Enlighten Your Self

Severe Acne And Acne Scar Treatments

2009-11-11T23:12:00.000-08:00

While acne may present itself in various forms starting from mild to severe, the severe cases of acne are most distressing because of its persistent nature. Thus a patient suffering from severe acne not only feels embarrassed but it can seriously affect the person's sense of self-esteem.

Severe acne conditions bring about serious damage to the skin such as deep cysts, scars, and inflammation of the skin. In such situations treatment usually lasts for years before desired result is achieved. Thus it is absolutely necessary to consult a professional when you are thinking of treating severe acne. Starting from physical procedures to prescription drugs, there is a wide variety of treatment options for handling severe acne. Some of the popular treatment routes followed by doctors include:

Drainage and Surgical Excision

Isotretinoin

Interlesional Corticosteroid Injection

Also known as ‘acne surgery', drainage and surgical excision is perhaps the best treatment options available for treating severe acne. Large cysts usually do not respond to oral medication and drainage and extraction is the only way out of the situation. It has been seen that drainage and surgical excision is particularly effective in treating and eradicating cysts.

Patients of severe acne should never take the treatment of the ailment using drainage and surgical excision route in their own hands. Always consult a trained professional to undertake severe acne treatment which should always be done under sterile conditions.

Acting on all possible factors which cause acne, Isotretinoin is a prescription drug which is available as a pill. This is so far the best oral treatment for acne. Containing a powerful synthetic steroid, this pill must be taken for sixteen to twenty weeks for achieving the desired results. It is necessary for the patient to take all the pills as prescribed by the doctor.

Sometimes a patient is tempted to give up the oral medication, as soon as some improvement is visible, but it must be remembered that giving up on the medication mid-way, just increases the chances of a relapse. Though this is the best oral treatment for severe acne, it must be remembered that there are numerous side effects associated with this therapy.

Defect in the developing fetus is one of the most serious side effects of this drug. So it is wise to be prepared for all the side effects of this drug, before you choose this to be your treatment of choice.

The injection route for treating severe acne scars can be found in the interlesional corticosteroid injection which is also a preferred form of medication recommended by doctors.

Doctors would inject diluted corticosteroid in to a cyst. The result of corticosteroid injection is that it reduces inflammation, and heals the acne before it has burst and formed scars.

There are visible results after the interlesional corticosteroid injections within five days when you see the cysts melting away.

Read More Related Articles at: http://1aacnescartreatment.com/

100 Best Herbs for Your Health and Wellness

2008-09-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

Sensory Perception

Give your vision and hearing a boost by taking these herbs.

Ginkgo Biloba: Ginkgo has been attached to many potential benefits, but perhaps one of the most significant is its ability to improve blood flow to the eyes especially in those suffering from macular degeneration. It can also be valuable to your ears as numerous studies have suggested it can help prevent tinnitus and inner ear disturbances as well as a number of other conditions.
Bilberry: A relatively unknown but powerful antioxidant, bilberry has a number of positive health effects for the brain and heart. It can also help to protect the retina and improve range and clarity of vision.
Passionflower: If staring at a computer screen or reading in dim light has your eyes strained, try taking a passionflower supplement. It can help relax the small blood vessels in the eye and make seeing easier.
Goldenseal: Sties and conjunctivitis can be irritating and embarrassing conditions. Take some goldenseal to help reduce the inflammation associated with these conditions and get you on the road to recovery.
Aspalathus: This South African herb contains a number of antioxidants that are similar to those found in Bilberry. These can boost your eye health while giving you overall improved immune function.
Mahonia Grape Extract: The sun can have an immensely damaging effect on the eyes, but this herb can help reduce the impact of sun damage while strengthening the retina, slowing eye aging and maintaining better overall eye health.
Bilwa: Found in the sub-Himlayan forests, this fruit has been used in India to help treat painful eye conditions like sties and conjunctivitis.
Mullein flower: This flowering plant can be a natural way to help rid yourself of an ear infection as it acts as a natural bactericide when condensed to oil form.

Mental Health and Function

Keep your mind sharp, alert and in good health with a little help from these plants.

Kava kava: This herb can help calm your anxieties by binding to brain receptors that promote relaxation.
St. John’s Wort: Those with mild to moderate depression may find some relief with this herb. Numerous studies have been done on it, most finding that it can be as effective as some prescription drugs at treating depression. Those with more severe depression should, of course, consult a medical professional.
Valerian: Lull your body into a restful sleep with a natural remedy instead of prescription pills. Valerian has been shown to be as effective as traditional sleeping pills, while eliminating some of the more harmful side effects associated with them.
Bacopa: Used in India for several thousand years, this flowering plant has been said to improve memory, learning and cognition. Studies have shown that it can do little to improve your old memories but does have an affect on newly acquired information, so start taking it sooner rather than later.
Ginseng: Many people have heard of the herb ginseng, but few know that there have been numerous studies done to document its effects. These studies seem to suggest that there can be some benefits of taking it that include improved memory and other mental performance and a whole host of other effects ranging from immune system stimulation to lowered cholesterol.
Holy Basil: Also known as tulsi, this herb is not usually used in cooking like its cousin, but instead can help reduce the effects of stress on the body by inhibiting cortisol.
Chamomile: Generally known as a relaxing herb, chamomile tea can be a great way to wind down after a stressful day and ease stress. Some also use it to calm nerves or relieve menstrual cramps.
Suma: This rainforest plant can in some people help to normalize body systems and reduce the effects of stress.
Brahmi: Give this Indian remedy a try to help boost your brain function and information retention.
Gotu Kola: Commonly used in India, this herb can help to improve cognitive function and reduce anxiety, helping you think more clearly and calmly.
Sage: Modern research has shown that sage can actually help make you wiser, improving memory and reducing inflammation.
Kudzu: Feel like you’d like to have better self control when it comes to drinking and killing all those brain cells? This herb can help you to curb your appetite for booze by helping alcohol more quickly get to the part of the brain that tells you enough is enough.
Catnip: Not just for cats, this common herb when eaten can help reduce anxiety and produce an overall sedated effect.

Digestive and Urinary Systems

Use these herbs to ensure that your plumbing stays in good condition.

Licorice: You may love the taste of licorice but might not have known about the beneficial health effects it can have. It can soothe and relax gastrointestinal tissues, helping ease the pain of ulcers and acid reflux and has even been shown to help increase bile production.
Milk Thistle: Give your liver some help filtering out all those toxins by taking some milk thistle. It can help improve the regeneration of liver tissue and regulate liver function.
Peppermint Oil: A little dab of peppermint oil will do you to help relax the smooth muscles of your colon, stopping cramps and constipation that can be common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Ginger: An upset stomach is never fun to deal with, but ginger may be the solution that you’re looking for. Ginger helps slow the production of serotonin, a major factor in the nauseated feeling you get when you are motion sick or experiencing pregnancy sickness.
Senna: If you’re feeling constipated, this herb may work well as a natural laxative to get things moving again.
Gentian: This super bitter herb has been used for generations to treat digestive problems. Its bitter tastes stimulates the digestive system, making it easier to get food through your system problem free.
Uva Ursi: Try out this herb for a great natural way to help prevent getting bladder infections.
Aloe: While great for healing burns and skin irritation when applied topically, this plant can act as a helpful laxative when consumed.
Gamma Orizanol: Give this remedy a try if you want to help calm an upset stomach.
Rose Hips: These small berries serve a dual purpose helping to reduce bladder infections and to fight constipation.
Agrimony: If your whole digestive system needs a lift, try out this herb, said to improve stomach, liver, kidney and gallbladder function.
Anise: This licorice-flavored herb can help prevent the accumulation of painful gas in the stomach and intestines.
Celery Seed: Those having a little difficulty urinating may want to try this natural remedy out, cited for its diuretic properties.

Physical Appearance

Help yourself look good at any age with these powerful herbs.

Burnet: The leaves of this plant have been used for thousands of years in China, and can help treat several skin conditions as well as reducing the inflammation of hemorrhoids and helping heal burns.
Burdock: Used all over the world, this substance helps combat hair loss, treats dandruff, and helps skin problems.
Calendula: Great for all around skin care, this herb can treat everything from acne to chapped lips.
Comfrey: Use the leaves and roots of this plant to soothe skin irritations and promote connective cell growth.
Plantain leaf: Because it has many soothing elements, this plant is one of the best remedies for cuts, skin infections, and chronic skin problems.
Red Clover: If you’ve tried everything to get rid of your acne, why not give this natural acne and skin clearingremedy a try?
Sassafras Leaf: Said to purify and cleanse the body, this plant can be a helpful tool in getting acne under control.
Solomon’s Seal Root: Make a wash out of this plant to help control skin problems and blemishes.
Spikenard: Acne, pimples, blackheads, and rashes don’t stand a chance against this inflammation fighting herb.

Heart and Circulatory System

Give your heart and the blood throughout your body some healthy help with these herbs.

Garlic: Garlic is a powerhouse when it comes to heart health. Regular usage has been shown to prevent cardiovascular disease and lower high blood pressure. In addition, studies suggest that it might help prevent cancer, kill bacteria, and even improve levels of t-cells in AIDS patients.
Hawthorn: The berries of this flowering shrub are great for the heart, by helping to open up the coronary arteries, lowering blood pressure, or slowing a rapid heart rate. Users will see the best effects after six months or more of taking the supplement.
Guggul: Guggul is thought to bind to cholesterol in your gut so that you eliminate it before it enters your bloodstream, helping reduce your overall cholesterol and feel better.
Horse chestnut: Help prevent those unsightly varicose veins by taking some horse chestnut. Aescin and other compounds in the herb can help bulk up weak capillaries and veins, making them less prone to swelling and pain.
Cinnamon: If you’re worried about the health of your circulatory system, consider adding a little cinnamon to your diet. Cinnamon has been shown to reduce blood sugar and help lower cholesterol.
Dandelion: Dandelions are more than just an annoying weed, they can also be an effective way to help control high blood pressure. Researchers think it works like many prescription medicines, decreasing your blood volume and thereby your blood pressure.
Angelica root: Traditional wisdom places this herb as a great heart strengthener, especially for those suffering from heart related conditions.
Coriander: The seeds of the cilantro plant can help build and strengthen your circulatory system and make for a stronger, healthier heart.
Cayenne: Containing capsicum, cayenne can help normalize blood pressure, increase the elasticity of blood vessels, and even slow bleeding.
Motherwort: This plant has a long history of use and contains the alkaloid leonurine which can have a relaxing effect on smooth muscles like those found in the heart.
Gynostemma: This herb has been shown in laboratory studies to have a direct effect on the circulatory system, strengthening the heart and helping wounds heal more quickly.

Pain and Inflammation

Don’t suffer through pain and inflammation, try these remedies instead.

Arnica: The yellow flowers of this plant provide powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Apply it to the skin to help reduce the pain and swelling of bruises, strains and sprains.
Feverfew: Several studies have confirmed that feverfew can help prevent and treat migraines. It works by reducing the amount of serotonin in the body and relaxing constricted blood vessels in the head.
Willow Bark: A component of traditional aspirins, willow bark can be a wonderful way to naturally reduce minor aches and pains.
Devil’s Claw: Native to southern Africa, this long-used remedy can be a helpful agent in reducing inflammation as well as back and neck pain.
Chinese Skullcap: Part of the mint family, this herb can help reduce stress headaches, the effects of PMS and even insomnia.
Marjoram: Great for general aches and pains, this common herb can be even more effective when combined with chamomile or gentian.
Thyme: Many use thyme in their cooking without being aware that it can help fight infection, reduce the pain of migraines and help clear out the lungs.
Meadowsweet: Meadowsweet contains many of the chemicals used to make aspirin in its roots and when chewed can prove a helpful remedy for headaches.
Cat’s Claw: While few definitive studies have been done, many believe this herb can reduce general inflammation and boost the immune system.
Wood Betony: This attractive woodland plant does more than just look pretty, it can also be used to reduce the pain associated with headaches.
Witch Hazel: Those suffering from hemorrhoids especially will appreciate the anti-inflammatory properties of this herb.

Illness Prevention and Treatment

Check out these herbs and plants to help keep you in general good health.

Ephedra: One of the oldest cultivated medicinal herbs, Ephedra is most commonly used to help treat and prevent colds. It works by dilating the bronchial tubes through the release of adrenaline to be especially useful to those suffering from allergies and asthma. Long term usage can be harmful, however, so take it with care.
Echinacea: Give your immune system a boost by taking some echinacea. It activates the body’s natural defense mechanism, white blood cells, and helps your body prevent and fight off harmful infections and bacteria.
Astragalus: The Chinese have known about and used this herb for thousands of years for a variety of different ailments. Recent studies have shown that it may have a very real effect on the immune system, increasing immune activity and effectiveness.
Elderberry: Keep the flu at bay by chomping down on this berry. Rich in vitamins A and C, it’s been shown to prevent the flu virus from spreading to healthy cells and cuts recovery time in half.
Andrographis: Help keep your colds short and sweet by taking a little bit of this herb. Studies have shown it can help reduce symptoms like fatigue, sleeplessness, sore throat, and runny nose up to 90%.
Kelp: Kelp is very high in iodine which is a natural infection fighter. As a bonus, it contains substances that are beneficial to hair and nails.
Yarrow: While too much yarrow can be quite dangerous, a careful amount can be a great assistor in breaking a fever and fighting off a cold or flu.
Boneset: An infusion of this herb can help you to more quickly fight off a cold.
Elder: When you feel a cold or the flu coming on, enjoy some herbal tea made from this plant. If you are growing it at home, never eat the green parts of the plant as they are poisonous.
Pleuresy root: Sometimes also called butterfly weed or Indian paintbrush, this variety of milkweed can help you get more out of your coughs when you have a cold or soothes some of the inflammation as well.
Pau d’arco: This Brazilian herb is thought to be an all around booster to your immune system.
Maitake: Check out this mushroom, common in asian medical practice for a jump start for your immune system as well as for help with blood pressure and cholesterol.
Horehound: Sore throats and coughs can be remedied by making a tea of the leaves of this plant.

