Sense of Increase!

Phenomenology of One True God

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:23:00 +0000

Believing if there is God or not baffled every one of us for a long time up until now. Long ago, people practiced believing in gods and goddesses even before the civilization blooms, education spread-out, and man’s diversity. During the ancient times, man believed not only in one god but in many different kinds of gods and goddesses. They worshiped with altars, statues, or even sacrifices. They believed that there is a god for war, peace, harvest, beauty, etc. But as man seeks for truth, the more it seems to be that gods and goddesses or deities are merely erroneous.

We knew about Zeus and Hades, and they’re not real and it’s already a fact that they’re just a myth. Will there be a time that this would happen to the God that most of us believed in? Will there be a time that our God sunken in our history and just become a myth?

We all have different response and opinions. Some may take these questions seriously and some wouldn’t just care. For those who don’t care, and doesn’t believe that there is a God who creates us all, I can’t blame them. There is also no need for them to be hated. I respect their belief. It’s just that I’m not one of them and I believe that we do have our creator so was the whole planet and universe.

As a believer of one true God, I have a lot of things I love about His creation. My life, family, friends, their love, the things I had now, my identity and my sole purpose of existence is what I love the most that my God presented to me as a gift. Despite the numbers of problems I’m encountering, I don’t fail to appreciate what He gave me.

I believe that I have my God and He helps me whenever I’m down and weary. If someone is going to ask if my God is real, Yes, He is. Though there are no scientific studies and evidences to prove his existence, I know in my heart that He’s with me, with us, all the time. No matter what other people might say about whether there is a God or not, I’ll stay with my belief. That’s my faith.

I’ve wrote this article to pinpoint something very important, our belief.

There are lots of religions in this world we live in. Some fight for what they believe in even if it cause harm to the other. (Physically & psychologically) After all, they believed in the creator of all things. Isn’t that the same? My God, your God and their God. Could it be just the same God that we all preached?

To sum it all up, I’m a believer of a one true God. I believe that there is just one God that we all believed in. One creator of everything our eyes and mind encompasses. One God who assigns prophet in us to lead the path according to His will.

For those who are not believer, I respect their belief and decision. That is their choice. But, whatever they say about my God, they will never have me turn back my faith on Him. :)

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Recognizing Your True Personal Needs

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 07:21:00 +0000

Ref. Google Images. persuasive.net

Our life has been driven by our needs. These needs might be our instincts, desires, passions and life cravings that bounce out endlessly to prove our very own existence. It is a natural force that drives us for their fulfillment.

All of us living in this planet have a need, from the very tiny microbes to the largest species living here on earth. As a human being, our basic needs would be air, water, food, sunlight, shelter & clothing. Along the way as we fulfill these needs, we tend to discover the most complex ones. It is the need for personal growth, for a meaningful life, for finding life’s purpose, inner desires and self-awareness.

We human beings are alive to fulfill these needs as we fulfill these needs to stay alive.

Our physical sensations and impetuous thoughts let us know that our needs seek fulfillment.

A very good example is whenever we feel tired and exhausted from all the work we did, our mouth dries up. This bodily reaction makes us realize that we are thirsty and we feel the need to drink. Other example is when we interact with other people because we want to share or express something. We feel the need to be accepted and acknowledge by others in the society or commonly called “social acceptance”.

Once we fulfill our needs, happiness follows through. Happiness is a product of complex needs I’m talking about a while and “Happiness is our true personal need”.

Though happiness depends only on how committed we are in fulfilling these needs. Due to our busy day-to-day lives, we somehow forget to recognize and fulfill these true personal needs of ours.

To be able to achieve this True Personal Need, there must be a deep connection within you. It is a connection that seeks for inner clarity, certainty, and faith in yourself. But sometimes our connection to our inner self is not fulfilled and when this happens, our “need” is commonly confused to “want”.

Differentiating Need with Want

For us to discover our true personal need, we must know the difference between “needs” and “wants”.
If you look up in the dictionary and search for the definition of "need", it will give you, “necessity that we must satisfy to ensure our comfort". While the term "want" has the definition, "desire for something".
I'm not saying that our desire for something is not good, but it's often harmful to our well being.

Here’s an example:

When you say, “I need a new computer”, this means that you have the necessity for long distance communication, researching, and many more uses of computer, that is comfortable and reliable. Perhaps your old computer is broken and uncomfortable to use.

But if you for instance say that “I want a new computer”, even though your current computer is working safe and sound and is comfortable to use, you still buy a new one just to satisfy your emotional cravings. If you buy a new computer, you might probably spend money which you might use in the future.This is why sometimes our wants seduce us into believing that it is our needs. One more thing is that being practical is another way of fulfilling your needs, not your wants.

It is important that you know how to distinguish the two since it is essential in building goals that bring you true fulfillment.

“The real happiness is achieved when we clearly want to fulfill our needs and not when we need to fulfill our wants”.

We should concentrate our efforts to make our true desires a reality which is a stepping stone to success and discovering true fulfillment. Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plan living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man's happiness really lies in contentment. –Mohandas Gandhi

Related Books: Needs and Wants (Pebble Books), Need It or Want It? (Rising Readers)
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The Power of Optimism

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 04:20:00 +0000

Ref. Google Images.trileafdesigns.com

Optimism is considered to be one of the most powerful attributes you need in order to become your best self and live your best life. It is the ability to see hope and stay positive in all situations and times no matter how dreary the present may be.

I’ve noticed that a lot of people have failed numerous times before succeeding. These are optimistic people, and instead of staying down after a major setback in their life, they gather up their energy and efforts into moving on.

Failures are not always bad. I consider this as the backdoor to success. It is an essential step on our road to become successful on things we are most passionate about. It is a lesson for us in order to know what should we do the next time we are to face the same problem.

Optimists think this way. They analyze the situation and think of ways on how they can change the outcome next time. They have the innate ability of bouncing back after failures and have the greater chance of succeeding every time they come back full of courage, perseverance, determination and initiative. They were the ultimate survivors.

“Becoming optimistic is relatively easy when things are going well”.

It becomes a real deal when things are in chaos.

I once faced such problem that I almost give-up because I can’t seem to find a way how to solve it. That time, the only thing that motivates me is Mathematics. I am passionate about solving math problems and I came to realized that in solving mathematical problems, you can use a lot of methods and ways to arrive on one answer. The same method applies to the real world.

There are many ways how to solve a problem. This fact is a vital key for optimists to look at the future in a positive way. They shape their own future in the best possible manner they wanted by acknowledging failures and setbacks as temporary and not permanent. Well, this is actually right. Being down for a certain time is only temporary. What is permanent is our capability to stand up again. Our ability to learn, change, grow and adapt which are essential for personal growth. Personal growth happens when we encounters difficulties in life. In order to overcome such difficulties, we need those abilities I’ve mentioned awhile to stand up once again and continue moving forward. And once we overcome the difficulties we have, we may also be able to discover our true potential.

Optimism is crucial to reach our true potential as a human being. This is by nature overcoming the obstacles we face as we become the best that we can be. By believing in our potentials and abilities are we able to fully discover and reach the highest level that we are capable of.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” -Winston Churchill

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A Walkthrough to Lucid Dreaming Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:45:00 +0000

Image from the movie Inception

In my previous post “A Walkthrough to Lucid Dreaming Part 1”, I shared one of my best lucid dream experiences and how I started recognizing if I’m dreaming or not.

Recognizing that you are dreaming is very important in having a lucid dream. Because if you don’t know that you are just dreaming, you won’t have the chance to control it since you think that it is the reality.

I searched the internet to gather information on how I can start controlling my own dreams. There are dozens to look on to, but I checked them all one by one. There are lots of methods and techniques that I only remembered a few. I didn't learned how to lucid dream instantly right after reading a lot about it. I only keep one thing in mind. And that’s to recognize that I’m dreaming while my dream is in progress.

My first attempt to control my dream is a failure and very scary. I have this dream of walking in the middle of the street. It was dark and spooky. I was chilled by the cold wind. Suddenly I realize it was just a dream but I tried to relax. My dream keeps on going; it didn’t stop even though I know I was just dreaming. Maybe because I refuse to wake up unlike before that whenever I recognize I was dreaming, I tell myself to wake-up.

This time, I tried to control my dream by thinking that I’m going to fly. I felt that I’m floating slowly above the ground. I’m started to float in the thin air but after floating for just a second, my dream got distorted and I suddenly woke up. I get back to sleep and start thinking about the dream I just had. In just a moment, I was dreaming the same dream again. But this time, I didn’t recognize that it was a dream and it feels so real. It was a little bit scary because I saw black figures and silhouettes of unknown people along the street. I woke up and saw a black silhouette beside my bed. But thank God I woke up again. I did a reality check by pinching myself and it hurts, so I presume that I wake up already. My very first attempt to control my dream turns to be a nightmare.

Anyway, let alone my first experience about lucid dreaming and I’ll share you my experimental methods on how I became a constant lucid dreamer.

Remember your dreams
Have a piece of paper or a journal beside you before going to sleep. Every time you got awaken because of your dreams, you can write it down immediately. Write every detail you remembered in your dream. It’s ok if you don’t remember them all, what’s important is that you have the idea of what you had just dream of. You can also write as soon as you wake up in the morning. The next time you go to bed, take a look on your list of dreams and start thinking them. There is a greater chance that you’ll dream of them again, and when you do, you might probably recognize that you are dreaming while your dream is on progress.

Have a relax state of mind & body
I've noticed that every time I meditate before sleeping, I’m capable of remembering 3-4 of my dreams. Being physically and mentally relaxed is important in inducing WILD dreams. WILD stands for wake induced lucid dreams. This kind of dreams produced the most vivid kind of lucid dreams possible. It enables you to have conscious dreams whenever you want.
Before sleeping, meditate by either performing yoga exercise or relaxation techniques. If any of these meditation sounds unfamiliar to you, try listening to self-hypnosis that puts you to deeper relaxation. Try listening to Deep Relaxation.

Have a biphasic or polyphasic sleep
Biphasic sleep means having six hours major sleep episodes and a twenty-minute power nap. Polyphasic sleep refers to the practice of sleeping multiple times in a 24-hour period. These sleeping patterns can induce you to dream mode more often since there are a lots of REM (rapid eye movement) phases in each nap or sleep you have. REM can boost your dream recall and can induced and maintain lucidity.

Become Imaginative
You can hone your imagination skills by either watching or reading fantasy stories. In my case, I became more imaginative by playing online games. Sometimes I dream of the places I saw on the game I’m playing and I started lucid dreaming. Floating islands and ancient ruins are some of the extraordinary places I’ve been to in my dream.

