to such things as combining two distinct ways of handling money, keeping house, and juggling time schedules with regard to work, hobbies, family, recreation, etc. It involves consideration of differing personal habits and parenting skills, varying degrees of sexual desire, different ways of communication, and more. Is it any wonder that Stage 2 brings to light what we perceive as flaws in our partner's character? She/he charges too much on the credit cards, puts recreation before chores, does not understand why I need to spend so much time with my parents, or has little desire for sex. Differences are difficult to live with, especially when we assume that we are right and our partner is wrong. Our reasoning is: "I've done it this way all my life; can't you see that this is the way it should be done?" Learning how to collaborate with a partner while at the same time maintaining our individuality is the lesson of Stage 2. It can be a lengthy undertaking and usually makes or breaks the relationship.

Some relationships will never go beyond the second stage. The power struggles that occur during this time put the "relating" in relationships to the test. Just as a teenager learns how to become an individual and relate to a world outside himself and his family, an adult learns how to become a partner and be in a relationship. We learn how to get along with others at work, in our community, our state, and in our ever expanding world. Most of us learn skills to go out into the workplace and perform at a job, but few of us learn the skills to communicate and be in relationship. Basic relationship skills can go a long way to move us through this difficult stage of power struggle. Tools such as "I" messages, reflective listening, and a basic understanding of the differences between men and women are an important start. We feel it is equally important to have an awareness and understanding of two basic concepts about relationship: 1) that we alone are responsible for our feelings as well as our actions; and 2) relationships can be used to either heal or rewound the individuals in that relationship.

Marilyn: Having been in a twenty year relationship that I now recognize was one continual power struggle, I can appreciate the flow of my present relationship. Chuck and I both have an uncompromising desire to be in a relationship that works, a relationship that we can use as a path to our spiritual growth. Dr. Wayne Dyer in his tape series Freedom Through Higher Awareness comments: if you have a choice between being right and being kind, always choose to be kind." This is a choice Chuck and I are consciously trying to make in our relationship. When we disagree, we make every effort to deal with those conflicts in the moment. We try our best to go inside and discover how we feel and what our part was in the upset. This is not an easy task, especially since we have been programmed to value being right over being loving. We are used to looking outside of ourselves and blaming the other party. My automatic response to an upset used to be "why can't he understand this, it's so simple!" For the life of me, I could not understand why my partner was so dense; why he could not appreciate that this was the way it was for me. What a world of difference it makes when I can take responsibility for myself. All the blame and frustration disappears. I no longer feel that sinking feeling of disappointment and frustration that I used to feel.....that hole in pit in my stomach that asked the same questions over and over: "why am I in this relationship," and "is it as hopeless as I feel it is at this moment?" In contrast, when I can come from the understanding that I alone am responsible for the emotions that well up within me, then I can look inside and examine those feelings. This is usually easier said than done, especially when those emotions remind me of unpleasant memories about how I was treated in the past. I try very hard to share those feelings with Chuck. Sometimes, the only word I can get out is "ouch," but that is enough to get us started. This effort pays big dividends. It allows us to come to a resolution about our misunderstandings and prevents the build-up of resentments. It is also a path to healing the old wounds and building a new relationship based upon the trust of self and each other.

Chuck: The difference between my relationship with Marilyn and my previous relationships is my willingness to look at what parts I play in our upsets. It wasn't long ago that I felt I was right during most of my arguments with women. I can even remember the times that I knew I wasn't right but still couldn't give in. This power struggle was a pattern I had followed for over 30 years and I don't really know how it started. It has been a slow progression of small realizations that has led me to the point where my relationship is usually more important than my being right. Notice I said usually. There are still times when I know I'm not right or realize that I am hurting Marilyn and our relationship by staying mad, but cannot break out of the old pattern. Fortunately these times are diminishing.

How did I begin on my road to recovery? It began with very intelligent women calmly questioning me about my reasons for staying angry. They wanted to understand what kind of benefits or rewards I received for this behavior. Even when they questioned me during a fight, it was done in such a way that I felt their concern. It was clear that they truly wanted to understand what was happening within me. There was no blaming or ill will.

This process led me to begin to question myself. I went to therapy. I learned techniques I could use during a fight such as active listening, taking responsibility by using "I" statements, fair fighting rules, active listening and more. Finally I decided that I wanted to have a GREAT relationship. Now I work on trying to let go of my need to be right and consciously make the choice to be loving. Believe me, it takes a constant effort within the relationship to maintain that awareness, but it is worth it.....and so is Marilyn!

Marilyn and Chuck: The final stage of relationship is mature love. We have traveled the long road of power struggles to get here and learned what we need to learn from that path. We have completed a 180 degree turn, back to the peace and harmony that we felt with our partner when we first met. Our heart (and mind) has shifted away from finding fault and instead is focused on the specialness of our partner.....the uniqueness that attracted us to them in the first place. We have come full circle. We started out in the Romantic Stage seeing only the good, went through the Power Struggle Stage seeing mostly the negative, and now we are able to hold both. This is an expansive state. It is at this time that we make the conscious choice to put our relationship first and give up the need to always be right. This does not mean that we become less of an individual. It is at this stage that we become comfortable with who we are as individuals so that we no longer feel that we are losing a part of ourselves or our needs in order to have our relationships flow smoothly. In reality, we become more fully alive as we have expanded within ourselves to accept both the positive and the negative in another person.

Many of us have had the privilege of experiencing the rare couple who just seem to flow together. Their love and appreciation for one another glows from their very being. They fit together and feel right and everyone can see it. There is a calm and radiance about them that makes others want to be in their presence. This state of being did not happen over night. This couple has done a lot of work to get where they are. There is a deep level of commitment and understanding between them. For us, knowing that this depth of relationship exists gives us hope for our own relationship. When the power struggles seem overwhelming, we let the vision of this couple give us the strength to stay on our path and just let go. It is our belief that it is within all of us to have this type of relationship. It is a merely matter of choice.

Copyright 2001 the Relationship Specialists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Great relationships don't happen by accident. Learn the secrets to having successful one. Marilyn Hough and Chuck Schmitt, the Relationship Specialists, are licensed Marriage and Family therapists in the Portland, Oregon area. Visit their website at http://www.relationshipspecialists.com for tools and tips on how to improve your relationships. You can also sign up for free bi-monthly relationship hints.

Four Sure-Fire Ways to NOT Achieve Your New Year's Resolutions

Most people tend to give up on making New Year's Resolution simply because they claim they do not work. Below are some sure ways to totally sink your New Year's Resolutions (if you have made any).

1. Create a Total Lack Of Clarity in What You Want

Just make statements such as "I want to be more successful", "I want more customers" or even "I want more money". Unsuccessful people tend to make generalized statements about what they want. One big problem is that they will never know whether they have reached it or not. Successful People tend to be very specific in what they want- "Success to me means that I want to get on track to exercising regularly 3 times a week on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday night at 9pm" or "I want to see my customer base increase 8% this year". They tend to print many copies of their resolutions and pint them up in areas most visible. This goes with the saying, "Out of sight, out of mind."

2. Create Unrealistic Expectations With No Milestone Planning

One typical example is a weight lost expectation: I want to lose 13.2 pounds (or 6 kg) this quarter. Or another: I want to increase my income by 5 times. They do so without doing anything different from last year. If you want to increase your income by 5-fold, what you are currently doing has to change and starting creating new strategies for it. Creating milestones are also important in helping you keep track where you are in your goal. Whole year goals should be mixed with quarterly goals so that you know where you are going and can celebrate when you achieve them along the way. Celebration is an important aspect of getting results.

3. Do Not Come Up With A Plan To Achieve It

Dreams are great, and most of the time the first thing to achieve your dreams is to wake up! Unsuccessful people tend to just WANT things or results. They may not want to put in a plan to specify how they intend to achieve results. As the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Successful people usually have a plan (may not be the perfect plan) that will ensure that they will draw closer to the desired results. They know that plans can change according to the situations and remain flexible.

4. They Do Not Share Their Intentions With Other People

From my experience, most people believe that we should just keep our resolutions quiet and ensure that others do not know about it. This is so that when one fails, no one will know. However, if you intend to achieve it, shout it out and ensure that your best friends, colleagues or even (gasp!) family members know about it. When you put yourself on the line, you tend to achieve it. This is because there are people around you reminding you of what you have said!

So... what are you waiting for? Can you share with me your plans?

Kenneth is the Principle Trainer of Deep Impact and has spoken to thousands of clients on Mindset and Attitudes shift as well as Building Teams. You can get your free report of "7 Transformational Secrets to Creating a Dynamic and Cohesive Team in your workplace" from http://www.DeepImpactOnline.com/blog

Five Things You Should Know

Book Review - "7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens"

I just finished reading "7 habits of highly effective teens," by Sean Covey. This book is written by the son of the famous author of "7 habits of highly effective people," Stephen Covey. The author attempts to shed light on some issues that teens face and how they can best overcome them. As the CEO of a teen jobs website, I read dozens of teen related books each week. In my opinion, this is one of the most engaging and entertaining teen related book I have ever read.

This book will provide meaningful content for teens, such as advice for improving their self image, how to build friendships and how to resist peer pressure. What I like most about the book is the way the ideas are presented and the format. The author uses a lot of graphics, cartons lists, quotes and other elements to really hook the reader and compel them to keep reading. Another great part about the book is the real life examples that the author writes about. There are real stories of teens that have been faced with huge obstacle and the incredible stories about how they overcame adversity. This part of the book was very inspiring to me.

The one criticism that I have is the fact a lot of the tips and suggestions are quite obvious and really basic common sense. I would have liked to see more of an emphasis on the real teen stories, as I think a book can be written on that topic alone.

In closing, I highly recommend this book to teens and parents of teens.

Dan Keller is the CEO of the popular Teen Jobs site and runs a Teen Forums site as well.

Spiritual Impact Of Disney

Kabbalah and Lucky Eyes For a Better Life

You want to be successful in life? Itching to have a balanced lifestyle and want lady luck to be at your side all the time? Then if you want to have all these under your belt, then you might want consider delving into the truth about Kabbalah and equip yourself with Lucky Eyes while you're busy with your daily lifestyle.

Understanding Kabbalah

If you think that Kabbalah is some occultic belief, then think again. Kabbalah is one of the oldest religions in the planet and many have enjoyed the benefits of its teachings to lead a successful life under the law of God.

Kabbalah originated with the Jews. It is believed that there is only one God that all things under heaven and earth stem. God is not defined as a spirit, a soul, or a living being. Simply, God is God and governs all.

The teachings of Kabbalah that God created man with infinite possibilities. They have the potential to reach the peak of their success by following the positive virtues taught by the religion. If one closely follows its teachings, then they are on their way to success quick and easy.

But with every religion, there are also factors that can bring down a person's sojourn to success. The Evil Eye, as with any other religion, is a source of misfortune and chaos. The penetrating gaze filled with malice and hate can disturb the harmony of a man's mind, body, and soul -- shaping his or destiny down the path of failure. The only way to counter this is to wear lucky Eyes.

What Is Lucky Eyes?

Lucky Eyes is the total opposite of the Evil Eye. If the latter gives off negative energy to harm a person's destiny, then Lucky Eyes absorbs these evil emanations to protect the person wearing them.

These lucky charms are symbolized with an eye in the middle. They can be worn as a earring, necklace, bracelet, or a ring. Whatever their shape may be, or material used for its make, Lucky Eyes will absorb any negative energies going your way and make sure that only positive forces exists around you to keep you rooted on your path to success.

Wearing Lucky Eyes

We can never determine who is giving off the Evil Eye. It can be your boss, your work mates, or even your friend. This gives the Evil Eye the advantage over the unsuspecting victim -- polluting them with negative energies to bring body and spirit to an all time low.

Wearing Lucky Eyes wherever you go renders this advantage of the Evil Eye useless. You can stay protected during work or play when you're out of the safety of your own home. You can even see Hollywood superstars and millionaires wear them for protection.

http://www.luckyeyesinc.com/lucky_eyes.php -- Lucky Eyes - Kabbalah

Vanessa A. Doctor from Jump2Top - SEO Company

Cookie Thief

The Aging of Relationships

"Yes, I will marry you.....and they rode off into the sunset and lived happily ever after." If only it were that simple. Most of us have visions of our relationships turning out this way, but that is often not the case. Somewhere between the "I do" and "happily ever after" problems arise. Over half of all marriages end in divorce. Of those marriages that stay together, a large percentage are not necessarily happy. What happens? Why do the majority of couples find it so difficult to stay together and remain happy? Just as individuals go through identifiable stages (infancy, childhood, adulthood, old age) so to do relationships pass through distinguishable stages. There are many different ways to name the stages of relationship. We prefer to use the following three stages: Romantic Love (also known as the honeymoon stage), the Power Struggle Stage, and Mature Love.

Many people are familiar with the romantic stage. This is where our lover is in our thoughts 24 hours a day and every moment apart seems like an eternity. We live for the moments that we can be together. We are aglow with love. Everything in our life seems to go well. Colors are brighter, sounds more distinct, foods tastier. We find that we need less sleep. We can stay out with our loved one dancing the night away and still be up early the next morning, energized and ready to tackle the day ahead. If we have disagreements with our partner, we are willing to listen and even let them win. We are in a state of bliss. Then something happens. Instead of continuing along happily in this state, our eyes (and our hearts) begin to shift their focus and we enter Stage 2.

