วันเสาร์ที่ 9 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2551

America, A Depository Of The Gifts Of The World

Author : Jim Rohn
Wow, it's a new year and a new millennium! What a privilege it has been to
come into your homes and offices around the world. Being able to share with
you has been one of my great joys!As we enter this new millennium, one of the major challenges for all of us
will be to learn to live together on this one planet we all share. Hopefully we will all discover that by living and working together we will all benefit.I believe America is a great example of this. Guess what has made America
powerful? The blending of many ethnic streams that have come to America over the last 200 years. No country has been such a depository of the gifts of the world like America. For over 200 years, people have come from all over
the world to America, bringing with them their recipes and their food. Their
music and their dance and their artistic ability. The gift of law and the
gift of government. The gift of medicine and the gift of healing. The gift
of religion and the gift of the work ethic.All of this did not start here. All of it came here from all the countries
of the world. In fact, it is an incredible list - how many people outside
their native countries live in America. The most Japanese outside of Japan
live in America, the most Italians outside of Italy live in America, the
most Koreans outside of Korea live in America, the most Puerto Ricans
outside of Puerto Rico live in America. You can go right down the list,
country after country. The list is so long it's unbelievable, but that is
what has made America so unbelievably powerful. The contribution of all the
ethnic streams that have been coming here for 200 years is incredible.We must all now recognize what an incredible opportunity we all have before
us, as this giant planet seems to get smaller all around us. And remember
that it is our diversity that when mixed together can create genius. It is
the combination of the soft sound of the flute and the crash of the cymbals
that make up the brilliant sounds of the symphony orchestra. In our
challenges to learn better how to live together, let us also find new
opportunities to create future genius and miracles in our world and with
each other.To Your Success,Jim RohnReproduced with permission from Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine.
Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved
worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn's Weekly E-zine, go to
http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com
Keyword : america,opportunity,innovation,success,self improvement,success tips,jim rohn,wealth building,goals,

Silence Inside

Author : Sajjad Butt
Silence means no voice input of any sort. What happens when there is silence? We cannot hear anything from the outside, but the voices inside are what we hear pretty clearly. We can hear ourselves. We can loudly hear to what we think and how we think, if we do.We do not give much time exploring to who we are, why we are, and how different lives we are connected to, how should we interact, etc. etc. etc.You can call silence as a great quality time with oneself where one talks with oneself and hear. Do we hear ourselves, it depends.There are a whole lot of dynamics that are going on in life and so many circles we are moving in, with different dynamics.It is a common understanding that as we grow we learn and become mature, I have a little disagreement with that, we do learn things but I think we lose a whole lot on the course. I think we lose innocence, we lose trust, we make new beliefs on the experiences we have, we go bitter tremendously, we live in an agitated world, Why?Why don't we understand each other, if we do, why people change, just a thought.We live in an interdependent world, its neither dependent or independent, we all move together, then we move. Just take a look around and we can understand better. How people know different skills and they are working for each other.I believe we should get to know ourselves better in the silence inside ourselves to know who we are and how we interact and communicate, this is very important to understand all that cause mostly the dynamics are based on that. You cannot expect a person would say kind words if he/she is slapped by you. He/she has the right to hit back. Did you see what just happened? It created a hostile environment. Do we need that? Question for all to answer.In the organizations there is a new era for managers, which they call as emotional intelligence in which they say that as the first principle, one should know who he/she is. I admire those words and they are true. It just opens one's eyes on many things, not only on what to do, but on who we are.Do Feel & Know yourself in the Silence Inside.http://www.keeptheheartsalive.com
Keyword : silence,inside,feel,organization

A Child's Plight

Author : Barbara Hidalgo
In the streets of Bogotá, a child - named Simon* - wanders amidst the crowd. He is a lonely soul, lost in the multitude, forgotten by humanity, rejected by his society.He looks like any other child. His eyes are full of dreams and hope. Yet, at the tender age of 10, he knows of hunger and distress. He knows of violence, terror and cold, but most of all . . . he knows of loneliness.He is "nobody" to many, and only "someone" to himself. He has no parents to protect him. He has no home to shelter him. He has no place to belong.As he walks down the busy streets, his hopeful eyes look for a place to sleep tonight. Will it be that corner? or Will it be that bench? Perhaps, it will be a lonely alley, as lonely as himself. He knows sooner or later he'll find the right place, where he might sleep safely in company of his street friends. If he could only ignore the stomach cramps tearing his inside! What he found in the trash just wasn't enough!His little mind reminds him of his fellows in the streets. Six of them were lately found shot to death in a ditch. Will he end up like them or will he someday find that kind, caring hand that might save his life? If only there were someone to turn to, someone daring enough to care about children who, just like him, are innocent victims of human cruelty and pride. They are children their social system has forgotten, leaving them stranded to their own tragic fate . . ."But, enough of this reality!" - he murmurs to himself. Another night has come. He gathers with other homeless kids who - like him - are children of the streets. They are the closest to a family he has ever had; the only human warmth he has ever known. They all share the same fears, the same dreams and pain. Rejection and neglect from those entrusted with their care brought them together and forced them to survive on their own. They try to keep warm and soothe their hunger pangs by sniffing toxic fumes from some type of imported glue. Every sniff kills a cell in their tender, yet still growing brain. Together, they will try to keep awake until exhaustion forces them to doze off.They go to sleep praying, asking the night to shelter them from the big man and his gun. It is just all part of their struggle, their struggle to survive. For, although they are nobody to most, they are someone to themselves. They have nowhere to turn . . .Soon exhaustion takes it toll. Simon lays his little body on the cold cemented pavement and promptly begins to dream. In his dreams he escapes to another world, a different reality where he no longer wanders lonely in the streets. He dreams of a hot homemade meal he shares with loving parents. They keep him safe and make him feel complete. A mother and a father who care! What would it be like to have them in his life? What would his life be like if he had people who care about him?In the streets of Bogotá a small child has died tonight. His friends called him Simon. While he was dreaming of loving parents and a safe home, the big man came. Hidden by the dark and with no hesitation, he took this little boy's life with the cold metallic sound of his merciless firing gun. He threw the boy's body into the nearest dumpster. Thus, reflecting how most people in his society perceive the life of little boys like him to be worth. He dreams no more. He no longer seeks that loving, caring hand reaching out for him; the only hope he had for a fair chance in life.

Author's Note
As we go to sleep tonight, another child will lie down on that same spot other homeless children before him had until they ended up with a bullet in their heart. This child will also dream the same old dreams they all shared. He will shelter that same hope; trying to forget his life's daily nightmare.
In the streets of Bogotá, a child will silently cry himself to sleep tonight wishing that people like you and me could bring hope into his life.Although most homeless children worldwide do not suffer the same fate, they too have to face many dangers trying to survive in the streets. You can make the difference in a homeless child's life now, especially Tsunami orphans in Asia, by making him/her a "someone" in your life. Get in touch with your local community action centers, the red cross or, homeless shelters and "adopt" a child, officially or figuratively. Don't just give money! Get involved in that child's life, mentor him or her, let the child know through your loving care and concern that he or she is a "somebody" to many. Don't just "remember" these children for the holidays; they need our tender-loving care year around. No child in the world should be all alone to face life. Children are our world's greatest treasure and hope.*Simon is a factual-based fictional child inspired by a 1991 World Vision documentary about the fate of homeless children in Bogota, Colombia, at the time. The children's plight deeply moved me and led me to write this piece I now share with you.Copyright 1991 - 2005 Barbara Hidalgo aka SoulfulWriter. All rights reserved.
Barbara is an essayist, poet, editor and publisher with a background in broadcast journalism. She is dedicated to writing thought-provoking pieces and assisting new authors with their craft. Visit Soulful Writers' Publications for more of hers and other authors' work under "Connections."
Keyword : child,children,plight,street,streets,gun,guns,Bogota,Colombia,Tsunami