Visualize more often before sleeping

Visualization helps in performing a good lucid dream. It enhances our mind to develop creative scenery in our dreams. The more we visualize, the more vivid our dream becomes.

Before sleeping, visualize yourself lying down your bed. Visualize your room set-up. You can also visualize yourself getting off the bed and traveling outside your house.

Perform reality checks

This explains why I look at my index finger in my dream I just shared you in my previous post. Some reality checks could be:

Looking at hands if there is an extra or missing finger
Looking at the mirror if your reflection looks normal or turn upside down
Jumping to know if you’re going to float or not.
Pushing the wall- determining if you can push it or not, if you can then you’re dreaming
Covering your nose and mouth to check if you can still breathe after doing it
Performing mathematical computations-can you solve the math properly?

My reality check is counting the number of lines in my index finger. I always do this every time I woke up suddenly. I also made it a habit in broad daylight so that even in my dreams, I was still doing it. You can also combine two or more reality checks to determine if you are really dreaming.

Control your dream
You may start controlling your dreams right after recognizing that you are dreaming while your dream is on progress (Right after performing a reality check). The most common thing for anyone to do is to try to fly. All you have to do is to think that you will fly and believe that you will. It’s ok if you fail in the first try, which happened to me too. Other beginner’s method is to change the scenery. This is why visualization is very important in lucid dreaming. Start altering the environment with your thoughts. Remember, THINK & BELIEVE.

By continues practice, you’ll become adept in having a lucid dream. You can also try different methods used by other lucid dreamers-it’s up to you which suits you best and where you find yourself comfortable. Knowing how to control your dream is a matter of believing in yourself. The more you believe in yourself the more you are able to control your dream and manifest your thought to something according to your will.

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A Walkthrough to Lucid Dreaming Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 11:25:00 +0000

I flew above mountain tops and seas while riding with my gigantic falcon as we glide within the mossy trees in California on where I found what seems to be the tallest tree in the whole planet, the Coast Redwood. We rest for quite some time at its peak as I fed my gigantic falcon-partner with a green apple.

My falcon didn’t like the taste but I still give him some anyway. From a distance I saw some men with chainsaw and axes heading to our location. There is no doubt that these men were going to put down the tallest tree on earth and I cannot allow that to happen. I and my gigantic falcon flew ahead their location and as soon as they saw our presence coming they run away in a panic.

But that was just a trap, what they really want is to lure me out. They want my falcon. They want my falcon more than the Coast Redwood. One man threw a net on us and we luckily evaded it. But not the paralyzing bullet that hits my falcon’s back which fired by another man behind. My falcon got hit and we fall straight to the ground. I lost my balance in this happening and even before I can counter attack with these men they all had me surrounded.

Suddenly my mind starts saying something. My mind wants to be logical and reasonable. As I analyze what’s happening, I came to realize that this whole event is not true. I glanced at my index finger and observed that there are four lines which suppose to be just three (only three in the reality). It came to my senses that I was just dreaming. Now that I know and well aware that I’m just dreaming, I think that I can spiced up my dream a little bit and starts my fun.

I look at the bad guys surrounding me again and I started smiling at each one of them. Some smiled back as they whisper with each other. Maybe they think I was starting to lose my mind on what’s happening.

The following scenario seems to distort the original event…

As one of the men pointed a gun on my chest, I think that I can dissolve the gun by just touching it with my hand. I manifest this thought and it became real. I grab the gun and the gun dissolves and got pulverized. I stand up and think of having a weapon. A light saber comes first in my thoughts, and poof! There I had it. They fired at me and I just think of altering the time for the bullets to travel very slowly so that I can evade them all. All around me went slow-mo. This is a good chance to eliminate all those guys. As a fan of NARUTO this is the same technique as that of Neji’s “Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms”.

I attacked all those bad guys in a very quick manner buy either punching them or kicking them in my normal timeframe, and nanosecond in theirs maybe. As soon as I think that the time should revert back to normal, I woke up!

That was one great dream I had again… Even though I never knew what had happened to my falcon back there, I knew it was just a dream and I can always have it back on my side whenever I like. J

This kind of dream is called a lucid dream. And what I've shared you is one of my best lucid dream ever. I refer lucid dreaming as the art of controlling your own dream according to your will.

My story of having a lucid dream started when I was 18. It is my most stressful days in where I always stay late at night because of my upcoming preliminary exam. I want to ace my exam so badly that’s why I take much time in reviewing my subjects.

During one of my review session, I have observed that every time I fell asleep in my study table while thinking or solving a mathematical problem, my mind is still active and keeps on solving the problem I left unanswered. It feels like I’m still reviewing in my unconscious state which happens to be true. I was really reviewing in my sleep by dreaming. What’s amazing is that, my mind answered the problem it was solving while I was sleeping. When I woke up, I faced the unanswered problem immediately and answered it quickly and correctly. I was amazed by what had just happened.

I experimented a little more about this ability I just learned the following nights. I started reviewing excessively until I fall asleep in my study table again. This time, I reviewed subjects that need memorization before I fall asleep. My experiment works just fine, because in my dreams I was still memorizing mathematical formulas.

With this experiments I have done to myself, my mind became more aware on what’s happening during sleeping. There is this time that I dream of something which feels real and vivid. That dream is really scary because there is someone wants to kill me. Suddenly in the middle of my dream, my mind reacted on the situation. I just realized that this event is impossible since I know that I don’t have any enemy in my present life. I said to myself that this is just a dream. After saying that, I woke up.

I was right. It really was just a dream.

Whenever I’m dreaming about impossibilities, my mind grasps the fact that it was just a dream which makes me aware that I’m just dreaming in my dream. But as soon as I realized that it was just a dream, I always woke up.

I thought it was not normal to be aware that you are dreaming in the middle of your dream. I started to search the internet and found out that it was normal and it was referred to a special kind of dreaming-Lucid Dreaming.

I also read that one may actually control his/her dreams if he/she suddenly realizes that it was just a dream. I’ve read articles and blogs about lucid dreaming and they have different methods on how to enter the said state.

This article is an introduction about my post on lucid dreaming, and in my next post I will share my very own method on how to induced one. See yah in my next post! J

How I Overcome My Dengue Fever

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 08:56:00 +0000

It’s very alarming that the number of dengue victims in the Philippines and in other Asian countries rises exponentially. I too have never escaped the wrath of this deadly infectious tropical disease caused by dengue viruses, which are carried and transmitted by the female, day-biting, Aedes aegytpti mosquito.
(See dengue fever in YouTube.)

I felt that I’m slightly feverish during the eve of Tuesday while at school and I decided to take-up medicine to hopefully regain my temperature back to normal.
As soon as the class dismissed, I went straight at home and have a goodnight rest hoping that by the morning my fever would vanquish.

Well I hoped right. Because that morning, I wake up feeling great and think that the medicine I took the last night work effectively. My body temperature is again back to normal and I assume that I healed already. I even participated in our college sports-fest and played basketball. But sadly, during lunch time my temperature rises again. I felt I was burning. This time I decided to go home already as soon as we finished playing basketball. I took up my medicine once again and start resting. My fever starts to vanished and then starts coming back again-vanished-come again.

This process repeated a lot of times which caught my mom’s attention. She immediately took me to our doctor and had me checked. They checked my blood and the result was a low WBC (white blood cells) and a low platelets count which is 0.63 % and 178 respectively. The doctor said that my blood count is still normal but the alarming sign is that it is too low for a normal condition and it may soon enters dengue condition which is below 150 platelets count. The doctor also said that if my condition is a normal fever only, my WBC count must be higher. But since it’s too low, this is no doubt a dengue fever. She explained that dengue viruses attack both our WBC and platelets which explains why my blood count is low. The next thing that happened is I got admitted in the hospital and started getting medications (dextrose, medicine for my blood), various blood tests which occurs every 4 hours. It’s kind of annoying because every 4 hrs my precious fingers got pinned. Nevertheless, this is just nothing compared to other patients who suffer serious dengue cases.

I wrote this article to warn, help, and inspire others for my experience. Let me start with

When will you have yourself checked by a doctor?

If you have a fever for 2+ days which usually has a behavior of come-and-go. What I mean is that your fever vanishes for a specific time and returns again. Come-and-go fevers are dangerous and this is one of the symptoms of a dengue fever. Having yourself checked even you only had a 2-day fever is good because, the doctor might just give you home medications. Coming too late for a check-up has a greater chance that you might be admitted in the hospital and have your blood count monitored.

I only have a 3-day fever and my blood count is dropping very fast. In just 10 hours my blood count dropped down from 178 to 148 which is a dengue case already. So it’s better to have yourself checked as early as possible to avoid excess medications and a hospital bills.

What are the symptoms of a dengue fever?

Headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle pain, skin rash, pain behind the eyes, anorexia, vomiting, nose and gum bleeding, easy bruising, and cough. Nose bleeding is involuntary and it’s the common symptoms of a person suffering from a dengue virus. This is because the platelets which is known to help the blood clot, decreases which in turn giving one, involuntary or excessive bleeding.

What to do while you are admitted in the hospital for having dengue?

Leave it to the nurses and to your doctor. They know best. But you can help yourself too if you want to heal faster and get out of the hospital like I did. Here’s what actually happen:

Your doctor might probably advise you not to eat in your first day of admission in the hospital. So just follow they’re directions.
You might not get enough sleep since you were always bothered by the body temperature monitoring, blood pressure checking and 4-hour blood test/checking. Prepare yourself and have a nap as soon as they’re finish pinning your fingers and pumping the sphygmomanometer in your arm.
You might worry that your blood count keeps dropping down which is very true on your first day of admission. My mom worries too much every-time my blood count keeps dropping down. But the nurse said that it’s just normal for 1^st day dengue patients. So don’t worry. Start worrying if your blood count keeps dropping down for 2 days straight.
If your blood count is very low already, there is a great chance that you might have a platelets transfusion. Don’t worry if the hospital has already a platelets available ready. If they run-out already, start contacting family members and friends that are willing to donate.
Invite your friends to visit you. But not too many that they may overcrowd your room. Have a nice and happy chat with them. Chatting with your friends can reduce the worrying you are experiencing, and it also makes you feel joyous even in a gloomy hospital atmosphere.
Have a positive mental attitude. Keep saying to yourself that you will heal faster. Imagine that you’re wolverine who possesses the ability of quick regeneration. This sounds funny but it actually helps. I also tried self-hypnosis to regenerate fast. I also lucid dream which helps in a way. In my dream I was inside my bloodstream together with my RBC (red blood cells) and WBC (white blood cells) in which we fought black entity which are the dengue virus. This sounds ridiculous, but if you are suffering from a disease that you are likely to be saved or not, it’s better to have this opportunity to win against your disease even if it’s only a dream. I assure you as you wake-up you feel empowered and what’s more, you experienced great fun. =) I will post an article about lucid dreaming ~~very soon~~ for those who had not yet learned how to lucid dream. Last edited (8-27-11)See: A Walkthrough to Lucid Dreaming Part 1. See also: Directing a Positive Mental Attitude To Your Life.
Lastly, pray. It works. I don’t care if you are an atheist and don’t believe in any God if you don’t like to pray, then don’t. But for those who believe that God existed and He’s out there somewhere feel free to ask him for strength, courage, and determination. God will surely help us no matter what the circumstances are. Have faith on Him. Praying is just free after-all. It only needs an open heart and soul to communicate with Him.