Stage 2 is the power struggle. Most of us are familiar with this stage as the majority of relationships stay here a long time. It is the stage in a relationship where two individuals try to live together harmoniously while still standing up for their individual differences. This is the time when we try to combine two different ways of being and two different backgrounds into one workable relationship. It includes but is not limited to such things as combining two distinct ways of handling money, keeping house, and juggling time schedules with regard to work, hobbies, family, recreation, etc. It involves consideration of differing personal habits and parenting skills, varying degrees of sexual desire, different ways of communication, and more. Is it any wonder that Stage 2 brings to light what we perceive as flaws in our partner's character? She/he charges too much on the credit cards, puts recreation before chores, does not understand why I need to spend so much time with my parents, or has little desire for sex. Differences are difficult to live with, especially when we assume that we are right and our partner is wrong. Our reasoning is: "I've done it this way all my life; can't you see that this is the way it should be done?" Learning how to collaborate with a partner while at the same time maintaining our individuality is the lesson of Stage 2. It can be a lengthy undertaking and usually makes or breaks the relationship.

Some relationships will never go beyond the second stage. The power struggles that occur during this time put the "relating" in relationships to the test. Just as a teenager learns how to become an individual and relate to a world outside himself and his family, an adult learns how to become a partner and be in a relationship. We learn how to get along with others at work, in our community, our state, and in our ever expanding world. Most of us learn skills to go out into the workplace and perform at a job, but few of us learn the skills to communicate and be in relationship. Basic relationship skills can go a long way to move us through this difficult stage of power struggle. Tools such as "I" messages, reflective listening, and a basic understanding of the differences between men and women are an important start. We feel it is equally important to have an awareness and understanding of two basic concepts about relationship: 1) that we alone are responsible for our feelings as well as our actions; and 2) relationships can be used to either heal or rewound the individuals in that relationship.

Marilyn: Having been in a twenty year relationship that I now recognize was one continual power struggle, I can appreciate the flow of my present relationship. Chuck and I both have an uncompromising desire to be in a relationship that works, a relationship that we can use as a path to our spiritual growth. Dr. Wayne Dyer in his tape series Freedom Through Higher Awareness comments: if you have a choice between being right and being kind, always choose to be kind." This is a choice Chuck and I are consciously trying to make in our relationship. When we disagree, we make every effort to deal with those conflicts in the moment. We try our best to go inside and discover how we feel and what our part was in the upset. This is not an easy task, especially since we have been programmed to value being right over being loving. We are used to looking outside of ourselves and blaming the other party. My automatic response to an upset used to be "why can't he understand this, it's so simple!" For the life of me, I could not understand why my partner was so dense; why he could not appreciate that this was the way it was for me. What a world of difference it makes when I can take responsibility for myself. All the blame and frustration disappears. I no longer feel that sinking feeling of disappointment and frustration that I used to feel.....that hole in pit in my stomach that asked the same questions over and over: "why am I in this relationship," and "is it as hopeless as I feel it is at this moment?" In contrast, when I can come from the understanding that I alone am responsible for the emotions that well up within me, then I can look inside and examine those feelings. This is usually easier said than done, especially when those emotions remind me of unpleasant memories about how I was treated in the past. I try very hard to share those feelings with Chuck. Sometimes, the only word I can get out is "ouch," but that is enough to get us started. This effort pays big dividends. It allows us to come to a resolution about our misunderstandings and prevents the build-up of resentments. It is also a path to healing the old wounds and building a new relationship based upon the trust of self and each other.

Chuck: The difference between my relationship with Marilyn and my previous relationships is my willingness to look at what parts I play in our upsets. It wasn't long ago that I felt I was right during most of my arguments with women. I can even remember the times that I knew I wasn't right but still couldn't give in. This power struggle was a pattern I had followed for over 30 years and I don't really know how it started. It has been a slow progression of small realizations that has led me to the point where my relationship is usually more important than my being right. Notice I said usually. There are still times when I know I'm not right or realize that I am hurting Marilyn and our relationship by staying mad, but cannot break out of the old pattern. Fortunately these times are diminishing.

How did I begin on my road to recovery? It began with very intelligent women calmly questioning me about my reasons for staying angry. They wanted to understand what kind of benefits or rewards I received for this behavior. Even when they questioned me during a fight, it was done in such a way that I felt their concern. It was clear that they truly wanted to understand what was happening within me. There was no blaming or ill will.

This process led me to begin to question myself. I went to therapy. I learned techniques I could use during a fight such as active listening, taking responsibility by using "I" statements, fair fighting rules, active listening and more. Finally I decided that I wanted to have a GREAT relationship. Now I work on trying to let go of my need to be right and consciously make the choice to be loving. Believe me, it takes a constant effort within the relationship to maintain that awareness, but it is worth it.....and so is Marilyn!

Marilyn and Chuck: The final stage of relationship is mature love. We have traveled the long road of power struggles to get here and learned what we need to learn from that path. We have completed a 180 degree turn, back to the peace and harmony that we felt with our partner when we first met. Our heart (and mind) has shifted away from finding fault and instead is focused on the specialness of our partner.....the uniqueness that attracted us to them in the first place. We have come full circle. We started out in the Romantic Stage seeing only the good, went through the Power Struggle Stage seeing mostly the negative, and now we are able to hold both. This is an expansive state. It is at this time that we make the conscious choice to put our relationship first and give up the need to always be right. This does not mean that we become less of an individual. It is at this stage that we become comfortable with who we are as individuals so that we no longer feel that we are losing a part of ourselves or our needs in order to have our relationships flow smoothly. In reality, we become more fully alive as we have expanded within ourselves to accept both the positive and the negative in another person.

Many of us have had the privilege of experiencing the rare couple who just seem to flow together. Their love and appreciation for one another glows from their very being. They fit together and feel right and everyone can see it. There is a calm and radiance about them that makes others want to be in their presence. This state of being did not happen over night. This couple has done a lot of work to get where they are. There is a deep level of commitment and understanding between them. For us, knowing that this depth of relationship exists gives us hope for our own relationship. When the power struggles seem overwhelming, we let the vision of this couple give us the strength to stay on our path and just let go. It is our belief that it is within all of us to have this type of relationship. It is a merely matter of choice.

Copyright 2001 the Relationship Specialists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Great relationships don't happen by accident. Learn the secrets to having successful one. Marilyn Hough and Chuck Schmitt, the Relationship Specialists, are licensed Marriage and Family therapists in the Portland, Oregon area. Visit their website at http://www.relationshipspecialists.com for tools and tips on how to improve your relationships. You can also sign up for free bi-monthly relationship hints.

Structuring Your 24 Hour Day

The Culture of Jesus - Part 2, the Divine (Spiritual) Culture

Part 1 was 'The Physical Culture of Jesus'.

Part 2 is 'The Divine Culture'.

In Part 1, the physical culture of Jesus helped us to understand "where Jesus was coming from" in an earthly sense. In this article, we will begin to explore "where Jesus came from", a very different perspective. Herein, we will begin to look at who Jesus really was. Each of us has our earthly roots, yet He had ascended from a culture far beyond what we could imagine, a divine culture that truly defined who this Master was and is to us.

Jesus only purpose on this earth was to reach out to us at our own level and tell us what His home not of this earth was like, and to invite us there by enabling us to become like Him, pure and cleansed in spirit, through His death and sacrifice for us. As we begin to learn about Jesus' divine culture, let's remember His physical culture. This enables us to better understand His words as we progress.

Some portions of this article are from a sermon preached some time ago by Ravi Zacharias, a christian converted about 30 years ago from Hinduism, based upon some of his personal knowledge and experiences.

Part 1 - Review of the Physical Culture

• Family Ties - Exceptionally strong in the East and Middle East cultures. The clan swallows up individuality, meaning that what is best for the family/family name far outweighs any personal needs.
• Social/Academic Status - Intellect is worshipped. Must be in the Top of their Class or very close to it, doing well is not good enough.
• The people in Jesus day had been looking for a Messiah, a King, someone to save them from their current "status" for generations. Had been prophesied to for 2,000 years.
• Then John the Baptist introduces this man called Jesus, from Nazareth (a city of low esteem, wrong side of the tracks), and the son of Joseph, a carpenter (low family professional status).
• These people were raised with sheep, and bloody sacrifices of their lambs.
• Jesus is introduced as the "Lamb of God".
• New thought is introduced that most understood the impact of, but few understood the real concept of... 'men sacrificing lambs (animals) to God was one thing, but now God sacrificing His Lamb (His Son) for men' was an entirely different concept.
• Andrew's question upon meeting this proclaimed Messiah, "Where do you live?" & the importance of that question in their culture for defining the social and political authority of a person.
• Jesus' reply "Come and see", the purpose being to begin showing Andrew and the other followers the spiritual home & authority that He came from, not the earthly home.
• Jesus' task was to lead them on a journey of thought, beyond the here and now, that would enable them to truly understand how He would deliver them according to the prophesies.
• Nathanael's response to Jesus - before meeting Him. His skepticism and cynicism with comments like, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?," and "Isn't He the son of Joseph the carpenter?"

Now - Part 2 - The Divine Culture

• Jesus' task was to introduce the eternal perspective of thought and heart that they had never had to consider with their earthly ways of sacrifice and traditional worship. He had to establish a personal responsibility for salvation within them and separate the family interest from the individual need to follow Him.
• Nathanael's response to Jesus upon meeting Him, and Jesus' response to Nathanael demonstrate this in the first chapter of John.

John 1:47-51: Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Jesus had seen Nathanael when Nathanael didn't even know he was being watched. In one of David's psalms, David confessed that he could not flee from God's presence, for God knew him in his inmost being: Psalms 139:7-10 "Wherever I go, You are there." Nathanael had just realized the same truth. Jesus also knew that Nathanael didn't think very much of Nazareth. Recognizing what was in his heart, when Nathanael said "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus challenged him and said "You believe because I told you I saw you under a fig tree. You shall see greater things than that... I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." John 1:50-51

Jesus, in short, said, "You are shocked because I revealed you to yourself? Wait until you see the full truth of who I am and where I come from!" He took Nathanael from explaining the lesser things to a destination of glorious insights. Jesus establishes a very personal knowledge of each of these who approach Him from their first sight of Him.

We just read about Nathaniel, and just before this, He has a similar encounter with Simon; John 1:41-42, He (Andrew) first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone). Stop here for just a moment and note the parentage reference, "son of Jonah". The physical culture is always an important key point to remember when studying the Bible or the life of Jesus.

Back to the scripture, this is the same Simon that we see in Matthew 16:13-18, where it says: When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Note the parentage references again; "Son of the Living God", "Simon Bar-Jonah", "My Father who is in Heaven". There's a consistent reference to parentage & heritage throughout these scriptures.

Jesus used this worldly understanding of culture to lead the apostles to realize & understand His divine cultural roots. And now, blessed is Simon Peter for recognizing the true parentage of Jesus, for taking that journey of thought and faith to a place beyond the here and now, and seeing Jesus as God's Son, not Joseph the carpenter's son or Jesus of Nazareth.

Here in John the first chapter, we have the account of Simon first meeting Jesus and Jesus calls him Cephas, which means "stone"; then here in Matthew's account, in an event that happens later between Jesus and Simon, we see Jesus calling him Peter, meaning "rock", because of the confession that Simon, now Simon Peter, has so boldly proclaimed. The confession, which Jesus says is the rock upon which He will build His church, comes from Simon, whom He called Cephas , or "stone", when they first met. Do you see the divine connection here?

Jesus knew these men & the roles they would each have before they ever came to Him. Just like He knew Nathanael before he came to Jesus... and just like He knows us before we come to Him. This divine journey of thought that He took them on is something that He still beckons us to come on as well. Yet, as long as we continue to think with the physical limits of when & where & time that bind us like slaves on this earth, we will never be able to understand or submit to the limitless, eternal, boundless joy of freedom that is in Christ and in God.

To be like Christ; to teach others; to live according to God's will; to even understand our own salvation, we have to understand that our thinking MUST change to an eternal perspective and see things from Heaven's point of view, not the world's... "putting off the old man and putting on the new man" as we are told in Ephesians and Colossians. It is then, and ONLY then that can we prioritize our life, our goals, our work, and our purpose according to God's purpose for us as individuals, each with our own gifts to offer in His service. If we hope to ever attain happiness and cease pursuing it, we must understand and live by that eternal perspective. In the U.S., our constitution gives us the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and now globally, through God and our Savior, Jesus the Christ, we have the hope of attaining it.

I believe that Jesus came as a vision of our perceived earthly weakness in order for us to understand God's strength and power over all that we know in our limited minds. Anyone would have expected a great and glorious King on this earth to be socially & politically strong and have influential parents and live a high lifestyle, and even moreso in the eastern culture. We would expect Him to have the ability to get laws changed and be powerful enough to deliver them, because that's the way the world thinks. But He wanted us to think the way that God thinks, the eternal perspective; the "forever with Him" concept, instead of placing value among the things of this earth that will pass away. So, He came in a very unexpected way so that we could see God in Him, and know Him for who He really is, not for what He has or how He looks. Have you ever noticed that we are never given a detailed physical description of Jesus? He wanted us to see His heart, the heart of God, not a physical form.

It was through His earthly disadvantages that we are shown God's conquering advantages. By showing us how much He could do in God against what we thought were all odds, Jesus revealed to us how little we can do in ourselves, no matter how great we think we are. Through His strength to overcome every temptation, every evil, even death, was revealed the true level of our weaknesses and our true need of a Savior, a sacrifice that we could NEVER make.

Have you ever asked God, like Andrew did, "Where do you live?"... or cried out "Where are you?", only to discover that He lives within you, everywhere you go He is there just waiting for you to follow Him home? Have you ever asked, like Nathanael, "Can anything good come from this?", and then found out later that He knew you before you knew Him? Have you ever figured out that in all of your struggles, He was already shaping you into that person that you would have to become to serve him in the role that He already knew you would take?