Diseases and Conditions

While not cure-alls, these herbs and plants can help reduce the symptoms and severity of a variety of medical conditions.

Khella: Check out this Middle Eastern herb for a little help on preventing those asthma attacks before they start. It dilates your bronchial tubes and relaxes the muscles that spasm during an attack, helping keep you breathing easy.
Gymnema: Help reduce the effects of your diabetes symptoms by stimulating your pancreas to pump out more insulin with this herb. Used for thousands of years, recent preliminary studies have shown that it can have a big impact on reducing blood sugar.
Eyebright: Don’t let hay fever leave you knocked out with red eyes and a runny nose. This herb can help make your immune system less reactive to airborne allergens, making your life a little easier during allergy season.
Lemon Balm: While there is no cure for herpes, there are ways that you can help make it a little more bearable, both in it’s genital and cold sore forms. Lemon balm can help reduce itching, swelling, and tingling while speeding up healing.
Rosemary: While rosemary itself may not have any proven medical benefits, the application of it to other foods can. Studies have shown that rosemary helps prevent the formation of carcinogens caused by grilling foods.
Wild Cherry: Wild cherry isn’t just a soda flavoring, it can also help with asthma by loosening phlegm in the chest and throat and reduce inflammation of tissues.
Fenugreek seed: Try this multipurpose remedy for help with allergies, coughs, headaches and sore throat.
Forsythia: If you fear you may have picked up lyme disease, this flowering scrub may offer you some help by providing antibacterial properties to weaken the disease.
Boswellia: This herb relieves symptoms of both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and can even work well for those who reacted negatively to other natural treatments.
Turmeric: Those suffering from painful joints due to arthritis may be well advised to add a little turmeric into their diets. This spice, used in curry, contains curcumin, a powerful anti-inflammatory substance which can help reduce the pain and swelling.
Yucca Root: Yucca root reduces inflammation of the joints, making it a valuable remedy for arthritis.
Nettle: Extracts of this plant have been used to treat conditions like arthritis, anemia and hay fever.

Reproductive Health

Ensure that your reproductive organs are in good health with these herbal remedies.

Sea Buckthorn: Women suffering from vaginal dryness may find a natural cure in this remedy. It contains palmitoleic acid which helps hydrate mucus membranes and keeps skin moisturized.
Black Cohosh: Make menopause easier by checking out this herb, used by some Native American groups. It contains plant estrogens which can help regulate and balance your rapidly changing hormones.
Chaste Berry: The small, peppery-tasting berries of this plant can offer some help to women coming off birth control or those who just need a little assistance in regulating their hormones and menstrual cycles.
Dandelion: If you suffer from a large amount of fluid retention around your time of the month, consider taking dandelion. It has natural diuretic properties that help eliminate excess fluids.
Dong Quai: This plant has estrogenic properties making it a good choice for women who want to balance their hormones and ease common PMS symptoms. Be advised that it can take up to a year to see results from taking it.
Raspberry Leaf: Pregnant women should check with their doctors before taking this herb, but it’s generally considered safe and can help ease the painful process of labor.
Saw Palmetto: Get some help keeping your prostate in good health with this herb. It reduces the symptoms of an enlarged prostate, in some cases as much as a prescription medication, though it may not work for every man.
Daminana Leaf: This multipurpose herb can help deal with sexual dysfunction issues in both men and women as well as helping to reduce hot flashes associated with menopause.
Sarsaparilla: With effects similar to the male hormone testosterone, this herb can be a great way to stimulate the sex drive in both men and women.
Beth Root: Some have seen balancing effects on the hormones with this herbal tincture, leading to normalized menstrual bleeding, reduced effects of menopause and easier pregnancy.

If you’re interested in supplementing your health and wellness routine with some natural remedies, herbs offer a valuable and time-tested way to do so. Whether you want to boost the health of your heart, ease the discomfort of arthritis, or just wake up your mind, this list of 100 herbs and medicinal plants can help you do it. Please keep in mind, however, that not all herbal supplements are appropriate for all people, so check with your doctor to see if you’re in the clear.

HOW TO USE THE LAW OF ATTRACTION The 6 Steps to Manifestation- Step 2 of 6: Set Forth Your Intention

2008-06-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

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In the first article in this series on how to use the Law of Attraction, we discussed the importance of feeling good in relation to your ability to manifest. We discussed specific, practical tools you can utilize to experience more joy on a consistent basis. Now that you are feeling good, let’s go to step 2 in the manifestation process.

Step 2: Set Forth Your INTENTION.

To successfully use the Law of Attraction you must get clear on what you want. We live in an existence where we truly can have anything we want. Your main ‘job’ is to decide what you want and focus on it! Consider that over 90% of manifestation occurs in the declaration. So decide what you want and ask for it.
In the first step we discussed creating a list of the 10 things you are grateful for. Now, add the top 10 intentions you have in your life. These intentions can include things like:

the state of being you desire (I intend to feel good, to live in a state of unconditional love, to be happy, to laugh and smile all day long, to be unattached, to have eternal patience, to have fun)

the health you desire (I intend perfect health and my ideal body, to wake up with great energy, to lose 10 pounds within 30 days)

the mindset you want (I intend to think empowering thoughts all the time, to be in the moment, to be present)

the spiritual desires you have (I intend to be completely connected to my creator or the universe, to be conscious all day)

the material things you desire (I intend to attract $20,000 in the next 30 days, a black Mercedes convertible, my dream home with an ocean view in southern California within 12 months, $100,000 cash in the bank by the end of this year)

the relationships you want (I intend to find an amazing, passionate, intimate relationship, to create a close bond with my children, a strong connection with my parents)

You can also set intentions you have for other people. For example, every single day I write down that: “I intend great health and safety for all my loved ones today.”

Your intentions can be things you want to manifest today, this week, this month, this year or within several years. There is no wrong way to create your intentions just make them specific and clear.

Another piece of advice is when you ask for what you want… ask like you expect to get it! Each morning write your gratitude and intention list and passionately read them out loud. Put energy and feeling into what you are grateful for and also what you want. It feels good to do this plus when you understand the Law of Attraction you know the universe is made up of energy and will respond to the energy (the vibration) that you emanate. Let me point out here that deciding what you want can be hard. The first time you try to list out 10 things you want may be a little tough.

It is common for people to say they desire happiness and that is a noble intention for all. But what do people really want when they say they want happiness? I believe what we really want is: energy, experiences and excitement.

Think about it… when you are feeling energized you are feeling good and when you are feeling good, you are happy! When you are really experiencing life, you are happy. To me, a great life is a life of great experiences. We also want excitement… excitement increases our energy.

So if it is hard for you to answer the question “What do I want?”, then try these questions instead:

What experiences do I want?
What will excite and energize me and lead to happiness?
What will be good for me and for the greater good of others?

The last item to look at here is the subject of worthiness. To successfully use the Law of Attraction, it is critical you feel worthy. If you do not feel worthy of that which you desire, you will not attract it into your existence. Your energy must be vibrating in line with what you want. This is why feeling good comes before setting the intention. You must intend a state of being in which you feel good which will automatically raise your vibration (your energy). When you are energized, you will draw your goals and desire towards you like a magnet. When you are vibrating at a high level, you are connected to source energy / God / the universe. And when you are connected you become a channel to allow your thoughts (intentions) to manifest! You and your intention become one in the same.

So have fun creating your intentions and in the next article on How to Use the Law of Attraction we will look at how taking inspired action will speed up the manifestation process.

Rich German uses The Laws of Attraction to teach his students to success, prosperity and to feelings of love and happiness. He offers monday night meditations, teleseminars, ebooks, audio downloads and much more!

HOW TO USE THE LAW OF ATTRACTION: The 6 Steps to Manifestation - Step 1 of 6: Feel Good

2008-05-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple years there’s a really good chance you’ve been exposed to the Law of Attraction. While the concept is nothing new, the movie The Secret obviously brought it into the consciousness of the mainstream. As a teacher of the Law of Attraction for the past several years, I have noticed that while most people are interested in using the law to improve their lives, they need specific direction in terms of how to apply it into their lives. The intention of this series of articles is to teach you step-by-step, in simple and practical terms, exactly how to implement the Law of Attraction into your life so that you truly begin living a life full of love, happiness and abundance. All human beings are incredibly powerful and can create whatever reality they desire.

The attraction process as outlined here consists of 6 specific steps:
1.Feel good. This will be discussed in detail in this article.
2.Set forth your intention.
3.Take inspired action.
4.Release the how.
5.Be a YES to life.
6.Allow the intention to manifest. Let’s begin with feeling good.

Step 1:
FEEL GOOD!

I honestly cannot think of anything more important than feeling good. Call me an optimist but I believe that if each person on the planet was focused on feeling good on a consistent basis most of the challenges we currently face as a society and as a planet would quickly be solved. People who feel good don’t hurt other people. People who feel good don’t wage wars. People who feel good are typically not selfish and self-serving. People who feel good are more likely to be guided by love versus fear. So on a global level, the more good feeling, happy, loving people roaming the planet, the better. On a personal level, the better you feel the more powerful you will be in terms of your ability to attract and manifest your desires. Understanding the Law of Attraction is pretty simple. Consider that all manifestation begins with feelings. If you are feeling good you will attract what you want. If you are feeling bad you will attract what you do NOT want… period. Your state of being attracts everything to you.

You cannot attract wealth if you are feeling poor.
You cannot attract health if you are feeling sick.
You cannot attract love if you are feeling unworthy of it.
You cannot be happy if you are feeling undeserving of it.
You must see yourself as you want to BE and from that point of being, you will attract what you desire. So the key is to consciously choose to feel good and then just stay in the joy.

Unless you are one who just naturally feels good all the time (which makes you a very rare individual), there are some powerful tools you can use to cause you to consistently feel good. Let’s discuss three proven tools for you to consider:

The tool of GRATITUDE

When you consciously choose to live in a state of gratitude, you will automatically begin to feel good. It is not possible to think about the amazing things in your life and not feel good! By focusing on what is good, you will attract more good into your world. (Conversely, if you act like a victim and focus on what is bad, more bad will come flooding your way). It sounds so simple… because it is!

Try on this exercise for the next 30 days. Each morning, ideally as soon as you wake up, list out at least 10 things that you are grateful for. You can write the list down in a journal or on your computer, speak the list out loud, call a friend and share your list with them or scream it out loud on your morning walk. There is no wrong way to do this; the key is to just begin each day focused on what is working in your life. Focus on what you are grateful for. It does not matter how messed up you think your life might be, you still have plenty to be grateful for. The fact that you have the ability to read these words tells me you are doing okay. In fact, I’d bet there are millions of less fortunate people around the world who would change places with you in a second.

I have personally been doing this exercise every single day for over two years now. I type it up and e-mail it every day to my buddy Mike in Chicago and he sends me his in return. Why do it I do it? Because I know I have the option each morning to either be grateful for the new day or to whine and complain. And you know what? Gratitude feels a whole lot better than whining and complaining! Plus I understand the power of feeling good.

In fact, try it right now. List out 10 things you are grateful for. In case you need a little help to get started, consider things like: your body, your mind, your soul, your children, your spouse, your significant other, your lover, best friends, your home, your car, your pets, money in your bank account, your job, your business, your country, the weather, your mother-in-law, whatever…

Again, try it on for 30 days and just see what happens. Living in a state of gratitude is essential to successfully use the Law of Attraction.

The tool of MEDITATION

I cannot stress enough the importance of meditation. Whether you meditate to simply calm your mind and feel a little more peace or if you do it to make conscious contact with your source and experience complete, utter bliss, meditation is an important tool when it comes to feeling good.

There are obviously many forms of meditation to consider. I personally practice something called Shakipat meditation. Shakti is the life force energy that beats your heart and sustains the universe. In this simple third-eye meditation technique, you connect with that energy and feel an amazing natural high.

I personally sit for approximately 1 hour each day and quite honestly it is hard to express in words how this has impacted my life. I feel a great sense of calm, peace, love and joy in my life. I feel connected to the world and everyone and everything in it. I feel grateful to simply be alive. Most importantly, in this conversation of the Law of Attraction, I feel good!!

The tool of EXERCISE

Beyond the obvious health benefits of a good exercise routine, let’s be honest: exercising makes you feel good. Maybe not always while you are doing it, but when you are done you always feel better!

So if you are committed to feeling good each day, commit to some form of exercise each morning. You can walk, run, lift weights, do yoga, make love (that got your attention)… just do something each morning to get the blood pumping and create some energy. The more energy you have, the better you will feel. I recommend exercising outside if possible… breathe in the air… connect with nature… connect with the universe, God, or source (whatever name you give to the power that created this magnificent playground we get to play in).

While there are obviously many other tools you can utilize in your quest to feel good each day, I strongly advise you to incorporate these three into your routine. In fact, the best guidance I can offer is to create a powerful morning ritual (routine) which includes gratitude, meditation and exercise. Again, try it on for yourself and see how you feel.

My advice is to make feeling good your highest goal. Live in a state of gratitude and you will undoubtedly attract to you all you desire and experience a joyous life. When you feel good, everything just flows.

Rich German uses The Laws of Attraction to teach his students to success, prosperity and to feelings of love and happiness. He offers monday night meditations, teleseminars, ebooks, audio downloads and much more!