My Mother's Garden

Author : Mary Rosendale
I love to talk about Purposeful Living with others and share how it's affected my life. But sometimes when I get to the part about doing what you need to do my listeners eyes glaze over and I know I've lost them. I get the response that it doesn't seem like much "fun" to find your purpose and do what you need to do. In fact, it sounds rather Calvinistic. It sounds like trudging uphill in the rain with your head down – oblivious to your surroundings."Where's the joy?", someone asked once. "What about fun and having a good time?".I never really knew how to respond except to assure my listener that I do have a lot of fun and I enjoy getting my purpose accomplished. So far I haven't been very convincing.Next time I'll tell them about my mother's garden.It was in the North of England where I grew up. It probably wasn't particularly beautiful by objective standards but it was Heaven to me. As soon as the temperature climbed out of the fifties I'd rush out into the brief English summer and throw a bedspread on the grass. We were on the Coast so the clouds were always fantastically shaped and fast-moving and I would lie on my back looking up at them and daydreaming. If we were lucky and our timing was right we could sometimes get a tan as long as we were mindful about turning over frequently. A big mistake in an English Summer was to tan on one side and assume you'd do the other side the next day. Invariably that would be the last sunny day for months and your skin would be striped red, brown and white like a Neapolitan ice cream. Always, too, in the Summer there was the inevitable litter of puppies rolling around from whichever mutt we had at the time.As a single parent, my mother worked most of the time. When she did I was a latchkey kid. When she was between jobs I loved spending time with her in the garden. She may have missed cleaning the house some days but she never neglected her garden. She daren't. We needed the vegetables.She had planted strawberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries and rhubarb. Our vegetables were potatoes, of course, cabbages, lettuce, carrots and all the root veggies you needed to get through a long winter. We had flowers, too. There were hydrangea, her prized roses and a wild, flowering lilac tree. But it was the vegetables we prized most.I loved the Summers when we were home together. As the baby of the family I spent much of my time with her. While my brother and sister were off doing whatever teenagers did in the North of England in the sixties my mother and I would traipse out to the garden in the morning and stay there till nightfall.Because we were so far North it was light until 10 "o" clock at night. The evening light had a thin, clear quality to it. Each evening the stars came out while the sky was still light. I couldn't have guessed that I would one day live in a part of the world where this wouldn't happen.We always had an old transister radio with us. We worked, for the most part, in harmony and silence. We listened to the BBC all day long. Each afternoon there was an orginal one hour play then serializations of classics such as Great Expectations or Les Miserables which left you hanging from day to day. There was Woman's Hour, endless quiz and comedy shows and, of course, The Archers " - an everyday story of country folk."We would weed our way down the rows of cabbages, aerating as we went. The soil was rich and dark and it never would have occurred to us to fertilize it. Looking back I wonder what we did out there all day. There couldn't have been that much yard work to do – but somehow we made it last until well into the evening. Sometimes we'd pull some rhubarb and my mother would take it into the house and simmer it with a little honey and cinnamon until it was a fragrant puree and we'd eat it warm with ice cream.Last week I was sick. I invariably considered illness to be a character defect but this time I was completely without energy. My body was taking no nonsense and was clearly admonishing me that it couldn't clean my house; make my writing deadlines AND get rid of the virus. I decided to take to my bed for an entire day and give it time to do its thing. It rained the whole day – the tail end of a monsoon-like system peculiar to California. Ordinarily, I have a great view of snow-capped mountains. But this day I could barely see to the end of my garden which was misty and grey all day. The air deadened sound contributing to my feeling of being cocooned.Too tired even to read, I turned up the heat and brought my laptop to bed. These days you can stream BBC radio live over the internet. And I did. I burrowed down as far as I could and drifted in and out of sleep as the radio played. I listened to a play about a woman Victorian private detective and discovered a new satirical radio blog. There were also quizzes and comedy shows from my childhood played in that curiously British vaudeville style. I dozed and listened as memories of my childhood summers washed over me. I could almost smell the lilacs.The next day was dry and clear. Bored with lying in bed all day I was grateful for action. The rest had done me good. It occurred to me that I had been sensible and had done exactly what I needed to do. My purpose had been to rest to heal myself. I'd accomplished that. It also occurred to me that the radio had been pure pleasure which I had layered on top of my purpose.I realized, then, that the discovery and implementation of purpose was not just an end to itself but also a foundation on which I could add actions and feelings and, yes, fun which could enrich my own life and nurture others. It was the opposite of my efforts to peel away the additional, man-made suffering from the inevitable suffering of everyday life. Imagine driving a car for so many years in reverse only to find that you have a forward gear too! What a world of opportunity opens up.My mother loved her garden and cultivated it because that's what she had to do. We needed the vegetables. She grew them. She had to. She didn't have to patiently show her little girl how to prune an unruly rose-brush nor how to pick the delicate wild strawberries without crushing them. These tasks she lovingly undertook to bond us to each other and to provide me with memories enough for a lifetime – certainly enough for one long and rainy day in California.Mary Rosendale is a Holistic Coach, writer and proud Mama of "The Constructed Life". Visit her virtual self at http://www.TheConstructedLife.com
Keyword : purpose,character,intention,goals,mother,daughter,family,sharing,teaching,life coach,bonding,faith

Magical Wreaths

Author : Samantha Stevens
Wreaths are like rings. They represent the Universal Circle ("Let the circle be unbroken …" as the song lyric goes) and also the idea of circulating love, wealth and prosperity for yourself and neighbours. Usually they are hung on the front door, over the fire place or over the dining room table to commemorate special occasions or the changing of the seasons.To make the frame for your wreath you will need strong thread, glue and branches from the appropriate tree. Try to make your wreath from branches you find on the ground, however if you can't, be sure to thank the tree if you end up breaking off any its limbs. However, probably the easiest way is to buy a pre-fabricated frame for it at Walmart or a local craft store. Most craft stores sell very nice circular frames made from varnished grape vines that look very natural and authentic.A wreath can be complicated and hung with a cornucopia of herbs, fruits and flowers or it can be as simple as a bunch of pussy willows braided together and formed into a circle. Below I have made a few suggestions for different wreaths you can make to suit different purposes.LOVE DRAWING WREATHFor this you all you need is some kind of circular armature, or the above mentioned grape vine wreath. However if you want to make your own circle, the branches from any fruit tree (apple, cherry, or orange) are perfect. Leave as many leaves on the branches you can and make sure they are thin and pliable enough so you twist them into a the circle. Once you have constructed the circle decorate it with dried roses. Pink and red are the best colours. The darker the red, the more sexy the wreathe. You can dry your own roses in advance. However, if you have no dried roses available, fabric flowers will work just as well. Tie the buds of the roses into the wreathe and then decorate it with pink, red and white ribbons, Although kind of lush and girly, it is designed to bring love into your life.PROSPERITY DRAWING WREATHThis little wreath is beautiful, simple, classy and it smells great. Use a grapevine armature and intertwine sprigs of basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, and bay leaves. All of these herbs draw wealth to the home. You may attach small oranges or kumquats. For an added dash of spice to your life, stick each orange with pins which have been threaded with cloves - an orange stuck with cloves is an ancient way of drawing money to you fast.CHINESE PROSPERITY DRAWING WREATHUse dried or fresh red, orange and yellow chrysanthemums, which symbolize autumn, protection and money. With this one you can use a Styrofoam board backing to affix the flowers to the backing. Or you can tie them to a grapevine armature. Decorate with red ribbons.PROTECTION WREATHTake long thin branches of holly that still have berries on the vine and braid and twist them into a circle. Holly is known to protect from evil spirits and bring blessings to the home. Decorate with a white ribbon.CORNOCOPIA OF THE GODS WREATHTake pine or spruce branches and using wire and players, twist them into a circle. Decorating this is not unlike decorating a Christmas tree, only you are going to attach pomegranates, oranges, walnuts in their shelves, kumquats, pine cones, acorns, bay leaves and chocolate covered coins. I like using fresh stuff, but there are many versions of the wreath that could be made using plastic replicas of food such as grapes strawberries and oranges. Finish this masterpiece off with gold, yellow and green ribbons.MARTHA STEWART'S OSHUN HAPPINESS WREATHI stole this one off of Martha Stewart who probably didn't realise that she was inventing something that would honour the African Orisha of the Rivers, Love, and Wealth, Oshun. It is Oshun who takes care of love and relationships, money, and all the things that make life sweet.For this one you will need hundreds of pins, and bags and bags of pink, orange and yellow gumdrop candies. Use the pins (or use glue) to press these candies onto their backing. The effect is a sunburst of joy. Finish it off with a big bow of pink, yellow and orange ribbons, However save this one for the mantelpiece. Oshun is not the only being that loves sugar. You don't want an army of birds or squirrels attacking your front door!Samantha Steven's articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. If you wish to buy Samantha's books about metaphysics click here
http://www.insomniacpress.com/author.php?id=110

You can meet Samantha Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com
Keyword : magical spells,white magic love spells,spells and magic,protection spells,money spells,money spell

FEAR Don't Let it Control You!