Our culture perishes, this earthly, physical culture that we know, whether from the East or the West. The culture of the world is dying each and every day. It had a beginning, and it will have a definite end. There is time, and space, and motion... and all of these earthly-defined boundaries, yet, it all fades and decays with every passing minute. The reality you know right now is temporary. You sitting here right now, is just a blink of an eye... a mist... a vapor, then it's over and you're gone from this earth, never to return and no second chances. You are doing now all you will ever get to do on this earth. This may be your last minutes. Do you ever think about that? Do you live every day, every moment, like it is your last?

Our culture perishes, but, Jesus' home lasts forever. It is renewed with the glory of God's presence forever. There was no beginning, and therefore will have no end. There are no bounds, no limits of time, nor space, nor motion. It comes closer to being your only reality every second, and is certain to overcome & replace the reality that you know and understand right now, regardless of how hard you resist it or how rich or poor yuo are.

Whether you like it or not, whether you're ready or not... Eternity is coming. Death is coming, as a welcomed promotion if you're one of His faithful children in spiritual battle everyday, but either way, Death is coming to take you home. It's only a bad thing if you're not ready. Place your value, the things that matter to you, in God's house, and it will all be yours to claim and keep forever. Place your value anywhere else, and you will claim nothing... your whole life will be lost and wasted with nothing to show for it and no hope forever.

When you meet this Jesus that we have learned more about, which culture will He know that you place value in? Have you boldly proclaimed Him as God's Son, as his apostles and other believers did, no matter what the cost on this temporary earth, because your riches are stored eternally? Or have you continued to see Him as Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph, the carpenter, as His enemies did right up to His death? Are you thinking from His home, or from yours? While He is watching you now, even when you don't think about it, what does He see in you? As other people are watching you, even when you don't realize it, do they see Him in you?

Consider this last thought... In God's eyes, there is no staying neutral to avoid conflict. He says that either you love Him and despise Satan, or you love Satan and despise Him. You are either for Him or against Him... Against Him, you will die. For Him, you will live beyond anything you can possibly imagine. You cannot serve two masters. There is no such position as neutral. There is no such thing as an undercover Christian.

If you have an interest in the Bible, missions work, or religious matters, you will most likely enjoy and learn much from these sites: http://www.missionsworks.org You may also want to visit my blog: http://360.yahoo.com/brantdeth

The sites are designed to teach, but also to provide numerous resources on the Restoration Movement that took place in America's early history. There are several resources that you can access from the site, as well as some very basic biblical teaching that may enlighten you or others about just what the Bible tells us, without interjection of man's creeds or opinions.

I am also working on a book of my own that should provide some interest to a wider audience, whether believers or not. The book briefly addresses some of man's theories (Darwin, Uniformitarianism, Existentialism, and others), the age of our earth (and universe as a whole) by genealogical and secular historical perspectives, and other interesting aspects of our being.

At some point, though not ready yet, MissionsWorks.org will also provide an interactive living map of where missions works are being performed globally.

Any thoughts, comments, or feedback is always appreciated! What would you like to see me write about? Let me know! God Bless You!

Dr. D

Yoga - A Remedy For Worry

How could Yoga be a remedy for worry? Yoga teaches you to be completely, and consciously, aware of the present moment. The first time a friend of mine heard the words "consciously aware," he laughed because it was a pre-requisite for a potential date.

He did not understand the importance of pure, focused consciousness applied toward the present. At the same time, he was a prime example of one who lives in the past. He regretted his past mistakes, so much, that it had taken the joy out of his life.

Living in the past is much like focusing on the rear view mirror, when your car is going forward. Your life is going forward, even if you are focused on the past. If you are worried about the past, how can you help yourself today? The past is an encyclopedia of lessons filled with achievements and mistakes. Look at the past as a reference guide and learn from it, without agony.

Very often, people worry about the future. The future is not carved in stone, but we waste so much energy worrying about it. The only thing we can be guaranteed about the future is it will be uncertain. The last thing any of us need is to focus on the future with a fearful or pessimistic viewpoint.

Look at the news today. Economic news speculation could be summed up as: "The recession is here, the recession is there, the recession is everywhere, and it will last for years to come." Let's be honest, depending upon where you live, there has been an ongoing recession for some of us. On the other hand, the person currently experiencing prosperity cannot envision a house foreclosure.

Your point of view will not make a recession go away, but a collective point of view, which is optimistic, will cause an economic upswing. Just watch the stock market for ten minutes, and you can see collective optimism or pure panic at any given time. Sometimes, you see both mindsets on the floor of the stock market at the same time.

Now, let's see how Yoga can help us with daily worries. Focusing on your existence at this very moment is a basic concept of all forms of Yoga. Every Yogic technique teaches you to concentrate with full awareness. The emphasis of your practice is always positive.

Some people find the leap toward positive thinking to be their greatest challenge. Default negative thoughts may be caused by years of pessimism, frustration, and focusing on failure. Anyone can focus on negative thoughts, but it must be realized that this is a personal choice.

Yogic techniques, such as: Asana, pranayama, meditation, mantra, and deep relaxation, give you the strength to make a positive difference in your life and the lives of those who come into contact with you. When we leave memories behind, they should be filled with positive energy.

Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

Create Your Day and Change Your Life - Video

Do you think it's possible for your thoughts to change her life. Do you think it's possible for you to create your own day?

Just how big of a deal is Money in Organized Religion. Your money is used for various things and some of them, you might not really want to spend the money on. Something to think about.

If you want to read something funny and get your daily laugh in, you need to read this, it's funny Using Religion Responsibility. It's based on overindulgence.

Visualization And Affirmations
Power Of Visualization

Life is Short Rant

Life is short, don't sell your soul, life, and time for money for too long of a period. Don't let little things get in your way of what you really want to do. Stop making excuses about why you can't do something. If you really want something, change it from a "should" and make it a "must".

Life is to be experience and enjoyed. Life is not meant to be spent doing something you don't want to do your whole life. Plan out your life so that you can soon do what you want, and work because you want to not because you have to, that is, if you even decide to work. Everyone is looking for one thing in life: Happiness. So why is it that most people want to cling to things that make them unhappy? The answer is FEAR. Fear of losing that sense of security, which for most of us, is a false sense of security.

Quit doing what the average person does or you will end up living a life that average people live. Be a kid again and dream big. Don't let the limitations of your income bring your dreams down. Plan your life in a way that will let you experience those dreams. By doing so you will inspire those around you. Don't get caught up in making a living instead of designing your life. Don't be one of those people who wake up one day when they're old and say to themselves "what happened to my life?" Letting the little things in life get in the way of big things in life is foolish.

You're probably thinking one of three things at this point (that is if you've read this far). One is "blah blah blah, easy for this guy to say, he doesn't know me, he doesn't know how complicated and hard my life is". Two: "Eh, I'm cool where I am right now, I might not being living my dreams, but I'm comfortable". Three: "I understand where he's getting at, but even if I wanted to live out my dreams, I wouldn't know where to start".

1. Whatever you're facing or going through, there are millions of people who have it worse than you. Stop complaining about circumstances. Circumstances happen to everyone, it's what you do about it that matters. If you keep complaining, you will only end up living a life worth complaining about.

2. Being in the middle is probably the worse place to be. You're not living the life you want to live but your life is not bad enough for you to do anything about it. This is where most dreams are destroyed and lives are ruined. We get comfortable. We start rationalizing "it's not that bad, I have it better than a lot of the people I know". If you want to be average, keep rationalizing. If you want to live your dreams, be honest with yourself. Don't be like the dog that whines because he's lying on a nail but doesn't do anything about it because it doesn't hurt enough. Jump on that damn nail as hard as you can so that it will wake you up and get you moving towards the life you really want to live.

3. Everything starts with you. For things to change, you must change. As long as you have strong enough reasons why you MUST live the life you dream of, the "how-to" will eventually come to you. That determination and undeniable belief that you WILL live your dreams will soon attract people into your life who can help you get to where you want to be. Start surrounding yourself with people who will encourage you and who can see you for who you can become instead of just who you are today. Negative people are energy drainers, dream stealers, life destroyers and you should get as far away from them as possible. Your life will never far exceed the expectations from your peer group. Want to know how your life will turn out, look at your friends. If you don't like what you see, get new friends.

In closing, life really is short. Tomorrow was never promised. No one ever said you will still be alive 5 years from now, or even 3 months from now. The more time you spend on doing things you don't like, the less time you will have doing the things you enjoy. What ever it is you want to do in life, start today, don't delay, make a plan and start right now!

Kevin Ngo is the creator of motivational-well-being.com - a motivational resource website that provides free tools to help people stay motivated long enough to create successful habits in order to obtain their goals. Ready to get back on track? You're one click away.

http://www.motivational-well-being.com

Is Fear Stopping You From Going For the Gold?

Over the last few weeks, when I've been in line at the store or just picking up my daughter from school, it's been hard to avoid hearing people comment on the latest catastrophe that should have us all distraught. Some people seem to focus on the media's forecast of doom and gloom geared at making the public fearful and outraged. The problem with this is that it's very difficult for us to move toward what we want in our lives if we refuse to let go of what doesn't work because we're afraid and have too little faith. Edmund Burke put it this way, "No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear."

This reminds me of when I was a kid and learning how to swim. The Instructor told us to hold onto the edge of the pool with our hands and then to kick our feet in the water. This was an exhilarating experience and I looked forward to cruising around the pool with the agility of an Olympic champion. The only thing stopping me from realizing my fantasy was letting go of the wall. That's because, I'd seen other children let go and then start to panic. They hadn't listened to the Instructor's directions and began to flail around gasping for air and then swallowing water, which of course made things that much worse.

I wanted to swim, but I was afraid to let go of the wall. My fear of what might happen stopped me from going for the gold that day. Thankfully, as the summer progressed I felt more comfortable in the water and my trust in my Instructor grew. I knew that if something were to go wrong, that she was there to help me; I wasn't alone. It works that way in life too. Many times we are so busy looking at the setbacks others are experiencing that we don't realize that we have taken our focus away from our own objectives and our unique purpose. We have forgotten that we are not alone in our efforts. If we follow the instructions we have been given and trust that The Creator is there to help us, then we can "Go for the Gold" without fear and excess hesitation!

This week, I ask that you identify one area in which fear is preventing you from letting go of the wall. What truly scares you about this thing? Write down what you've acknowledged.

I challenge you to then list at least 3-5 approaches you can take to work around, over or under this area. It's time to stop letting fear cause us to focus on what we don't want and start having faith in the possibilities that lie ahead for us. Go for the Gold!

Wende Sanders "The Starting Over Coach" is a speaker, life coach, and entrepreneur. Her mission is to provide hope and help to people that are ready for change in their lives or careers. She accomplishes this through her coaching and interactive workshops. Specializing in helping women "start over" and create their ideal lives, her motto is "Dream BIG... Take Action!"

Subscribe to her FREE, inspirational e-newsletter at http://www.wendesanders.com

Video on Mary Magdalene

This video has more information on Mary Magdalene, great video on advanced spiritual thinking.

If you're really seeking the kingdom of heaven, the glory of God and the true vision that Jesus had, check out some great Christian articles . These articles are designed to teach and educate Christians.

Getting Up Earlier

Video Clips on the the Secret Movie

the Movie the Secret Was a Big Success, Watch Some Clips from the Oprah Winfrey Show on This Video

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.

Greg is currently working on a religious help 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.

Water Damage Cleanup

Grateful For THIS? Deliberate Creation in Challenging Times

The 401k's in the toilet, the house won't sell, credit's so tight the banks won't even loan to each other let alone real folks, and forget about a bonus at work this year!

What's to be grateful for in these days of hard times with no relief in sight?

That's the question many have in mind as we enter the holiday season in what's continually reported as a particularly tumultuous time in U.S. history. Bombarded by news stories about the falling stock market, failing mortgage industry, and the domino effects on global markets, it would be easy to believe this is one of the worst periods Americans have faced since the Great Depression.

But is it true?

When you check in on the reality of it, you'll likely notice that abundance, wealth and prosperity are still here in many ways. All we need to do is look for it to see and experience it. In fact, since we get whatever we look for, cultivating the habit of looking for what we want allows us to experience it.

Not Just Positive Thinking

This isn't just a matter of looking at a discouraging reality and trying to find something to appreciate. It's a matter of knowing your prosperity and well being cannot dissipate in the stock market or be squandered by decision-makers in power. The same way no one can create a "dream come true" life on your behalf, they also don't have the power to spoil it. You are in charge of what unfolds in your life - at least when you deliberately manage your vibration. So no need to worry about someone else spoiling the party because your good news is always available to you, simply by turning in that direction. All you have to do is pay attention to what you want and focus on what feels better.

That's deliberate creation.

Deliberately focusing your attention on what feels better, however, is not an excuse to ignore circumstances that call for attention. Taking responsible control of your life may mean making difficult decisions and then moving on. What's important is that you listen for inner guidance and take action as inspired. Making choices in alignment with what feels better is a powerful step to enhancing your well being.

Creating the Economy

In a recent article on current economic challenges, freelance expert Ed Gandia quotes Earl Nightingale in saying, "We become what we think about." Gandia explains if we dwell on economic panic and financial strife, we get more of it. Conversely, if we choose to approach each day with confident expectation and a joyful attitude, we attract more positive outcomes in life.

Can improving our personal economy be as simple as changing our point of focus?

Author Alan Cohen writes: "The economy is an expression of the consciousness of those who create it all of us. We vitalize the economy with expansive thinking and action, and we deaden it with fear and contraction." Cohen argues the economy is not a fixed entity, but rather constantly changes with our thoughts and emotions. He says, "The economy you see today is a result of the attitudes and actions that sourced it yesterday. The economy you will see tomorrow is a result of the attitudes and actions you think and do today."

Realizing we aren't victims of failed regulations or bursting mortgage bubbles, but rather powerful creators in control of what unfolds in our future gives us the opportunity to create what we want rather than what we fear.