Dump That Zero and Get a Hero! Overcoming the Temptations of the Single Girl

2008-05-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

Do you know this guy or are you dating him? He’s hot, he’s charming, and he makes your skin tingle. When he touches you or kisses you, you turn into a big hormonal puddle. Anything he wants from you, you give, and usually that involves a hot night in the sheets. There’s just one problem: he has a huge fatal flaw that acts as an enormous block to a happy life together. He may feel like a soul mate, but he’s really your nemesis.

Who is he? He’s the Wounded Guy. You feel an adrenaline rush when you’re with him, but later, upon reflection, you see his love-killing flaw(s) - any one or a combination of the following:

He’s divorced and can’t even think about marriage again
He drinks too much and/or uses drugs, smokes too much pot, etc.
He struggles with career and money
He uses porn – strip clubs, internet porn, magazines, hookers
He’s unfocused – has no real goals, drifts in life, makes no plans
He’s insecure – can’t handle it when you go out with girlfriends, even though you’re loyal and true
He’s not divorced yet, though he talks about leaving his wife
He’s afraid of commitment – wants his “freedom” and wants you too
He’s a player – he’s dated more women than he can count, but wants you to think it will be “different” with you
He has a trail of broken relationships behind, with a long list of all the other women’s character flaws; reading between the lines, you see that he doesn’t treat women with dignity and respect or hold them in high regard

The Wounded Guy has baggage – lots of it. Everyone has emotional baggage, but there’s a difference between carry on luggage and steamer trunks! What separates the Wounded Guy from the rest is that he uses his past, his issues, and his challenges as a “free pass” on responsibility in life. His life history is one big “get out of jail free” card that he plays to avoid making a commitment to you or to avoid doing the right thing (i.e., get a job, get off of the substances, get a divorce, etc.).

The Wounded Guy is non-intentional about his life. Instead of embracing his challenges, taking responsibility and carving out a better life, he waffles, avoids, blames, and collapses. Instead of stepping up to the plate and loving you with all of his heart, he draws close to get his needs met, and then backs away when you need something. For you, he’s a zero, not a hero. He ultimately takes away rather than adding to your life.

What attracts you to the Wounded Guy? Why do so many smart women choose men who can’t or won’t love them, commit to them, and create a good life together? The answers – the temptations of the single girl – will set you free from this destructive dating trap. In a nutshell, you’re tempted by the wounded guy and you’re tempted by high risk relationships. You have a tendency to get sexual way too soon, and then rush into relationships without using your brain. You have sacrificed your authentic voice, denied your true desires, and taken the lead instead of taking your cues. All of these temptations, and more, are your downfall. Why? Because you didn’t know that succumbing to the temptations of the single girl would lead you down a path of self-destruction. No one taught us these things, not until now.

It’s never too late to choose a brand new, fulfilling path! You can, by taking stock, defining clearly what you want, including the kind of character you want in a man, and then using a powerful dating process that is guaranteed to produce the results you want.

Temptations of the Single Girl: The Ten Dating Traps You Must Avoid is a short, engaging modern day parable with life-changing lessons for dating and selecting your life partner. It’s the story of Kelly, a charming, pretty everywoman, whose dating foibles make it safe for you to see yourself and change. You’ll cringe at her choices, feel moved by her ah-ha moments, and cheer her triumphs over disastrous love relationships turned positive. Through Kelly’s story, you’ll re-define your path, and soon find yourself with a good guy who will be your loving soul partner – your hero - for life.

Nina Atwood, M.Ed., LPC, is a licensed therapist with over twenty years experience, the published author of four self-books on relationships, and host of the hit website Singlescoach®. Nina’s blog on Singlescoach® is accessed by thousands of singles daily. Nina is one of the foremost authorities on the intricacies of dating and love relationships. She’s been featured in innumerable national magazines and newspapers, on radio hundreds of times, and on national and regional television. Nina’s newest book, Temptations of the Single Girl: The Ten Dating Traps You Must Avoid (Wheatmark, 2007), was just released to rave reviews.

How To Tell When A Woman Is Ready To Flirt

2008-04-03T18:11:00.001-07:00

You are out in the club and this beautiful woman walks past by you. She touches her hair, smiles a little, and looks around. You were looking at her all this time and you think you will never get to ask her out and if you ever did, she will surely reject you.

Well, you are so wrong.

If you have been observing her body language well enough, you should have noticed that she was actually checking you out and giving out hints for you to make the move. Now, do not let another opportunity like this pass you by. You seriously need to study a womans body language. Here is a helpful guide for you so you would not have to spend your weekends alone anymore.

First things first. You need to understand that there are just two kinds of body language, open gestures and closed gestures. Open gestures mean that a woman is interested while close gestures tell you that she would rather be alone. Let us go through these two one by one.

Open Gestures

If a woman flips her hair and immediately afterwards glances your way, then that is a clear sign that she is interested in you and that she is trying to catch your attention by catching your eye.

How she reacts to eye contact is also an important body reaction to observe. Try to establish eye contact. If she looks away, then she is not that into you. If she does something to show that she has obviously become nervous because you are looking at her (playing with her jewelry, suddenly looking at her phone, or adjusting her clothes), then that means that she is interested and in fact a little attracted to you.

When you approach her to start a conversation and she leans forward, then it is her way of saying that she is yours for the taking. If she exposes her wrists and the palm of her hands, then that is her subconscious saying that she is willing to submit to you. It really is the subtlest way of saying that if you want her, you can have her. You know you have gotten it all right when she begins touching you and laughing at almost everything that you are saying. Yes, that is probably the alcohol but it is also her minds way of showing that it is comfortable with you and she is definitely attracted to you.

Closed Gestures

A woman crossing her arms is clearly telling you that she would rather be alone. It is not that she does not like you. It could be because she is agitated, uncomfortable, or just is not interested in meeting men in general at that moment.

When you start making your move and she likewise starts to roll her eyes, then that is not just a sign that you are making her nervous. She is actually embarrassed with what you are doing and she does not want anyone to see it. You have practically zero chances with a woman who does this. More so, if she leans back while you are about to approach her, then she is obviously giving you a signal to move away.

Based on studies, a womans body language expresses more than half of what she means even more than words. Therefore, it really helps to understand it but it is not fool proof. If you really like someone, then go ahead and talk to her even if her body is already screaming for you to leave. The worse thing that could happen is that she will just tell you point blank that she does not like you. There is really nothing here to lose. Take hints from the way her body talks but it is really up to you to decide on how to act on it.

Using Alcohol Or Taking Drugs Will Not Take Away Your Worries

2008-03-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

At some point in time, you feel lost and confused. No matter what you do, your worries and fears are bothering you. In these particular cases, some people may turn to alcohol or other substances to manage their worries and stresses.

Using alcohol or taking drugs will not take away all of your problems. You might feel better now, but down the road you will feel worse.

So what do you do to manage your fears and worries? The key is in how you manage your stresses and worries. Here are some ways in how to manage your fears and anxieties.

Get some help. Discussing your problems with a counselor can go a long way in overcoming your fears and anxieties. By getting some help, you will learn better ways to deal with your problems. In the long run, you will be successful in dealing with your future problems if you get professional help.

Do not try to get rid of all of your worries at the same time. Determine which of your worries bothers you the most and try to tackle that one first. When you are able to manage this particular worry then go on to the next one. Do not put everything on your plate at the same time. Take it one step at a time.

Do not try to determine what may or may not happen later on. Just focus on the present and do not look too far ahead. Take care of your current problems and do not focus down the road. Use your energy to deal with your curent problems.

Begin to learn what works in managing your worries. For instance, you have a lot of anxiety and you decide to read a book to feel better. The next time you feel anxious you can read another book because reading made you feel better the last time.

Challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts that make your lonely or depressed, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense. For example, some people may think that if they are alone at the present time then they will always be alone. This is not true. Even if your alone today does not mean that you will be alone all the time. No one can predict the future with one hundred percent accuracy.

Remember that using alcohol or other substances will only make things worse for you. Instead of using these things, get some help and practice using constructive techniques in managing your fears. It will take some hard work and lot of patience. The key is to be persistent and be committed in trying to solve your problem.

Stan Popovich is the author of, A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear, an easy to read book that presents a overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: www.managingfear.com

How to attract women

2008-03-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

Why there are so many guys get failed when they try to woo with the girls or even ask them for a date? What are the secrets of attracting women? If you know how to attract women then thats gonna be simple. You likewise absolutely can have women flocking over you. But remember there are lot of things requires you to attract women successfully. First thing is your personal hygiene. The absolute majority of girls are turned off by malodorous or smelly men. Listening avidly is also one of the major role of getting their attention. I believe that if you know the basic or strategies on how to attract women then you'll realize its a cinch.

Here are the strategies or my suggestions for you when you want the girls flocking around you.

Your sense of humor plays a vital component on how to attract them.. Girls preferred a man with a good sense of humor than anything else. Lucky would you be if you also have money and good looks, but above all things they choose a person with a sense of humor because girls hate boring dates or partners.

You must always Flatter them. Girls loved to be praises all the time, it seems you are easy to appreciate even simple things. Try to give compliments on what you see new things on her self. Like her hair, outfit, and other bling-blangs.

You must be sometimes look mysterious with their eyes. Because its a challenge for them to know you more if they think you look something inexplicable at first.

Your sense of listening is also one of the most important subfigure of how to attract them. When they speaks, listen them truly and avidly. Girls turn on once you follow this. They couldnt refuse a guy who will really listen and showing interest with them.

You dont show powerless, girls are looking for a strong man. If you look wussy then start to change your character then. They dont like mama's boy.

Try to be a little bit naughty, girls love a suggestion of naughtiness but beware of it not so rude at all. It doesnt condone poor behavior its a simple trick.

You try to Occupy her mind., its a simple trick that you let her believed you . They dont want to think that a guy is just after her body. Especially when its like undressing her with your eyes. Try to keep your eyes off in their curves. Just let her think you are interested with her encephalon.

And your personal hygiene plays a crucial facts here. When you really wanted a girl stays longer with you then you keep and maintan your personal hygiene. Such as cleaned teeth, trimmed nails, and use a good deodorant that could last for your hygiene. They easily turned off once they smelled different with you.

I hope this could help you on how to attract women. Girls dont have any reason of resisting for your date.

Think Positive! Set a Present Moment Agenda with Five Spiritual Steps

2008-03-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

The past is important because we learn from it. The past helps us navigate through our current choices in order to evolve our soul. We’re in soul school from the minute we hit the ground until we cross over; it’s coursework made possible by the enriching and sometimes challenging conditions we have chosen. We chart a learning program well before we get here, which includes our parents, our gender, and circumstances that will provide us with the greatest opportunity for personal and spiritual growth.

Where we get into trouble is giving up our freedom to make new choices based upon the present. Every day is new, no matter how you slice it. The sun comes up in spite of our mistakes or the despair we must face. But we are meant to continually move forward. Getting stuck in the past holds us behind, as prisoners within an incredible universe of opportunity. True empowerment stems from living now, not reacting to now from a mindset of the past or living with worry about what might happen tomorrow, next month, or next year. What can we do every day, no matter what has happened to in the past, to begin painting a positive life on a fresh, new canvas?

Classify the Past

The past is a collection of our emotions, experiences, and thought patterns as a result of living life. As adults, when we feel an emotion, it’s often based upon past experience. Life events trigger our emotional collection, and we interpret our current experiences through this lens. The problem is the value we take away from the past. When we allow only the good to shine through, we are able to live in the present. When we worry about the future, or agonize over the past, we are not fully engaged in life. The trick is to stay focused on your capabilities to address the present. View your past as a wonderful, robust course in life and stop agonizing over your mistakes or what someone said.

Examine Emotional Carryover

Changing a negative outlook takes a bit of discipline because you have to deeply resonate with the idea of what you want in the present moment, and accept it as already happening. When you attune to an idea, goal, or state of mind, you want to attract it now, not in the future. It takes a lot of self-reflection.

Do some simple mental housecleaning to discover if what you are feeling now is being embroidered upon by the past. If you’re discouraged, shift your thinking to the “today” setting and stop dredging up all sorts of feelings from the last twenty years – about your parents, jobs that no longer matter, or even people who let you down. Release those people and circumstances and be free. If you carry so much heaviness, you’ll never get out from under water. The past is over. Do yourself a favor and lighten your load – buoyancy guaranteed!

Be Inspired by Everyone

Life has many meanings but often we’ve got the definition backwards. As an exchange with others, life isn’t all about taking it in. It’s mostly about what you give out. This I know to be true, based upon my observations of many people who are critically ill yet have fantastic attitudes about sharing themselves with others.

If you visit a pediatric cancer ward, you will see children who are physically challenged beyond words but are still an inspiration to everyone around them. Despite their prognosis, their light shines bright with hope because they are living one day at a time. They seem illuminated and, thankfully, keep the rest of us going. Quite frankly, they are among the most inspirational people we have on earth, because they make everyone stop and think, “If life can be good despite those circumstances, then why am I holding myself back?” I believe part of their purpose is to give the rest of us a wake-up call to change our outlook. And if we find ourselves in the same boat, we too can keep everyone else going strong while we test our own abilities to stay in the present moment.

Release Fear and Self-Doubt

I think we are often fearful of believing we can have anything we want. When we look at the world, we see so much lack, unhappiness, war, starvation, pain, struggle, limitation. We begin to believe in it, and then we give those ideas power. With the number of people we see every day immersed in those conditions, it seems nearly impossible to trust that the normal human experience can be one of abundance, joy, peace, fulfillment, health, and ease. We’ve been told since childhood that “nothing’s perfect.” Nothing is worse than this type of programming, because we’re never going to realize our full human potential until we release our former ideas of what is possible. Life is a beautiful, perfect, glorious miracle. We choose our situations, our families, our painful experiences in order to evolve.