Author : Glen Hopkins
Fear. What is it? Can you touch it? Can you hold it? Can you show it to another person? I can almost hear you from where I am sitting. No, no, no. Okay then, so you can't touch it, you can't hold it, and you can't show it to another person. The question then is, why? Why do we have fear? Fear is nothing more than an emotion or a feeling that we hold in our mind. We fear either the emotional or physical pain something may cause. The problem is, these emotions and feeling affect the way we live our lives. We fear doing certain things because we think we might fail. This may be due to past failures we have actually experienced or it may be due to failures we fear we might experience.I urge you to remember and live by the following motto. Fear stands for,FalseEvidence thatAppearsRealMost of the time what we fear, we have never even experienced! Isn't that crazy? You see, your mind has a hard time determining whether you've actually experienced the failure or just imagined it. Either way, you feel the physiological symptoms of the fear; such as an upset stomach. Often, because we can imagine some sort of failure, we believe it will come true, and then we don't even try! And that is what makes a failure; a person who is afraid to try because they fear the potential of a negative outcome. If you don't at least try, you can never succeed.I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened. - Mark TwainThe question now becomes who defines what 'failure' and 'success' is? You do right? Either you create the definition yourself or you accept someone else's definition. Is it true then that some people create more difficult definitions of success and failure for themselves than others do? You bet it is! Who do you think leads a more successful live, Alex who defines success as, everyday that I wake up and I'm not six feet under, is a great day. Or Jeff, who defines success as, I have to be earning at least million dollars a year before I am successful.You guessed right again. Alex. You see, Alex has created her own definition of what success means and that definition is relatively easy to achieve! Therefore, in her mind, she is successful everyday. Whereas Jeff, as per his own definition, cannot be successful until he is earning one million dollars a year. What are the chances that most of the 'Jeff's' in the world feel like failures on a daily basis because they are not yet earning one million dollars a year? Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you should not set high standards and goals for yourself. What I am saying is that you have to be careful that you 'happily achieve, rather than achieve to be happy'.The more difficult your definition of success is to attain, the more fear you will attach to it. Don't let your own definitions limit you. Or even worse, the definitions of others. Create your own definitions to make it harder to feel like a failure and easier to feel like a success. That way you will attach less fear to what you want in life. What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? Image what you can do in your life with that type of belief system. Try thinking of every 'failure' as a success.That is, every time you 'fail' at something, you have really succeeded because you have learned what does not work. Therefore, you are closer to succeeding the next time you try. Remember that the past does not equal the future. Yesterday's failure does not equal your future outcomes. Just because you may have failed yesterday, or even five minutes ago, it doesn't mean you are going to fail again. Just learn from what you did wrong and change your approach. Don't fear the past. The past is what has taught you how to succeed in the future. Be fearless!This article may be reprinted with the following attachment:Copyright (c) 1999 Glen HopkinsAbout The AuthorGlen Hopkins, owns Motivational-Messages.com, your Free resource for daily motivation and inspiration, including quotes, tips, and stories to help you lead a successful life. To subscribe fro Fr~ee visit http://www.motivational-messages.com/ today!
Keyword : fear,success,inspiration,goals,confidence,self improvement

Where You Can Find Sympathy

Author : Gene Simmons
Ask any of my kids and they'll tell you immediately that you'll find it in the dictionary between "sh—" and "syphilis". Wasn't that absolutely cruel and unkind of me to instill in them a nearly total distain for the concept of "sympathy"? With so many individuals in the world suffering in so many ways, how could I possibly be so heartless? I am without a doubt, an uncaring, evil SOB!Well, maybe not. Here are a couple of things to think about. First, I'll give you my definition of sympathy: "A sharing or agreement of feelings with another person". It's not exactly what shows in the dictionary but it's pretty danged close. I know, so what's the problem with that? It's showing caring, compassion and maybe even love isn't it? Hang on for a sec. Let's take a look at another word."Empathy". Again, here's Gene's definition: "The ability to intellectually identify with and understand the source and manifestation of another's feelings - or situation."See the distinction here between the two words? "Sympathy" basically implies that I'm going to feel your feelings and as a result, experience your mental and emotional disruption. "Empathy" on the other hand, implies that I'm able to logically understand why you feel as you do without subjecting myself to your emotional trauma and expending of energy.How can this distinction affect us personally? Here is look at both sides of the "sympathy" coin. If you're the type of person who has been conditioned (programmed) to consistently look for sympathy from others – for whatever reason, just stop it! Golly, all you're doing is splattering your friends with your yucky feelings and on top of it, you're even asking them to join you in your pity room. Whoopee, won't that be fun? Now you can have other folks whining and moaning right along with you. Turn on some "get-me-down" music too. That'll add significantly to the ambiance at the victim's table.OK, so maybe I got a little carried away in the preceding paragraph, but dang it folks, it's just not fair – much less kind and considerate – to try to shove off our misery on other people. Others have enough burdens without any of their "friends" adding to it.The other side of the coin of course, is our personal willingness to provide our sympathy to our "friends" who are requesting it. To emotionally buy into their difficulties and drain our emotional bank in the process. Why would we ever willingly do that? We have enough stuff to think about without trying to pile any more onto our mental/emotional plates. If you are the type of person who really "feels" the emotions associated with another's problems, you might want to consider transitioning to "empathetic" approach. Try to remove yourself mentally from the personal attachment to whatever might be occurring. This will not only save you lots of emotional wear and tear, but it will likely also give you the ability to perhaps offer more constructive suggestions. Suggestions that just might be able to help your friend move out of the pity room and into a more stable (and enjoyable) environment.So you see, I really wasn't being a cruel, heartless ogre when I told my children where they could find the sympathy they frequently (at least initially) requested from me. Instead, I was encouraging them to face their problems and do whatever was necessary to put them in the past. Seems like a productive way to approach life, don't you think?About The AuthorGene, through NuPathz.com, provides an easy reading self-help blog, articles and links along with affordable books and materials written to help folks find the road to a more enjoyable lifestyle, to pass on some of life's "secrets for survival" in a chaotic world & offer a few smiles along the way. It's a down-to-earth, simple approach to discovering a better life. You can visit Gene at http://www.nupathz.com/gene@nupathz.com
Keyword : sympathy,empathy,communication,self improvement,coaching

Humble Riches

Author : Deirdre McEachern
"We come equipped with everything we need to experience a powerful life full of joy, incredible passion, and profound peace. The difficult part is giving ourselves permission to live it." – Deborah Rosado ShawSummer is a great time to practice slowing down and re-connecting with what you enjoy most in life -- spending time appreciating nature, barbequing with old friends, or expressing yourself through a creative hobby such as painting or gardening. These are what I call the "humble riches" of life. They don't necessarily cost a lot of money but their "bang for your buck" in terms of your quality of life is huge.Often when we think of taking steps to improve our quality of life we think about big steps --quitting a job, getting physically fit or moving house. Today I would like to introduce you to another approach. I call it Momentary Contentment. This means not necessarily waiting for one of those perfect times when everything feels completely in alignment and you wouldn't change a thing, but rather, it is recognizing when you feel mostly content. You may have a few worries about your life but nothing so pressing that it stops you from enjoying the humble riches that are available to you here and now.Recognizing any moments of contentment, be they Momentary or perfect, pulls you back in touch with what is good about your day and your life. It lifts your spirits and naturally shifts your mental state from your anxieties, worries, and concerns to possibilities, appreciation, and gratitude.Recently I was traveling on a morning commuter bus to Boston. As I was riding along I was worrying about all the to-do's ahead of me that day. Just then something caught my eye and I looked out the window next to me. What a sight! Beautiful wispy clouds were strewn across the blue summer sky. The silver glint of a jet was flying across and leaving behind two streams of ethereal white vapor. The tops of the nearby trees were bursting with full, summery green leaves. The vibrant mix of colors looked like a painting.I thought to myself, "Ah ha! This is as close to a quiet, contemplative moment as I'm likely to get all day. I feel mostly content -- I have a few worries about my work day but nothing so demanding as to stop me from taking this moment to enjoy the view nature is offering to me."I continued watching as the bright sunlight caught the edges of some of the clouds and not others. The scene changed from moment to moment in front of my eyes, never to be repeated in exactly the same way again. White, Blue, Green. White feathery clouds, blue skies and green trees. It was beautiful.While gazing at this scene, my thoughts shifted to what a warm and sunny day it was and how lucky I was to have such good weather for my trip into the city. I couldn't have asked for a better day for walking between bus stations and T stops and my various meetings. Starting to feel gratitude for the good things in the day, I effortlessly let go of the tension I had been holding about the schedule of obligations laid out before me. I was able to sit back and literally, enjoy the ride. I felt blessed by life's humble riches.Think of this newsletter as permission to give your self a few much deserved breaks of Momentary Contentment this month. Why not notice the world around you and revel in its wonders, call an old friend you haven't talked to in a while, or take a half an hour to do something you love?Lucky you, these riches are yours for the taking. Enjoy!About The AuthorDeirdre McEachern's passion is helping her clients achieve their dreams. She believes strongly that you can find a career you enjoy, express your natural talents and have a life!Are you looking for a quick solution you can do on your own time? An e-Course is just what you need. "Seven Steps to Finding a Job You Love" e-Course is for anyone trying to find a career which they enjoy and expresses their natural talents and wants to do so at home and at their own pace. Click on the this link to find out more http://www.vip-coaching.com/seven_steps.htm
Keyword : improvement self, inspirational, happiness, good life