Even mainstream experts tout this perspective. Kevin Hassett, director of economic-policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (and Bloomberg News columnist), says it's our choice whether we believe the current market system fundamentally doesn't work or whether we restore our faith in the markets. He says the belief that the system doesn't work would be self-fulfilling.

Bright Side of the Recession?

Is it possible this "financial crisis" is a gift in disguise? A bit of reflection shows how the current financial downturn might actually serve us. For example, perhaps we could leverage this experience to better align our money with our values; to realize what's truly important and allow evolutionary outcomes (in ourselves and businesses) from these current challenges.

So what if our job is eliminated? It might be the kick in the pants we need to make changes we've dreamed of. Or even just to learn that we are not our job and embrace the opportunity to redefine our personal identity.

There are other ways these economic challenges could benefit us: skyrocketing oil prices inspire stronger investment and support for alternative fuels. Layoffs across struggling industries historically fuels higher educational enrollments, not to mention better appreciation in those who still have jobs to go to.

Maybe we also rethink the wisdom of investing in gas guzzling vehicles and feel new inspiration for growing community gardens. Perhaps questioning what's happening in the world leads us to a closer relationship to our spiritual truth.

The point is there's always a perspective that feels better. As you look for ways to appreciate what's happening in the world right now, it not only feels better but it creates a better tomorrow.

In fact, skip the fear trend altogether and remember that all is well and getting better every day. The viewpoint of appreciation lines you up with happy experiences and outcomes, regardless of what the rest of the world is up to.

"Get What You Want!" You've just attracted the best Law of Attraction Coach for hire. Jeannette Maw's Good Vibe Blog delivers attractive vibes twice a week at http://www.GoodVibeBlog.com Discover how to literally write your future with The Magic of Pray Rain Journaling: http://www.PrayRainJournal.com

The Ugly Victim

Poor me, poor me, pour me another drink. This is the theme song of the pseudo-victim. I am not talking about real victims, those who have been assaulted, burglarized, or had property destroyed by a hurricane. I am not talking about true victims of disease, cancer or other insidious or progressive illnesses. There is much, however, to learn from these real victims; some of them take on the victim role and milk it for all it's worth, others live a life of victory over their hardships, never letting on, until you get to know them, that they have had struggles. They refuse to play the role of victim. They work hard to resolve (solve again) their issues.

How many people do you know who have a significant illness, or have survived an accident but have physical consequences, or have a family member with an illness, and never complain? How many people are there in financial trouble who don't complain?

In contrast, don't you get tired of hearing people (yourself?) whine about how tough life is? The alcoholic/addict with his or her special personality traits is particularly adept at this whining stuff and at the ugly victim stance.

Examples: "Why does it always happen to me?" regarding some event like:

1. missed or late for the appointment, meeting, etc.
2. lost my cell phone, glasses, wallet (fill in blank)
3. felt snubbed when Jane/John didn't say hello
4. got loaded again and got another DUI
5. had fight with my (girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, all of the above)
6. was abusive to my (children, dog, roommate) and feel guilty
7. ran up credit card, got late fee and finance charge
8. didn't get invited to the party
9. got passed up for the promotion (bosses have always been out to get me).

You get the point. These whiners are only victims of their own minds. We make our own problems. For the addict (remember, alcohol is a drug and an alcoholic is simply an alcohol addict) this is a familiar trap. Growing up is difficult for normal people. For the addict, the drugs, even alcohol, make growing up more difficult, impossible for some. Drug use takes away the opportunity for the usual emotional growth and maturity we are supposed to get during adolescence and early adulthood. Spending a significant amount of time mind-altered keeps us from learning what those who are sober, clean and present get to learn: constructive and functional ways to live, appropriate conflict resolution, how to deal with feelings, how to take responsibility for ourselves and not take responsibility for things that are not our job, ingredients of healthy relationships, honesty with ourselves and others, and much more. Simply put, we do not get to grow through adolescence and beyond to become emotionally mature adults if we stunt our growth be being loaded all the time. The solution to everything becomes: get high, instead of something appropriate.

This immaturity and inability to take responsibility for oneself is at the core of the disease of addiction. The "normal" response of the addict is to blame...someone, something, some situation, and get high. Then what happens? Emotional pain! The thoughts turn to: poor me, nobody understands, I'm different, and so on...as a kid, the refrain was, "I think I'll go eat worms." As an adult, the response is often, "have another drink, hit, bowl, pill, or line."

It would never occur to the addict to say, "Oh, hmmm, guess I made a mess of this," SO...here's the catch... "I will begin changing me and my behavior to fix this problem I created!" AND, way too advanced for many, "If I have done harm to someone (including myself), I will do what it takes to make it right. And I will stop doing the destructive behavior." "I am not a victim. I am an adult with choices about my behavior, even about my mind...negative thoughts can and will occur, but I do not have to entertain them!"

So, pseudo-victims, learn from your neighbor with cancer who is always cheerful and thankful for another day alive. Or learn from the hurricane victims who have almost nothing left and share what they do have with a dozen friends and relatives, again being thankful for being alive and for the soup kitchen food.

To be fair, there are adults who have been real victims as children. They have been traumatized and abused, emotionally or otherwise. Children truly are victims; they cannot get away from perpetrators of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse until they reach a certain level of maturity. Many go on to get help resolving old pain, eventually becoming able to lead happy and productive lives; some never get enough help to recover. There is help, but it takes willingness to find it and to use it. As an adult, you are not really a victim of other people...you just feel like you are, perhaps because you really were as a child. Many of those who were victims as children cover the pain with drugs. If you are still stuck in your drugs and alcohol, covering old pain by getting high, deal with it; get help for all of your issues. Don't go it alone; others who have been there can and will help you get sober and clean and stay that way long enough to grow up and find the best help available for all of your issues. Try AA, NA, Alanon, all listed in the local phonebook, or find a really good therapist or consultant, or both! Whatever you do, stop playing the victim; it's really ugly.

Dr. Dawn Obrecht is the only MD addiction medicine specialist on the western slope of Colorado. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and her office is in Steamboat Springs. She does consultations and referrals anywhere in the country and can be reached at 970-846-8479 or through http://www.docdawn.com.

Twelve Pillars by Jim Rohn and Chris Widener

Jim Rohn has been imparting wisdom and sharing his success philosophies and principles for over thirty years. Chris Widener is a rather newcomer to the field of personal development compared with Rohn, but he has also shared the stage with some impressive people sharing his wisdom through speaking and writing. Now these two personal development professionals have teamed up to write a short little novel that contains a tremendous amount of wisdom in twelve secrets of success.

The book, titled "Twelve Pillars," is short, only 120 pages, and very easy to read. It is a story of a young man named Michael. After his car breaks down, Michael meets an old man named Charlie. Charlie teaches Michael about the twelve Pillars of Success. The Pillars, or lessons, are very simple, but that does not mean they are not extremely powerful. If you really take what Rohn and Widener are teaching through this story to heart, you will undoubtedly achieve more and live a more productive and happy life. You will live a life that is much more fulfilling and be rewarded with more meaningful relationships.

Just because the lessons are simple, does not mean they are necessarily simple to incorporate into your life. However, if you have this little book there to remind you and keep you on track, you will surely become a more successful person.

I really enjoyed the story and I'm sure I'll read it again and again each time I need a quick boost and reminder of those things to focus on. It is such a quick read with so powerful a message, I'd encourage everyone to read it more than once. Let the lessons these two teach sink in and make sure you act upon them.

"Twelve Pillars" by Jim Rohn and Chris Widener will surely inspire you to take your life to the next level and beyond. It will challenge and encourage you to become the best that you can be. All you need to do is read it, learn from it, and take action on the twelve pillars of success.

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a mediator/attorney with Bennett Law Office P.C. and an author/speaker through his own company Burrese Enterprises Inc. He writes and speaks about a variety of topics focusing on the business areas of negotiation and success principles as well as self-defense and safety topics. He is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks, several instructional dvds, and numerous articles. You can find out more about Alain Burrese at his websites http://www.burrese.com or http://www.bennettlawofficepc.com

Getting Up Earlier

World Peace Issues - President Barack Obama Heralds Global Spiritual Renewal and Social Wellness

Awaiting the arrival of the main participants for today's US Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama, the world celebrates renewal and hope for increased global wellness, abundance and peace.

Hundreds of thousands of US and world citizens are now crowded into the vast spacebetween the Capitol, the White House and the Lincoln Memorial. Individuals and small groups of peoplestarted streaming in from as early as 3:00 this morning.

By minutes after 5:00am slightly larger groups strolled in.At 6:30am, the pace had already picked up and individuals and wholegroups of persons were walking faster, determined to get as close to the front of the non-ticketed area as they could.

Whole groups have been dancing and singing and chanting pro-Obama songs and phrases. Impromptu friendships continue to spring up as everyone tries to stay warm. Many are telephoning and sending pictures of the phenomenal scene unfolding to their loved ones and friends who were unable to attend.

By 10:20am most of the ticketed areas are full and the US Chief Justices are assembling. There is a vast sea of humanity stretching as far as the eyes can sea awaiting the arrival of those who will represent a peaceful, age-old transfer of power from one set of leaders to another.

The atmosphere, energy and excitement of the huge crowd of hundreds of thousands of people representing millions more across the planet embodies the hope and investment that all have for life to work better on the planet.

As Americans and many persons from around the world join together in Washington and at Inaugural watch parties to witness and celebrate throughout the day, othersparticipatefrom a distancevia television and the internet. World citizens like myself join in spirit in this new moment of renewal that precedes yearsand decades of rebuildingand reorganisation.

As we brace for all the work ahead, we revel in this new beginning,in today's pause between theold and the new. We join hands physically, virtually and etherically with each other.

We allsupport President Barack Obama, allAmerican and international leaders and peoples as we collectively co-create, heal and balanceour world as soul mates joined in common purpose.

And to experience a One-Hour deep breathing, healing cosmic meditation, personal, emotional and social wellness Teleseminar Gift, get FREE access here:

http://www.SoulSelfHelp.com/index4.html

With love and blessings from Angela Chen Shui, "the Soul Alignment Coach".

Copyright 2008 - Angela Chen Shui. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Recommended Teen Reading List

Empathy - Foundation Virtue in Spirituality and Parenting

I recently read a parenting article on nurturing virtues such as kindness, honesty and generosity within kids. The author identified the core virtue - the virtue from which all others spring - as empathy. Our ability to understand how others feel, what hurts or aids them, is the foundation for all of our virtuous actions towards others.

As someone interested in both spirituality and parenting, I find this interesting to contemplate, because empathy is also the root virtue identified in most religious and spiritual traditions. The Golden Rule, 'treat others as you would like to be treated', is specified in some form in every tradition I can think of.

So what is empathy exactly? Thinking about what it really means to develop it in children provides a lot of clues. There's a difference between telling your two-year old not to bite because he will get a time-out vs. helping him understand it hurts the other person. There's a difference between telling your five-year old not to call someone names because it "isn't 'nice" vs. showing her how it makes the other person sad. And there's a difference between teaching your tween not to tease someone because "it's wrong" vs. because it might cause the victim real pain.

Developing empathy requires getting beyond punishment, social mores, or even ideas about right and wrong. It requires that we take the time to ask questions like 'what do you feel like when someone bites/calls you names/teases you?' The essence of empathy is our ability to feel or understand someone else's pain as if it is our own.

I often think of this when a story comes out about a bunch of tweens or teens bullying a peer (often online) to the point of suicide, or near-suicide. Parents of the abusers are often shocked, saying the usual 'He/she is such a good kid, a straight A student, volunteers at church' etc. And that probably all is true. But it is in the nature of teenagers to rebel and test limits, so if their 'good' behavior is entirely based on fear of punishment, or wanting to please adults, or a sense of social rectitude, they are destined to want to break and defy those expectations at some point. And they are also naturally self-absorbed, engrossed in one of the most intense life transitions there is. So unless they have a strong foundation of truly considering others' feelings, too often empathy won't naturally arise.

The same is true for us adults, and is perfectly illustrated by the difference between what I would call 'moral kindness' and true compassion. Most religions, in their form of the Golden Rule, tie adherence to some form of retribution, whether it is damnation, bad karma, or eternal delusion. Or, they hold out visions of what it means to be the 'perfect spiritual human' - the saint, the pious, the enlightened. So if we are religiously or spiritually inclined, we try and toe the moral line, whether out of fear or guilt. Either way, we aren't necessarily feeling any true empathy.

Developing true empathy requires a combination of self-awareness and attentiveness to others. We have to truly be present enough in our encounters to sense what another is feeling, and aware enough of our own internal workings to let go of any attachments we have to judgments or outcome. Then we will feel a natural and real connection to others, and this is what empathy really is. Connectivity is the reason so many spiritual traditions incorporate practices designed to inspire compassion and empathy. Saying 'we are all connected' is philosophical, but actually feeling our oneness, experiencing it, is the essence of personal spirituality and mysticism.

So whether it is in our children or in ourselves, there is great value in looking at what truly motivates kind behavior. Empathy isn't about making excuses for others, saying 'they can't help it' when they wrong us. But it is about sensing what they feel, attempting to understand it, and feeling a connection without condemnation or martyrdom. Empathy is perhaps the greatest spiritual gift we can give ourselves, our children, and the world.

Lisa Erickson is a mom, meditation teacher, and writer. Visit her blog http://www.MommyMystic.wordpress.com for spiritual book reviews and information on meditation and spirituality.

Will Durant

Yoga Isn't Stretching

If we look at the purpose of yoga and understand it in its spiritual context, we could distill itas 'opening the body, at the physical and subtle levels'. In this process of opening what is held within these different levels, the holding and in fact what creates the holding itself, is released. This process of the release through openingis in yogic terms purification. There is no way shape or form by which this process can beequated withstretching.