Final Thoughts

Dengue fever is a very fatal disease. It attacks no matter how big or small a person you are. So as long as you experience symptoms I've mentioned above, be sure to have yourself checked by your doctor. Having yourself checked too late may lead to serious cases which some of this cases commonly lead to death. Always take care and be aware of yourself. Your body is your life-long treasure.

Does Love Really Lasts Forever?

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 09:26:00 +0000

Ref. http://wallpapers-collections-romantic.blogspot.com)

I've been wondering if there is such thing as “I will love you forever”. And if there really is, how come a lot of people still don’t believe in this magical, romantic phrase? Is it because they have a traumatic experience about loving and they come to curse such words?

If you believed in this phrase and or already told it to someone, how can you be so sure that you will love that person forever knowing that you don’t know what the future holds?

Seriously, a lot of couple keeps telling this on each other, but as soon as they fight and the conflict cannot seem to re-mediate anymore, they ended up separating. Some couple resolves the problem while some does not. You can see those couple, who decided to separate with each other, having different partners after a few months or years if the other one is too affected by the breakup (which actually happens).

The common reason why we said these words to our beloved is because of our current emotional feelings towards him/her. The sudden emotional burst which hypnotizes one to said something without having a careful thought. Love as an emotion may affect our reasons and decisions and being in love is the ultimate hypnosis we can give and receive. We set no boundaries just for the sake of loving and being loved. They said that love is blind, that’s why we accept the other no matter whom or what he/she is. This seems to be true in most cases and this proves how strong we indulge in the power of love.

Loving someone forever may seem impossible for others. Because along the way their feelings may fade so is love. But don’t get mistaken, love is different from feelings. Feelings fade and love doesn’t. It’s just a matter of interpretation of one’s definition of love since a lot refers love as feelings which shouldn’t be. Other people said that their love for their partner faded already. Asking themselves what should they suppose to do?

It is better to keep in mind that love is a “verb”. If you find your love to your partner fading away, it is a good chance to love him/her again. Start loving your partner. Acknowledge, affirm, understand, accept, appreciate, recognize, consider, sympathize, believe, and trust him/her. That’s what love is all about. It is an action word.

For those who refer love as feelings, it is impossible to love your partner forever, but you can love your partner over and over. Loving is a responsible act. Telling your partner that you love him/her forever is not enough. You must reflect your words. Love means to commit oneself without guarantee. To give oneself completely in the hope that your love will produced love to your partner.

Forever isn’t just a word, but a place. A place where two people journey to. So when love sends you there, don’t just say “forever.” Be there.

7 Tips on Having a Well-Managed Eating Habit

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 05:53:00 +0000

Ref. Google Images. the-gluten-free-chef.com

In this article I’ll talk entirely about having good eating habits since what I've observed in today’s era is that most of us forgot to eat right and properly. I understand how quickly the development of the world we live-in shifts. Children, students, employees, professionals or even those retired ones have busy environment and tend to forgot how to eat properly. I as well am guilty by this fact.

Last February, I have adopted a vegan diet, and started learning valuable things not just about the benefit of eating veggies but also about the benefit of having a well-managed eating habit.
My mother who’s a vegetarian shared some tips about good eating habits which they practiced as a vegan. She said she learned all those things to my uncle who is a vegan for years. I’ve learned a lot from her even though I've just adapted the said diet for 2-3 weeks I think.

She even handed me a book about healthy eating and vegetarianism, which I found it very interesting since during that time I was just about to begin my vegan diet. I was engrossed by the knowledge I gain about it and I started a further research on it. Actually, this article is supposed to be my first post in the “health category” but since I don’t have much information and studies about the topic before, it’s just now that I completed it.

This article is not about becoming a vegetarian, but to explain and present the habits that a vegetarian is adapting. Maybe some of you may have different thoughts that may contradict to this article. Some of you may have different opinions about it, but it’s ok. My only desire is to help people. :)

What I will present you now is a fruit of my research for a month.

Your mood affects digestion

Eating while your mind is upset can make your body upset as well. Have you ever experienced eating your meals in a hurry? What happens? Did you by any chance suffer lightheadedness or having trouble in breathing? The tendency when you eat in this mood is that the food you eat might not be properly digested, and when this happens, the nutrition you get from the food that you eat will be lost. For this very reason as much as possible you should try to eat in a peaceful mood; having a noisy environment while eating can also affect your digestion. Try eating with others in a joyful atmosphere. =)

Sit in a proper posture

Sit with your back straight. Avoid eating while standing, walking, lying-down and while driving. Sitting properly while eating can reduce the pressure to your digestive organ. This also encourages good digestion. While sitting in a hunch forward position promotes indigestion and heartburn.

Chew your food slowly and thoroughly

Chew carefully; do not swallow your food hurriedly down your throat. The tendency is that it will pass undigested into the stomach and release toxins which will weaken the entire digestive system. Digestion process begins in the mouth not in the stomach. Chewing your food well allows the food to mix with your saliva which is highly alkaline that can help neutralize the ill-effects of acidic foods.

Avoid eating between meals

Eating between meals can lead to health issues and disease. This is because it takes approximately four hours for the food you have just eaten to be fully digested. When the body has not completed the digestive process, it cannot fully perform the task at handling additional food that is coming in.

The digestive juices never have a chance to accumulate to their full strength in which it cannot digest the food properly. This sets the stage for digestive and metabolic problems. Incoming food only gets partially-digested. As a result, the first batch of food in the digestive process begins to rot and becomes a source of toxins to the body. It is better to eat when you are really hungry and not more than four times a day.

Drink plenty of water everyday

Drinking water keeps the body pure and free from poisons and waste. Increasing your water intake can increase urine formation and excretion which facilitates the elimination of toxic substances. By eliminating these unwanted substances prevent frequent headaches which are often times due to such substance. A healthy person should drink about 8-10 glasses of water. 10 or more depends if the person is an athlete or if the weather is too hot. It is also advisable to drink water before taking up your breakfast as this prepare your digestive system before performing the process.

Rest after meals

After eating, do not engage in strenuous physical and mental activity. All the body’s energy and blood is needed in the digestive organs. Have you noticed that every time you take a quiz, do your home-works or engage in a mental activity just right after you have taken your meal, it’s difficult to focus and concentrate? That’s because your body focuses on digesting the food that you’ve just eaten. Take a rest. Allow your food to be fully digested before performing such activities. 15-30 minutes of rest after eating is enough. J

Avoid Overeating

Over-eating can also stressed the entire digestive system the entire digestive system. It prevents proper digestion of food which is not good for our health because the half-digested food forms a putrid, decaying mass in the body and poisons our blood stream, and ultimately weakens the entire system. High cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, depression, chronic fatigue, irregular menses, nausea, kidney disease, arthritis, bone deterioration and stroke are the possible effects of overeating. Who would like to have such disease?

No matter how healthy or pure the food is, when excess is consumed it becomes “static”. It is advisable to stop eating while you are still hungry; you will feel full when as soon as the nutrients of the food enter the bloodstream and affect your brain.

"Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
- modified from : Edward Stanley (1826-1893) from The Conduct of Life

Reference:

http://agriculturesociety.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/is-eating-between-meals-healthy/

http://www.eufic.org/article/en/expid/review-eating-between-meals-health/

How Your Posture Is Affecting Your Acid Reflux. By Kathryn Whittaker

http://len7288.hubpages.com/hub/Benefits_of_Drinking_Plenty_of_Water

http://www.eatingdisordersonline.com/explain/compulsive-overeating-effects.php

http://www.yogascience.org/yoga_therapy.html

7 Ways on How to Think Out of the Box : Improving Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 12:11:00 +0000

Probably you already heard the term “thinking out of the box” right? If not yet, it simply means to think differently, unconventionally or from a new perspective. –Wikipedia

Thinking out of the box refers to one’s creativity in doing things. It is the creativity that separates one from the other who has donethings in a traditional way thus producing a genuine unique work.

Creativity is significant to every one of us. It is the inner-awareness of an individual and is capable of expanding our imagination. The one that enables us to visualize the uncreated worlds of potential that lies within us.

Socrates (469 BC–399 BC) has a remarkable teachings about imagination on one of his great lectures about the rationality of man. He said that what we think is what is real. And consequently, what we imagine can also be real.
Take for example how it became possible for us to go to other countries by means of flying. Thanks to airplanes we are somehow capable of reaching high altitudes and travel across oceans and seas. Airplane is a product of imagination.

In the early times, people have an imagination of flying like birds. Because of their constant imagining and fantasizing with a mental image of flying in their mind, their curiosity arises that there is a possibility that they can imitate bird’s unique capabilities. They first tried to construct fake wings but they realize that it is a failure. They may be disheartened by that, but they didn’t give up and tried other ways. They become more creative on how to build wings until they had found-out one. The first glider invented by George Cayleys. See here.

Creativity is usually displayed in almost everything.It is commonly used as a personal style for example in arts (paintings,sketching, mosaic, etc.) writing, cartooning, or music or else. It can also be displayed in utilitarian purposes like inventions, experiments, or as anintuitive approach like brainstorming.

Here’s a fact. You don’t have to have any special intellectual talent or a high IQ in order to become creative. All of us possess it already; we just don’t know how to utilize it very well. We have an outstanding potential to be creative and can learned to use our creative talents and our whole mind better.

“To think out of the box is to think creatively”.

I've wrote some useful ways to utilize that sleeping creativeness inside you.

Increase your curiosity

Unlike most people, creative people tend to ask a lot of questions. They don’t settle on being passive, accepting and unquestioning.

Keep asking questions on how & why things are. Manage your curiosity burning. Keep looking at the frontiers of knowledge.

Consider Multiple Perspectives

When we solve problems, we must not assume that it will only have one solution or one answer. If you solved a problem and got the answer correctly, try using different approach. Try to investigate other possible answer. You should have multiple possible viewpoints, representations and roles.