Change

Author : Marsha Maung
Those of you, who can fathom yourselves welcoming and enjoying a big, major change in your life right now, raise your hands! When I say, change, it might be a good change and it might be a bad change. Either way, we all don't know what that change is going to be like, what aspect of our lives is going to change and we might not even be happy with it.Still feel like raising your hand now?Change, in everyone's lives, is inevitable. It happens all the time. Imagine what people who used to ride in a horse-cart had to say when they were told that the carriage could move by itself, without a horse but with an engine. People have come to accept the fact that the car moves when it is pulled by a horse…or man. The change from riding around in a horse-pulled carriage to a car was…..ridiculous. The old don't go, the new won't come. The new could be better…or it could be worse. That's what change is all about. You just don't predict or forecast what that change is going to be like.This reminds of the award-winning book entitled "Who moved my cheese?". The book was not only expensive, but it was thinner than my kids' coloring books! The concept was simple if not derived out of pure logic, and half the pages in the book were filled with pictures of mice and cheese and large lettering that you can read from a mile away! And this is the book that sold millions upon millions of copies all around the world. I could write a book about finger-exercise if I wanted to and it wouldn't make me as much money. the concept of accepting change, however, is ancient. It's as old as time. And the only reason why the book, Who moved my cheese, was so popular was not because the book was good. It was because of the fact that every one of us has an innate instinct to fight, defy, and prevent change. THAT's why the book was good.I'm going to tell you a story about a friend of mine, Feeb, who fought change all her life. She resisted it with all her might and even when she found out that her husband was not loyal to her, she resisted the change, denied the truth and hid behind a veil of denial.Feeb is 35, have been married to Tom, 42, for the past 12 years of her life. She has 3 lovely children whom she loves tremendously. She used to be an accountant and loved her job (imagine that! I can't imagine anyone liking accounts) excessively. However, things changed when she married her husband and conceived her first child. She suddenly wanted to stay home with her kids. Therefore, Feeb gave up her career and became a full-time mother to her kids.Fast forward 12 years later, Feeb is still a housewife but because she found out that her husband, Tom, has been having more than one affair with younger women, she decided that enough was enough. This was the kind of change that she wants to see happening to her life. She spent the better part of her life denying her husband's affairs, even when she suspected them and found clues about the affairs. But in the end, she had to file for divorce, for her own good. She had to leave the marriage to be able to find herself again – a part of her old self died when she married Tom. She dedicated her entire life to her kids and her husband. Now, her kids are grown up and her husband is disloyal. It's time to move on.She didn't like the new change in her life. But within 2 short years, she started her own business and is now enjoying a life with her partner who loves her 3 kids. She keeps in touch with her ex-husband because they were still good friends. Just because he was a bad husband doesn't mean he doesn't make a fabulous friend.The change has brought back dignity, confidence, completeness and happiness to my friend, Feeb's, life.We cannot deny that things change all the time – we evolve and even human nature and our biological make-up is changing every single generation. She become better (sometimes we become worse) but the key thing to remember is that not all change is bad. And even if the change is bad, you'll need to take it in your stride and make a go for it. Roll along with the punches and don't let the change get you down.Happy changing!Marsha Maung is a freelance graphic designer and copy writer who works from her home in Selangor, Malaysia. She loves nothing more than blowing bubbles in the park with her 2 kids, Joshua and Jared. She designs apparel and premium items at http://www.creativejooz.com and is the author of "Raising little magicians", and the popular "The Lance in freelancing". More information can be found at http://www.marshamaung.com
Keyword : change, life, happy, happiness, motivate, encourage

Three Amigos

Author : Wayne Mitchell
I feel rather foolish writing this letter, but I need help. I am a 67-year-old man living on social security. My wife and I divorced, but I never lost my love for her. One day we ran into each other and realized the magic is still there.I did not hesitate to go back to her. She told me, however, she was dating a widowed doctor, and because she is unable to find employment, he is giving her a $500 weekly allowance. They see each other every Saturday evening. He takes her out to dinner, then they return to his home.They have a sexual relationship, though she doesn't love him. She feels compelled to sleep with him because of the help he gives her. I asked if she loved me. She said without question she still did. I've been back four months now, and I want her to find employment and break off this relationship.She's tried to get employment but failed. I asked, if nothing else, please give me some idea when you will end this affair. She said she couldn't do that. I asked how she could love me and do what she is doing. She couldn't reply.As I write this on Saturday evening, she is out with him for dinner and the sexual romp which follows.WyattWyatt, your ex-wife has found a way of blending the world's two oldest professions, medicine and prostitution. This "affair" is her employment, and you have no power here. You can't give her a job, you are not supporting her, and you are not her husband. In addition, your emotional support may make it easier for her to do what she does.Now that you live together, you are benefiting from what she does. Perhaps circumstances led her into this. Perhaps time will change it. But the only power you have is to accept or not accept the situation. The second definition of her act is "devoting one's talents to an unworthy use." Until she believes that, things will continue as they are.Wayne & TamaraA Matter Of DegreeI'm a stay-at-home dad, married with two children. Although things haven't always been great in our marriage, we've worked through them and been mostly happy. Recently a friend introduced me to online chatting. Over the past few months I've chatted with several people, male and female, and had personal chats with a few women in a flirting way.The women don't live anywhere near, and there was never a chance of this going further. I view my actions as harmless fantasy. My wife recently found out, and she feels I have been unfaithful. She is considering leaving me. The children are the only reason she hasn't.I agree it was wrong not to have told her, but I consider it harmless fun for my own enjoyment and think of it as my little white lie. I don't agree I have been unfaithful. She says we have different lines of what constitutes decency, and I have clearly crossed over hers. She is well-educated, a Christian, and a physician by trade.HenryHenry, your wife is hurt. Chatting with other women makes her feel less of a woman. She feels you are being intimate with these other women. As a medical person, she knows symptoms not dealt with only get worse.Pictures in a magazine are a fantasy, but it is not fantasy when you interact with real people. Calling what you did a white lie indicates you know it was wrong.You need to find something else to occupy your mind. We suggest using your computer to start a home-based business. You've been out of the workforce for awhile and that may make it hard to find a job. Once your wife feels a nanny would cause her fewer problems, you may need a way to support yourself.Wayne & TamaraDirect Answers - Column for the week of February 23, 2004About The AuthorAuthors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.
Keyword : inspiration,self improvement,time management,stress relief,happiness,positivity