Stretching does not transform. As the word implies implicitly it is simply a forced lengthening. If we look at asana practice in this way the consequence of stretching will of course result in greater flexibility. This type of flexibility however requires perpetual stretching to be maintained. Because there is a force in stretching the natural response of the body is to retract again once that forces is removed with the same amount of force as was applied. This is a basic law of physics.

It is possible that through stretching, the body can be reshaped, the muscles and tendons lengthened. But if we compare this affect to the purpose of yoga, then the purpose is not achieved. Doing yoga by stretching will also have benefits, but they will be limited and short term. Yoga classes where you are exhorted to pushed to the limit, and then some, might leave you in a state of sweaty exhilaration, but like any high you come down. If this was what yoga was really about, then gymnasts and ballerinas, would be yogis and yoginis.

My yoga teacher in Rishikesh continually warned a naturally flexible student that her flexibility was a barrier to her practice. He also used to say that there were two ways to we could do asana practice. One way was the way of force, in which I am including stretching. He described the way of force as using a sledgehammer. The second way he described as using a chisel, and a hammer. He said the chisel was awareness the hammer was intelligence. Awareness takes consciousness into the body and intelligence follows it and directs it. As I have written elsewhere what the body holds is the contents of our subconscious. Obviously this means that we do not have conscious awareness of what is held. Yoga as a process of opening and releasing is then the discovery and making conscious what our subconscious holds in our body.

We live in a fast paced got to have it now culture. Sledgehammer yoga might elicit fast results, but the possibility of injury can be attested to by many. If conscious awareness was there could injury occur? I think not.

What then is opening and how do we do it? Well first of all, as what is held in the body is not conscious, it must become conscious, which essentially means we have to discover it. This discovery requires us paying a lot of attention while doing asana, the first 'union' is between awareness and body, then awareness body and breath.

Holding is by definition a contracting. Opening then is a letting go of the holding/contracting that is unconsciously occurring. It is the creation of spaciousness in the body. On a practical level it looks like this. We must in any asana find and not pass the boundary of our bodies capacity. Then we slightly withdraw from that boundary - just a little. Then we breath into the area where we find our boundary. Inhalation is definition expansion, so we breath space into the boundary of holding. Then as we exhale we direct awareness into the space we have just breathed open, and we keep doing this over an dover again.

This is asana as a meditation practice. This is yoga as an ongoing relationship of discovery with yourself. To practice this way takes patience, perseverance and courage. Courage because sooner or later you will start to meet parts of yourself you probably didn't even remember or know where there. Parts in pain, in darkness. In practicing this way, it is slower in terms of 'results' from the external view, but the results will last forever and you are fulfilling the age old addage to all spiritual practitioners "know yourself".

Ray Baskerville is a healer, meditation teacher, certified hypnotherapist, yogi and proud father. He has taught in worldwide. Ray is also the creator and editor of http://www.lifedivine.net an online magazine for yoga, meditation, spirituality and personal development. Please visit for more free quality articles like this.

Marci Shimoff

Ghosts Subjected To Research

The term ghost' generically refers to various types of subtle (invisible) bodies such as demons, devils, witches, etc. who have the intention of harming others. The Spiritual Science Research Foundation has undertaken extensive research on ghosts in order to demystify this widespread phenomenon and help people in recognising and treating the adverse effects caused by ghosts through proven methodology according to the Spiritual science.

Ghosts (demons, devils, spirits) though neither visible to the gross eye, nor perceived by the other sense organs, mind and intellect are factors that affect all mankind. The manifestations of distress due to ghosts can be from a person displaying uncharacteristic behaviour to erratic display of violence, addictions, various physical and psychological illnesses, family problems, business problems, etc.

1. Ghost characteristics

• Ghosts (demons, devils, spirits) are subtle (invisible) bodies
• Ghosts belong to the nether region or one of the seven regions of hell but are found on Earth region too
• Ghosts (demons, devils, spirits) do not exist in the positive planes of the universe i.e. heaven
• Ghosts (demons, devils, spirits) have unfulfilled desires such as cravings for sex, alcohol (things that they can only experience through a physical body), revenge, etc
• Ghosts (demons, devils, spirits) derive pleasure out of exerting control over and tormenting humans
• The general aim of ghosts is spreading unrighteousness and consequent turbulent havoc in society

2. Who can become a ghost?

People who have died with unfulfilled desires, personality defects, negative impressions in the mind, high ego, who have harmed others and/or have the basic nature of harming others. Most importantly people who have not done spiritual practice according to the basic principles of Spirituality while alive are likely to become ghosts in their afterlife.

3. What is the meaning of being affected by ghosts?

Being affected by ghosts (demons, devils, spirits, etc.) is when the physical, mental, intellectual or spiritual functioning of a person or any combination thereof is affected or altered by the ghosts entirely through the use of ghosts black energy without direct intervention by the ghosts. Consequently, there is no direct controlling of the mind and intellect of the affected person.

However the ghost affects that aspect of the person, which is most conducive to achieving its objective; either of troubling that person, fulfilling its own desire, or preventing spiritual practice, etc.

4. What is demonic possession?

Demonic possession is when ghosts (demons, devils, spirits, etc.) control the mind (emotions, thoughts) and intellect (decision making ability) of a person. As a result, they also control the persons actions.
In a possession, ghost (demon, devil, spirit) is actively involved in controlling the mind and intellect as a means to harm the person. In almost all cases, the person possessed does not know that he/she is possessed, until it manifests in a dramatic way as shown in the Hollywood movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

5. Spiritual strength wins
In the subtle realms of our existence, spiritual strength is the most important currency. Out of the person targeted for attack and the attacking ghost, whoever is spiritually stronger wins. If the ghost has more spiritual strength than the person to be attacked, then the ghost can affect or possess the person at will. If a person has a higher spiritual level, his defense against a ghost attack is stronger as a result of his own spiritual strength accrued with spiritual practice, and consequently the protection that he/she receives from God is also higher.

6. Solution

Initiate one's spiritual practice and maintain its regularity so as to build protection from ghost attacks.

http://spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritualresearch/difficulties/Ghosts_Demons/

Basic Stair Building Designs

Nine Things to Consider When Setting Goals to Succeed With Your Online Business

Only about 5% of the population actually set goals and realize them. That means that 95% are likely to fail to reach their goal. If you want to succeed with your online business you need to seriously consider setting goals. If you are like most people, you may have difficulty coming up with goals and a specific plan to reach them. In this article, I discuss 9 helpful suggestions for achieving success in your internet business by setting goals.

1. Make your targets real and tangible -- You may have a dream of achieving financial success in your online business. Make that dream real by determining what your specific target income is, and what you really want.

2. Write down a clearly defined goal -- Once you have determined what your target is, write down a clearly defined goal for that target. You may have more than one target. If so, write down a goal for each target.

3. Make your goals directly related to what you want to achieve -- When you set your goals, make them interactive with what you want to achieve in life. If you want to make a lot of money, but have no clearly defined purpose for making the money, then you will not be motivated as much as if it has a sense of mission to it.

4. Set your goals high -- Some people set their goal very low and always achieve their mark. It is better to aim for the stars and only hit the moon than to aim low and never get off the earth. Your goals have to ignite your spirit. You have to be inspired to take action every day.

5. Make your written goals specific -- When you write down your goals they should be specific and in detail. You should include details as to what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve it. Start with small measurable goals and build up from there. For instance, if you have a goal to achieve $1000 per week income in one month, what do you want to achieve 3 months, 6 months, and a year from the present date? Write it down in specific amounts and detail.

6. Commitment -- You must be really committed to achieving the goal. If not, it is just another wish. There is no wish fairy. Don't let yourself slack off. Be determined to work at achieving your goals no matter what happens. You may have set backs, but with commitment you will pick yourself up and try again.

7. Share your goals -- It is important to enlist the help of others in achieving your goals. Enlist the help of those who have a vested interest in your success like team members, a coach or a mentor. If it is someone close to you, make sure they will be supportive of your goals and aspirations.

8. Use your creative imagination -- Use all of your senses to imagine how it will feel, look, sound, and even taste when you achieve your goals. Make it as real as you possibly can. The more real, the more likely you are to realize it. See yourself already having achieved the goal. Your subconscious mind does not know it is not true yet, and will make it so. Do this creative imaging every day. Make it part of your daily routine.

9. Take action daily -- Make sure that you take action every day on the goals you have set. Don't let the day end without having taken at least one action toward your goals. If you have set up a calendar of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals, include on that calendar some place to record your progress. As you begin to achieve success in reaching your goals, it will become an exciting and enjoyable experience that you will look forward to.

In conclusion, setting goals can help make your dreams come true. When you identify what it is you want to achieve and maintain a consistent and precise schedule for achieving it, you will begin to experience more success than you ever could have imagined.

Internet businesses are more successful when you have proper training and support. For an excellent online business opportunity that thas great training and support, check out http://easysixfigureswithconny.com

Why Setting Goals Doesn't Work

Now, a lot of people may automatically want to disagree with the title of this article, but in truth, just setting a goal does absolutely nothing for you. It is not the act of setting a goal that will give you the results that you are after, it is the process of trying to accomplish your goals that unleashes the real power that you have to make your dreams come true.

Writing a goal down and being very specific as to what you really want to achieve is a good start, but that is just a start. You have to make an attempt to accomplish and achieve that goal in order for you to make significant changes in your life.

START BY SETTING A GOAL, BUT THEN WORK ON ACHIEVING THAT GOAL!

When you set a goal, you want to make sure that you follow through on accomplishing that goal. There is no hocus pocus magic that will make it just come true. You do have to work at it. You do have to get your mind to really work on achieving what you want.

There is a lot that is written that setting goals will make them just come true and nothing can be further from the truth. Without an effective plan to follow through on accomplishing your goals, it probably will not happen.

Set goals but make sure that you figure out possible ways to make them come true. Learn how to make effective changes in your life and accomplish what you want!

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

Ways for Curing Procrastination

Curing Procrastination is related to the task of overpowering fear. If an individual becomes successful in conquering the fears that leads to the delaying of vital projects then, the possibility of curing of procrastination is very high. To cure procrastination is not always related to exercising self-discipline or perhaps vehemently making headway towards the objectives, but in fact it is to be aware basically of the causes of procrastination. For any individual to cure procrastination, it is very essential to first determine the rational reasons for the fears and then, find ways to confront the fears, so as to progress in life. Most of the people are afraid of 2 things: Failures and Success. Curing Procrastination becomes easier after determining these 2 parameters that causes an individual to procrastinate.

Steps for Curing Procrastination:

1. Think Positively: This is the basic alteration that has to be incorporated by any individual who wants to cure procrastination. Alter the flawed beliefs into optimistic ideas. There is a saying that goes like this, "Time waits for no man". It implies that an individual cannot wait until the right frame of mind, to complete vital tasks. An individual requires motivating the mind with the help of self-talks.
2. Determine Objectives: An individual in the process of curing procrastination requires setting attainable objectives. Subsequent to which, take a calendar and work way towards accomplishing goals. Practicality needs to be used while apportioning time for accomplishing each segment of the goal. It is suggested to not overload the schedule, at the time of determining the objectives.
3. Prioritize the crucial tasks: No individual can complete a project in one stride. Hence, it is suggested to draft a priority list and then, mark the important dates on the calendar. For curing procrastination, it is advised to work on one thing at once.
4. Systematize: Organize the work area as well as the tool ahead of starting to work on a crucial task. Do not indulge in cleaning the work place, during such time, since this is another tactic of procrastination. This way a person will end up loosing valuable time as well as impetus.
5. Reminders: Make use of reminders in order to keep in mind the vital tasks. Infer to the calendar for noting the progress.
6. Accolades: Curing Procrastination is a critical task. Hence, an individual needs to reward oneself if successful in conquering the task. Go on a treat, it will help in reinforcing optimistic sense of worth.

Overview:

Procrastination predicament is confronted by the top-class executives and also, by the students at par. The outcomes of procrastination are extreme such as frustration, elevated stress, missing of opportunities, and poor job performance. Curing procrastination will help an individual in flourishing in all the endeavors of life.

If you would like to learn more about Procrastination and receive a FREE Newsletter on the subject visit the authors site http://www.procrastinationadvice.com

Non Physical Conscious Awareness

Human Consciousness can be measured with an Electro-Encephalograph (EEG) machine. What we do not see is the non-physical aspects in the Aura of the person - the electromagnetic field of energy that surrounds the Human Body.

The Human Aura is multi-dimensional; it is not just a shell-like field of energy which is like an egg around the body. It has different layers, which correspond to the different layers of the physical body: the Whole Body, Organs, Cells, Molecules, Atoms, Finer Particles, Light Body and Core Being or Vacuum.

As well as these layers we have the Energy Centres - Chakras - coming out like cones. As the colours of these cones merge with each other we see different colours of light being formed to give us a point in the Aura of each shade and hue.

You can watch the Aura having different shades of points of light, acting like radio tuners receiving similar frequencies from our environment; the Human Body can tune into all frequencies at the same time and we can interpret these with our emotions and feelings.

When we smile we can feel the energy in our cheeks extending out from our body like angel's wings or like a magnetic field; this is created within the body, as would happen in a bar magnet. The field of energy which our physical body creates extends out into the non-physical Aura and beyond, like the force field surrounding a magnet.

Our body is sensing the astrological influences from the planets, as we exist in the Earth's Magnetic Field. All these different electromagnetic levels of energy and force have an influence on our consciousness and our thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

We notice how we feel happier on a bright, sunny day than we do when dark storm clouds are over us.