As we observe the full range of everything from despair to triumph, we see the huge opportunity that exists to make change. Despair challenges our perception of what can be. With fear and self-doubt in our toolkit, our capability to produce change is diminished. In the big picture, life is perfect because it is giving us room to grow. A little bad weather makes us sturdier. We need the rain, and even a cold winter solidifies us, making us more receptive to spring. But, sure as anything, we are going to grow despite our circumstances. There should be no fear of growth. We should be proud of surviving, overcoming, beating the odds, not living in fear of more to come, and especially proud of not dragging ourselves down, together with those around us, with emotions like fear and self-doubt that do nothing but keep us in the dark.

Consciously Create Your Day

Over the years, I have experimented with ways to release the past and move forward, living life in the present moment. I’ve noticed that when I start my day without any clear direction of how I choose to think, I don’t get the results I want. I used to spend years regurgitating old problems. Without establishing my expectations of the universe as to how I desired my day to unfold, I discovered I would replay those same issues over and over again. So I began to make a supreme effort to move disappointments, loss, and feelings of non-success farther from my mind each day.

Now, before I get up in the morning, I lie in bed for a few minutes and create my day by using a series of affirmative statements that are designed to do three things: they are positive, present-moment statements about what is, not what will be; they address some element of my life that needs improvement; and they get me to completely identify with the power within to manifest my circumstances. To manifest means to bring into our immediate experience, and make that which is created by the mind into a tangible or observable reality. The power is derived from spirit, or the Divine, which pervades every inch of the universe. To achieve this goal, I say my affirmative statements with love, grateful to be alive and to have my chosen learning opportunities. Then I focus on being open to positive change.

I also visualize life being unfolded to me in creative ways and ask the universe to show me its perfection in ways I would not expect. I make a point of saying this because I think we can better understand the co-creative relationship we have with spirit when we release overly specific intentions and let the power of our own thoughts return to us in ways that give us feedback on our desires. When mentally creating my day in the morning, I’ve had new people walk off the street and become my employees because I saw a need in our organization. Abundance has arrived in the form of revenue streams I did not expect. When I see myself as a co-creator of the universe each day, I’ve attracted great results.

Remember, when you release the past, consciously create your day, and have the mental discipline to think positive, you’ll see results. Through constant awareness (aligning with powerful and positive ideas) you’ll begin to see a difference. A big part of conscious awareness and living in the present moment is about being open to the feedback the environment is providing. Be open to positive change and deeply love life. Be perceptive and positive!

© The Goddess Network, Inc. and Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D. 2007. All Rights Reserved. See http://www.thegoddessnetwork.com/connect.php?page=eshow for more empowering thoughts! Register for The E-Show, a series of enlightening lectures!

Want to learn more? Charlene is the Positive Thinking Expert for SelfGrowth.com and packs a powerful, practical punch in all her articles! Visit her at SelfGrowth.com for great advice on how to remain positive in today’s world! Her books are available for purchase at major retailers, at www.thegoddessnetwork.net, www.amazon.com and www.bn.com.

For a more complete definition on positive thinking, see The Evolution of Positive Thinking: Views from Science, Spirituality, Psychology and Hollywood by Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D.

Dr. Charlene M. Proctor is the founder of The Goddess Network, Inc. an on-line educational resource for topics on spirituality, relationships, and women's studies. Author of Let Your Goddess Grow! She is a researcher and educator in the field of women's empowerment and develops self-empowerment strategies for women in all walks of life. She is a subject matter expert for Beliefnet.com, the world's largest self-help and personal growth website. She currently facilitates the PATH to Empowerment program for Lighthouse Path in Michigan, a residential women's shelter for homeless mothers, teaching them how to cope with life and increase self-esteem and confidence. To learn more, visit http://www.thegoddessnetwork.net

How Love Grows (Practical Steps To Keeping Love Alive In Your Relationships)

2008-03-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

We are meant to live a life of love. However, no matter how successful some are in other aspects of their lives, they don’t feel it’s possible to have the same success in love. They tell themselves to “be realistic.” Being realistic about relationships” is considered natural as we “grow up” and give up the fantasies, foolishness and dreams of childhood. But being in love is the most mature and realistic thing you can do. It energizes your life, fills you with positivity, creates generosity and makes every moment beautiful. The body heals the heart is happy. The real question is, how can we learn to help love grow in all aspects of our lives? What gets in the way?

The following steppingstones will show how to help love grow, whatever our situation. They include exercises to strengthen our love muscles, and turn our lives around.

The One Right Besides You

Most of the time we are either searching for the right person or wanting to change the one we are with. We do not take a precious moment to stop and truly see the one who is right in front of our eyes. And, beyond that, though we may not be aware of it, we do many things to push that person away.

Look at a person who is close to you right now – anyone it happens to be. Notice what you are demanding of them in order to be happy together. Then notice the subtle ways in which you push them away.

For a moment, stop it. Spend time just being together. Allow things to go whatever way they do. Let all of it be fine just as it is.

Tomorrow, do the same thing with someone else. The more we can be “right” and happy with each person we meet, the fuller and more joyous our lives will be.

Playing At The Game of Love

So many complain that they are not loved. The reason for this can be quite

simple. They are so busy playing roles and games that the partner never gets to know who they really are. They never know either.

Notice what roles (or games) you play in relationships, and what roles you

demand others play.. See if you are in love with the person you are with, or with the role he/she is playing right now.

Turn this around for a little while. Stop playing roles completely. Love is not a game we play. Love is knowing and accepting yourself and the other exactly as they are. Who we are is always loveable and beautiful. It’s the roles that get in the way.

Letting Him Come and Letting Him Go

One great obstacle in living a life of love is the tendency to hold on. We grasp

and cling to those we care for, preventing their freedom and ease. But this is not love, it is attachment and dependency. In the long run it suffocates the one you cling to and suffocates you too.

Try giving it up for awhile. Let the person come and go as they feel. See how wonderful both of you will feel when you grant your partner this kind of trust. It is said that we can never lose that which belongs to us.

It’s important to put this into action. When someone comes into your life (or

day) practice letting him come. Welcome the person – whoever he is. Enjoy what it is he brings.When it is time for a person to go away, practice letting him go. Do not turn the

person’s leaving into an experience of rejection, loss or abandonment. Realize that his leaving has nothing to do with you. It is simply time for him to go.

Do this with yourself as well. Let yourself come and go freely in life, not tying

yourself in unnecessary chains. The more we free others and ourselves, the more love can grow.

Letting Go Of Unnecessary Expectations

Many feel that love is not possible unless all their demands are met. They can be

quite amazed to discover that even when these demands are met, nothing really changes. These demands don’t lead to happiness. They just may be obstacles to love.

Take a look at what you feel is absolutely necessary in relationships. Realize this

Expectations may be keeping all kinds of people and possibilities away. Not only that, these expectations can be making you fearful and rigid, not open to what is available.

Let one of these demands subside. At first let it go for just one day and see how

it feels. (Remember you can always take it back again). Now try another the next day. As we do this many times, we may find that that which we thought was crucial was only getting in the way. The more we do this the lighter we will feel and all kinds of new people will start appearing in our lives. We have made room.

Giving Gifts

Giving and receiving are the fuel that keeps love burning strong. What gifts do you give in relationships? Take a few moments and also see what you hope to receive in return. Just giving for its own sake, without hoping for anything in return is the most powerful giving of all.

It’s important to practice this. Give something to someone each day. Then, find something new you can give and offer that. Now, do this with different kinds of people, those you might not have given to before.

It’s also important to do this with yourself as well. Each day take a moment to find out what kind of gift you would like. (Can be simple – a walk in the park, new lipstick, time with someone you care for.) Although this exercise is simple, it is extremely powerful. Doing this daily can turn everything around. When we give freely and fully, we do not feel so needful. Less demands are placed on our relationships and we feel full and complete.

Becoming Your Own Best Friend

Many say they are lonely, even with a partner at their side. This is simply because

they have not yet made friends with themselves. Once they make friends with themselves and are able to be who they are, it is difficult to feel lonely again.

Make friends with yourself. Spend time noticing who you are and accept

whatever you notice, all parts of yourself. Stop judging and rejecting what is going on. Just notice and let it be. Understand that underneath the clamor, you are perfect just as you are.

When you learn to accept and make friends with yourself you can then become a

true friend to others, and also choose to be in relationships with those who value and appreciate you. As your love for yourself and others keep growing, the very meaning of relationships alters and life takes a whole new turn.

Cc/author/2007

Everybody “Wants” – But How Many Really Have The Motivation To Get It?

2008-03-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

Every action you take, no matter how big or how small, defines everything that you achieve in life. And, with every action there is a motive - something that puts a person in motion.

But, what is the real definition of MOTIVATION?

Is motivation an incentive, such as a monetary reward or a gift? For example, when you were younger your father or mother might have told you that, “For every “A” you get in school next semester, I’ll give you a specified amount of money”. I’ll bet that it probably worked. You achieved a few “A’s”, took the cash and then achieved less than stellar grades the following semester when the incentive was not offered again.

Or is motivation a threat? For example, your doctor may have told you recently, “If you don’t lose weight, exercise regularly and eat right, your cholesterol level will continue to be through the roof! So, for a few months, you do what the doctor says. You go back for a follow up. Your health is better. And to celebrate, you head off to the nearest fast-food restaurant for a greasy burger, greasier fries and sugary drink. Again, the effect is temporary.

Motivation is not about external incentives, rewards, inducements or threats. My definition of motivation is “an emotion or desire that operates on the “will to do” and causes it to take action”. To be long lasting, motivation MUST come from inside you. Seneca said, “Most powerful is he that has himself in his own power”. The “will to do” is the greatest power in the world tied to human accomplishment. And no one can predict its limits.

Where does the “will to do” come from? Unlike the products in so many advertisements, television infomercials and “spammy” e-mails, it does not come in a handy pill to instantaneously transform you from a “dud” to a “stud”.

So how does one develop a high level of motivation that serves them day in and day out? In my Success System, The Power Of Concentration – How To Take Control Of Your Life, I cover a number of success strategies to develop your “will to do”. I’ll briefly cover two of them here.

My Motivation Strategy #1: There Needs To Be A Desire To Change Within You…

Every one of us possesses some level of "will to do”. It is the inner energy which controls all conscious and subconscious acts. Your “will to do” directs your life forces, habits (both good and bad) and your condition in life. Your will has a connection with all avenues of knowledge, activities, and accomplishment. When you develop the power of concentration within you, you will have developed a higher level of self mastery and your “will to do”.

The “will to do” is a force that is strictly practical. We know it is a force through its cause-and-effect nature. It is a power, like electricity, we can direct. To the extent we direct it, we determine our future. Every time you accomplish any definite act, consciously or subconsciously, you use the principle of the will. Through the “will to do” you can do anything. Therefore the way you use your will - both right and wrong – will make a huge difference in the outcome of your life focus.

You probably know of cases where people have shown tremendous strength under some traumatic experience: The frail person who lifts a heavy car to save the person trapped underneath. The fireman, who rushes into a burning building in order to save others, is another example. In both examples, they used their "will to do" to accomplish the task.

The “will to do” can accomplish great results through activities that grow out of great concentration. In developing the power of concentration, we acquire the power of voluntary attention to such an extent that we can direct it where we want to and hold it steadily to its task, until we accomplish our goals. When you learn to use your will power it becomes a mighty force. Almost everything can be accomplished through its proper use. It is greater than physical force because it can be used to control not only your physical actions, but also your mental health and mind power.

Here’s My Motivation Strategy #2: Develop “Clearly-Defined Goals”…

Many human-performance experts, including yours truly, believe the #1 reason why most people will never get what they want is they - roll of the drum, please! - really don’t know what they want. A few years ago, a study by the Ford Foundation revealed that 90% of people have no idea or plans for getting what they want in life! Imagine how motivated you will be if you start every day with clearly-defined goals and the emotion and desire for achievement in all areas of your life.

For example, what if you took time to visualize your exciting and very specific career and financial objectives? Then, you created objectives for the personal and professional relationships in your life. And, when you were done, you took the time to write down these thoughts in a written action plan with on-going self improvement and self-development milestones. Can you see how this would give you more excitement and motivation everyday? Don't you agree that clarity about your direction in life is a powerful motivator?

Einstein said, “An object in motion tends to stay in motion”. I challenge you to become an “object in perpetual motion” by beginning to use these two strategies. For additional motivation strategies and effective exercises to develop your “will to do”, please visit our website and see our Success Systems.

Keith A. Shaw, President of www.MindBodySpiritCentral.com, is an authority on motivation, self improvement, success, health and wellness. Keith is the author and creator of "The Power Of Thought", "The Power Of Serenity And Peace" and "The Power Of Concentration" Success Systems that have helped people achieve more than they ever dreamed possible. He also created "The Power Of Qigong" DVDs and books for improving health, wellness, energy, mind power and more.

Keith has also written articles that have been published in publications such as Modern Sage, Of Spirit, Self Growth and others.

Important “Before You Join” Tips, for Home Business Seekers: How to

2008-03-17T23:35:00.000-07:00

Often time, people think that any product or service will do, they get excited about the pay plan and think that the rest will just fall into place.

I know this because that is how is used to approach business. I would throw money at whatever 'opportunity' was the flavor of the month. Give me something to sell, so I can make some money, was the attitude I had.

I spent tons of energy, time and money using this approach, selling everything from phone cards, to diet supplement. Finally after a bit of growing up, I started to see the cycles that I was going through. Literally, every six months I was starting a new business with the same feelings of excitement and anticipation as the last one, six months earlier.

I decide to figure out WHY. Why I was failing and what I could do to change it.

One of the best decisions I ever made was when I decided that another business opportunity was not going to make the difference. The changing had to come from me, from the inside. I spent my next six month cycle working on myself, reading, thinking, growing, when I was ready to move on I took a totally different approach to my next business venture.