It Only Takes a Spark - Pass It On

Author : Dan Britt
Great inspiring people have influenced people in every area of life throughout centuries. Henry David Thoreau, the great 19th century transcendentalist writer, was influenced by the great Ralph Waldo Emerson. Thoreau was the impetus for Ghandi's and Martin Luther King Jr's civil disobedience, which ultimately changed the shape of the world for a better humanity. Socrates taught Plato who taught Aristotle, who collectively remain the greatest philosophical trio in history. We often stand on the shoulders of giants. And we can notice connections such as these throughout history--a lineage--a passing down of wisdom. Such is the case in the drumming world as well. It only takes a spark. And that spark can potentially inspire many to enter a new encouraging world, accompanied by enthusiasm, new hope, and excitement.This lineage is evident in the drumming world. I know, because I've been experiencing it. On a fall night last year, my drumming friend and I went out to see a Rush tribute band. I looked forward to a night of great drumming, but did not expect that I would afterward decide to pursue drumming to a higher level. As the drum solo began, the audience began to walk toward the stage, similar to a magnetic effect. I soon realized why, as drummer, Joe Bergamini, displayed a dynamic, inspiring solo, marked by incredible technique and musicality. From experiencing the solo, one can understand how drumming can entertain, excite, and elicit the need for total expression. At that point, I had realized the power of drumming, and the reason to elevate my drumming to the next plane.I went to the website of Joe Bergamini, and found that he studied with legendary Dom Famularo for several years. That knowledge brought me to the website of Dom Famularo. I then discovered that Dom studied with Joe Morello and Jim Chapin, among other drumming greats. Moreover, I read that Joe Morello studied with George Lawrence Stone, author of Stick Control, which many consider the bible of drumming! He also studied with Billy Gladstone. As if that wasn't enough, I realized that Jim Chapin studied from Sanford Moeller, the man who directly observed the great civil war drummers, and teacher of Gene Krupa. Everything began to make sense: This was the true essence of drumming ... And it was all passed down collectively ... I knew I was following the right path.I began to study with Drumming's Global Ambassador, Dom Famularo. Besides learning from one of drumming's greatest educators, I realized that the visit to Dom's woodshed and his influence was one similar to the inspiring experience of the students in the movie Dead Poet's Society. Based on a global humanistic approach, I found that everything I've learned there I never even considered in 16 years of drumming. Not only has it been inspiring, but some of the guidance was geared toward my health that affected every aspect and quality of my playing; some based on the laws of physics; other things were based on techniques I had no idea even existed. This was more than I ever expected. I also had a few lessons with Jim Chapin and Joe Bergamini.As if that was not enough, I learned of Dom's Cycle of Self-Empowerment book and began to discover concepts such as Choice Power, the Flame, and the Tombstone Test. As a co-author of a psychology research project, I was intrigued and amazed by the power of his words, and how they moved me to pursue drumming to such a high level. I now had a heightened awareness of how drumming was a part of me--and I had an obligation to pursue it and share it--that if I did not pursue it, it can eat at me. Dom refers to this inner identity as "The Flame". And no matter how much you ignore it, it will not go away! You cannot remove it! It just the way us drummers are internally wired!I cannot overestimate the power of finding something and someone that can influence you, and "spark" this "flame". Since my own rekindling, I have pursued drumming to a higher level, and many great things have happened. Some of the same knowledge and enthusiam that came from Gladstone, Stone, Morello, Chapin, and Famularo, have been passed down to me and then to my students. This energy has also spread to my own band, friends, and anyone who I encounter in conversations about drumming. Most recently, I had the opportunity to perform with the legendary guitarist Stanley Jordan. To put it mildly, things have certainly begun to happen since my night out last fall--the night I was inspired.As Dom says, "The cycle of self empowerment begins with respecting that flame and feeding that flame until if glows from you, turning you into a beacon that not only has the power to show you the way, but can be a source of guidance and inspiration for others. Do it before it's too late. Find that flame. It's where a happier life begins."Finally, to revisit the title, "It only takes a spark ... Pass it on", I have to admit that a song I used to play drums for in a church years ago, has more meaning and validity than ever, and sums up this whole experience: "It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing . . . Once you've experienced it . . . You want to pass it on."About The AuthorDan Britt is a NJ Drummer/Instructor who conducts clinics in public schools. With a background in psychological research, his inspirational writings have appeared in international magazines. He can be contacted at danbsticks@aol.com or via www.dannybritt.comdanbsticks@aol.com
Keyword : inspiration,coaching,self improvement,counseling,goals,motivation,innovation,positive thinking

Full Disclosure

Author : Wayne Mitchell
Direct Answers - Column for the week of April 21, 2003I hope you can talk me out of this bad feeling. I watched the Michael Jackson program where he was talking about how he was treated by his father. I had hushed the bad memories to the back of my head, but this program brought them flooding back.I was brought up in Ireland with a mother and father. All I remember of my childhood was my mother beating me for nothing. I was beaten three or four times a week with a hurley stick, but she was so nice to everyone no one would have believed the terror we lived in.I had to get my brothers and sisters out to school while she stayed in bed. If I did not leave the kitchen spotless before I went to school, I got a beating when I came home for lunch. We had tiled floors, and at the weekend she would hand me a box of Brillo soap pads and tell me to scrub. If I missed one tile, I got a beating.We were never loved, kissed, or cuddled as kids, and never a nice word spoken. My father left home when I was 17, and so did I. My mother lives with my sister, and I see her Christmas. She never has anything to say to me. My sister said if she talks to my mother about the past, she says she does not remember.Now in my fifties, I feel I wasted my life away living in a shell I built around myself. I have been with the same man for 25 years now and find it hard to talk about my feelings. I have a few close friends, but they don't know about my childhood.I don't think you can help me, but just putting pen to paper helps.BrigidBrigid, spending Christmas with your mother must be like spending Christmas with the assailant who battered you, stole your purse, and was never punished. Just laying eyes on her hurts you. You had to mother yourself and that is very difficult, but be grateful for the shell you created. It allowed you to survive.If you tell your close friends, it will give you even more release than writing this letter. It will be hard for you to tell, and hard for them to listen. It was hard for us to hear your story, and we barely know you. But telling them is the place to begin.Telling your friends will allow you and them to be more honest in general conversation. It will help them not to make comments which may unintentionally hurt you, or to ask what you are giving your mother for Christmas. You may, however, have to discourage them from heading to Ireland with a hurley stick.WayneThe StingThis may seem like a silly question, but I am curious how common this scenario is. I signed a onerous and mean-spirited divorce decree without legal representation because my ex-wife said the divorce was just symbolic. It was to give closure to a bad marriage, and we were going to start over.After the divorce was real, final, and contained things I never agreed to, I am paying more than $6000 per month in cash and prizes. Have you heard of this before?RamseyRamsey, at the risk of stating the obvious, divorce is the final legal disconnection of a union. It is not done to restart a relationship. You could have symbolically burned a piece of paper, gotten new wedding rings, or begun "dating" each other again. But she had another plan in mind.Who gets involved in one-sided divorces? The good person, the trusting person, the one who wants to believe. Perhaps a good attorney can get a more equitable settlement. Perhaps not. But we have heard your story before. It is the consequence of being a trusting person.TamaraAbout The AuthorAuthors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.
Keyword : inspiration,coaching,self improvement,counseling,goals,motivation