Develop a routine

This is an exercise for developing your creativity. Every morning pick up one thing you see in your surroundings. State its purpose and usage and then think of its other possible uses. Take for example a sock. The primary uses of this are to keep the foot warm and protect them from dirt. But as you think of its other possible use, you might think that it can be also use as a pot-holder, rag, for filtering, a puppet, etc. Doing this for a month will surely give you a dramatic result.

Be Resourceful

Being resourceful is not measured by IQ tests, yet it’s considered as most important thing to learn. I remembered the time when we are asked to make a project in physics. Instead of buying materials to use, we decided to use anything we found in each members backyard or garage. Combining all the materials we had, we’ve produced an extra ordinary work. The fact in being resourceful is that you are forced to think creatively, act effectively and conceptualize your approach in solving a problem or a task.

Tapping your Right Brain

Creativity is located in the right part of our brain. To exercise this part of our brain, we should learn to use our left hand since the right hemisphere of our brain controls the left part of our body. To learn more about brain lateralization, refer to this video you can exercise using your left hand by either brushing you teeth using it, or by eating with the spoon on the left.

Self-Hypnosis

There is a great thing about hypnosis. It’s not all about helping you relax but it can also improve your creativity. I have used this kind of hypnosis a few years ago. It helps me relax and clear my mind. It helps me become vibrant and I started sending positive energy to my body. Maybe it helps me become creative because it enhances my mental alertness. Let your creativity be improved here.

Become Imaginative

Visualizing and fantasizing about things around you is a great effective exercise. Start pondering about things you have dream last night and try to alter it with a conscious mind. You may write it down as you wake-up in the morning. Reading books is also a terrific method in obtaining an imaginative mind. Try reading fictions and try adding up a twist by introducing a new character or an event.

Always remember that, being creative and having the ability to think out of the box can make a person successful. Thinking out of the box is simply being creative as it tends someone to shift out of the traditional way.
“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.” — Edward de Bono

One's Journey in Finding his Own Identity

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:52:00 +0000

Ref. Google images (lifeboat.com)

For me, my identity is still a mystery. There are some things about myself that I do not know. I always experience sudden shifts in attitude. Sometimes I am a happy-go-lucky guy, sometimes I am serious. Each person I’ve met knows me differently. Sometimes I act & think the way people wanted me to be. It really sucks upon realizing that sometimes I am a prisoner trapped by my own self. “Who am I?” & “what or why am I here for?”

Identity is really important to a person. Why? It is because it is his proof of his existence. It is the outer ego of the soul.
In my opinion, we have primary and secondary identity. Primary identity is our identity that we already have. This primary identity is our name, family, background, talents & hereditary behaviors. While the secondary identity is the primary identity that we have cultivated & the things we earned as a person. For us to become fully identified not just to ourselves but also to the mind & heart of others, we have to evolve or develop our primary identity in order to become secondary identity. We should know & cultivate more of our identity or else your stay is not making any sense. You’re here for nothing.

I think knowing & cultivating our identity will take some more time. You already have your name as a start, which is our primary identity, and you have the present & the future to cultivate it more and bring out something that is hidden inside of us. Knowing one’s self is like a seed that needs to be planted & to grow to know what kind of plant it is. Maybe you’ll say that by just looking at the seed you’ll know what it is but then, years are needed to know if it’s a tree that bears a lot of fruits. Knowing one’s own identity is also to be likened to an egg that needed to be hatched & to be developed to know it’s a beautiful swan that’s going to fly & touch the cloud that other birds failed to do so.

What I mean is that our identity should be heard and feels by other people. The fruit-bearing of the true entails the things that we have done for others. It’s up to you what kind of fruit you want to bear. The swan that’s going to fly high is our aspirations that we have to succeed. To make this possible, development is needed.

Development of oneself is the jigsaw puzzle pieces that need to fit together to produce a picture. There will always be mistakes at some point but then mistakes are needed to show if that piece really fit. Don’t be afraid to stumble; have the strength to stand up & pick it all up again. Development is essential in one’s own identity, it is the driving force and the foundation of each one of us to bear fruits & fly higher like a beautiful swan.

Time will always test us so that we will bring the best out of us and also the things that you never knew.
Who are we? For now, I think, we are who we are. We are made human beings so we have to act as a human being. A man that needs to show his manliness or a woman that needs to show her femininity. We are citizen ready to fight for the freedom of our country. There will always be things that will shock you as you grow, all you need is acceptance. Love yourself and act according to what is real. Act with purpose to bear good fruits. Always evaluate yourself. In the end, we are people searching for our life-long reward. Identity by the grace of the One who gave it.

An article written by Reinier C. Dalina, 19,

electrical engineering student from the Philippines

reinier_dalina@yahoo.com

Awakening Consciousness: Serving the common good

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:07:00 +0000

People suffer mentally when they are facing major problems such as lost of their loved ones, bankruptcy, having a wrong decision, rejection, guilty, or failure. Some people reach their limit to the extent that they lost their wits or insanity due to the complexity of the problem they have.

In our country, the main problem is poverty. A lot of my fellow citizens can’t handle what life gives them which make someone lose his insanity or what’s worst that they commit suicide. Such problems are too much for them to handle that they tend to escape the reality thus causing an adverse effect on their humanity.

Every day I watch news about crimes flooding the country. Every day as I walk to school I saw beggars on the side street. Some are blabbing something to their selves, suddenly bursting to laughter and even sometimes screaming without knowing what’s going on their mind. I wonder what is the cause of what they have become is.

I felt pity for these people in such a way that they already lose what is so called “common good” that they may contribute to the society. For people, who are tormenting from the wrath of the complexity of their problems. These very facts awake the sleeping consciousness inside of me. I felt the need to become a conscious being for the things I’ve seen and observed.

Not all the things we have are also seen to other people, such status separate others to those people who can afford the expenses of living the way they want. Let’s face the truth, “we are not all born equal”. In our current status, I consider myself between average and poor because sometimes we are also having problems financially. When I was young I complain a lot about our status of living. But my mom, always telling me that we should be grateful for what we have. She’s right. As I grew up, I become more conscious to my surroundings. I learn to become grateful for the things we have because I know a lot more are suffering for the lack of resources they need in order to live a content life.

I’m thankful for the life I have now. I’m thankful for I have a home to live in; for the food we eat; for the education my parents gave me; & for a loving family that I have. I value what I currently have now, and I want to contribute the “common good” to other people who can’t afford life that they deserve. Those people who live under the bridge and sidewalks, for the people who eat what we have already thrown in the garbage, for those people who haven’t had the chance to finish or even go to school, and for those who are wanderer of the society for they are all alone without a family to begin with.

(Commemorating the Earth Day)

I have watched the film the inconvenient truth in our class this morning and I can say it increases my consciousness. My consciousness of knowing what would be the effect of global warming to mankind. And it is really an eye opener, because of the evidences that they’ve shown. It shows the alarming rise of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere causing the globe to heat-up. It also states that around 50-60 years from now, earth would never be the same as it is. There would be a huge alteration in the planet. And this is going to happen if we don’t do something about it. Imagine your child and grand children which suppose to be enjoying the planet you have lived. But unfortunately, what was left for them is an already rotten earth. Do we want the future generations to suffer?

As an engineering student, I know I would play a huge role when I become professional someday. It is my initiative mind that tells me to do something to prevent unwanted events in the future. This awareness of mine is my driving force to contribute for the so called “common good”.

I already said the word “common good” the second time around, but what do I exactly mean?

Common good is the initiative act of an individual to prevent or eliminate undesirable events thus sharing something beneficial for the sake of humanity.

We human beings are born rational and that’s our difference from any other species here on earth. It’s the ability to think. This ability is given to us by God to nourish & use it not just for ourselves but also for the sake of beings and species. We should learn how to use our capabilities to the highest good of all.

In my current state, I know I can’t contribute much. I only have limited resources in order to comply for my needs. Maybe you are also in the same position as I am. But, if its money which stills us to serve what we ought to do, there are other ways in which this can be done.

Start with your own little ways. You can actually think of simple ways on how you can contribute to the common good. Mine is by blogging. In fact, this post is actually my own little way to serve you by helping you grow as a human person. I want to awaken people’s consciousness for them to be able to contribute whatever they can for the betterment of their selves and of others.

So, what’s the purpose of telling you all of this? I know you’re busy with all the work/things which bombard you. But that doesn’t matter, spending 5-10 minutes reading this post is the time you need in order to awaken that awareness within you and become a conscious being.

Remember, we are not just living here on earth to do whatever we want, for the sake of our own happiness. We should also be aware of the things that are happening around us, and learn to contribute something in our own ways. As the old saying “no man is an island” goes, we should learn to value and enact it even more.

7 Ways on How to Build-up Self Esteem

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 05:05:00 +0000

Poor self-esteem causes you to judge yourself negatively inthe fear that you are worthless, inferior, or rejected. If you believe thatself-esteem can be created through other people, you’re probably mistaken. Youcan only redeem it by yourself.

Having a low self-esteem is like being vulnerable anddependent on how people evaluate you. You feel unable to take time-off withoutrisking the criticism and judgments of the people surrounding you.

The problem with most of us is that they implant “rejection” in their lives.
Those whoreject themselves cannot be convinced to accept themselves by pointing outtheir personal worth or accentuating their positive qualities. The point isthey feel inferior, they feel worthless, they feel rejected. No amount ofpersuasion can convince them otherwise.

Consequently, beautiful people may actually believe thatthey are ugly; talented people may believe that they are inferior; and thepeople who are loved may reject the love they are so desperately crave-becauseof their past experiences. Maybe during their childhood times, they are toofat, too skinny, too tall, or too short that they tend to become so self-conscious.And being self-conscious can lead to decrement of self-esteem.

In fact, most people who reject themselves do so becausethey dislike their physical appearances. And if you consider yourself one ofthose, what am I going to tell you will be of great help.

“ Be Aware of Yourself ”

Gaining self-esteem is not a short term process. It is alife-long process of being aware of you, so don’t expect instant breakthroughs.

It requires such time because it involves clarifying values,goals, and priorities for your life. Remember, you are remaking a vital aspectof yourself, so allow some time to make the process work.

Here are some helpful ways to help you establish and build-up self-esteem.

Realize that you are the only one who can giveself-esteem to yourself.
Acknowledge the fact that you deserve what you wantedand you should act upon it.
Pay for the price. For every decision we make,there is always a downside. For example, being a blogger increases myself-esteem, but it fills the slot of time I have instead of reading books, orhaving leisure. It is a matter of recognizing what is more important and whatis that you like most. And I think sharing my experiences and knowledge bywriting is more important than those I've mentioned.
Have a positive mental attitude. Redirect yourthoughts with positive thoughts and feel yourself empowered with good vibes.You may read “Directing a Positive Mental Attitude to your Life”.
Enjoy your leisure time. Cherish each moment forpleasure, productivity and health.
Reward yourself for each achievement you gainwhether how big or small they are. Learn to praise yourself.
Ignore downfall. Establishing self-esteem is thework of a lifetime. It takes persistence and patience to learn to like oneself.Continue to affirm yourself despite of the setbacks and downfalls youexperienced.