I decide to join Wealth Masters International after much research. Rather than diving in head first, hoping it worked out, I took what I would now call a more professional approach.

Strategies for BEFORE you commit to your next business

1. Get yourself to a position where you like who you are. You will find that when you are comfortable in your own skin, you will attract a business that is comfortable with you.

2. Try the product or service first. Buy the product or service, take it home, use it and genuinely decide if it offers high value to you, the end user. This will allow you to genuinely share your enthusiasm and believe in your business.

3. Choose something that is a natural interest to you. People really buy you, not what you are selling. If you're a health nut, get into that industry, if it's finances, find something in that area. Avoid trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

4. Be natural, be yourself. Avoid forcing yourself to get into something, do it because you want to, not because you have to.

Bill Suecroft sells financial education and advice on home businesses, from his home office. To contact Bill visit his website at http://www.mydesiretoachieve.com/

The Secret to a Long, Healthy Life

2008-03-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

A fascinating ritual occurs when someone turns 100. A newspaper sends a reporter to ask the centenarian, “What is your secret to a long life and good health?” The irony is that they don’t know.

Often they make something up, e.g., broccoli, red wine, or prunes. When Diane Sawyer on ABC News asked 98-year-old Beatrice Wood how she managed to live so long, she replied, “Chocolate and young men.” George Burns quipped it was junk food, saying “at my age I need all the preservatives I can get.”

When we look at vital centenarians as a group, however, their anti-aging secrets become obvious. Physically they have little in common. Most don’t smoke and they typically maintain a fairly constant weight throughout their lives. They are physically active people (a lifestyle choice). As actress Helen Hayes put it, “If you rest, you rust.” That’s about all the vital centenarians have in common physically.

Their single biggest secret is that they all have a strong sense of purpose throughout their lives. That was easier for most of them then for us. They grew up in a time when people often worked for the same employer or even at the same job for their whole career. Marriage was till death do us part. Religion provided a strong sense of identity.

Today we have so many choices. We often reinvent our careers and move to other cities to pursue education or jobs. Half of our marriages end in divorce.

Anti-aging psychology finds that when we don’t have a strong sense of purpose, we become vulnerable to depression, despair, and physical illnesses. We lose our spark and vitality and argue with our alarm clocks about getting up in the morning. If at any time in your life you don’t have a strong sense of purpose, finding one needs to be a very high priority.

As Robert Byrne put it, “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” We all seek happiness. As Helen Keller put it, “Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”

There are some other key mental health traits that distinguish vital centenarians. They are independent and self-reliant people. They view life as too precious to fret about what others think. When they go to a doctor, they decide for themselves whether the doctor’s advice makes sense. When a reporter asked a 104 year old woman what was the best thing about being 104, she replied, “No peer pressure.”

They are optimists and have a positive outlook on life. They foster fond memories and let bad memories wither. Consequently, as researcher Belle Boone Beard found, they have twice as many fond memories as negative memories. They let go of resentments. They also have a good sense of humor.

Another key skill is dealing with change. When actress Helen Hayes was asked the best age of her life, she said, “Whatever age I am is the best age.” and she added and “The age we live in is the best age.” Those who view change as threatening and unsettling experience more stress. The key is to embrace change as an exciting ride and to see our times as offering unprecedented opportunity and choice.

Finally, vital centenarians have good coping skills for dealing with change and with loss. If you are going to live a long time, you are going to see a lot of friends and family die. If each death is a devastating tragedy, you will become especially vulnerable to depression and illness. There are many perspectives that help in coping with death including religious beliefs, seeing death as part of life, and perceiving the deceased loved one as a helpful ongoing presence.

What is especially encouraging about these traits is they are all learnable and they are all choices.

If you are ever tempted to say “I’m too old to learn something new,” just think of George Dawson.

Mr. Dawson was an African-American who dropped out of elementary school to help on the farm. When he was 98 years old he decided he was “tired of writing my name with an X” and went to adult education classes and learned to read. His IQ was probably a little below average. At 102 he co-wrote his autobiography, Life is So Good.

If he can learn to read at 98, you certainly aren’t too old to learn something new.

Dr. Michael Brickey, The Anti-Aging Psychologist, teaches people to think, feel, look and be more youthful. He is an inspiring keynote speaker and Oprah-featured author. His works include: Defy Aging, 52 Baby Steps to grow young, and Reverse Aging (anti-aging hypnosis CDs). Visit www.NotAging.com for a free report on anti-aging secrets and a free newsletter with practical anti-aging tips.

Enlightenment Technology

2008-03-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

Human spiritual enlightenment occurs when your consciousness permanently expands beyond the limits of your body and your mind’s self-created identity. The energetic membranes between the subconscious, conscious and superconscious levels of the mind dissolve. As an enlightened human, you take 100% responsibility for co-creating your personal experience of reality. And you have zero judgment about what others are co-creating.

Your True Self, a.k.a. Spirit, is pure consciousness and has no form, no body at all. It is an individualized aspect of the Source of All Consciousness; a.k.a. Source, Oneness or God. The only difference between your True Self consciousness and Source consciousness is an energetic membrane that holds the memories of your individualized experiences as you travel through the cosmos, exploring creation.

The difference between your True Self consciousness and your Earth consciousness is another energetic membrane, often referred to as the Illusion of Separation. It separates your memories of this particular Earth incarnation from all other experiences of your True Self.

Enlightenment, a.k.a. Ascension, is not some religious concept reserved only for a chosen few. It is a highly scientific process of energy mechanics, representing the path of order through which consciousness evolves in a multidimensional system.

Frequency measures how fast energy moves. Everything in form has a particular frequency which is always rising – ascending – enlightening – becoming lighter, less dense. It is a natural evolutionary process.

Yet something special has happened recently. Mother Earth took a quantum leap through the evolutionary spiral, accelerating her natural evolutionary process, shortcutting thousand of years. Earth is now hosting multi-dimensional realities. The 3^rd dimension is dissolving and 5^th and higher dimensional realities are coming on-line.

Various enlightenment technologies are now available to help humans align with Mother Earth’s accelerated planetary ascension.

Did you know that:

Your body is an organic computer?
Your DNA is the database?
Your mind is an artificial intelligence software program?
Your brain is a holographic projector?
Your Spirit manages your energy from Source.
Your whole system can be upgraded for ascension to the Divine Human level?

Your Body is an Organic Computer

Think of your mind/body system as a virtual reality game suit your True Self agrees to wear to experience life on this planet. Contained within your DNA is the blueprint for your game suit. Genetic scientists have identified two strands of DNA and mapped 3% of the genetic material needed to create the human body suit. They are puzzled by the other 97% of genetic material that seems not to be organized or active.

Your DNA is the Database

Hidden within the extra DNA is a blueprint for a new type of human body that will eventually be able to navigate in 12^th dimensional realities. There are some human incarnates who serve as enlightenment/ascension facilitators and can activate and transmit the 12-D blueprint, just like computers can transmit files from one to another. Once the blueprint is activated, the genetic material that currently appears inactive begins to organize and reassemble until the body expresses the 12-D structure.

The term Divine Human refers to the enlightened or ascended human who transcends their 3^rd dimensional identity, expresses their True Self identity while their body transforms to express the 12-D blueprint.

Your Mind is an Artificial Intelligence Software Program

Your True Self consciousness knows everything and has access to all information. But your mind has to learn from experience. Your mind is really a very sophisticated artificial intelligence software program.

Your ego is your self-identity sub-program, running within your mind/body computer. It constructed your identity in your first seven years by looking for patterns in your Earthly experience. When it recognized a pattern, a meaning was assigned. The pattern and its meaning became a “rule” in computer terms – you call it a belief.

This rule was added to your programming. At around seven years of age, your self-identify program stopped adding new rules and began gathering evidential data to support the rules it created. At that point, your ego’s job became protecting your mind-created identity.

Your programming was created by you, as a child, with your immature understanding, inadequate and wounded perspective, within the limited environment of your family, school, church and neighborhood. That is why it is so hard to improve your self-image.

Your Brain is a Holographic Projector
Your True Self Manages Your Energy from Source

Imagine a movie projector. The light bulb shines through the film and the projector creates an image on the screen. Your True Self is the light bulb, your programming is the film and your brain is the projector, creating holographic images that you call reality. Everything that is projected on the screen of your reality comes from your programming. The good news is:
YOU CAN UPGRADE YOUR PROGRAMMING.

When you upgrade your programming, you will uninstall your separation, lack, limitation and fear programming. You will replace your mind-created identity with your Divine Human (True Self) Identity. In the absence of fear, you become a strong pillar of inner peace. You will make better choices. You will suddenly see opportunities and open to prosperity that your mind filtered out before. You are free to discover and express your True Self’s purpose for incarnating into this reality (a.k.a. soul’s purpose).

Enlightenment Technology

Consider past models for activating enlightenment or ascension. They called for isolating yourself from normal life and meditating hours a day for decades. They required grueling discipline, life-threatening initiations and giving up all your worldly possessions. New advancements in consciousness technology enable you to receive a series of software/hardware upgrades to your virtual reality game suit.

The technology uses a specific combination of frequencies to open your database and upgrade your programming. Employing focused intention, sacred geometry, high frequency light and sound, the upgrades are delivered in a guided visualization format over 12 sessions. Do you agree that listening to a 1½ hour guided meditation, once a week for 12 weeks, while continuing with the rest of your life is quick and easy by comparison?

Suzanna Kennedy, creator of the enlightenment technology, Divine Human Upgrades™, is an authority on Planetary and Personal Accelerated Evolution. She is a captivating speaker and author of the book Sacred Union, Pathway to Paradise.

Suzanna served for 20 years as a corporate consultant to industry giants; leading large-scale change initiatives. In 1997 she experienced a quantum consciousness awakening, birthing a higher dimensional aspect of her soul into her body. In 1998 she founded Reality Crafting and employs her new multi-dimensional skills to receive and translate technologies from higher dimensions to accelerate planetary and personal evolution. Please feel free to visit her website www.RealityCrafting.com

Freedom and Power of Accountability

2008-03-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

Why an article on accountability? While hardly a new topic, the concept is widely maligned, misunderstood, or missed completely. Until we are willing to live our lives from an accountable perspective, there are always excuses as to why we can’t, why our lives don’t work, and why we should not even try.

Let’s start at the beginning. The 3 basic levels of accountability are, briefly:

1) Accountability for our feelings: I do not have choice regarding all the events in my life but I always have choice in how I respond to those events.

2) Accountability for our feelings, choices and lessons: I co-create the experiences in my life. I choose not to waste precious energy blaming myself or anyone else. I honestly examine all of MY choices that co-create the experiences in my life and I choose to learn valuable lessons from everything I experience.

3) Spiritual accountability for everything: This level of accountability is best framed by the statement, “I chose my parents and I will choose the time, place and method of my death.” The implications are many but simply put, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. The experiences we co-create here on earth have some purpose or lesson for us, both at a human and spiritual level. It is our job while we are here to discover that purpose, learn and evolve.

Accountability is a massive concept; however there are some foundational ideas that assist in its integration:

1) Accountability is not “right”, it is simply a way of viewing our lives and experiences that helps us to let go of the past and move forward in life.

2) Accountability is an internal experience; no one can make you accountable

3) Accountability is the foundation of freedom and personal power

In defining accountability it is sometimes easier to start with what accountability is NOT, as our society is very invested in the model of blame. If something is “wrong” then there must be someone to blame; someone or something is responsible. Accountability is NOT SELF BLAME. Too many people believe that being accountable is being responsible and most have the experience of blame attached to being responsible.

The first and most important step in understanding and applying accountability is accepting the concept there is NO BLAME. This idea, while it sounds simple, is really quite radical, and doesn’t fit within belief systems held by most.

If the concept of no blame is difficult for you, simply ask yourself this question, “What if there is no one to blame?” How would that impact your life? How could it assist you and free up your energy? Would this idea support you to forgive yourself and others? Simply releasing the energy of blame can transform your life.

Become conscious of where in your life you blame others and you blame yourself. If possible, let go of the blame and see how it feels.

A concept that allowed me to stop blaming is: We all have made the best possible choices we knew how to make when those choices were made, with the information we had at the time. (Information means our entire development as human beings, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually).

The truth is, for most people, this is exceptionally difficult to accept. We have been hard wired to blame and there must be someone or something at fault. If we begin to release this idea, we can let go of the emotional energy and weight of blame in our lives. What we are aiming for is the experience of truly accepting what is.

Regardless of how much we feel blame may be justified in a given circumstance, a more important question is, “Is it your wisest choice to consume your precious life energy blaming yourself or others?”

If we choose to blame, we project our life experiences outside of ourselves where we have no power, or internally where we diminish and demean ourselves. From either of these positions we cannot learn or move forward in life. We can only stay stuck.

Next, ask the question, “What is my life lesson in this experience?” Only after answering this question can we really move forward to the power of accountability. The key to ongoing empowerment and personal evolution is interpreting and applying the lessons in our lives.

Practice answering the question “What choices did I make to co-create this experience in my life?” Answer the question in areas of your life where things are going great and areas where things are not terrific. There are significant lessons in both circumstances.

Now the most important aspect of truly being accountable is the application of the lesson(s). Accountability has become a much more commonly used term over the past 15 years. Many people now profess to be accountable and, even more entertaining, to taking accountability. I always wonder, taking it from where? The grounding of taking accountability is usually still related to the weight of responsibility and blame, yet the results in their lives never seem to shift.

Here is the measure of true accountability. Our results in life change because we apply the lessons of our life. It is a simple and powerful measure. If our results do not change, we have not learned the lessons and keep recreating similar experiences over and over again.

If we choose to accept (and apply) the concept of accountability, then no matter the circumstance, we can choose to accept, learn and grow, regardless of how challenging it may be.