The Pursuit of Greatness

Author : Jeremy Likness
On June 3rd, 1948, a blast rocked the Black Hills of South Dakota. Ten tons of stone were dislodged from the mountainside and tumbled to the earth below. Earlier that day, a man named Korczak had ascended the mountain and single-jacked four holes at 6,740 feet above sea level.Single-jacking is the practice of placing a drill-bit against hard rock, slamming it with a four-pound sledge hammer, then rotating the drill and banging it again until the hole is finished. It is a labor-intensive effort and a single man might only drill six to eight feet over the course of a day.Over the following years more than eight million tons of rock would be blasted away. What was once a silent silhouette in stone began to take on a new shape. It would not be until over a decade after Korczak's death – a full fifty years after he single-jacked the first holes – that the face of his muse, the proud Lakota warrior named "Crazy Horse," would emerge. What Korczak had begun in obscurity by constructing his own 714-step stairway to the summit (one he ascended and descended multiple times in a single day) is now known throughout the world. Over 10,000 hikers converge for the annual hike to the top of the mountain to view the face that alone is taller than Mount Rushmore.One billion postage stamps with the likeness of Crazy Horse have been issued over the last few decades. It all started with a single hike up the mountain by man who was humble enough to begin the project by himself but had a vision large enough to believe he could transform a mountain into the noble image of a native war hero declaring the extent of his lands. It was a vision of greatness.How did something so monumental begin with such humble roots? Perhaps the greatest clue left behind is the quotation found on the various knick-knacks in the gift shop next the mountain. I was moved when I heard the phenomenal story of the Crazy Horse project and bought a souvenir not to remind me of where I had been, but to encourage me to keep forging ahead to where I want to be. The beautiful swirl of agate was not what commanded the most of my attention – it was the words that spoke to my own dreams. It reads:When the Legends DieThe Dreams EndWhen the Dreams EndThere is No More GreatnessKorczak insisted that it was not important to know when the monument will be finished. What was most important was to continue the dream. And continue the dream he did, through three separate operations to remove six discs. After quadruple bypass surgery, he was back on the mountain supervising his children as they painted the outline of the massive horse's head. Crazy Horse, when completed, will be the world's largest sculpture, taller than the great pyramids and overshadowing the Washington Monument by eight feet.Seven of Korczak's ten children continue the dream to this day along with his wife. Korczak himself rests peacefully in a mausoleum he built with his children before his death at the base of the mountain.It is said the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first footstep. Just as the act of carving Crazy Horse's face from living rock took fifty years, the quest to sculpt your own physique will not be fulfilled overnight. Why is so difficult to hold onto the dream of living a healthy, fit life? Have we lost our Legends, and let the Dreams End? You may be amazed to learn that every ordinary person in this world is destined to something extraordinary – if they are willing to stop trying to make it happen and instead able to search deep within to let it happen.Are you ready to let success happen?A pound of fat contains approximately 3,500 calories. I must admit, it was daunting to me when I began my journey and realized I had 65 pounds of fat to lose. Sixty-five pounds of fat boasts more than a quarter million calories. In our fast-paced world of instant gratification, I wanted the fat to disappear immediately. I did not want to single-jack those four holes and blast away the first ten tons out of eight million ... instead, I wanted the entire sculpture to reveal itself overnight. Where was my magic bullet?Crazy Horse is in the Dakota Territory, which was first made famous to other Americas through the journals of Lewis and Clark. Many of us today dread stepping onto the treadmill or out into the cold morning air to run a few miles. The Lewis and Clark expedition crossed the entire country from St. Louis to the west coast and back again. The majority of this was on foot, dragging boats laden with supplies upstream against the aggressive current of the Missouri River.One journal entry shared an extraordinary fact: each man consumed nearly twenty pounds of meat every day in order to supply the calories they needed to survive. In stark contrast, when they were struggling through a hard winter in the Rockies, they managed to drag equipment, supplies, guns, and tools over treacherous mountain passes while subsiding on nothing more than roots. The entire journey traversed over 8,000 miles and lasted several years, but the men and woman set forth knowing only what they wished to accomplish and focused on achieving it one day at a time.They took their first steps without any knowledge of the land they were about to enter – it was terra incognito. Is a healthy physique "unknown territory" to you? It is easier to overcome fear of the unknown when you are in pursuit of greatness.What does it take to step onto the treadmill to run a few miles? What courage is necessary to enter the weight room and force several pounds of iron to move against the will of gravity? The small excuses that keep you away from your goals are the dangerous ones. They are the little dream-stealers, attacking greatness. Living healthy is about more than simply losing weight or looking great on the beach. It is about excellence.Wouldn't weight-loss be easy if it were just a "thing?" We do "things" every day. We brush our teeth, go shopping, and prepare dinner. These "things" are part of our daily existence, and are as easy as watching the rain. So why is living healthy such a struggle to many? Perhaps it is because you are chasing something more than a number on the scale. Maybe you feel that if you burn that fat, you will find your true self underneath. During the chase, you are not really losing weight – whether you like it or not, you are pursuing greatness. It is who we are.According to Jim Rohn, "the ultimate expression of life is not a million dollars or a bank account or a home." It is living a good life. Jim Rohn once lied to a Girl Scout because he did not have a single dollar in his wallet to buy cookies from her. He vowed he would never be in that position again, and is now America's foremost business philosopher – a millionaire who has spoken to hundreds of thousands. Jim shares that a good life includes productivity, good friends, culture, and religion. He tells us not to miss anything – not the game, not the opera, not the movie. What are you missing?How hard is it to live the good life? We Americans are numb to our present condition. We are programmed to sit in front of the television set to absorb a constant stream of negative news, then punch the clock at a job that is high-stress and low-pay with little time remaining to live the good life. We are exhausted, so we slump in front of the latest sitcom to find pleasure in someone else's life because we don't have the energy to live our own. Dr. Myron Wentz, who was born on a small farm only a few hundred miles north of Crazy Horse in North Dakota and is now pursuing greatness as a leader in the fight against degenerative disease, described the situation eloquently by stating "Most people die too long."It took me nearly a year to lose sixty-five pounds of fat. I was not an overnight success story – I had to work at it. It was a struggle and sometimes I would backslide. When I'd stand on the scale to see that I had taken two steps in the wrong direction, I'd dust myself off, face the right direction, and keep moving forward. Many people who were attempting to lose fat with me gave up when they did not see their six-pack after a few weeks of sweating hard and eating clean.Not content with being ordinary, I stubbornly refused to give in. Perhaps I can attribute some of my success to my birth in Sturgis, South Dakota - a small town nestled just inside the border of the Black Hills where many legends have roamed. I do not consider myself a legend, but I could relate to Korczak when I'd rouse myself early in the morning after only a few hours of sleep to step into the cold basement and onto the unrelenting treadmill. I did not want to die too long – I was ready to live.You see, I did not know how long it would take to reach my goal. I was unhappy and dissatisfied with how I was living my life. For things to change, I had to change. I was not ready for just any change – I wanted to do something great. Korczak had his mountain, I had my treadmill. What we shared was the resolve to look beyond the next day and become part of a greater vision. I might have only burned a few hundred calories per day, but those emptied fat cells would never cause me grief again. It doesn't matter when you reach that magic weight or fit into that special pair of shorts. What matters is keeping the dream alive every day. Live the good life. Strive for excellence. Excellence is not perfection; it is the pursuit of greatness – it is perfecting the process of becoming your best. I remind myself of the dream to be my best each and every day, because I know when the dreams end, there is no more greatness.Are you merely chasing the scale, or do you choose to pursue greatness? Never forget your dreams.Jeremy Likness is an International Health Coach and motivational speaker. After losing 65 pounds of fat, he discovered his true vision to coach thousands around the world to better health. A Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Performance Nutrition, Jeremy is the author of the internationally-selling e-Book, Lose Fat, Not Faith and the companion 5-CD set. Jeremy has been published in major online publications including Tom Venuto's Fitness Renaissance and Bodybuilding.com. Jeremy's approach is unique because he focuses on fitness from the inside out. Visit Jeremy online at Natural Physiques.
Keyword : greatness,excellence,integrity

Don't Let the Boogeyman Steal Your Dreams

Author : Sulana Stone
The boogeyman lurking in the closet scares the bejesus out of little kids. "Big people" know the imaginary monster from their childhood isn't real. Yet, adults freeze in their tracks when the same monster pops up on their path in life.The closer we come to reaching our dreams, the more our monstrous emotions and mind-talk flash their urgent warnings, "Stop! Don't go any further. You can't pull it off. You're not good enough. You're gonna screw up. Or get hurt. Or die!" When you buy into these threats, you can feel confused. Numb. Scattered. Unfocused. So, ask yourself, "Is what the ego telling me true?" If you don't challenge the propaganda of the boogeyman, you might quit going after your dreams altogether.When you find yourself waylaid by the ego monster, you can reclaim your power and clarity by using facts from your life as ammunition against the ego."Just the Facts, Ma'am"Remember the old Dragnet TV cop show? Actor Jack Webb played the no-nonsense police detective Sgt. Joe Friday. Often in the course of his questioning, Sgt. Friday was bombarded by the frantic, emotional babbling of confused and upset citizens. To cut to the bottom line, the wise detective somberly requested of the women, "Just the facts, ma'am."By gathering facts—and disregarding the misleading interpretations of people's minds and emotions—the sergeant built a rock solid case.In order to withstand the dream-shattering attacks of the boogeyman, you need to establish a solid case too. By gathering "just the facts" of your actual accomplishments—and ignoring the inaccurate conclusions of your ego and emotions—you create a solid foundation for creating your dream.And what did Sgt. Friday do to remember his facts? He wrote 'em down.Save Your Dreams with a JournalWith its constant undermining, the ego has an effective weapon to halt your journey to happiness. The invalidation distorts your memory. It narrows your vision. It makes you forget that you are a valuable person. The monster deliberately distracts your attention from the times in your life when you did create what you wanted.Creating a "Dream-Saver Fact Journal" of your factual successes is an effective active step you can take to dispel the devastating, self-defeating inner talk of the ego. Forget about what you don't do well, or where you come up short. Jot down what, in fact, has gone well in your life. Especially, log in evidence that proves your ego is wrong about you being unlovable, untalented and unworthy of having what you want.Friendly Facts Fend Off the FunkList miracles and major achievements. Add to your journal daily. As you create success, document the specific, hard-core, firsthand, personal direct evidence that you can create your life the way you want it to be. When did you decide you needed more money, then got a raise? When did you decide to get a better job, and a great opportunity "appeared out of nowhere?" When did you want a new friend or lover, and you miraculously found one? Despite the odds being against you, when did you find the perfect place to live? When was there something wrong with your body, and it healed quicker than expected?The purpose of the Dream-Saver Fact Journal is to remind you that you have succeeded in the past, and therefore, you can triumph now. Your own irrefutable facts will refresh your awareness that you are lovable, talented and worthy!Also, look for examples in your life where you felt good. Did someone unexpectedly treat you to dinner or a movie? Did you raise the spirits of the grocery clerk who was having a tough day? Did someone call you out of the blue with the information you needed? Keep track of your daily experiences of friendship, kindness, compassion, courage and acknowledgement.Amass indisputable proof that verifies that you are supported when you follow your heart. Highlight actual events that demonstrate the rewards of expressing your authentic self in the world. Then review your achievements every time your energy and joy begin to wane. Make notes to remind yourself that you've been victorious in many situations. Solid evidence causes the boogey monster to lose its power over you.Move Past the ThreatsIn my own writing career, I repeatedly consult my Success Journal throughout my process of articulating the inner workings of life. Sometimes as I travel into uncharted territories of authentic expression, the ego roars, "They'll kill you if you say too much truth! or "They'll put you away because they think you're crazy." Popular variations of the same threat are, "You'll go insane if …" or "You'll be alone if …"or "You'll lose everything if …" Unless I take action to counter my ego, I'm stuck in an emotional muck hole and quickly losing sight of any way out.Dash the Dastardly DownersThe journal is my lifesaver and ally. This factual source about my life shows me I'm capable of continuing in the direction of my goals. My own clear and undeniable evidence proves that I won't die, get locked away, go crazy, be alone or lose what's important.Call the Bluff of the EgoBluffing is a primary skill of a successful poker player. Bluffing is a tactic the boogeyman has to employ since he never really holds the winning cards. When you accumulate a wealth of actual life experience to prove you've repeatedly reached your goals, you have a royal flush. You're holding the winning hand. So, when the ego monster appears, call its bluff! When the ego spins a yarn about how you "always lose," "get hurt," or "are going to die," pull out your ace in the hole: your journal of facts proving you have been able to create what you want in life.Soothe the Savage BeastThe next time you're looking for a boost in confidence, don't listen to your mind and emotions. These rascals frame your life in the worst possible light. Check your Dream-Saver Journal to remind you of the successful final outcome the last time your inaccurate mind and emotions were trying to invalidate you.When the boogeyman growls "Whoa!" when your heart whispers "Go," quell the objections of your ego with proof of your creative power. Silence your inner critic. Bore the brute to death with true stories of your worth. Eventually the bellowing monster will turn into a pip-squeak and stop undermining you.By reminding yourself of "just the facts," you'll quiet the mind and soothe the emotions so you can keep moving towards your dream.About The AuthorSulana Stone, life strategy coach, vision quest guide and animal communicator, assists people to discover and express their life purpose through private sessions and workshops. She provides hot tips and fresh articles for people who want more love in life, yearn for a more fulfilling job, or seek a purpose beyond the mundane in a FREE Prosperity Ezine at www.SedonaVisionQuest.com. Contact sulana@redvetteranch.com or 602.861.2631.
Keyword : inspiration,coaching,self improvement,counseling,goals,motivation,innovation,positive thinking