Building up self-esteem is the very first step in achieving the life you want. It is a vital key in becoming aware of ourselves and how to enjoy life to the fullest.

Becoming a Jack of All Trades

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 13:32:00 +0000

I never had known that I myself came to realize that I do possess a lot of skills already until someone already told me that I do have lot of remarkable skills. I feel flattered every time someone appreciates my skills and talents as an individual. Recently, I have a long chat with my classmate in school after the stressful examination week. We both share good stories with each other as we cover topics like almost everything we have common with. As I share my story, he was amazed on the things that I know, and the skills & talents I possess and I’m once again felt flattered about that. I haven’t talk to someone that long and share many things as what happened earlier. I feel grateful and thankful whenever someone appreciates me as a person.

“Jack-of-all-trades” he called me for the things, skills, talents I have shared to him. Never did that word came to my mind until this time. Do I possess lots of skills & talents now for me to be called like that? This question of mind sunk within me as I reflect to what we have just conversed with. I know that because of my experiences in life, I tend to adapt and master skills I needed to know in order to survive and comply with God-given problems I’m encountering. I acquired my talents because of my curiosity to learn such things, and my passion and drive in pursuing it.

In my early years in high school, I learned to play guitar by self study only. I was just watching my classmate play his guitar and that triggers my curiosity to also learn on how to play it. I was engaged in learning such talent because I was amazed of his ability to play a song, and as a music lover I am, I then borrowed a guitar to my cousin and started learning to play it. As I thought that it was just easy as I think it is, boy I was wrong!

“Learning skills and acquiring talents require passion and dedication.”

And sometimes lacking these components can lead to failure in achieving and acquiring what you wanted.

There is this one good thing about me, and it’s the ability to be passionate and become dedicated in what I wanted. I’ve tried to know lot of things and whenever I know them already, I don’t stop learning for more. I decided to take it to the next level by having a further research on that thing and start gaining more knowledge about it. In fact, blogging is one thing I’ve started liking for now and I want to continue this as long as I am still passionate with it. And I decided to continue this for the rest of my life, since someone has told me a very remarkable lesson. See Inspiring lesson for life.

Acquiring lot of skills and talents is not because I wanted to be called “jack-of-all trades” but because of my passion in learning new things that’s why I’ve become one. I never regret on the things I’ve learned. Since learning is a God-given ability to mankind in order to appreciate life and live it to the fullest.

It is not hard to learn more. What is hard is to unlearn when you discover yourself wrong.

How To Overcome Negative Beliefs

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 13:30:00 +0000

Your teacher assigned you as the class president. She believes in your capabilities because she knows your true potential as her student. In your case, you doubted yourself that you might not be the one on that position even though your teacher & your classmates believe that you deserve it.

In workplace, your boss asks you to present a proposal on the upcoming company meeting. Like the teacher I’ve mentioned above, your boss also knows your capability that’s why he chooses you over all your officemates. Again, you think you might not able to pull the trick.

These kinds of thinking are called negative beliefs. And this kind of belief may interfere and get in the way in achieving your goals and in becoming successful. The fact in holding negative beliefs in yourself is like limiting your own capabilities.

Here are some examples of negative beliefs I’m talking about:

I am no good
I can’t do it
I can’t solve this
I can’t get it right
I can’t make it work
I can’t fix it
I don’t know what to do
I can’t be successful
I am unattractive
I am stupid, shattered brain, awkward etc.
I am inferior to others
I am worthless and useless
I am a loser
She doesn't like me
He won’t help me
Nobody cares for me
I can’t change

Negative beliefs are hindrances in achieving your goals and becoming successful. They are also called “limiting beliefs” as they limit your potential and capabilities.

One way to get rid of these beliefs is to counter it with positive ones that ask for further evidence and on why is it like that. For example, the “I can’t be successful” thought can be countered if you ask yourself “How sure you are that you won’t be successful?”. If you answer that question again with negative belief like “Because I’m not capable of”, questioned it again with a positive one like “what capabilities you should have in order to become successful?”…. and so on…

Keep asking positive questions to counter those limiting beliefs of yours until you put the negative thought into submission.

Continue practicing this, and make it a habit and you’ll see a great improvement in just a month. If you like to try another techniques or methods on how to overcome negative & limiting beliefs, watch “The Missing Secret Clearing Limiting Beliefs” by Dr. Joe Vitale.

Let me share some story of mine:

I do have a doubt on myself every time I was doing something. Limiting beliefs like “can I do it?” is the most common negative belief I always ask myself. There is this one time that I participated in our schools poster-making contest because my teacher asks me to. This thought keep lingering in my mind for days before the competition causing sleepless nights. One day before the competition, my teacher told me “You can do it. I know you can” with a smile on her face. Thanks to her inspiring words, I was able to redirect my thoughts only on thinking “I can do it”. In the end, after giving my best and believing in myself I managed to get the 2^nd place(which I didn't expect). =)

No matter what kind of negative thoughts and beliefs appear in your mind, you can always eliminate it with your active positive beliefs in your conscious mind.

"A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done." - Vince Lombardi

Read related post: Directing a Positive Mental Attitude to your Life

Etiquette v.s. Mannerisms

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:45:00 +0000

“Etiquette, the manners and forms prescribed by custom, usage, or authority and accepted when people deal with each other, as correct or proper behavior”. – Colliers Encyclopedia

Etiquette is necessary to have an effective and well groomed personality. It is considered as an everlasting impression on the people you meet. This does not only refer about etiquette but also public mannerism. Mannerism is any exaggerated style, distinctive traits, or behavioral habit of one individual.

Etiquette and public mannerism can be good or bad impression depending on how we behave. To have an everlasting good impression on the people we meet, we must possess a qualities to build a personality that is charming, decent, lovable and welcome anywhere & everywhere we go.

Most of us have been trained by our parents to be well-mannered when we’re a child. As a Filipino, we are accustomed to say words such as “Po” & “Opo” as a sign of respect to our elders, Similar to Japanese’s honorifics san, chan, kun, sama, sempai, sensei & shi. Dropping the honorific suffix implies a high degree of intimacy. Although in this current era, some Filipinos are not accustomed saying these honorific words to their elders anymore. It might be because of the influence of the western culture to the citizens of my beloved homeland. Sad but true.

Anyway, what I’ve just stated are some of the manners we learned to our parents and teachers who try and implant us the importance of being well-mannered. At some point, our manners are categorized as good or bad depending on the society we live in and on the environment we grew in.

Here’s a list of some very poor mannerism we observed a lot (actually there’s a lot more of them):

Eating with your mouth open
Making loud noise and slurping sound while eating
Picking your nose in the public
Biting nails
Spitting in the public
Coughing and yawning and without covering your mouth
Sneezing without covering your nose
Crossing the road wherever you feel like (ignoring No Jaywalking signs)
Acting rude and vulgar jokes in front of ladies colleague
Not saying please and thank you
Not saying “excuse me” when trying to get pass someone
Ridiculing someone for his physical limitations and shortcomings
Smoking at prohibited places
Barging on someone’s room without permission
Not saying “sorry” when you bump into somebody

The main reason for making us forget social courtesies is eccentricity. And one way to gain respect in the society is to learn to respect also the society. Remember the Golden Rule “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. All good manners start from home. Though there are times that we learned on what we saw. Some male youth pee on the public post and walls because when they’re young they saw grown-ups doing that thing and they think it is ok which is definitely NOT.

Having good manners is not just about blending with the best; rather it is more about considering the feelings of others and taking responsibility. Take for example when you eat in the restaurant or in public places, try not to chew with one’s mouth open. The unpleasant sound and scene is repelling for others. In public speaking, we must not interrupt when he/she is talking. It is considered highly ill-mannered if you do not complete his sentence. These are just some of the things we should avoid doing.

There’s a lot of method on how to mend your ways. You can find comprehensive books of etiquette available for all age groups. Try reading”The Seventeen Book of Etiquette and Entertaining” by Mrs. Enid A. Haupt, as these deals with the special etiquette problems and responsibilities of young people. Or also try watching High Five Etiquette.

The point of etiquette is not, of course, the rules themselves but the comfort of the people concerned. Exhibiting bad manners and “I don’t care a damn” attitude are the ones who are the social outcast. Manners that put a strain on others are not good manners, no matter whose rules they follow.

Remember, having good manners and etiquette can gravitate everybody towards you. J

7 Rules on Setting Effective Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:13:00 +0000

Being successful at reaching your goals is the biggest and most exciting gift you can give yourself. If you want to achieve fulfilling goals you must have to know what do you really want from life and have the awareness of how these things connects to your values and beliefs, and your ultimate life’s purpose.

Without setting your goal, you can’t acquire success; by committing your desires to the foreland of your mind, you make your purpose a reality. However, purpose is a long-range target and usually far ahead while goals are shorter. You may have a goal like achieving academic citations, starting a business, joining a charity for street children, running a marathon, etc.

Defining goals

Have you come across the acronym SMART goals? The terms behind this letters is that your goal should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & within Timeframe.

Goals are specific; they are actions you can take that lead you in the path of your life’s purpose. Start asking yourself “What do I really want?” you might already have a definite goal in your mind, but in case you still don’t, now is the time to get them. Goals should be one’s own personal belonging, although they may be link into someone else goals.

Goals are measurable, which allows you to judge how much progress you have made towards achieving it. Take time to review your progress and improve any areas you find as your weakness in achieving your goal.

Goals should be achievable; it shouldn’t be so easy that you won’t even get taxed from it (e.g. getting productive) and it shouldn’t be so hard that you become disillusioned by it because of failing in a regular manner to achieve it.

Goals should be realistic; it should fit with who you are & what your capabilities are. If you have a 17/20 vision it is smart to pick up goals aside from becoming a pilot since in order to become one, your vision must be near perfect. (i.e. 20/20 vision).

And lastly, goals must be set within a definite time frame. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency. Most people work better under deadline, and if you don’t set deadlines then you work may expand to fill your spare time in which you have to do it. Telling others of your plan and announcing the completion date can give you extra motivation to finish it up within the dead line.

Now that you know what goals are, here are some tips on how to set up effective goals:

Breaking down your goals

In my previous post Completing Major Projects & Problem Solving Techniques I stated that if you have something big to work on, you should break it down into small parts or small chunks to make it more manageable. It’s also the same when you’re working towards achieving your goal. You must break it down into sub-goals and try working on those first. A complete project like earning a million pounds may seem intimidating. By breaking it down into sub-goals, and be determined to work on those, you most likely to achieve that big goal of yours.