We live in an invisible field of Electromagnetic Energy which covers the full spectrum: Gamma Rays, X-Rays, Ultraviolet, Visible Light, Infra-red, Radio Frequencies, etc. We are connected as One with this field of Energy and it is part of our Conscious Awareness.

As well as this natural electromagnetic field from our solar system, we are also influenced by the electromagnetic smog of mobile phones, TV and radio and all the other methods of man-made communication using this underlying field of energy in which we live.

Human consciousness can use the underlying electromagnetic field to send messages telepathically, and to get premonitions and dj-vu insights.

The Universe uses this field of Power and Force in an effortless way, to bring about synchronicities in our life; our vibration draws to us the things which are patterned in our being; something magical seeks us out and happens in our life.

As more humans become aware of this non-physical electromagnetic field of energy, it grows stronger and the synchronicities happen more often. The accident rate is declining as everything acts as part of the whole and moves in a frictionless flow of life in Conscious Awareness.

By George E. Lockett SSHA, IIHHT -- HealerGeorge(C) Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved. Tel: +44 (0)1286 882701 Visit HealerGeorges web site to experience the power of Distant Healing or listen to HealerGeorge Radio giving Questions and Answer advice mixed with Spiritual Music. You can also enjoy many free benefits on HealerGeorge, like listening to Free Guided Meditations. Why not order HealerGeorges Latest book entitled A Journey into The Self The Multi-dimensional Nature of Being Human By George E Lockett. It is all available off the web site. 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.

The Power of Alpha - Instant Meditation - Success, Vibrant Health and Happiness is in Your Hands!

God has made us awesome and wonderful creatures. He has created us with a mind that can enable us to achieve whatever we set out to accomplish.

Most of us do not realize that we have the power in us to achieve the things that we most desire.

~ Man can shape circumstances, but circumstances should not be allowed to shape the man. We should seize upon circumstances as instruments by which to work. We
are to master them, but should not permit them to master us. ~
Ellen White

Did you know that you can easily re-program yourself to become the person you most desire to be?

How

By slowing your brainwaves to the Alpha Level. You can achieve the Alpha brainwave state by learning meditation techniques that can be time consuming and difficult to master. Or you can achieve instant meditation by listening to sound or music that has been recorded in the Alpha brainwave range.

All the changes that you want to make in your life are now at your fingertips!

~ The greatest discovery of the 19th century was not in the realm of the physical sciences, but the power of the subconscious mind touched by faith. Any individual
can tap into an eternal reservoir of power that will enable them to overcome any problem that may arise. ~
William James

What is Alpha?
Normally, we operate in the beta state. In this state our brain waves range from 15-26 HZ. When we are in the Alpha state our brain waves average range are around 7-12 HZ.

The Alpha state is a state of "aware relaxation". Emotions experienced in the alpha state include a sense of well being, pleasure and tranquility. The Alpha brainwave level appears to link the conscious to the subconscious mind.

At the Alpha level you can re-program yourself and reap numerous advantages. The Alpha brainwave state:

Calms and relaxes your body and mind. The brain's thought process is slowed and the mind is clear. Tension and stress just melts away.

Enhances Positive thinking and Emotional Healing. Releases Negative Attitudes. Research has found the Alpha Brainwave rhythm puts you in a Positive state of Mind and Mood, enabling you to erase your negative attitudes and gives you an overall feeling of Wellness.

When you are in Alpha state you are mentally able to Re-Program yourself to achieve anything you Desire:

• Gain Complete Confidence
• Stop Addictive Habits
• Lose Weight
• Release Disabling Fears
• Goal Setting and Achieving
• Achieve any success you desire.

~ Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. ~
George Bernard Shaw

Accelerates Healing and enables you to Achieve Vibrant Health

Enhances your Learning Ability, Memory, Creativity and your Ability to Focus, Concentrate and Think more clearly.

Boosts Peak Performance - During speaking engagements, competitive sports and in all areas where peak performance is critical.

You achieve the Alpha brainwave state with ease when listening to music or sound recorded in the Alpha range. The best times to go to your Alpha level are first thing in the morning and again before you go to bed at night.

While listening, think about the things that you want to change in your life and visualize that you have already gained success in that area. Visualize what that looks like physically and what that feels like emotionally. Always visualize your success in the present tense.

For example, to heal an ailment, visualize your white blood cells surrounding and smothering the ailment until it is gone. Visualize yourself completely healthy and well.

Give yourself positive affirmations, such as the positive affirmation by French physician Emile Coue, "Everyday, in every way, I am getting better and better."

Practice Alpha meditation daily and gain the levels of success and healing you have been looking for. You have the power in you to change your life.

Petrea Dishman at http://www.awesomealpha.net

Spiritual Quest - Top Seven Books to Guide You in 2009

Remember that we are body, mind and spirit. We exercise our body and develop our mind, but what are we doing for our spirit? If you are looking for direction for your spirit in 2009, here are seven books that might assist.

1. The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire: Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence by Deepak Chopra

Without our consciousness, or our thoughts, there is no physical existence. We, collectively, create our world. Our thoughts bridge the virtual reality and the physical world. This is a complicated concept, but the spirit domain is the source of the coincidences we find in our lives. Tapping into this domain, into this unlimited and undefined area, we observe the synchronicity in our lives. Then we can create, on the physical level, the lives we desire.

2. The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power by Vernon Howard

"Man's task is to awaken to his true identity. The Kingdom of Heaven is within. Spiritual truths are discovered with an entirely new kind of thinking, quite distinct and vastly superior to the mind that builds bridges and sells merchandise."

3. On God: An Uncommon Conversation by Norman Mailer with Michael Lennon

Mailer states that God is a Creator, but one that is still evolving. Mailer considers that we are developing with God and, because of this, He needs us as much as we need Him. Perhaps Mailer's view is egocentric, but he may be right. If we are still progressing, why wouldn't our Creator be doing the same?

4. Sage-ing While Age-ing by Shirley MacLaine

MacLaine, in one of many discussions on various topics, defines soul mate as the one person that is exactly like us. There is only one for each of us, but this person is often too intense to be around. Twin souls have been together before and find it easier to relate. Companion souls have not been together in many lifetimes but recognize each other immediately. Perhaps a twin or companion might be more compatible in this lifetime.

5. The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, and Miracles by Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D.

Dr. Lipton claims that our environment, which includes nutrition, emotion and stress, influences our cells. We know that DNA passes on hereditary traits, but he cites research from a new study, epigenetics, that shows gene modification from the environment is also passed on.

6. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry of Values by Robert Pirsig

The narrator, traveling across country, attempts to define "quality." What he finds is that we all know what quality is; there is no need to define it. The search is important, but the answer is within. Our quest to define "spirituality" is similar. We know what it is for each of us. The search is important, but the answer is within.

7. Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse

We can transcend the two parts of us, the human side that is civilized and tamed, and the "wolf" or shadow side that is wild and instinctive. We can't disown our less-than-human side. We need to let go of one in order to not fear the other. Then we can rise above both and glimpse that other world of spirit.

Cheryl A. Chatfield, Ph. D. is a writer, teacher and inspirational speaker. Visit http://NottInstitute.org to request a complimentary 10-page booklet discussing the Top Seven Books for 2009 To Guide Your Spiritual Quest in more detail than presented above. Her nonprofit organization, The Nottingham Institute, promotes materials for an everyday, or practical, spirituality for those who don't find answers in organized religions. Two of her books include Do It Yourself Guide to Spirituality: Seven Simple Steps and The Lost Principles, a novel.

Do Positive Affirmations Work?

Our thoughts draw us to what we are thinking, and by constant repetition of positive affirmations, you can creative positive subconscious thoughts. Positive affirmations work only when they are translated into action. By conditioning your mind through positive affirmations, you are clearing out the negative thoughts, so that your dominant thoughts are of success. Why is it then that you feel that your affirmations are not working?

Seeing Results

There can be many reasons why your affirmations may be ineffective for you, and the first step in making them work is in understanding the relationship between your affirmations and your emotions.

Positive affirmations may take the form of "I am going to buy a big car". You may not see the end result immediately, but the key is in persistence. There are a few reasons why your affirmations are not working, or that they are producing limited results. You must first believe in your affirmations before it can create an impact in your life.

How to Make them Work

1. Use Present Tense

Always make sure to phrase your positive affirmations in the present tense. Instead of the phrase "going to", try using the phrase "have". This makes your affirmation something that is happening now, rather than something that is waiting to happen in the future.

2. Avoid Negativity

It is important to avoid negative thoughts and words in phrasing your positive affirmations. This is easier said than done, as most people make this mistake. Instead of using the affirmation "I am no longer poor", try substituting it with a more powerful one, such as "I am well off". This is a use of more positive words that reinforce your preferred end result, and does not carry a hint of any unwanted scenarios which may confuse the subconscious.

3. KISSS

Another point to take note of is to keep your affirmations short, sweet and specific. Get to the point, and make it specific, so that you do not confuse your subconscious with unnecessary words.

Lastly, the use of several techniques can help make your affirmations more effective. These include the use of constant repetition, engaging your emotions, persistence and belief. Try implementing these elements when you create your positive affirmations, looking out for your phrasing and other tips that may make them less effective. With constant practice, you can soon achieve the goals that you set out to attain.

Greg Frost is a leading innovator in the field of subliminal technology and the director of http://www.chargedaudio.com which specializes providing a whole range of subliminal cds for self improvement. Grab your free "Ultimate Success Unleashed" Subliminal Cd today at http://www.chargedaudio.com/freesubliminal.html

Do You Ever Loose Your Keys - Planning Advice

You obviously don't need to read this article if you rarely lose your car keys. However if you misplace your car keys often and have a pretty good relationship with your locksmith, it's time to change these bad habits into good ones.

One of my friends, recently lost their car keys. I would like you to listen to what I'm about to say and see if it makes sense to you. Most people get two keys when they buy a car. This means, if they lose one key, they now have a spare key. When they lose their first key, this should give them a pretty good clue that the second key is now the only key, if they wish to drive their car.

Does that make sense? If you lose your first key, you don't have a second or spare key anymore. Now is a good time to purchase a spare key or have one made. Don't wait until you lose the second one, unless you are planning to change your bad habit into a good one.

Now let me get back to my friends who recently lost their car's key. The car they were driving was a new Honda and you can't go to the locksmith to get another key made. You have to order one from the Honda dealer and this key cost them over $200. That's a lot of money for one key.

Now my friends lost both of their original keys and now have one key to operate the vehicle and this key cost them over $200. Now if I had to pay this amount of money, I would make sure that I never lost this key ever again. I would do whatever it to to change my old habits and create some new ones.

How hard is it to get in the habit of placing your keys inside of your purse. Placing your keys in your pockets and then only removing them when you are going to place them inside of a drawer, container, cup, bowl or on a shelf in your bedroom. If you place your keys in a drawer, this will keep them out of other people's temptation.

If you choose to lay your keys in a bowl, in the kitchen, there's a good chance someone will take them or another member of your family could lose them. Place your keys in a protected area, do not leave them out in the open ever.

If you want some tips to prevent you from losing your keys, simply talk to someone who rarely if ever loses their keys. Most of these people have simple and easy to follow tips. You can consciously create a habit that can save you money and frustration in the future.

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.

Greg is currently working on a spiritual video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

Fantasy and Healthy Escape

One curse of the modern world is to always keep us busy. Playtime is generally the priviledge of children. So are flights of fancy. Adults are supposed to be productive, and the products of the imagination aren't concrete enough to hold much weight in our society.

And yet, fantasy novels, movies and visual arts continue to flourish. This is because many of us need a certain kind of consolation that is best offered by magical tales. Our busy-body activities can only keep us distracted from our woes. Fantasy offers escape - and I mean escape in a noble sense.

Sometimes we need to escape even when everything is going well in our lives, and our days are relatively free from conflict and stress. There still may be an underlying sense of sadness, loneliness, or fear. Like Buddha observed, all life is sorrowful. To some extent we're always aware that we will, sooner or later, lose everything that we cherish in life.

Becoming lost in a fantasy world brings a kind of comfort that is hard to explain to those who haven't experienced it. In a way, it shouldn't be described as escape at all - because we're really IMMERSED in life. But we're witnessing all the themes in human experience being played out in another place and/or time.

This kind of "mental vacation" brings not only relief but also new insights. I'll describe something I'm sure many of you have experienced. I've dwelt upon something that's bothering me, examining the situation from every possible angle. Finally I've given up in frustration and turned to something else...and it's only THEN that a solution pops up in my thoughts from out of nowhere.

What happens in those situations is that we stop focusing on the problem and feeding it our energy. Once we turn our attention somewhere else it's like there's a space created within our minds through which inspiration can flow.

Perhaps this explains why the heart can so easily grow cold towards the familiar. At times it takes something exotic to stir it to life. There should always be fantasy - and new inventions within its worlds, so that the stories never grow stale. Reading about a protagonist struggling against incredible odds, we can realize that our own suffering is not so private an affair after all. If he or she can prevail, then so can we.

We will always need new stories to capture the spirit of grand adventure with all of its perils and wonders. Escape is healthy.

Seth Mullins is the author of "Song of an Untamed Land", a novel of speculative fantasy in lawless frontier territory. Visit Seth at http://authorsden.com/sethtmullins.

Feng Shui and Symbols - What You Have in Your House Says a Lot About You

What does a broken statue of a rooster have to do with Feng Shui? Feng Shui teaches us that everything in our house is a reflection of what is in our mind. Symbolically speaking, your house and the things in it reflects your thoughts, feelings, and spirit.

So let's get back to that rooster. One of my clients had recently separated from her husband. I noticed that a statue of a large bird was directly facing her bed, so it was probably the first thing she saw when getting up in the morning. Upon closer examination, I noticed two things; first, one of the legs had previously been broken and was wrapped in what appeared to be a cast. Second, I realized that it was not a chicken; it was a rooster. Unfortunately, the coxcomb on the top of the head had broken off, probably in the same fall that broke the leg of the statue.