The final component of accountability is the capacity to attach meaning and significance to the events in our lives in a manner that supports us to move forward, evolve and more consciously engage in our lives.

Jay Fiset is a powerful speaker and a leader. His company, Personal Best Seminars, is a leading seminar company that provides workshops promoting self-awareness, stimulating personal growth, and personal accountability. He is committed to personal development, conscious parenting, and lifelong learning. You can visit his website here, http://www.personalbestseminars.com.

Parenting a Family in Conflict: The Night a Difficult Teen Saved Her Family From Self Destructing

2008-03-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

The fighting went on and on below her in the living room.

Her parents were at it again.

Her kid brothers had snuck into her room, looking scared.

They sat on her bed as the voices below got louder and angrier.

She could hear little pieces of sentences they yelled.

“You always let her get away with it”

“O, if only you could lighten up and let her be”

She looked around in her room, the floor covered with clothes, her desk a mess, as usual.

As the fighting went on her stomach tightened and she held her brothers.

‘This has to stop or we’ll break apart’ she thought as she held her brothers, who clung to their older sister.

“I am going downstairs” she said to them. “I am going to stop them, ok.”

Her brothers looked up in a mixture of fear and hope. “Could she?”

For many families, parenting has become a struggle between parents with different approaches in raising their kids, parents who don’t know how to work as a team in conflict resolution. Often noticeable when kids are in elementary school, the difficulties can explode when your children become teens.

A time of peer pressure, self exploration and challenging the boundaries parents set. Differences in parenting values, in how to deal with conflicts and not knowing how to shift when kids become teens, can drive any reasonably functioning family to destruction.

Joni’s family was no different. She had pushed her parents in every way she could, trying to find the limits of her freedom, her own identity.

The differences between her parents’ parenting styles were at first easy to use for her immediate benefit. They now had become the fault line on which her family could break apart. Break, as they were fighting over her.

”Stop it!” Joni slammed the door into its frame as she yelled it. “Stop it! You are killing us as a family!” Her parents stopped, stunned by her outburst.

“I am sorry, alright, I am sorry. I don’t want us to break up. The boys are scared upstairs and you are starting to hate each other. It’s just too much!”

Her parents were still fuming at each other but their attention had shifted to their daughter.

“I am scared too” she added softly.” Please let’s try to find a different way than going at each other all the time.” Suddenly she couldn’t stop talking.

”I want a family. I don’t want you to break up. I know you love each other and that I am pushing you to all of this fighting.”

She looked up. Her parents looked at her, exhausted from the furious exchange they had a few moments ago.

“Can’t we find a way that we can all be happy? That we can all enjoy our family again?

We used to have fun and do things together, now you just work and we run around and we don’t anymore. I know that I have been a pain and that I don’t clean my room, but is that such a big deal? I want us to be happy. Don’t you want to be happy? I want to find out who I am and I need you to be my home, where I can try and test things. I don’t want us to break up.

“Please. Please don’t fight anymore. Please?” Her parents looked at her, feeling her plea, her desperation.

“I am sorry” said her mom, “you are right. These conflicts are costing us all too much. But it is not your fault alone. We need to do this differently as parents. I didn’t intend anyone to be scared.”

Her dad stood there, still boiling with anger, but shaken by his daughters outburst.
Finally he took a deep breath.

“You are right. And yes you have been pushing us and it hasn’t helped.” He sighed and looked at his wife. “And your mother is right, we as parents need to work on our part.
I am sorry. I think we both wanted the best, but it turned into wanting to be right.”

Joni burst into tears.

”I am sorry” she said, “I love you both and want you to be together.”

Her mother came over and put her arm around her.

She looked up at her husband.

“You may have just helped us to do that, love.”

Her husband looked at his wife and sunk into a chair.

“We need to do this better, we really do.”

Joni did save her family that night. And, she offered her parents a way out from self destructing their family.

Parenting is team work with others (i.e. teachers, care givers), whether you are a single parent or a couple.

Below are three steps that can help you in dealing with conflicts.

1. Always take responsibility for your thoughts, words and actions.
Stop the blame game and look at what you can do differently to help. Take a deep breath as others push your triggers and you get angry, feel hurt, and get defensive. Think about how you truly want it to be and act from that image.

2. Look at your kids, your partner/spouse, as your partners in solving issues, making decisions and creating opportunities for the whole family.
Stop reacting as if conflicts are best treated as war, with enemies, winners and losers. It is not healthy for a family. It destroys relationships.

3. Always look for win-win solutions.
Be creative, take your time, ask for others’ opinions and look out for their interest as well as your own. By looking out for each other, nobody can lose. And isn’t that what families are about?

I know you want the best for your family, for your kids.

By stepping back and seeing that they want that too, you can find ways in creating a family with ALL your perspectives and ideas.

Together, as your kids want you to.

Wouter van der Hall is a parenting expert, parenting coach and the author of The Parent Program, a 15 minute a day email/web based parenting program (www.theparentprogram.com). Wouter has worked with children and families in complex situations in child welfare in Europe and North America for decades. For parents he has combined his extensive experience with the research based team building, conflict resolution and communication tools corporations pay thousands of dollars per person for. So all children may have the best parents they can have: their own parents, with the tools to be great parents.

Success Coaching: Instant Success

2008-03-17T23:15:00.001-07:00

As a success coach, I have a lot of fun working with energetic, motivated individuals who are eager to turn their dreams into reality. They’ve made that important step from talking about success to actually creating it.

In helping these “doers” create the necessary strategies to achieve their goals, much of my time is spent talking with them about their expectations of how quickly they can accomplish their goals. In the success coaching process, it’s not always the most enjoyable part of what we do together, but it is a very important one. After all, it’s important to have big goals to work towards, but it’s just as important to have realistic expectations about how and when those dreams can be made real.

Unfortunately, everything today is about speed and getting more done, faster than ever before. Not necessarily a bad goal, but that push for speed spills over into all aspects of our lives. We want fast service and fast results -- no matter what we’re doing.

Everywhere we look in our instant-everything environment we see examples of this: fast-food restaurants, one-hour photo stores, 10-minute oil change shops, do-it-yourself express-lane checkout, etc. We continue to move faster and faster… and we grow incredibly impatient, especially when it comes to people enjoying the fruit of our own efforts. Getting all we ever wanted just isn't enough, unless in can happen instantly.... overnight... right away... right now!

Success, however, rarely (if ever) occurs instantaneously. It comes to you on its own schedule as the result of consistent, persistent action. Rather than stressing yourself out, take things easy… take your time… stop expecting instant results. Do what needs doing and let life take its own course. This way, you can focus on working smarter and more efficiently while enjoying the process of what you’re doing.

Sure, there will be times when you get immediate results and achieve success quickly. Most of the time you’ll need to be patient… Just because you're not getting instant results doesn't mean you won't get any. If you keep working towards your goals, maintaining a sustained, consistent effort, readjusting your plans as necessary along the way, you will create the success you’re looking for.

Consider this analogy: You build a large, thousand-mile-long pipeline, from Alaska to California. You drill for oil and start pumping it into the pipeline… Now, do you have oil coming out of the other end immediately? Of course not! You have to be patient and wait a while. Eventually, the oil will start to flow at the other end, but only if you keep on drilling and filling up the pipe.

It's the same way your own efforts. You have to be patient while your work creates the success you desire. By not forcing the timetable and pushing for immediate results, you actually improve your chances of achieving your goals.

How can get a more realistic expectation of your goals? Easy...

First, make a plan before you mark your calendar. That’s right, sit down and figure out exactly how you’re going to achieve your goal. Figure out all the steps. Determine what resources you already have and which ones you need… Then write it all down, ALONG WITH your estimate of how long it will take to accomplish each individual step! Chances are your time estimates for individual steps will be more accurate than a single estimate for the entire project since you will be looking at smaller action items.

Second, with your firm-but-flexible plan in hand, make a list of potential obstacles, big and small, that could get in your way. Counterintuitive? Too negative? I don’t think so… It’s really an extension of planning that can actually save you time. Thinking about what may slow you down helps prepare you for overcoming those obstacles, thus speeding you back up. Figure out the average time delay an obstacle presents and factor that into your time estimates.

Third, and finally, look around for examples of people who have accomplished the same (or a similar) goal. Ask them how long it took them to achieve success (versus what they thought it would take)? What obstacles did they face? What surprises did they encounter along the way?

Talking with others who have done what you want to do is a great way to estimate how long it might take you. Plus, you get the added benefit of learning from other people’s experience (which, again, could save you a lot of time)!

Three very simple steps, but they can help you focus your mind on the real work necessary to make your dreams a reality.

With a more realistic sense of what can be accomplished, the more you’ll enjoy every step in the process of creating success in your life. And when you do reach your goals, you’ll see that the success you achieve is more than worth the wait.

Jim M. Allen, The Big Life Guy™, a professional success coach and success coaching guide, has been working with clients from around the world since 1999. For more ideas, visit his website, http://www.BigIdeaCoach.com or subscribe to his free ezine, The Big Idea, by going to: www.BigIdeaCoach.com/subscribe.html

Create Outrageous Success With These 10 Secret Leadership Skills

2008-03-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know it, there is a character element in love and loving relationships. People who say they love each other and then cheat on their spouse or lover, or lie to them on a regular basis, aren't really in love. Oh, many think they are, but they really are not. People who love each other have character when it comes to their marriage or relationship.

In our interviews over the past 25+ years with couples that had a successful marriage we are always struck by their undying trust in each other. They literally trust each other with their lives, their fortune, and their sacred honor. The words they use to describe the one they love more often than not include words and expressions like trust, honesty, loyalty, respects me, admires me, always there for me, never lets me down, truthful, and never lies to me. Their trust for each other is about as complete as you can get. And when we ask couples in love during our interviews to place, in an overall sense, where their relationship is on a 10-point scale with 10 being "Absolute Trust," without exception, they say "10!" Isn't that wonderful? Remarkable? These are the couples that will celebrate their golden anniversaries together!

Trust is not something all loving relationships start with. For some couples the trust becomes complete in a few years. For others, it takes awhile. But one thing is for sure; happy and successful marriages and relationships survive and thrive on the basis of this trust. Trust is so pervasive in their relationship that they never give it a second thought. They expect it. It's always there. It is part of the fabric of their marriage.

There is one thing you can take to the bank - all people in love have faced temptations in their relationship. The pretty girl in the restaurant captures your fancy. The handsome man walking down the street draws your attention. The flirt at work is tempting at times. And, we will dare say, sometimes in every relationship you think about slipping in the sack with some of the beautiful people you meet. But here's where it stops - these are only fleeting moments of passing fancy. These are the moments of momentary lust for another human being that are not acted on. Why? People in love who are happy in their relationships control their urges because they know that while a moment of sexual fantasy is healthy and normal, following through and enjoying sexual satisfaction with someone other than their mate, cheating on their mate, is destructive to the loving and trusting relationship between them. It's okay to have sexual urges and fantasies regarding another person, but to act on them ruins all that trust. It destroys the tie that binds.

Couples who are truly in love in their relationship know that a few moments of sexual satisfaction can NEVER replace the loving, trusting, and caring relationship they have developed with their mate. As someone once said to us, "I have a marriage license but I didn't give up my looking license!" Admiring others in intimate ways is normal and healthy. But acting on those urges has ruined a many a marriage and many a loving relationship.

Those wonderful couples we have interviewed resist these normal urges and temptations of life because they know their relationship is so much more important to them. Destroying the trust between them causes the foundation of their marriage to crumble.

Character in a successful marriage or relationship does matter, and character is about trust. Being honest and trustworthy is at the heart of all the best loving relationships we have studied. It really is a 10 on a 10-point scale. In our estimation, character is the foundation of true love!

With 25 years of research experience on successful marriage, love, and their own 40-year marriage, Drs. Charles and Elizabeth Schmitz know what makes marriage work. From their hundreds of interviews with happily married couples they've discovered seven pervasive characteristics present in all successful marriages.

During their distinguished careers they have received 55+ local, state, and national awards; published 70+ articles and manuscripts; delivered over 900 speeches; traveled throughout the world; and appeared on radio and television. Dr. Charles Schmitz is Dean and Professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Dr. Elizabeth Schmitz is President of Successful Marriage Reflections, LLC. Visit www.goldenanniversaries.com

Basics: Starting a Business

2008-03-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

The basics of starting a business for some people could mean just writing down on a piece of paper what needs to be done to get them from point A to point B. Others might want to know what kinds of research need to be performed to find the answer to some of these questions. To get clarifications on what your needs are, you might want to consider reading books, talking to people, or just analyzing the data already available to you.

The most important basic step of starting a business is to just do it. Getting started could mean gathering information, reading, analyzing, and putting it to use. Most important, the potential business owner should start now. If you decide to start now, there are steps you should take to get yourself organized, such as setting aside time to do daily readings. These readings will include articles, brochures, mails, and other information pertaining to the business. Remember, information is knowledge, and the more knowledge you have about the subject, the wiser it makes you.

If you know what to expect early on, it will help to alleviate some of the fears you might have about starting your own business. You have heard the saying "people perish because of lack of knowledge." You have also heard that "understanding is knowledge." The more understanding you have about what you are getting into the more confidence you will have in yourself. The more confidence you have in yourself and in your business the more successful you will become.

Like many people who want to become successful business owners, you may not know how to begin. There are many questions that you will need answers to such as “Who do you call?” “What questions do you ask?” You need to know the answer to these questions and many others to start you on the road to being a successful business owner.

You need to find ways to gain more knowledge in the areas where you are weak. Also, what to do if there is a time constraint and you need immediate assistance. By hiring someone with the particular knowledge and expertise that the business needs may solve some of your management problems. A form of good management is to “Recognize the skills that you do not have and get someone in your organization to do that work.”