Think and visualize your goals constantly

The more details you think or visualize goals contain, the easier for the subconscious to embrace them. Imagine yourself getting hold of that goal. Imagine you already have the outcome. What are the things you see, hear, feel and experience that will let you know you achieved your goals? If your goal is to have a nice car by the end of the year, try to visualize that you are test-driving it. When your mind accepts your visualized goal as reality, you will work long and hard to achieve it.

Write your goals

Writing down your goals represents a commitment and has been proven to have a powerful influence on the brains subconscious. Here’s how:

Think of something you would really like to achieve, but eventually you feel you can’t. Write it down on a clean sheet of paper. Append judgment of yourself and to your capabilities and spend 15 minutes of completely uncondensed fun just listing all of the reasons why you know that you are the person to do this thing.
If you are in a solitary position to have knowledge about this thing, say it’s because it’s in your school or workplace, write it down.
If you believe that you could achieve your goal if you believed more powerfully, write it down.
If you know people who could help you, it doesn’t matter whether you think they would or not, write it down.
If you know someone or all of the steps you would have to take to achieve your goal, write it down. Writing your goals down makes you achieve it with an almost certainty.

Goals are within timeframe

Work your goal within a limited amount of time. Let’s say for example your goal is to get an academic recognition for this semester, better break it down into small sub-goals by attaining A+ grade for the whole month. When you read my previous post How to give up smoking, my goal is to quit smoking, and I did this by following a time frame goal which is not engaging to cigarettes for 3 days-3-weeks-3months… and so on.

Set your goals with a deadline on when you want to achieve it.

Work Smart

Work smarter not harder, you don’t need to become a busy bee on giving all of your time working that you almost looks like a zombie due to lack of sleep and making yourself stressed. Your cognitive ability will suffer if you haven’t sleep enough and if you’re stressed-out.

Here are some strategies for working smarter:

Planning ahead
Organizing projects into manageable segments. (See Completing Major Projects)
Scheduling demanding work at peak performance times.

Goals are extension of your values

When your goals support what you believe in, life becomes meaningful and exciting. Goals based on values make it easier for you to decide your priorities.

Getting into the habit

Achieving goals is a constant process, never a destination in itself. You should always keep trying to set new goals every time you succeed in achieving one. Engage on setting goals regularly and constantly and you may hold on to your key that may lead to greater success. Commit yourself in doing something to achieve your goals everyday. Try to make it a habit, and that habit will lead you to greater success.

Life is growth. Your successes are to be savored, but it’s the journey that provides you the most excitement and fun. Good luck on achieving your goals! :D

Improving my Communication Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:10:00 +0000

Ref. Google images.infobarrel.com

I remember the times I stammered in speaking to a cashier in a fast food chain. That happened during my high school days, when my classmates and I decided to try the new product of that store. In fact, I did stammer when she ask for my order, which in turn giving me the wrong one. I admit it’s my fault. I didn't deliver the message to her clearly. That dilemma happens not just once but a lot of times whenever I’m conversing with others.

There is this time when I reported the signal of my mobile phone to my service provider and due to my poor communication skills the customer-support personnel ask me to repeat what I’m saying all over again. Even in my first job interview in a restaurant after graduating high-school, when the manager asks me to tell about myself, I expressed it horribly. Though, I can’t believe they still hired me after giving them such a horrible interview. Maybe, because of the schools credentials where I graduated and it they might also in need of man power during that time.

I only got motivated in improving my communication skills and eliminating my “stammering ability” when a friend of mind encourage me to apply for a call-center job. I told her that I have a problem conversing with others and what’s more, in call-centers you should be at least fluent enough in English which apparently I’m not.

This weakness of mine leads me to a realization that I should improve myself. I should improve conversing with others effectively. I can’t continue conversing like this forever. I still have dreams to travel across different countries, which a great communication skill is a necessity.

Setting-up a goal is the most common thing one must do. And as a pro-active goal achiever person I am, I looked forward in achieving it if I just put a lot of effort in what I’m decided to do.

Read… & read some more…

I need to practice my conversation skills right? And reading books is the first thing that came from my mind. Practicing & enhancing my articulation by reading out loud is the first thing I did. I started reading daily news papers, novels, autobiographies, fiction & non-fiction books, etc. I’ve got hooked-up on reading mystery novels written by Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which in turn makes me read some more of their extraordinary works. I habitually read newspapers in the morning and other readable materials during at night before going to sleep. The benefit of reading is that it not just only helps you improve your articulation but it also makes you knowledgeable.

Practice conversing with other people

Now that I’m articulate and knowledgeable from reading a lot, I started to practice conversing with people. Every time I buy something in the convenience store, I usually have a nice chit-chat with the cashier. This same routine also applied whenever I have my hair cut in the barbershop. While some other service personnel commonly do that to please customer, I’m grateful every time they start a conversation. I take that chance to practice and hone my communication skills. I also ask my best-friend to help me practice by talking with each other in plain English. Though we’re both not good in speaking in the said vernacular, at least we’re able to enhance it. J

Synchronized your left & right hemisphere of your brain

Studies shows that approximately 90% of people are right handed, and that means they use their left part of their brain frequently. To be good at languages & communications, you should use the left part of your brain in a regular basis. Communicating effectively requires the use of your left and right part of your brain. If you constantly use your right and left hand, your communication skills will greatly improve. In fact, if you can access both sides of your brain you open new possibilities, you are able to use much more of your brain power, and you will become smarter almost instantly once you access your recessive part of your brain. Try to watch this video to know your brain type.

When I decided to learn more about how to converse with others effectively, I came across of these facts on the web. There are also some suggestions on how you can be a right/left brained depending on your handedness. Use this tips if you are right handed.

Using your left hand when you brush your teeth
Writing with your left hand
Sketching
Learn to play musical instruments
Solving mathematical problems
Play logic puzzles

Though I already know how to play guitar and other musical instruments, I still feel the need to exercise the right side of my brain a lot more. I practice writing my name, sketching and solving Sudoku puzzles with my left hand. I can see a huge improvement after a month. Not only in communicating with others but also in my personality. I started to like math, became logical and it also improve my comprehension and pattern perception.

Up until now, I keep on practicing my communication skills by actively participating in class by reciting, brainstorming, interviewing and by writing/blogging. For more info on how to improve your communication skills, watch this: Self-Improvement Tips: How to Improve Communication skills.
Learning to communicate well with other people is a vital skill we should acquire since Communication is not only the essence of being human, but also a vital property of life.

Reduce Your Stress by Relaxation

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:21:00 +0000

Ref. meditationsecrets.net

Going to hot springs or sitting on mountain tops are not the only way for you to learn to relax. If you’re a busy person who can’t have a spare time for relaxation, consider this article as a tool on helping you relax and reduce stress.

Relaxation might be the perfect exercise for a lot of busy people including me. I find it very useful not only to remove stress but also to clear my mind and sometimes to combat fatigue.

Stress can contribute harmful effects to us. Some of these effects can lead to poor memory, poor concentration, confusion, depression, frustration, pessimism, short temper, irritability, headache, nausea, etc. When you know how to relax your body, you’ll automatically reduce the harmful effects of stress.

When you relax or meditate, you focus your thoughts on something besides stressful thoughts for a period of time. This has the effect of mental clarity and directing it away to stress-causing problems. During your stress-filled hours, your body built up toxins and relaxing can help you clear away those poisonous substances stored in you. When you relax your body and mind slow down. This ample time is sufficient to tackle difficult situations you’ll be facing along head because you’ll renew your energy and you are able to reenergize your outlook.

Here’s how to begin:

Find a position that feels comfortable, either sitting or lying down. Make sure you won’t be bothered by external stimuli like noisy environment, too hot or too cold temperature, etc.
Slowly close your eyes.
Begin taking slow deep breaths. Continue for some time until you feel yourself breathing rhythmically.
Say the word “relax” silently to yourself as you breathe out.
Focus on the muscles on your head and consciously relax them. Move down to your eye area after feeling that your head seems to relax. Don’t move until you can feel that area relaxes.
Move on to the sinus area of your face, and relax.
Do this procedure until you move all the way down to your toes, relaxing each section of your body.

This is just one very effective way of relaxing your muscles. I learned this method through hypnosis when I ask a friend of mine who is a psychology student in our university. I felt relax after doing it for the first time and he encourage me to have a deeper state of relaxation with meditation and self hypnosis if I’d like to know more about relaxation. If you, by any chance want to have a deeper state of relaxation, watch this video from YouTube.

Nevertheless, this procedure is necessary and is already a great help for a lot of busy people, probably like you. There are different ways on how to relax if you don’t feel simply on focusing on your muscles to get the job done. But for me this procedure works well enough in reducing my stress.

Completing Major Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 03:05:00 +0000

As a student a student I have no problem with reading assignments or other work assigned in a regular basis; I only experience major task, such as completing a term paper. Not only me who is having a problem with it, but also for some others who find term papers to be time consuming. They delay until the time is past for doing an adequate job. If what I think is probably right, students can complete day-to-day assignments because other people have laid out their work and are providing immediate consequences.

On the other hand, a student who is given an assignment to be completed by the end of a semester might not have those immediate, externally imposed consequences. Being an electrical engineering student at day and a blogger at night, I usually procrastinate over term projects like thesis. Reconstructing my time table, maximizing my time & a self management approach might be the most efficient way.

Breaking down the Task

If your professor announces that a 30-page term paper to be submitted in one month, you most likely to barely avert an anxiety attack. You might even shake your head in self-pity and distress. Some might ask themselves, “How can I possibly write a thirty-page term paper with the plethora of other tasks I have?

Anxiety attacks at its severest a day or two before the paper is due. You might consider foregoing sleep for fort-eight hours for you to piece something together. The first step you have to do is to break the task down into smaller parts. This is the most fundamental step in tackling a problem. See Problem Solving Techniques. For example, in writing a term paper there involves

Selecting your topic
Researching or finding related materials
Taking Notes
Making a Draft
Revision or proof reading

These sub-units can still be divided into smaller segments of work. If you keep subdividing these segments you’ll reach an amount that does not intimidate you. You’ll find this approach more pleasant than constantly reflecting on the totality of the project.

Forming a Schedule

Now that you’ve done breaking down the task, it’s time for you to form your schedule. During my second year in college where my first thesis was made, I struggled in forming a schedule for it. I was the group leader back then and I experienced having difficulties because some of my group members failed to do their task on the time I gave them. My mistake during that time is that I didn't formulate a tentative schedule for the sub units I have. Luckily I managed to pull the string and able to submit our thesis right just before the deadline.