I examined this unfortunate art piece for a moment and then said to my client, "Do you realize that the first thing you see in the morning is a broken cock?"

After I picked her up from the floor (she was laughing so much she just collapsed), she gasped out, "You have no idea of how perfect that observation is." Not wanting to really know much more, I suggested we send out the broken rooster for repair. We then talked about what she really wanted to see first thing in the morning; it was her flute and music and a picture of her daughter.

Another client was having a hard time keeping relationships with men going. Visiting her apartment was like seeing a shrine to her daughter. Everywhere was a mother/daughter photograph. It felt like she was already in a relationship and there was no room for any other one to grow.

Everything that you choose to surround yourself with has symbolic meaning and reflects something about your life. Whether intentional or not, all those objects, pictures, photographs, and pieces of furniture resonate with information about you. Take a look around at your house. What is the first thing you see when you enter your home? When you get up in the morning? When you sit down to eat? Do those objects support you in living your best life? Observe what you have around you and then experiment. See how you feel swapping out the images that surround you for other ones that are a better reflection of who you are and where you want to go. I've seen this simple action do amazing things to improve people's lives.

Interested in learning more about Feng Shui and ways to improve the energy in your home or office? Get great tips and motivating messages by subscribing to the Empty Your Nest newsletter at http://www.emptyyournest.com

Finding My Courage

I have spent 2008 finding me! I have gotten a newappreciationfor the links betweenprosperity,success, authenticityandspirituality.I am exploring and finding parts of me that I didn't know existed. I am sharing otherparts of me that I thought might be valuable butwere way under-appreciated.The parts that I didn't know existed were hidden because I spent a lot of my energy hiding out. I didn't show up for people who loved and cared about me or that I loved and cared about. I didn't appreciatemyself because I was afraid that ifthey knew, I mean really knew, who I was, therewould be no way thatthey couldlove me.

I was literally petrified. If you had seen me speak to groups when Istarted my company, you would haveseen in my eyes and on my facehow scared I was to put myself out there. I would read the words that I had written from the paper in front of me. I would barely look up and when I did, I did not connect. I was totally unconscious in that moment ofthe genuine caring people around me becauseI was tied up inknots from the story I had running in my head. "Why would anyonein the audience want to know me? Surely they don't. I'm not enough. These people are looking for more."

As I have ventured out intomy unknown territory, Ihave shared ona bigstagesome painful memories. Once I talked of myvery strained and unhappyrelationshipto my father. Italked about the strength that I gatheredfrom facing the truth about who he was and who he had helped me to become.People came up to me afterward and shared that they had related to my story and that it had given them strength. They said that their circumstances were challenging too and they, too, were lettingtheir challengeshold them back. They were amazed at my courage... AT MY COURAGE... I was blown away! They knew about one of mydeep dark secret and they loved me anyway.

My sister, Lynne, tells me that part ofthe jobof our parentswas to unconsciously woundus aschildren so thatwe couldgain strength from our trials and tribulations. All I know is thatI haven't found anyone yet who is not broken or wounded in some way.When I finally agreed to face my fears, I found out that the fear monster did not exist. I found out that I loved sharing with people and helping them to become their magnificence. I learned that people accepted me and loved me despite and becauseIwasbroken and wounded. I also found out that life will surprise you if you get out of the way and let it.

As Founder of Kinesis Development LLC, Kathie Bobbitt builds potential and high performance in conscious leaders and their organizations through our seminars, workshops, personal and group coaching. The Kinesis Development processes include entrepreneurial and executive coaching and strategic planning, optimized process improvement and time strategies. She has a passion for building women as leaders in their lives and in their businesses.

Positive Thinking to Enhance Your Relationships and Your Life

After recovering from a broken nose resulting from a smash in the face with a can of corn by my grandfather, my father left home at age 17 for broadcasting school. As he drove away, his father's parting words to him were, "You ain't gonna amount to nothin. You'll be back here in a week!"My father never returned home, and like many of that generation, did what he had to do to survive. One night, too hungry to think straight, he traded a silver dollar for a candy bar. He always regretted that, he later informed me.

This man I knew as "Dad," greatly influenced many people. He read, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" at age 17. The resultant effect restructured the rest of his life.One of the most positive individuals to ever grace my life, his perpetual words of encouragement spurred me on to the next thing throughout my college days. He ended up being one of those "self made" men, owning several businesses and being a treasured friend of many and leader in his community.One thing I always knew about him was this:my dad was different than anyone else I'd ever met.

In the current age of modern brain research, a study done at Ben-Gurion University in Israel has demonstrated links between serious illness and life circumstances.Several other studies have discovered a connection between the hope inspired by religious faith as important in raising survival rates for cancer.While scientists are just now discovering the links between positive/negative thinking patterns and brain chemistry, it seems that the results are starting to demonstrate what many have known for years:there is power in positive thinking. This article provides three quick tips anyone can implement to change negative thought patterns and bring more joy to their life.

Tip #1:Henry Ford was right.

"Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you are right," said Henry Ford. We're all aware of the psychology behind the "self-fulfilling prophecy," but did you know that there's actual brain research out there supporting it? Dr. Caroline Leaf says her 25 years of research demonstrates that the way our brains are created actually perpetuates positive or negative thought pattern habits. So, if we have negative thought patterns and do not choose to reprogram our thinking, we will simply have more negative thought patterns.

Tip #2:Whatever you pay attention to grows.

Fitting in with the above science is the notion that focusing on whatever is true, noble, right and good, praiseworthy, excellent, admirable, etc., will encourage more of the same to occur. Some studies show that optimism actually reduces the effects and occurrences of heart attacks.

Tip #3:Capture the negative thoughts - then throw them out!

Cancer research has demonstrated that negative thought patterns can actually make you more prone to illness.Knowing that can generate all sorts of stress for individuals who haven't become aware that they can actually control what they think about. Taking control over one's thought patterns is a discipline worth figuring out, however, as the results generate health and peace.

Bottom Line: Preacher Norman Vincent Peale was right - there is power in positive thinking!

Want more help? Sign up for our free marriage tips online! Find out how hundreds of families have been changed for the better through Daughters of Sarah(TM) and The Respect Dare(TM). For more information on how to do what works and improve or save your marriage, visit us at http://www.DaughtersOnline.org

Nina Roesner is the Executive Director of Greater Impact Ministries, Inc., a non-profit corporation that delivers life changing training for wives, leaders and speakers. She has seen hundreds of lives turned around by women learning the language of respect and applying the principles taught in Daughters of Sarah, a 12 week course that creates greater connections with God, spouses and our strengths. For more information, visit http://www.DaughtersOnline.org

One of the Best Books on Life

Most people read a book and if it's good, they might recommend it to someone else, but if the book is great, you can guarantee they will recommend it to everyone who is interested or who they think might be interested in the book. In the field of personal development, one book comes to mind, it's called, "You Can Have It All" by Arnold Patent.

I found the book in one of our antique thrift stores and paid less than $10 for it, I really didn't think much of it and never heard of Arnold Patent before. We've all heard of Anthony Robbins, Susie Orman, Wayne Dyer, but I never heard of Arnold Patent. I skimmed through the book and it looked like a short read. I read the book in about six hours and plan to reread the book, as soon as I get it back for my daughter. The book has short chapters, most of them less than five pages.

Looking at the short chapters, you could get the impression, that there isn't very much information in each chapter, how could there be with less than five pages and some chapters less than three pages. This was very deceiving to me, because each paragraph, was like a chapter and each chapter was like a small book.

The book is full of tools and advice and combines personal development with spirituality. He has chapters on meditation, energy, enjoying what you love to do for the rest of your life, cause and effect, abundance, attachment, pain and suffering, harmony, karma the past and forgiveness.

I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to read this book and if you're looking for some basics on quite a few motivational, spiritual and laws of attraction topics, this book has almost everything you need to get you interested in changing your life. You could actually read one chapter a day and think about it for the rest of the week, there's that much information in each chapter.

I was reading one of his recommendations and it was from Oprah Winfrey, she said, "It was one of the most important books that I had ever read." That's coming from one of the most successful people in the entertainment business. I stumbled across this book and might not have ever found it, but I'm telling you about it and highly recommend it.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

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, You Can Have It All

Greg is currently working on a self help 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.

Jeffrey M Schwartz

How the Universe Will Make You Rich

If you are an avid watcher or listener of motivational products like DVD, Podcasts or Life Coaching then you may have heard of The Law of Attraction. This is a concept that has been around since the beginning of the twentieth century and has been debated and discussed in many texts throughout the last 100 years.

Very basically, the concept is based around the following four steps;

1. Know what you want.

2. Ask the universe for it.

3. Feel and behave as if the object of your desire is on its way.

4. Be open to receiving it.

Should we be considering this concept or is it merely just another collection of new-age philosophy that is designed to encourage a wave of positive thinking? Let us discuss what the Law is, whether it is real and how we can use the concept to help our personal development.

It is easy to view the Law of Attraction as the easy route. Just think of what you want and it will happen for you. The obvious response is to think to yourself that there is nothing to worry about because success will just come to you. But this is not the concepts purpose, as you will have to actually do something for it to work. But you can activate it by amending your thinking to begin the process towards success and growth.

Have you ever thought about someone and the telephone rings and it is them? I think we have all had this at least once or twice. If this happened once to a friend or family member, we could think how amazing that is and it is a co-incidence. But to happen to many people has to make us stop and think. The philosophy is that what we think about will happen to us, whether it is good or bad. Therefore it is sensible to make our thoughts pure and totally focused on what we want to achieve. The Law of Attraction says that when we think about something the Universe will help make it happen. Noel Edmonds a popular U.K television presenter wrote down that he wanted a new T.V. show after having success in the 1990's with Noels House Party. He has said in many interviews that without the Universes help he would not be enjoying the success of Deal or No Deal or Noels Christmas Presents, which are his latest two successful shows.

Look at your current lifestyle critically. Lots of people have the goal of getting up, going to work, getting home as quickly as possible and then watching T.V. The universe makes this happen and they tend to achieve this quite well! But the law does not care what we want, it merely provides it blindly. So it is very important that you empower yourself to implementing some change and take control of your earning power and future. It does not necessarily need to be a business or even making money, but follow your goals with complete focus and the law will do the rest.

The law is based on what the power of positive thought can achieve. The fact you are here reading this article suggests you have an awareness of this and can relate to it, even if it at present observing others is the only tangible evidence. Everyone who has a rags to riches story is testament to the power of positive thought. In 1937 Napoleon Hill published his book Think and Grow Rich which became one of the best selling books of all time selling over 60 million copies. He discusses the importance of controlling your own thoughts in order to achieve success, as well as the energy that thoughts have and their ability to attract other thoughts and therefore opportunities.Can youwork out what Hills great secret of the book holds? He said it is better if you work it out for yourself, and it is widely believe the Law of Attraction is the big secret he alludes to throughout the book.

Scientists are critical of the law because they cannot measure it. The word law implies a set of rules, so when the only way we can measure the success of the law is through occurrences which could easily be looked on as luck we are obviously open to criticism when believing in things like this. Another very obvious criticism is that if merely thought produced positive results then why poverty, famine and death in third world and other suffering countries?

Readers are encouraged to watch The Secret (2006 which focuses on the Law of Attraction. This can be found on amazon. This gained so much exposure that Oprah Winfrey dedicated two shows to the concept, and Larry King also had a lengthy discussion on the subject.

My personal take on the idea is that it enforces things I already hold close to me. Positive thinking never hurts, but to think negatively or not at all means you can never reach your potential. If you decline to learn how to ride a bike do not expect to be able to cycle. So do not be one of these people who sits back and shouts that life is not kind to them, stand up and force life to consider you as a potential success.

Whether or not you are helped by the Universe in reaching your goals, a lot of your assistance will come from within. The dogged determination to let nothing stand in your way will break as many barriers and obstacles as any law can. If the law does exist, then combining your own positive attitude with the universes help will make you unstoppable.

Malcolm Clarke is a self-help and personal success writer.

He maintains his success website that offers articles, podcasts and products.

Visit http://www.itsawinner.co.uk today.

Top Self Help Strategies to Beat Depression According to Scientists

A group of Australian scientists did some research to discover more than 2214 self-help strategies to beat depression. Their findings were published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in Oct 2008. After getting rid of complicated strategies that they found to be difficult to implement, the team selected a final list of helpful strategies. What were the top strategies?

The list included...

-physical activity,

-proper sleep habits and regular sleep schedule,

-doing enjoyable things,

-getting involved in activities with a purpose,

-rewards for reaching small goals,

-relaxation methods,

-talking over problems or feelings with someone supportive and caring,

-informing family and friends,

-and eating a healthy, balanced diet.

When you discover that your head is attached to your body and that you must take care of your body in order to have a healthy mind, beating depression is closer than you think. For some reason, in our modern lifestyles, we incorrectly assume that what we choose to do and consume will not affect our health. As a result, our health care systems cannot possibly provide us adequate care. Proper health care begins with each individual. Please don't sacrifice your long term health for short term comforts.

With help from your doctor, you can start making life changes today to beat your depression. Your doctor can only guide you but he/she will not cure your depression. Only you can. My own life is an example of that.

When anti depressants brought on thoughts of suicide, I did my own depression research reading through the medical journals. Then I took it to my doctor and he suggested how to implement the research safely and effectively. But, it took discipline on my part (not his) for me to implement it. Three months later, I was out of the tunnel because I diligently made the necessary lifestyle changes. You can make these simple changes too.

There is hope! You are worth it!