In addition, you need to know the different types of businesses to help you decide which form is best for you. The entrepreneur should know the importance of preparing a business plan. You should concentrate on certain areas to properly manage your finances. Contrary to what most people believe, there is money available to help start your business. Once you receive the money, you need to know the basics on how to prepare a budget and manage your cash flow to make the most of the funds available to you.

When starting a business, you will find that you can ask for help and receive it from several people and organizations. You may contact the Small Business Administration, your banker, lawyer, and accountant. You may join professional organizations. You may also attend seminars at trade shows and the local community colleges to gain more knowledge on starting a business. You will also have your friends and family members to turn to for help.

The success of a business depends upon "sticking with it,” which includes planning, working hard, managing your time, knowing where to go and whom to ask for help, meeting your deadlines, offering quality work, and exhibiting high performance. Here’s to your business success!

Dr. Mary E. Waters is an author, speaker, business consultant. She is the author of “Easy Business for Women with Little or No Money.” She strives on helping people to start their own business with little or no money. For many years, she has been helping people make their dreams of becoming a successful business owner come true! The official SelfGrowth.com Guide for "Business Start-Up." Are you looking to super charge your business? Did you know that you can start a legitimate business with little or no money? Dr. Waters offers affordable online business courses 24/7. Visit: http://www.waienterprises.com, http://www.drmewaters.com

GROUND YOURSELF IN GRATITUDE

2008-03-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

Deep in my memory there is an intense, black and white picture of a mother squatting next to her small son surrounded by barren land in Korea. The caption underneath reads, “Where will their food come from now?” Printed by our Sunday Journal many years ago, it made me feel sad that they didn’t have any food and lucky that I was born in America and did not have to worry about food. In fact it never occurred to me to even think about where my food came from. It was a blessing I took for granted.

Life seemed simpler then. As children, we played all day long worry free, at the vacant corner lot. Men listened to the ball game on their front porch after a hard day at work. The smell of dinner lingered from the kitchen stove. Neighbors said hello to each other as they passed by on their early evening walk. Television had just been introduced and most people did not have it. We listened to music and loved to sing and dance.

Today, rushing seems to be the norm and life is much more complicated. Children cannot go
outside to play even in front of their own home without fear of being taken or shot. Many parents are in front of the TV after work, eating fast food purchased on the way home after picking the children up from Day Care. The local and national daily news reports tragedy, crime and murder twenty-four hours a day. Obesity is a national crisis and though we live longer, our quality of life is questionable.

Those of us who remember, long for those simpler times, wondering if they are gone forever.
Unable to turn back time we beg the question, “Is there anything that will make our lives and the lives of our loved ones simpler? Can we slow down on this fast-paced road to the slaughter of
stress? Is there a magic formula? Does it have a name? Is it simple? Remember, I don’t have
much time.”

If you are speeding through your life, chances are you are whining and wailing and missing
out on the blessings that are right in front of you just like I was. Imagine a tiny shift in your
perception moving you into a state of joy. Something to reactivate your thinking and make your
life work again. Living in gratitude and counting your blessings is that something. Each moment
counts when we are grateful for it.

Everything begins with a thought. Thoughts are mental whispers that give direction to our
lives. They set the tone for our day. Check it out. When you first wake up in the morning are you
thinking happy thoughts, inspiring thoughts, uplifting and healthy thoughts? Are you seeing th
world partly sunny instead of partly cloudy before you even open your eyes? Or, are you, like so
many others feeling tired and grumpy because you’re already focusing on unpleasantries before
your feet reach the floor?

If you would like to snap out of those doldrums while still warm and cozy under the covers,
think of five things that you are grateful for in the very first moment after you wake. If you have
difficulty coming up with something, hold your breath for a minute or two. Or, imagine yourself
being newly blinded or having lost the ability to smell. What if you had experienced an auto
accident the day before that had left you paralyzed from the neck down and this was your first
day of awakening to it? What if you were that woman or her son that had been born in a Country
torn apart by war? Can you see how much you have to be grateful for even before you get out of
bed?

But there’s more to it than that. Before long you will realize that everything is connected to
everything else. Take for example a beautiful flower. Without its stem and leaves and a root
system that grows in the ground, loving the sun and the water, it just wouldn’t be. It is the same
with us. We have a mind and a body, food to eat, clothes on our back, a home to live in, a place
to work, furniture to sit on, money to purchase things, and friends and family to share with. The
list of things we have to be grateful for is endless.

Counting our blessings is such a simple concept that most of us miss the importance of it.
Instead of focusing on all the good in our lives, our lopsided perceptions have us moaning and
complaining about things we can’t do anything about. Taxes, the weather, the raise we didn’t
get. The American way, that many of us so often find fault with. But what if, just what if, you
had been that women or her son, whose memory pops up every so often in my mind? Where do
you think you would be today? How much would you have to be grateful for? Is it possible their
experience of gratitude would be more sincere because they had less and appreciated more?

When I first began to focus my attention on gratitude, I was amazed at life’s new meanin
for me. I felt I was seeing and hearing things for the very first time. The early morning song bird
was singing just for me. The flowering crab apple trees in spring were like fourth of July
firecrackers standing still so I could enjoy them all day long. I welcomed the gray clouds with
each falling rain that provided relief for our parched earth. And the pure white of winter snows
was renewing and refreshing. But my newfound love for the abundance of nature could not
compare to the newfound love I felt in my heart for my family and friends. By seeing their good
in a new light and expressing my gratitude for them, each relationship is more comfortable, feels
more loving, and we are having more fun. Remember the words of Abraham Lincoln, “A person
is just about as happy as he makes up his mind to be.” And by choosing gratitude you will be
happier. You will begin to notice your good just by paying closer attention to it. In my opinion
it’s insane to live without gratitude.

And finally, the real secret of gratitude is that the more you are grateful for, the more you

will have to be grateful for. Life is a gift, be grateful for each present moment.

Katherine Scherer and Eileen Bodoh are authors of "Gratitude Works: Open Your Heart to Love”, and E-books "Gratitude Works Journal" and "Gratitude Works Prayer Book." They are contributing authors in "101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health" published by SelfGrowth.com and the Thank God I Book Series forthcoming in 2008. Katherine and Eileen's diverse backgrounds include owning and operating a business, chairing non-profit community groups, developing a holistic health conference, facilitating self-improvement groups, hospice volunteer training, and training in parent education. Their mission is to touch lives with the spirit of gratitude. Please visit www.gratitudeworks.com

Public Speaking: Talk To Your Audience, Not AT Them

2008-03-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

One of the secrets for becoming a dynamic public speaker is to make eye contact with your audience. While there are some courses on presentation skills or public speaking that teach you to stare at an object on the wall in order to eliminate your nervousness, I couldn’t disagree more.

Forget trying to eliminate your nervousness. However, nervousness affects you – be it that extra spurt of adrenaline (also known as the rush), your heart beating faster, those knots in your stomach – let it work for you, not against you. All great performers, great actors, great athletes, and great public speakers experience nervousness. If you think they don’t, then you are wrong. Their nervousness is one of the characteristics which helps make them great. The answer lies in learning how to control the nervousness, not eliminate it.

I teach what I refer to as the 5 characteristics of a dynamic public speaker and each one of those characteristics helps you control your nervousness as well. Making eye contact with your audience is one of those characteristics and it is invaluable because once you are able to look into the eyes of your listeners, you are then taking the first step in being conversational with your audience. Many people are under the mistaken belief that when they stand at the lectern, on the podium or at the boardroom table, they should be someone other than who they are. That is wrong. The person you are in your office or in your home, in a social situation or a business setting, is the person that should be giving that speech or that presentation. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. First and foremost, be yourself

What you will also discover when you make eye contact is that you have smilers. Every audience has its smilers. So the next step is to focus on those smilers: they make you feel good, they bolster your confidence. And, because they are smiling, you will think they are in agreement with you, again, bolstering your confidence, another means for you to take control of that nervousness. The smilers will be located throughout your audience so when you zero in on the person smiling on your left for example, everyone in that area will think you are looking them.

Remember too, that if you will have people on your left, in the center, and to your right. Do not focus just on one section. Move your gaze from the left to the center and to the right. Recently I heard a speaker who did move his head from one side to the other; however, his gaze was so very brief that I realized he wasn’t making eye contact with anyone. It was quite disconcerting because I knew that he was just spitting out words – he was not communicating.

Next you must prepare for your sleepers. Just as every audience has its smilers, so too, every audience has a sleeper or two. Sleepers may tell you that they listen with their eyes closed. That is fine. But truly you may have someone sound asleep. My very first paid speaking engagement was to a group of professional secretaries. A woman in the front row, a retired secretary who probably got out once a month for this meeting, fell soundly asleep within the first 10 minutes of my presentation. I was aghast, thinking I must have been terribly boring. (She was snoring to boot!) The moment I finished, however, a woman in the back of the room stood and asked me if I would agree to be their guest speaker at their yearly conference. That’s when I realized an occasional sleeper is okay! If, on the other hand, your entire audience is asleep, I suggest you change jobs!

Public speaking is a marvelous means of communicating with others. You may be giving a persuasive presentation, you may be talking about a harrowing experience, you may be there as the after-dinner entertainment. Whatever your reason to stand and speak in front of others, remember that when you learn to talk TO your audience and not AT them, you are then acknowledging that audience. By acknowledging them, you become more personal, more intimate, treating them just as if you were having a conversation in your living room. That is one of the secrets to become a dynamic public speaker.

Nancy Daniels is a voice specialist, public speaking expert, and president of Voice Dynamic. Working privately and corporately, she launched Voicing It! in April of 2006, the first video training course on voice improvement. You can watch a clip from her DVD on her website, ‘before’ & ‘after’ takes of her clients, and a 16-minute video in which Nancy describes what voice training can do for you at http://www.voicedynamic.com/products.htm

Self Realization: Coming Full ‘ircle

2008-03-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

What if you are doing your life perfectly? What if the things that you think are failings on your part are not really failings at all? Has it ever occurred to you that as a child you perfectly absorbed information from your environment, learning wholeheartedly when your brain was not yet able to discern truth from fiction nor to apply reason and thought?

Our friends Amy and Andy have a beautiful little boy, Alex. We were privileged to be at the hospital when he was born and have watched him on his journey from infancy to early childhood.

At the ripe old age of 22 months, you could see that Alex had learned many things, demonstrating that he clearly knew the difference between hard and soft. When Alex wanted to express his displeasure at not getting his way (like being asked to eat the Cheerios from a small baggie rather than from the big box he wanted to hold) he would throw himself on the floor in an impressive display of histrionics. The velocity of Alex’s descent to the floor depended on which room of the house he was in during his meltdown. In the family room, he did a full-fledged flop since the floor has thick carpeting. But Alex was more cautious on the wood floors and avoided landing on stone if he could help it. One time, he got upset while he was on the brick walkway leading to the front door. He prepared himself for a full tilt fit but managed to stop the action before hitting brick. He actually picked himself up and walked the few feet to the cushy welcome mat before “spontaneously” throwing himself down to cry.

Yes, Alex had learned well and his little boy mind had collected all sorts of useful information, causing him to feel passionately about many things. When Alex was 15 months old he discovered circles. For some time, Alex was like an investigative reporter, on the hunt for anything round that he could point out with glee to his parents, and to anyone who would listen. “‘ircle!” Alex would shout. It seems that while his brain was able to identify the shape, his mouth could not yet form the “S” sound at the beginning of the word. So instead of being surrounded by circular shapes, Alex’s world was inhabited by “‘ircles.”

Alex could find ‘ircles anywhere – the balloon motif around the ceiling at the doctor’s office, a clock face, a ball. The MasterCardTM logo once sent Alex into a frenzy when he realized it had two overlapping ‘ircles. It often surprised his parents that round shapes, even if they were simply a part of the background environment, could be spotlighted by Alex’s nimble mind. Amy and Andy found the passion their son had for ‘ircles endearing. They did however, from time-to-time, feel concerned that Alex couldn’t pronounce the word correctly. They could only hope that sooner or later Alex would be able to fix his earlier mistake in pronunciation when his ability to speak caught up with his powers of observation.

One day, while casually leaning on the doorframe watching his son play, Andy had a stunning revelation. Alex was on all fours, rolling a big yellow school bus back and forth, one of his favorite toys. On the side of the bus were four shapes: a triangle, a square, a heart and a circle. Plopping on his behind, Alex pushed the triangle and when the button was depressed, the electronic voice exclaimed, “Triangle!” When Alex hit the square, the voice called out, “Square!” and then he pushed the big round button and the machine hollered, “‘ircle!”

Astounded, Andy came into the room, knelt by his son and pushed the button. Again the toy faithfully repeated, “‘ircle!” Alex could make the “S” sound. It was not his mistake. He had learned perfectly, and with passion, to say ‘ircle instead of circle from a defective toy.

All of us have learned how to behave and relate from things we put together as youngsters or by things we absorbed from our environment. But that was before we had the benefit of discerning whether or not we were getting complete or accurate information.

As you go through life, it’s very easy to blame one’s parents or teachers or environment and say they were bad role models or deficient in some way. But stop and think. Those people you may seek to blame also learned and absorbed from their environments without their young minds being able to discern truth from fiction or apply reason and thought.

Just the way Andy discovered the defective audio in the toy while watching his son, you can also discover how you function. Casually lean on the doorframe of your life and observe how you operate without judging what you discover. You will be instantaneously empowered to include small details that were omitted. If you can treat yourself with humor, love and respect, much like you would a young child who is learning from his or her environment, you will reclaim your wholehearted nature and passion for living. When you allow yourself to come full ‘ircle, and rediscover the art of self-observation without self-reproach, it will have a profound impact on your well-being.