Your Inner Wisdom -- Crouching Ego, Hidden Guru

Author : Alexia Alderson Chamberlynn
Wouldn't it be nice if you had a spiritual counselor that traveled everywhere with you, answering all your questions and guiding you down the perfect path? Well, you do! Take a look in the mirror--it's you!Within each of us is our wise higher self, the part of us that connects our human self to our God self. God is everywhere, even in you, but sometimes the connection is forgotten. Our ego tells us that we are only human and that we are all alone. Our ego is loud and overbearing and tells us that we possess no wisdom of our own. Our ego often makes us feel bad or weak. We forget our divinity, our innate strength, power and knowledge. Our connection to a higher power becomes buried and hidden.To find the guru hidden within, you must learn to listen to your quiet voices and subtle feelings. Many of us have heard or felt this softer part of ourselves. Perhaps you heard this voice when you were driving and you decided to take a different route, and ended up avoiding a collision. Or maybe you had a felling about someone that turned out to be justified. In this busy world, we must learn to become still again and follow our guidance.One of the ways the higher self can be distinguished from the ego is that the higher self will never make you feel unworthy or weak. The message it brings will resonate with truth and love. Begin to be aware of all of your thoughts and feelings throughout the day. It takes perseverance to be attuned to everything that moves through you, but with practice you will gain control over your thoughts and emotions, and this is a splendid gift indeed. Post reminders to yourself to stop and become aware of your thoughts and feelings. Soon you will be able to do this without really stopping what you are doing. You will begin to hear the soft, peaceful whisper of your divine self.I also use a meditation to connect with the higher self. Plan some time to sit down in a quiet place and try the following. Take a breath into your chest, noticing the taste, smell and feel of the air. Take another breath like this, savoring the air as it brings life into your physical body. Next, take a deeper breath, this time inviting the air down into your belly, letting your belly swell outwards as far as it will go. Imagine now that the air is alive and sparkling and colorful. Notice what color it is, and see in your mind's eye the sparkling air come down your windpipe and into your belly, swirling and caressing you with unconditional love. Allow the breath to be released slowly.Take another deep belly breath, and this time imagine the sparkling light permeating every cell of your body. See it travel from your head to your toes, softly dancing. Notice any feelings you have in a particular part of your body. As you continue your conscious breathing, allow yourself to visualize the light spreading outwards beyond your body like a bubble. Continue this expanding until you feel it has expanded enough, then stop and simply allow yourself to feel the energy you have created. Now, in your head, say the following: Higher Self, please connect with my physical body so that I may hear your wisdom. I am ready to remember my divine power and purpose. Notice any reply you may receive or feelings you have. Spend another few moments feeling the energy you have created. If you desire, play with the energy, rolling it around different parts of your body, focusing it in certain places. Feel your power and feel love for all parts of yourself. Now, slowly come back into the room, taking all the time you need, with the knowledge that your Higher Self is now consciously present.If you are determined to become aware of your deeper thoughts, feelings and intuitions and consciously play with developing better listening skills, you will soon find that you feel more centered and connected to the powers that be. You will discover the wise and ever knowing guru within you, and remember that you are never ever alone! Look within yourself for answers and you will be surprised how talkative your higher self can be.Copyright 2004, Alexia Alderson ChamberlynnAlexia Alderson Chamberlynn is the Co-Owner of Prosperity Power Training, LLC, a national training company specializing in e-learning, life coaching and live group training. To contact Alexia or sign up for free services such as a Free 7-Day Training Program, free monthly newsletter and free quote-of-the-day club, visit the website at http://www.prosperitypowertraining.com

Alexia expects to release her first novel in 2005. Alexia lives in Florida with her son Gareth.
Keyword : wisdom, guidance, inner power, higher self, awareness, awakening, centered, connected

Smile! Banish Your Fear

Author : Petra Rankin
Changing our physiology is one of the best ways to change the
way we think and feel. Smiling (and I don't mean just a little
smile - a big grin will do!) has the ability to change how we
feel in an instant. Laughter too, is one of the best ways to
heal our mind and body, hence the proliferation of laughter
classes all around the world.If you consider this idea cute, but not worthwhile, here is an
example of how I cured panic attacks by changing my physiology
alone:For around eight years I had panic attacks almost every night
just before I went to sleep or if I woke up in the middle of
the night. They ranged from startle through to terror and
hyperventilation. I didn't think there was anything I could do
about it so I kept the problem to myself.I came across a technique however, which allowed me to
immediately calm down my emotions so that I could logically
dispute the fears that were keeping me awake.As soon as I experienced fear, I would relax my body, look up
at the ceiling (looking upwards has a different affect on our
body compared to looking down) and grin widely. I would not
stop grinning until the fear subsided. Sometimes the fear would
come back once I stopped grinning, and so I would just grin
again!The effect was powerful. While I was grinning (and it had to
stay a happy grin - not a grimace) I was completely unable to
feel the terror that would normally strike me.You don't need to be in a fearful situation to use this idea.
You can smile for no reason at all! Smiling is associated in
our minds with happiness, so the more we smile the better we
feel. And afterall, what is the point of all the things we do,
if not to ultimately create happiness?(C) Copyright Petra Rankin 2005Petra Rankin used powerful techniques to beat her own long-term
depression. She is now dedicated to teaching others how to be
happier and lead more successful lives. Her first book Fast Track
Your Success and Happiness is due to be launched in
September 2005 and is currently available for download as a free
e-book instead of paying $19.95. Limited time only!
Keyword : happiness, self improvement, self help, personal growth, success, relationships, life