From suicidal to impacting the lives of others, Merri Ellen Giesbrecht shares hope for those suffering from depression. When antidepressants made her life worse, she began to research the medical journals to find the truth. What she found would not only change her life but also thousands of others in over 80 countries around the world through her website: http://www.cure-your-depression.com

Living With Limited Beliefs

Get off your butt and start your life in motion today.

Question Your Religion

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

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.

Greg is currently working on a motivation help 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.

Book Of Life

Growing Hydroponics

Gardening can be a very popular hobby, especially in places with rich soil. However, for people who like to garden that live in places without rich soil or people who find it hard to bend low to the ground, there is hydroponics. Growing hydroponics can be quite rewarding as the plants easily grow without soil and the joy of gardening remains.

The items that are usually used in growing hydroponics are a self-contained growing container, plant support baskets, an inert material to anchor the roots (known as a growing medium), an air pump, nutrients, a pH kit, tubings, fittings, sample seeds, and instructions. These things are usually included in any hydroponics kit that is bought. The things that are not and may not be provided are things that any gardener needs to provide to plants. These are sufficient light, food, nutrients, carbon dioxide, water, heat, and fresh air.

Being that the plants are grown without soil, if any of those last needs are missing, the plants will die. The way that plants get nutrients is that they are fed directly to the plants' root systems. This allows the plants to focus on growth upward and promotes quicker growth. This became quite popular during World War II in order for more food to be produced.

There are different methods of delivering the food to the plants when growing hydroponics. Nutrient film is a oxygen rich nutrient solution that can be applied to the growing area. Drip watering is like it sounds. The water is applied to the plants in drips. There is also aeroponics. In this method, the plants are in the air and they are then sprayed with a water and nutrient solution. Ebb and flow means that the plants are watered with a flood and drain system. Passive systems actually let the plants determine when they need food and water rather than the gardener making these decisions.

When growing hydroponics, it is also important to provide the correct lighting. Sometimes hydroponics can simply be grown in the sunlight. However, this is not always the case. Growing lights are sold in order to provide the right brightness of light for the correct amounts of time the light is needed.

Even while these things sound great in some ways, it also probably sounds like a lot of work. Some people may be wondering why even choose to grow hydroponics. Hydroponics gives many advantages that normal gardening does not.

A few benefits of hydroponics are that a kit is easy to set up, operate, maintain, and control and this can be done year round anywhere - on rock, grass, soil, or any other type of land. Hydroponics gives higher and quicker yields, there are no soil diseases and no insecticides need to be used. There is no crop rotation needed, no weeding, no need for heavy machinery, and less waste created.

This results in a much cheaper way to garden with a higher output of the plants grown. This can be used in gardening centers and in at home for a hobby. No matter what, it gives enjoyment to those people who like to garden and do not want to deal with the soil and concerning themselves with the condition and pH of the soil in order to keep growing conditions ideal.

Tracy Ballisager is stays at home mum. To read more about gardening tips and idea go to http://www.gardening-tips-idea.com

Electrical Outlet Problems

How to Accept Rejection Letters

We've all suffered rejection and disappointment. Perhaps that job you coveted or someone you loved who might have even led you on before dropping you. It hurts. But you move on. And it does get better. It does, trust me.

Being a published writer involves accepting rejection. Think of rejection as an integral part of a road to success. If you have never been rejected then you haven't really tried, have you? There are several ways that you can gain a good perspective on your rejection letters and even make them work to your advantage.

Adopt a Healthy Perspective

One way is to adopt a realistic, objective and healthy viewpoint on your story's rejection:

View selling manuscripts as a "cold call" business: When you view it this way, you will treat it that way. Until you establish a relationship with your market, selling becomes a numbers game. The more you send, the more likely you are to get a hit. It's all in the statistics.

View rejections as an opportunity. Rejections can provide you with the opportunity to learn and re-evaluate, usually of appropriate market and publisher subjectivity rather than writing quality.

View rejections as the beginning of a relationship. Not all rejections are final; in fact most aren't. Most rejections by a publisher or magazine editor stem from story redundancy, lack of space or editorial requirements. Many rejection letters will reflect this (e.g., "Thanks, but this isn't a match for us...do try us again." They mean it. It means they liked your writing but the story wasn't right-they may have run something too similar to it already or it didn't fit with the other pieces or theme or whatever.)

View rejections as part of your success journey. Rejection is a given in the writing business, where a story may be considered "before its time", untried, or a risk and therefore harder to place. This is often why a book that was rejected so many times becomes a great hit once it is published. The very quality that made it hard for a publisher to accept made it a success with the readership-its refreshing yet topical originality.

View rejections as your first step to success. Take heart in the fact that you reached this stage in your writing career. Getting that first rejection in the mail is a great affirmation that you have taken that first significant step to becoming a serious writer.

Acceptance begins with rejection.

Make Rejection Work for You

You can maintain a more objective view on your rejections by keeping an objective view on your submissions. This can be accomplished by submitting a lot and submitting often. Treat your submissions-and rejections-like a business. The best way to do this is to submit lots of stories and to keep submitting them. The critical part of this process is to always have a contingency ready for each story submitted. Once a story is returned you have a place to send it already.

Karen Mason publishes The Passionate Writer for people seeking guidance on getting their own books published. Our coaching and training programs are designed specifically for writers who are serious about becoming "published authors".

http://www.thepassionatewriter.com/

Get more tips to help you promote your career as an author and re-discover the "magic" of writing!

Mastering The Winds Of Change By Setting Goals

Today, we are experiencing change at a rate never before imagined in history. The forces of change impact everything we do. The rate of change is accelerating week by week and month by month, and this rate of change is going to accelerate in the months and years ahead.

The speed and variety of change is something over which you have no control, and about which you have no choice. The only decision you have to make is whether you are going to be a master of change or a victim of change.

The sooner you learn to cope with change and turn it to your advantage, the more successful, effective, and happy you will be in everything you do. One of the best ways to become a master of change is to set realistic and effective goals.

Realistic and effective goals help people cope with change more effectively because they fuel commitment, even when life is stressful. Goals provide a strong stabilizing influence in times of turmoil. You can and should set goals in different areas: professional, financial, emotional, spiritual, and family.

There are five ways you should set goals to help you deal more effectively with change:

1. Make your goals realistic. Realism in goal-setting is a two-edged sword. Some people set goals that are two high. Others dont make their aspirations fly high enough. The key is balance. You should set goals that stretch you, but make them realistic.

2. Be specific and write it down. Decide exactly what you want to do, how you want to do it, and when youll achieve it. Next, write your goal, noting the specifics when youll achieve it. To begin the process for yourself, think of something you have a strong desire to attain. Next, to clarify and commit yourself to your goal, write it down. Be specific and concrete.

3. Imagine yourself attaining the goal. Visualization is the most effective way to practice and achieve new behaviors. Imagine what your life will look like once youve achieved your goal. What do things around you look like? How do you sound? How does the environment around you sound? What do you look like? How do you feel?

4. Ask yourself some key questions:

Does your goal fit with other plans you have? For example, if you want to work in politics, a home in an isolated small town wont help.

Does reaching your goal create a win/win situation? For example, if you want to have a job that allows you to travel a lot, a spouse who hates it when you travel will be a problem.

What obstacles will you have to surmount to reach your goal?

5. List the action steps needed. Attaining goals requires gaining new knowledge and/or information. To convert your goal into reality you must have a system of projecting and tracking your progress. For every goal you should have eight to ten action steps each of which should have an action item, a person responsible, a completion date, and an estimated time for completion. Without a projecting and tracking system your goal is just a dream that will never happen.

You cant just set your goals and then forget about them. You must reemphasize your goals every day, so commitment doesnt wane. Keep your written goals and the action steps in a convenient location. At least once a day, read the goal to yourself, out loud. Then, imagine yourself having already attained it. By doing this, youll condition yourself to reach the outcome youve set.

It also helps to make a list of daily goals, but make sure they are realistic. Dont overburden yourself, because that will just add to your stress level. Instead, make a realistic assessment of what youd like to accomplish that day and what is reasonable to accomplish. Then make your list. Youll gain a feeling of energy as you cross off each item completed.

It is possible to take goals too seriously. Goals can become a negative when you forget to enjoy the process of attaining them. True commitment doesnt require that you become grim and self-righteous. For example, if youre bogged down in the present, stuck in one of those inevitable periods when everything seems like drudge work, focus on your goal. This will energize you and provide inspiration to continue.

When you set concrete goals, the results can be almost magical. Youll find that outcomes arrive faster and more easily, and because youre looking toward your goal, you will tailor your life and work to reach it.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and success coaching programs. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in career coach training. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many businesses around the world, on the subjects of leadership, achievement, goals, strategic business planning, and marketing. Joe is the author of three books, Starting Your Own Business, Finding Your Purpose In Life, and The Guerrilla Marketing Workbook.

Copyright2007 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Inspirational Video - The Don't Quit Poem

Finding something you don't like about yourself is usually very easy for most people. Most of the time you don't even have to ask your family or friends because you have heard them complain about the same thing for years. How many times have you heard someone mention, I need to lose weight?

What are you going to change today about your life? Make a list of things that you're not happy with about your life and start making the changes today that you need to create the life you deserve and desire.

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.

Greg is currently working on a personal development video library filled with great movies 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.

Laws Of Attraction Ideas

Unmotivated? Stop "Should-ing" All Over Yourself

You want to improve your life. You're sick and tired of being sick and tired. You are willing to make changes as long as these changes don't disturb what is already comfortable. And you don't want improvement to require a lot of work. You want a quick fix. And you may not realize that even though you don't like it you're quiet comfortable in your sick and tired of being sick and tired existence. So you unknowingly fight back to stay right where you are.

And in that place of right where you are, your head is filled with "I should do" or "I'm supposed to be" thoughts. This self-defeating attitude weighs heavily on your daily experience. I'm not, not, not and I should, should, should. All day long.

You should according to whom? Are you playing the vocal soundtrack of parents, teachers and other well-meaning advisors telling you what you should want, should do, and should have in your life? "You should do this." "You can't have that." "You can't be a whatever and make money." Do you even stop to consider if you even want have, be or do what they suggest? And what you are now telling yourself endlessly that you are not that you should?

Who is really should-ing on you?

YOU!

Stop shoulding on yourself! Those shoulds and must do's are limiting and defeating. They range from unsupportive to ridicule and judgment. Sometimes well intentioned shoulds and musts dictated to you by others are abusive. They can penetrate deeply with hurt, pain and feelings of inadequacy. Self-defeating statements violate who you are. Your self-talk agreement with these statements only serve to separate you from what you really want and, thus, can suck the life energy right out of you. You spend your life swimming upstream fighting against what you really want to reach what you should or must want. And you're tired. And you're sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Stop playing the beat of the should drum that obviously isn't working for you. Be willing to move beyond this comfortable yet unfulfilling spot and play a new tune. You're an adult now. You no longer have to listen to parents and others as you deliberately create the life that you want to experience. Look for evidence of people who can and are doing what you've been told is impossible for you. If they can be, do or have it so can you.

Get out of your comfort zone. Become your own parent. That's your quick fix. Give yourself encouragement to support your real wants in life and give yourself plenty of positive feedback as you move towards reaching your goals, your desires, the life of your dreams.

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." - Albert Einstein

Valery is the Founder of the International Association for Inner Wizards. The greatest gift Membership can give you is to reaffirm the integrity of your own being. Within you lies all the knowledge about who you are, including your challenges and desires. The ultimate mission of the International Association for Inner Wizards is to reconnect you with the incredible power that is already within you and to encourage you to recognize it, use it and rely upon this resource that is your birthright. We simply deliver back to you that which is already your own. I guarantee no wrong turns will be made on your life's journey when you are empowered and guided by your Inner Wizard. Get free mini-book "Discover Your Inner Wizard" today at http://www.InnerWizard.com.

Money Affirmations - Why Affirmations Will Change Your Life - Part II of II

In part I of this article, we learned that money affirmations, like all affirmations, are statements you choose to listen to or say for the purpose of changing the way you think.

And the reason you'd want to change the way you think is because...

your thoughts are what's behind you not experiencing what you'd prefer in life.

You see, since infancy, you've encountered different ways of thinking modeled by different people.

As a young child, some thoughts passed right through you while others remained to become "your thoughts".

Now, many years later, your thoughts continue to shape the way you view yourself and everything around you. Every day. Every moment.

While most people are unaware that any of this is going on, the fact that you're reading this sentence right now means you're probably at least intrigued by how you could consciously change your life by changing your thoughts.

Listening to affirmations is one way to do that.

Make the Formerly "Impossible" Possible

The more often you hear a certain affirmation (e.g., "life is easy"), the more likely you are to think it yourself.

Eventually, you don't even have to hear the affirmation that "life is easy" for you to automatically think it.

At that point, you begin to act as though life is easy, and feel as though life is easy, and expect life to be easy.

The result is that life becomes easy.

And if life truly isn't easy, you will unconsciously do whatever it takes to make it easy. You might discover a new bus route, join a car pool, or even start working from home.

Why would you do that?

Because you're convinced deep down inside that life is easy, and so life HAS to be easy, otherwise something is amiss.

The bottom line is that you act and feel and interpret life based on what you think.

And listening to affirmations in general (or money affirmations specifically) empowers you to deliberately choose thoughts that support you acting, feeling and interpreting in a manner that makes your life richer and more enjoyable.

Copyright (c) Grant Pasay 2009. All rights reserved. You may forward this article in its entirety (including author bio/links) to anyone you wish.

Grant Pasay is just one of the MoneyAffirmationsMP3.com Team, whose lives have been radically changed by the continued use of positive affirmations for money and in every area of life.

Want to enjoy more money? First change your money thoughts. Go to http://moneyaffirmationsmp3.com today.