Make a schedule that will require early completion of the first sub-unit and specify a final completion date before the dead-line of submission. Manage one task first and the remaining task will be as manageable.

Boost Your Productivity

Being productive is a necessity in order to accomplish something within a given time frame. You need to be productive each day when tackling major projects like term paper. You should also be productive when working on each sub-unit I’ve mentioned earlier. The impetus for attacking subsequent parts of a project is partially a function of completing earlier parts. Completing that first bit of work is especially reinforcing. It makes your next task appear considerably less foreboding. Have you notice that every time you write something, it is hard to formulate your first sentence but after doing it so, you’ll find yourself full of ideas and write as if there’s no tomorrow?(sorry for my exaggeration.XD).

One way to boost your productivity is to maximize your time. See 9 Tips on How to Maximize Your Time: Increasing Productivity. Knowing how to maximize your time would be the most efficient way in completing those sub-sequent parts.

*Final Words*

If you presently accomplish your work with impeccable efficiency, kudos! You’ve done very well. However, if you consider yourself as one of those last-minute students, here’s my suggestion:

Stock up on your supply of coffee, cigarettes, snacks etc. for the last minute rush. :D

Directing a Positive Mental Attitude to Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 15:18:00 +0000

Ref. Google Images bondwithkarla.com

As human beings we all want to be happy, but what holds us back from fulfilling this basic wish is that we don’t know how to go about doing so. “When the going gets tough, the though gets going” is a well known saying for all. For you to achieve your goal, all you have to do is have faith and rely on your abilities to achieve it.

Yesterday while in school, I came across our university library and while looking for a differential equation book which I need for reference, my eyes nailed on a book which was nearly falling down its rack.
I ponder for a moment if I’m going to take a look at it or just leave it alone. I decided to take a look at it because my inner curiosity told me so. :D

It is a nice book and I like it. The book talks about being an optimistic & a positive thinker. But somehow I felt unsatisfied with it. It only says that we should think positively in order to be successful. For me, only positive thinking is not good enough. Positive action and positive attitude must follow through the process conclusively. It is better to address positive thinking as positive mental attitude.

In this article, I've listed 6 ways on how to direct positive mental attitude to your life as it contributes not only towards goal achievement, but also to generate a happy enthusiastic atmosphere around you.

It is essential to have positive emotions forour health and happiness as this enhance efficiency in our day-to-day activities. This can be cultivated by means of deliberate effort. I know, because I've been practicing to have a positive mental attitude, and it really requires determination in order to acquire it.

What is to be remembered is that positive emotions and positive actions can only stem from positive thoughts.

What I’ve written below can help you generate positive emotions and positive thoughts.

Be Positively Selective

Be selective in what we read or listen. If what we filled in our minds are positives, so will be the output. A good company with productive, cheerful and optimistic people means a lot.

Use Positive words

Communication is powerful. One single word might affect your relationship with your listeners. Positive affirmations like “I am healthy and happy”, “I have a lot of energy”, “I am successful in whatever I do” and “I am surrounded by love” are some examples.

Choose your topic positively

Prefer positive talk. Greeting someone oreveryone warmly is a good act. Do not consider relative rank or status when you meet someone. When waking up in the morning, always say to yourself “this is a new day, I feel great”. Try this affirmation for a month and you’ll see tremendous difference. Do not discuss only daily tragedies becoming the news item. There are so many good things to talk about.

Learn to Smile & Laugh More Often

Laughter is considered as the best cure to all illness, and we know it as the best medicine. The good thing with this medicine is that it not only cures you but all those around you as well. Learn to smile more often. Smiling is a great way to make yourself stand out while helping your body to function better. Smile to improve your health, your stress level, and your attractiveness. It only takes 17 muscles to smile than 43 muscles if you frown.

Eliminate depression

Even if you feel like Heaven & Earth has forsaken you, don’t remain there. Depression is a sign of a negative aura, and it will do nothing good to you. Instead, redirect your thoughts to positive ones like remembering a pleasant memory of an outstanding achievement of yours.In a few moments you’ll feel that your depression slowly vanishing away.

Believe in Yourself and Your Goal

Think of a positive goal you want to achieve and write it down on a piece of paper. Look at is as often as possible. You may place it beside your bed or underneath your pillow so that you can view it whenever you wake up, or before going to sleep. Next thing is to plan on how you will achieve your goal. Specify a date and a time on when you will be able to achieve it. Acquire knowledge, and new skills to back-up your goal. Finally, maintain a positive mental attitude and remember to believe in yourself and all you want your life to be, because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you. Keep on believing to yourself! :)

You may also read Manifesting Your Dream, or watch Dr. Alex Pattakos' s The Meaning of Positive Thinking.

How to Deal with Lazy Group Members

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:33:00 +0000

If you ever happened to be a leader of a group in your class, you might probably agree on most cases I will present in this article. Since I've entered college, I was always promoted as a leader whenever our professors assign or group us. Maybe because of my notable acts or my active participation I displayed in the class.
Being a group leader can be tiresome, stressful and sometimes considered it as an extra work load for others. But for some, they see it as an accomplishment or an achievement as they tend to display more of their productive side. Leaders may face many challenges and obstacles along their way and one of these speed humps are the fact that they’ll deal with lazy group members.

For those readers who considers themselves as those “speed humps” I’m talking about, don’t get mad at me for what I’ll present in this article because what I say is based on my own observations and survey. It can be the truth, tentative truth or either way. For those who experienced leadership with “lazy group members”, you’ll find this post helpful for you, so that in the future when there comes a time you’ll be going to deal with these kind of group members again, you know what to do. And for those readers who haven’t experience being a leader or wanting to become one, just keep on reading and might consider this one useful for future reference.

As a leader, you must possess a lot of traits and skills in order to become effective. One of these skills is the ability to delegate tasks and how to use their authority ethically. I’ve been a leader in a group many times already and I somehow manage to enhance my authority skills to make my lazy group-mates productive. Actually, the term lazy here is not entirely meant for those who don’t do anything at all. There are factors in which they might as well considered lazy even though they’re not really “lazy”. Did that sink in your mind? Let me elaborate more. What I’m pointing out is that they’ve been considered as lazy for the factors they are displaying during group-works are unproductive or they might doing nothing but in fact they might eventually help if they are willing.

Here are some factors:

Poor performance – student with poor performance usually produced work of low quality and quantity.

Poor response rate – these are considered as students that don’t give much answer.

Anxiety/Perfectionists – They are the ones who are afraid to show what they’re really capable of because they think they will lose their cool if they commit a mistake so in turn they remain silent.

Wanderer – They’re the ones that day-dream even in class. Their mind is wandering somewhere, and when you ask them something they usually has the answer “huh?”, “what?” , “did you say something” or worse they won’t even notice you.

Low self-esteem - People having a low self-esteem make people others not care in which they don’t even bother to exert effort which makes them appear lazy. They have the feeling that they are not worth the effort thus making them stagnant.

Too much self-esteem- Pampered, spoiled people with an exaggerated sense of self may feel there is no need to apply themselves because they have already "achieved." They may also be accustomed to having others do for them, feeling they deserve this service.

Lateness/Absenteeism – Being late or absent reduces the productivity of the group and may affect others because their workload is being doubled.

Bored-member – Are the ones that become bored when in times of group works. When they’re bored they usually sleep in their desk and wait until the group is done.

Show off – The ones who attract the group’s attention with his/her noticeable traits without doing help at all.

These are just some of the factors why they’ve been considered unproductive in the group. And one solution to combat these factors is to use your authority. Yes, it’s a solution if you know how to use it effectively and ethically.

Here’s how I work as a leader of the group:

Do a quick evaluation of your entire members

On the first meeting, I always take a look at each member, and evaluate each of them on my mind. It’s true that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but sometimes we are capable of reading a person’s abilities by their appearances. In this method, you’ll know who the productive and unproductive ones are.

Introduce your policy as a leader

As their leader, they have the rights to know your policy on how you are going to handle them or what your expectations with the group members are. I never forget to state my policy with my group members, because I know that if I state my expectations and policies to them they’ll know that I rely on them and I trust them. Trust is a very vital factor in a group and you may never know that trusting even your unproductive member can lead to unexpected outcome.

Delegate tasks

Assign task to your members intelligently. Giving the hardest tasks to a member whom you think is capable of accomplishing it better or if you think you can handle it yourself, go ahead and take that instead. Be sure to assign a task to all your group members including the unproductive ones and tell them you trust them and be sure to give their best. For stubborn group members, use your authority. Scare them a little bit by setting a deadline for each task or if they didn’t does it correctly tell them that it will reflect on their own grades. Some professors or teachers allow the group leader to grade their members. Take this advantage.

Stay close to your team

At some point, every time you see a group member of yours, say “Hi”. Having a small chat with them during vacant hours can make you stay close with them. This gives you a chance to enquire or encourage and gives them an opportunity to raise issues or make suggestions regarding your topics/ assign task to them.

Set objectives on each member

Nothing happens until we plan and good plans have goals and objectives. Objectives like being SMART - Specific Measurable Achievable Resourced Timed is terrific for group works.

Reward each member

Oftentimes, lazy group members are “lazy” because they won’t act unless there is a price waiting ahead. By simply telling them that you’ll give extra points if they finish their task early and perfectly, will ignite their productive energy that becomes stagnant inside of them. You can try rewarding them something like pizza or beverages if you’re too generous.

Authority to expel

If all else fail and that lazy bum is still doing nothing in your group, feel free to report him to your professor/teacher. If you’re professor didn’t give a damn about your complain. You can remove that member on your list and tell that person why you did that. If he/she begs for reconsideration, give him a second chance. If that person wasted that chance, don’t be afraid to say “farewell” or “better luck next time”. XD

Best Methods on How to Give Up Smoking

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 11:58:00 +0000

Courtesy Google images.timestoday.info

Smoking is definitely a cancer in the society. Anybody knows why right? They said it kills, and yes it really does. There's a lot of disease you can get by smoking. You can search the web for related facts about diseases you’ll get from it. For more understanding on what does smoking do to you, watch this video from YouTube. Nevertheless, the most common disease you’ll get is addiction.

I consider addiction as a disease since it is so hard to get rid of this habit once you’ve been into it. I’ve tried smoking when I’m 18 years of age and during that time the main reason I’ve started smoking is because of the influence of my band-mates and friends. Every time I’m with them I can’t help to not noticed that I’m the only one in the group who doesn’t smoke.

I gave it a try. At my first day I only smoke 1 cigarette and I felt dizzy afterwards. I didn’t kind of like it at first, but I eventually did continued to smoke on the succeeding days. 2-3 sticks after a week, and 1 case of cigarettes per day after a month. That habit continued for a year and I amazingly stopped it when I learned the “sense of increase” from my professor.