The above is an excerpt from Ariel and Shya Kane’s new book, Being Here, Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, available in September 2007. Internationally acclaimed seminar leaders, Self Realization experts, and award-winning authors, the Kanes lead evening and weekend groups in Manhattan dedicated to supporting people in living in the moment and having extraordinary, fulfilling lives. Their books and audios are available at local and online bookstores and via their website. For more information, including workshop dates and locations, call 908-479-6034, or visit their website: www.ask-inc.com.

Career Coaching: Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Making a Big Career Change

2008-03-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

Are you considering a big change in your career? Do you feel let down, bored, burned out? Maybe you think there is something bigger and more meaningful that you are meant to do. Perhaps your company downsized you into this predicament. Regardless of the reason, there are some common mistakes to avoid while you evaluate and select new career options. Avoid these pitfalls and you can stay motivated, keep your balance and move forward successfully.

Mistake #1 – Making Decisions in Haste

Tempted to just quit and wing it? Everyone is now and then, but unless you just can’t stand your current situation another day, resist! Instead, write down everything you hate about your current situation, then one by one, look at the most intolerable issues and see how you can turn each around to make it more tolerable for the present moment.

It is easy to get so excited about the future that you decide to forge ahead without a plan and hope everything naturally falls your way after that. It will require more energy to sustain your new career and make it work well for you than it will to identify and start it. It is better to come from a place of higher energy and stability than to start out already burned out or worried about how you will pay the bills. Consider seeking the help of a qualified career coach, life coach or career counselor to help you identify your next career path. An objective, trained third party can help you strategize and phase it in for the best results and the least amount of heartache.

Mistake #2 – Ignoring the Finances

“I can’t stand this any longer! I would rather eat dog food than put up with this another day!” Whether you are pursuing a new career voluntarily or involuntarily, you must pay the bills. Do pursue your dream. Do look for the career that brings out the best in you. If you have plenty of savings, good for you! Resist the temptation to go through it and be left without. If you have a dream, by all means hang on to it! But if it won’t realistically get off the ground for three years, find another way to earn a living in the meantime. The need for income is a reality you cannot ignore.

Mistake #3 – Filling Your Head with Negative Stuff

What do you read? What do you view on television or the Internet? With whom do you spend free time? When you’re looking at making big life and career changes, you need lots of positive energy around you. If you spend time with negative people or fill your mind with anything that isn’t useful, guess what? It fills you with negative energy. Instead, surround yourself with people and things that give you positive energy and encouragement. Read books that motivate and encourage you. Go places that inspire you. Do everything you can to be what you want to be like after you land the next great career opportunity, and you will be more likely to attract it into your life!

Mistake #4 – Getting Bogged Down by Decisions

If you’re an intelligent person who has enjoyed any measure of success, chances are there are a lot of different choices you could make in your next big life or career change. Clients often tell me they are overwhelmed by all of the thoughts and ideas that keep running through their minds. And as the overwhelm sets in, it is very easy to just shut down. As we work together, I remind clients when making tough decisions to ask themselves, “Is this going to move me forward?” If the answer is yes, proceed. If the answer is no, either revise the decision or drop it entirely.

Mistake #5 - Not Having a Plan

There are two reasons this is important. First, life is unpredictable and it is dangerous to relinquish security before the next career arrangement is lined up. Second, changing careers is a lot like dating. You are always more desirable when you are unavailable. You are more attractive to a prospective employer if you are already working. And if you have already lost your job either voluntarily or involuntarily, it is even more important to have a plan so that you are then more likely to achieve it. If you see success, you will be successful. (Conversely, if you don't have a plan, how will you know when you've succeeded?)

Mistake #6 - Ending your Preparation Too Soon

All I can say here is, prepare, prepare, prepare. If you’re looking at several possibilities, don’t immediately drop one when another looks good. Think about all of the big tests you have taken in life (college entrance exams, finals, certification exams) and how you prepared for those. Did you study way in advance and take a big, long break before taking the test? Or were you still reading the material as you walked in the door on test day, wondering if you could still be better prepared? When you’re embarking on a new career or life change, give it all of your available energy, skills and attention. If you have a goal in mind, resist relaxing when you think you almost have it. Prepare and stay sharp right up until the day you start. This will help keep you from losing confidence at the last minute.

Mistake #7 – Getting Discouraged Too Easily

Does this happen to you when you face hurdles in the midst of your goal? Instead of giving in to the pain, pay attention to what specifically is making you uncomfortable and make adjustments to get you through. For example, if you're in career transition and you find that it is painful to go through the tedium of making phone calls, sending resumes, going on interviews where the competition is tough, etc., find the formula that gives you a break without stopping the process. Try devoting an hour or two each morning to these tasks and letting it go for the rest of the day, or only making a certain number of phone calls or interview appointments per week so that when you're finished, you can feel good about giving yourself some time off. Don't stop. Adjust.

Remember, a career change is a life change. You didn’t arrive at your current level of education and experience overnight, and don’t be disappointed if you don’t immediately uncover “the thing” you want to do next. Allow yourself time and space to explore and make an educated decision. Get the help you need along the way (i.e., career coach, career counselor) to help you do it strategically, not emotionally. If you avoid these mistakes you are much more likely to end up in a new career that complements and fulfills your life.

Gwen Jewett is a Life and Career Coach and Selfgrowth.com Guide to Career Coaching, living in the Dallas area. After 14 years as Executive Director of a 12,000-member national healthcare association, she voluntarily left to pursue a more balanced life. Since 2001 she has helped many clients make their career and personal life stop working against each other and instead work in complement. www.coachgwen.com

Purpose of Life: Using Ancient Energies to Live Your Purpose Today

2008-03-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

We humans are encoded to search out our reason for being and then express it. When we are not living on purpose, we know it; we are unhappy, we feel isolated, things don’t flow in our lives and our bodies reflect it. But when we ARE living in the rhythm of our unique purpose, we feel it.

Through the ages, we’ve spent a lot of time figuring out how to express our inner being in a tangible outer way. Spiritual teachers, gurus, poets, artists, philosophers, inventors and, well, people who have gone before us have left us the roadmap of “living on purpose”. While there is a process to expressing our purpose that we access regularly (whether knowingly or not), it is helpful to understand what purpose is - and is not.

Living on Purpose is NOT…

Living on purpose is NOT a big production, contrary to popular opinion. When something is real, it doesn’t need trumpets to announce its authenticity - it just is. Looking to the outside to validate our inside doesn’t give us what we seek – that merely limits us because we are lacking self-trust. It’s the little ways that our purpose moves us forward that creates the results that matter.

It is NOT about a job or career. A job is the way we exchange our energy with the world in such a way as to be paid either for our time or our value, which can be two different things. An innate purpose expresses itself through us whether we are being paid for it or not.

It is NOT about being in bliss every single waking moment. Somehow, we have confused living on purpose with being in paradise. Just because we are on purpose doesn’t mean the people around us are, or that we magically have everything we want at the snap of our fingers. It means that we are making decisions from our true values, speaking authentically, and are aligned with our gifts and core essence rather than living a glamorous idealization. Living on purpose requires a humility that can be painful in reality – for an extreme example, consider Joan of Arc.

It is NOT defined outside of you. While you are an expression of source energy, it – and your purpose - is a part of you. You have free will in determining how to express it, but your purpose is within you. Regardless of the situation, your purpose reveals itself; for example, a healer makes people feel better but that doesn’t mean s/he is a medical professional. Your purpose is known internally and you choose the outer expression of it.

Living on Purpose IS…

Living on purpose IS about who you are and how you show up on a daily basis. In fact, you can choose how to express your purpose through everyday choices – from relationships to careers to pursuing your interests – and then watch as whatever is not in alignment with your purpose eventually falls away.

It IS about the challenges of staying your course; that is, living your purpose causes you to grow through challenge, leave people, beliefs and situations behind as you develop beyond them, and live with the uncertainty of what’s coming next even as you know that it’s right. Sometimes it means not having the resources you need to be ready – and doing it anyway.

It IS creating as you go. It’s a dynamic process that means you are never wrong or in the wrong place; rather, you are always where you need to be to get the information that will take you from where you are to get you to where you want / need to be.

It IS about being in harmony with your own nature. This is trickier than it sounds because it means complete self-acceptance of all of your parts, even the not-so-pretty ones because, when loved, all of your parts become radiant and purposeful. This is all about you, and no one else. If you are not in harmony with yourself, it is impossible to be in harmony with your true purpose.

Ancient Energies for Understanding

Using ancient energies as a compass to live your purpose means understanding there are rhythms that underlie all of life in every moment, and being aware of your unique ability to merge with, and express, that source energy. Said another way, you have access to the same simple and timeless awareness that has inspired and supported every living being to express their special reason for being through the ages. You can access that awareness through various key points for guidance to your own purpose, including the following.

Watch nature for symbols, signs, cycles and flow in order to apply what you see to your own experience of your life purpose. Everything in nature has information about the gap between how you are living and how you are meant to live on purpose.

Look at the world around you; that is, everyone and everything around you are the mirrors that reflect the choices you’ve made and how you’re showing up in the world. If you don’t like what you see, you’re not living on purpose.

Be present for yourself. Feel your feelings fully to acknowledge them as messengers for your truth. Be in the moment (vs. living in the past or projecting into the future); stay “here” and let go of what’s not working right now. Incidentally, it’s not about judging good or bad but, rather, if “it” is serving you or not. If not, let it go.

Honor who you are; don’t take yourself for granted. You are an amazing and unique individual who has a purpose that is yours alone. By knowing that you are precious to the universe and taking care of yourself accordingly, it is where you begin to honor your purpose.

Accept that all is right up until now. You are where you are because you needed to gain experience, learn and grow. There is no shame in where you’ve been, or even in being stuck, up until now. Accepting your role in expressing your purpose means that you have the power to create a different future. As you take responsibility for what you’ve learned, your life –your purpose – becomes “cleaner”.

You will find that your purpose expresses in direct proportion to how well you know yourself. Living on purpose means knowing yourself well enough to know what makes you feel lit up from the inside out most of the time. Your purpose is the expression of universal being. Perhaps Shakespeare summed it up best when he simply said, “To Thine Own Self Be True”. And you’ll know when you are…

Lynn Scheurell, Creative Catalyst and Selfgrowth.com Purpose of Life expert, helps conscious entrepreneurs strengthen their inner systems, both personal and professional, for faster business results. She teaches renaissance souls how to gain clarity on their purpose by remembering who they are from their essential self, then aligning everything they do to express their unique gift through their business while working with natural energies for maximum support. Register for a free GEENI™ for Change e-course to learn how to upgrade your life in just seven days at www.mycreativecatalyst.com.

Spiritual Guides: Fear – Fear Is An illness

2008-03-17T22:45:00.001-07:00

This is a meditative prayer to be said each night for one month before you lay your body down to rest for the night:

“I see tremendous colored balloons filled with helium. These balloons are carrying all of my troubles, all of my frustrations, all of my heartache up and away. These balloons float higher and higher away from me until the sky is a clear blue. Now, I am free and have no fears.”

We must educate ourselves to think along these lines each evening before releasing our spirit to the Father. The Father works to cleanse the mind of all ill-conceived thoughts during this period of time. Enter into blissfulness with the Father, allowing your body, soul, and spirit to rest with Him.

Love is the demonstration of the Lord’s way of life. That is the way He meant mankind to live – with love of oneself and for all of mankind. To preserve life and to elevate the quality of life is to rid one’s mind of illness. When we understand how to rid our minds of illness, we begin to understand how the Father meant us to live.

The most pressing problem for mankind is to learn how to get rid of fear. Fear is the devastation felt and seen among men. Fear is what causes illness, for it places the complete body, the psyche, into disarray, setting loose forces within the psyche or mind of mankind known as “psychosomatic illness”.

We must look ahead without fear, having deep faith. The Father observes the cause of the unrest within us and He sets up guards to diffuse the problems. We should have faith and try to understand His teachings, the teachings of truth. Fruit comes to those who believe; fruit comes to those who try to help themselves by exploring their own mind, by simulating the Lord’s mind within themselves.

Diffuse your troubles by believing first in the Father, second in His obstinacy to treat all men equally. He tries so hard to diffuse and rid your mind of troubles. He tries to lead us and get us back on the pathway of life again, once we stumble and fall. We must listen very intently to His thoughts. He is diffusing our thinking with thoughts of love, and He fills our lives with understanding of how to help ourselves. We must learn to listen more intently and follow His guidance. There is no illness on earth created by the Father!

The individual inflicts punishment upon his own body by ill-conceived thoughts because of frustrations; because of things he wants to obtain—things he thinks he cannot bring to fruition. Once we establish the cause of our frustration, it is very easy to rid ourselves of it by facing it frontally and listening to the Father for the cure. It is all there, instant relief, because we can rid our minds of all ill-conceived thoughts.

Every man can change his complete life around if he will but listen, work for a change, and have faith that with the Father’s help, it can be accomplished.

LIFE IS LOVE.

WITHOUT LOVE, THERE IS NO REAL LIVING.

LOVE IS LIFE WITHOUT FEAR

Affirmation: Say to yourself, “I will live close to the Father daily. I will sense His will. I will sense His thinking. Trouble cannot come into my life as long as the Father assures me of this truth, for then I can assure myself of a happy life without fear. My life shall be an example among mankind. No harm can come into my life. He lives close to me, to show me the way out of all my troubles. I evince no fear, for the Lord watches over me.”

This column is brought to you by PESHA Publishing. The author, Bess S. Permut, is a spiritual guides expert, graduate student of psychology, philosophy, has taught spiritual awareness for over 40 years and is the author of two books on these subjects. Her purpose is to relay the truth as it was originally taught by the Father. She receives no financial gain or aggrandizement. All profits from her books go to charity. For more information go to www.peshaonline.com.

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