Eliminating completely the habit of smoking is not as easy as I thought it would be. It really requires discipline, determination and will power. Here are the methods I used that helped me give up smoking:

Method 1:

Candy instead of Cigarette

Every time I feel the urge to smoke, I discipline myself to have a candy instead of cigarettes. The sweet taste of the candy kind of helps me forget the bitter taste that still lingers in my mouth due to smoking.

Eating candy as alternative for smoking is not the best way to completely remove your addiction, but it somehow helps whenever you drool because of the absence of it.

Giving up cigarette is really hard and it requires you to be mentally prepared. Once you've decided to eliminate it in your system, you must acknowledge the fact that you won’t smoke anymore no matter what the circumstances are. Have a candy instead. :)

Method 2:

Be with the Group of Non-Smokers

This method will actually force you to stop smoking for a while. Since non-smokers hates to inhale the hazardous chemical you breathe out whenever you smoke, it is better to be with them for you to eliminate that habit of yours. This very fact helped me when I started to give-up smoking.

I was then studying in college and decided to leave the band because of my conflicting schedule. I started to look for friends that are academically-focused which in turns to be non-smokers. I joined them for quite some time and I've noticed that I frequently smoke anymore. 1-2 cigarettes in a day seem to be a huge transformation for me. The first stick is in the morning before going to school, and the next one is before going home.

I was so busy that time with my witty friends that I forgot my deadly habit of smoking I’ve been used to. It is really effective since my rate of consumption of this deadly stick dramatically decrease.

Method 3 (Best Method):

3 days – 3 weeks – 3 months – 3 years mission

I prefer this method as the best since this method is the one that helped me totally give-up smoking. Here’s how this method work:

Set yourself in a mission that you must not smoke for 3 days. After completing 3 days of smoke-free, set yourself again for another mission that you mustn’t smoke for 3 weeks. If you once again fulfill that mission, set yourself again for another mission which is a smoke-free for 3 months. After fulfilling it once again set yourself in your final mission to continue what you’re doing in 3 years. I assure you that you will surely give-up smoking with this method since this works for a lot of persons I know who adopts this.

During the 3-week mission, I started drooling for cigars and the candy-thing I’ve mentioned above will do the trick. I was tempted to smoke one cigar in my 3-month mission and it is sad that I have to repeat the process and go back to my 3-day mission again. The rule of this method is that once you smoke, you should start all over again from the beginning. I repeated two times before I finally started my 3 year mission. Now, I totally forgot that mission since I don’t smoke anymore. I think it’s already 2 years and 6 months since I started my last mission, and it feels great that I somehow manage to give-up smoking completely.

9 Tips on How to Maximize Your Time : Increasing Productivity

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:16:00 +0000

People nowadays are so busy. They've been bombarded with a lot of things to do. Employees are being pressured by deadlines, students preparing for exams, or parents doing household chores. These are just some of them from a thousand of reasons in why we tend to be so much busy. If you consider yourself as one of those busy persons in this world, this article might be of great help to you.

Here's the cliché, Most of us believe that managing our time will do the trick in our busy environment, but what we should do is not to manage it.
We should maximize it. In this article, I've listed some tips on how to maximize your time. This helps me on my hectic schedule I currently have now.

1. Organize the things you want to do.

-Organize the things you wanted to do by setting up a prioritization on each task you want to handle. You should know what would be the most important and the least important task. Usually, I set my most important one to be the first in my priority list since they're the ones who need immediate completion.

2. Have a list of your task

-I prefer jotting down the things I would be doing on my memo-pad/notebook whenever I sat on my table. There is a great tendency that we forgot some of the things we should supposed to do by just remembering it.

3. Take note of your leisure time

- Set aside available time for your leisure. Even in our busy hours, it is important to have a free time for relaxation. Doing the work for a day without providing yourself spare time for your leisure will make you stressed and that can lead to fatigue. See related post : Be Productive: 6 Ways How to Overcome Fatigue

4. Waking Up Early

-For you to do a lot of work in a day, waking up early is the most promising tips. My wake up time is 6:30 or 7am. By that time I was on my desk writing my schedule for the day in my memo pad. By 8:00am I already taken my breakfast then take a bath. I'll refer to my schedule after taking a bath.

5. Lists of available time

-Jot down your available time as these are the times you need to have your leisure, break, meals etc. Having a fixed time for this is much better so as to avoid disorganized schedule.

6. Keep track of time

-Keeping in track of time will speed up your work and might finish it early. Being aware of the time surges your adrenaline which can be useful when doing a lot of task. Have you ever wonder how did you manage to finish a project or something within a day if the deadline is tom?

7. Completion vs. Perfection

-There is a huge difference between completion & perfection. We do want to get the job done early so that we can move on to the next thing we should or wanted to do. That is good. If you think you did a better job. If your finish the task with half the time you assumed it might consumed in doing it, better check your work again. Completing a work/task very fast but having poor results is not productive at all. Don't rush your thing, and take ample time for its completion and perfection.

8. Know when does your mind becomes productive

-There is a certain time of the day when our mind comes very handy. My mind is at its peak during morning, and late at night. I practically use these hours for the things which requires the use of our brain. (E.g. assignments)

9. Multi-tasking

-If you really want to maximize your time and accomplish every task with speed, multitasking is the best option for you. Multitasking means the ability to execute more than one task at the same time. This is very common in computer tasks since you have only one workplace, and that’s in front of your computer. Tough I found it hard multi-tasking if you are doing something that requires your analytical & critical thinking skills. Solving mathematical equations or problems is one great example since you focus and concentrate on solving it too much that you don’t want to make your mind wonder.

Be Productive: 6 Ways How to Overcome Fatigue

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 08:22:00 +0000

Ref. cardiffnutritionist.co.uk

Being tired and stressed-out make our body less productive. One way to become a productive person is to have an energetic body that can last for almost a day without feeling tired. How can we do that? It's simple; eliminate what makes your body tired. Fatigue is an unproductive state of our body in where the body lacks energy to do the things we want. If you're always got stressed from work or in school, it could be number of reasons. Here are some simple ways I've been following for years.

1. Unbalanced Protein and Carbohydrates
I've noticed that whenever I take lunch that is high in carbohydrates but low in protein, I feel tired and sleepy in the afternoon. That's because carbohydrates increase the production of serotonin(a calming chemical produced by brain). It doesn't mean that, you may not need to decrease your overall carbohydrates or your protein consumption. Try to take a meal that has a balance of carbs & proteins. This may help you on your slackness during afternoon.

2. Oversleeping
Remember our biological clock that determines when we are sleepy and when we are alert? Oversleeping may upset your biological clock and may lead up to fatigue. Researches say that it has something to do with the body's release of cortisol (a hormone associated with alertness). I've been experiencing this whenever I overslept during weekends. My body feels so lazy as soon as I wake up in bed late. It is better to wake up every morning at about the same time by going to bed early, not sleeping late.

3. Don't stress your eyes
Twisting my body into awkward position and leaning forward into the computer screen are my habits before, and I tell you as for experience, It can affect your vision which may also leads to fatigue. Having problems with our vision can halter concentration and thus causing fatigue. Have a break whenever you feel your eyes tired. You should take a 3-5 minutes break from your computer, paper works, etc. or have your vision checked by your ophthalmologist.

4. Drink plenty of water
Drinking NOT enough water will make your physical performance decline. That's because when our body's fluid decreases, our blood volume also decreases and can bring to fatigue. Drinking eight to ten glasses of water daily is terrific. I normally drink 10-15 glasses of water since I've been exercising a lot and also the weather is hot here in our country(except for ber-months).

5. Surrounding Colors
Be aware of your surroundings. What I mean is the colors of your surroundings as they can also affect our health. Dark & gloomy colors can make you both fatigue and depressed. Adding warm colors to your environments such as red, yellow and orange can be a quick cure for your fatigue. Have you noticed that whenever you have a headache, looking upon green grasses, trees or fields can make you feel ok? That's true since that color is very refreshing to our eyes. Remember that having problem with our vision can cause fatigue. Placing few items with warm colors should do the trick. Don't fill your house or your environment too much of these colors, as too much is not always right. :)

6. Being Pressured

Being pressured of something like deadlines for paper works, school projects, reviewing for exams or excessive worrying can be stressful. Being stressed can lead to fatigue. During my stressed days, I've been doing a simple trick to overcome it and that's by breathing deeply and slowly. There are a lot sites that helps you reduce or prevent stress. Here's what I followed: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm or you may want to reduce your stress through relaxation see Reduce your Stress by Relaxation.

Always remember that having a healthy & productive mind/body will help us gain satisfaction and may also help us achieve what we want.

Inspiring Lesson for Life

noreply@blogger.com (Jael) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:04:00 +0000

Mixed emotions filled my room as my cousins, friends and I watchedthe 2011 NBA Finals thisearly morning. I've felt nervous for the outcome of the game as the twobattling teams keeps on fighting to win the match. They gave all their best andnone of them shows any sign of surrendering. Every time I watched abasketball game, I always remembered what my college professor in Physical Education toldus. He was then a coach of our university's basketball team and teaches basicbasketball to 2nd year college students.

On our finals, we have been dividedinto four teams and were set to compete with each other. The members of thewinning team will achieve a grade of A+. It's quite a grade he's offering backthere and almost all of us want to win each match. Luckily our team manages to go to the finals (though we only hadto beat two teams in order to get there. lol) and now set our foot to face theopposing team.
I've noticed that they had a lot of bigger guys than me which iscurrently 6ft in height. Its so obvious that their team might win the match asthe members of their team has a lot of potential and taller players.

As the game goes on, we were trailed by a significant number ofpoints that made me and my other team-mates to almost give-up. Someof my team-mates are already complaining that we should stop the game sinceit's so obvious who'll going to win the match. Until there's only 10 minutesleft in the game clock, my professor stood up and gather all of us. Wewere surprised and thought that he decided to stop the game alreadybut it doesn't happen that way.

The reason why he wanted to gather us all is to ask aquestion. He asks what we thought we should do if we're told during a game thatwe only had 10 minutes left to live. Each of us pondered for a momentbefore giving answers in turn. "My answer was, 'to ask God to forgive mefor my sins', but our professor shook his head. My next classmate suggested'praying', someone else said, "Call my mom", and so on until we haveno more answers to give.

We all fell silent and waited for him to give his answer:"Just go ahead and shoot the ball to the ring."

That lesson taught me that "when you are doing something, finish it. It may not be noble or virtuous, butin everything you do, just do your best and finish it." So the next time you started anything you wanted to do, be sure to give your best and finish it no matter what would be the outcome. :)