Keep On Believing

Author : Saundra L. Washington
It has been said that a man is what he eats. Someone else said that a man is what he reads. Still another has said that a man is what he thinks. The proverbial writer said, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." What the editor is saying is that you are not only what you consume physically or what you conceptualize or internalize mentally, but you are also and foremost, what you believe in your heart.If you believe you can, then you can. If you believe you cannot, than you cannot. Everything we do from the simplest acts to the most complex tasks require we believe in ourselves and in our ability to perform. You may not have given it much thought, but before you can get out of bed, or lift a fork to your mouth or speak a word; before you can memorize a poem or drive a car or learn how to use the internet; before you can quit drinking or overeating or any other habit – you must first believe that you can and have enough faith to believe in God and in the power of Jesus to help you through. We are what we believe.You probably recall the story of the white man who sold ice in the black community. A young black man observed what the white man was doing and decided that he could go into business and do the same thing. He produced a quality product at a lower cost and even gave better service. Soon all the black folks were buying their ice from him – except one old lady. Try as he might, he just could not persuade the old lady to buy his ice. Finally, in exasperation, he asked her why she refused to give him her business. And she responded, "Son, it has nothing to do with you personally, but I believe the white man's ice is just a little bit better than yours." As long as we believe that other's ice is colder we will never achieve our goals.What we must realize is that there is power in belief and powerlessness in disbelief. Remember when Jesus went home to Nazareth? He did not perform any mighty acts there as He had in other towns. It wasn't because the power that had worked elsewhere would not work there; it was not because the people there did not need the healing power of Christ and it was not because Jesus doubted His own abilities. It was because of the people's disbelief.Abraham was a great man because he had a great faith. Scripture informs us that Abraham believed God. He did not kill any giants like David; he did not write any proverbs as Solomon did, he did not confront any pharaohs or dispense any laws as Moses did, he was not a learned scribe as Ezra or a great builder Like Nehemiah, but Abraham believed God. He did not have Samson's strength or Mordecai's political insight; he did not command the sun to stand still as Joshua did or defeat any armies as Gideon did. Abraham did not walk through the fire as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; he did not spend any time in a lion's den as Daniel did, but Abraham believed God. He did not dream any dreams like Joseph, see any visions like Ezekiel and he did not proclaim the Messiah's coming as did Isaiah or call forth fire from heaven as Elijah did. Abraham just believed God.If you are wondering how you can keep on believing when everything is turning against you. If you are wondering how you can go on when you can barely make ends meet. If you are wondering how you can hold your head up when your world is falling apart.I recommend you that you keep on believing in spite of your circumstances. Keep on believing in spite what people say or do. Keep on believing even when like Abraham, you do not know what is happening or why it is happening. God always has another ram in the bush for those who exercise faith in Him; those who love Him enough to believe Him in spite of everything and through it all.I am reminded of the story of a ship that was caught in a storm so fierce the passengers had to put on life jackets. One of the passengers scurrying around found a little boy sitting by himself and playing with a toy truck. He seemed totally oblivious of all that was going on around him. The concerned passenger ran up to him and said, "Son, you must put on your life jacket, we are in a terrible storm." The little boy looked up at the passenger and said, "Thank you sir, but I'm not worried because my daddy is the captain of the ship."Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org.

She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available in July.
Keyword : Abraham,faith,believe,God,belief

Everyone Has Been Hurt...Part 3

Author : Vaughn Pascal
Continued....When I turned 18 years old, I met a new guy, I actually went to school with him when we met. I dropped out of school my senior year, guess why?? Because he did and I thought he was cheating on me so I had to keep an eye on him. I was so stupid I did go and get my GED though, I am proud of that and thank God I did. I stayed with this guy for while. I got pregnant at 18.When I was 4 and half months along he beat me and threw me down and the baby died. I had went to the hospital because of cramping and bleeding and that was when I found out. That wasn't the first time he had hit me either. The first time was when he called me a slut because I was talking to a guy friend of mine, I slapped him when he called me the name and he turned around and slapped me back and busted my lip. But I had hit him first so I deserved it right? That is what I thought anyways. We had been arguing the time he beat me (when I found out about the baby), he just went off that day. After the first time it was not often but it gradually increased and became worse. He always begged me to come back. And he would cry and I had such a hard time at home I just wanted out of my house.I hated holidays when I used to love them. That was the times when my family would get together and I was picked out to be the center of attention. I was humiliated, called names, talked about, all in front of my face. Sometimes I would even be called slut and whore. They would say, "you will be pregnant by the time you are 16," well it was 18 but close enough. Glad I didn't disappoint anyone. Anyhow I stayed with him. I found out the baby had died on a Friday. I was supposed to go to the Dr. on Monday and get pills to help move the miscarriage along. That Monday morning on the way to the Dr.'s office, I started to get sick and I was having cramps, I joked that it felt like I was in labor because the pain would come and then suddenly stop and I had heard contractions were like that. As we sat there in the office it started getting worse and I told him if they didn't hurry we needed to go to the hospital because something was wrong.They finally called me back there and told me to get a urine sample. So I went into the bathroom, and as soon as I sat down the baby came out, and I freaked out I started screaming and yelling and the nurses came running, there was blood every where, and they took me back to a room and made me lie down. I laid there for what seemed like hours before the Dr. came in. I could feel the blood running up my back and I was so scared. She finally came in and said you had a boy and he is dead. She then had to call an ambulance because I had lost so much blood. I got to the ER and they did surgery and took care of me.Vaughn Pascal
Keyword : article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email

Resistance to Change

Author : Roy Klienwachter
All of us are resistant to change, whether it's in using a different tool, a technique a choice in partners, or lifestyle.The ones that resist the most have big labels like, orthodox, traditionalist, extremist. They are the defenders of the faith, of the known, and of the accepted.Some of the rest of us are followers, disciples, and supporters; we are the middleman, the ones that support the orthodox, the traditionalist and the extremist because after all without us what would these people be defending. We are the ones the cast the deciding vote for this group and the next group which are the leaders, the explorers and the visionaries.All of these people are grouped together on a small planet with intention, it didn't happen by accident. What we are doing is creating chaos, and what chaos does, is drive us to create order or make sense of what it is we are doing.In my day job, I am paired up with all of these kinds of people every day in their homes and I may spend as long as two hours in conversation with them.I always expend a few moments with them in casual talk before I move onto the reason for me being there. It often comes out that I am a writer and teacher. The reaction is always the same; they perk up as if in they are in the presence of someone famous. They will ask me if I have published any books and when I answer yes they are even more excited. Then they ask the more enlightening question, what do I write about? There are usually only two reactions to my answer. A sudden shift to the work at hand and why I am there in the first place, or they bring out their crosses and shove them in my face as a potential victim of a vampire would hold up the cross to the beast.There are very few that are interested enough to ask me what it is all about, which fits into my own personal policy very nicely of not giving unless asked. I write and I teach because I have a desire to learn about the subject. This is the very small group that I am interested in. It is those that want to learn and are ready to be open to new ideas that would benefit mostly from what I know. But the real benefited, is my self.Even in this small group, if one looks closely there is still something that each individual hangs onto dearly, even if it is only his or her name.The root cause for this resistance is fear; it is the ego that fears for its extinction. As a race of physical beings with awareness of self, we have become very comfortable in the illusion of time and space. Because in ignorance we fear that we have very little of either, we move to protect our beliefs and move in slow deliberate steps, that may take a lifetime or several to move us from one step to the next.I have heard it many times before as I am sure you have. "What if I am wrong," "what if I have lived my whole life believing something that is wrong?" "I can't start over now," it's too late!This is an extreme fear that freezes us in time and the fear is unfounded only in that it is born from ignorance or forgetfulness.The one really big aspect of the notion of "unconditional love," which is "unconditional freedom," that I cherish the most is that I know we have this freedom to come back lifetime after lifetime to screw up our lives as many times as we desire until we have found the will to break open the paper chains that we have bound ourselves and move to the next step in our personal spiritual growth. Life does not end at the cross, the cross is a bridge to a new awareness and is only a symbol of limited thought, which all symbols are.While I was in the kitchen just now making myself a cup of tea, I was reminded that this bid of enlightenment is meaningless, unless I give it some meaning. Spirituality or awareness is practical, you should be able to put a key into it and turn it on to work for you.Using this knowledge I am reminded that each and every morning when I go into work and have to listen to the boss ramble on, I resist his thoughts and think that he is not living in the real world and assume that what I am experiencing in the field is the real world. I remind myself that his thoughts have merit and I rationalize that what I have been doing is working and I just don't want to try these things. I know that my productively would increase, I just don't want it to for various reasons. The biggest reason is fear of success; fear that with success, the lifestyle that I have become accustomed to will change. I will loose my identity and will not be able to relate to this new person that I will become. Ego always fears for its own existence and it does not want to be left behind.Resistance is simply a slowing process, we all change whether we want to believe or like it. Resistance offers us time to adapt to new things and accept them and some of us move slower than others. Should one become aware of past and future lives, we are given reprieve from the urgency of change and resistance to it because we know that time does not exist and that we never loose our identity.We will collectively experience everything that is, all probabilities will be explored, and the fear that we now harbour will pass as we become aware of our immortality.The fact that all these different types of groups live together on the same planet brings chaos or movement to the planet which in turn brings change as we seek to bring order to our lives. Life is change, life cannot exist outside of change, and it is our differences that drive us forward to the next step in our evolution or awareness of that which we are. It is possible for us to be aware of change and move with it without experiencing this fear.Resistance is something that works for us within the model that each of us has of our world and our relationship to it. Awareness breaks down resistance and moves us forward, and for each of us in our own good time.Although I resist change myself in my physical life, spiritually I recognize that change is inevitable and I practice consideration for those that both live in the fear of change and for those that move on without me.I understand that those that I bring into my life represent opportunities for change and I bring them to me deliberately for purpose of change. I also know that I will not always recognize them as such. I know that opportunity always knocks more than once and that I live in choice and freedom that is unconditionally mine by my very nature as a spiritual human being. This is one area that flows easily from me without all the resistance. Symbols of resistance are acknowledgements for me that I can relate to and move past from awareness of their existence, and they do not need to be changed or ignored, but simply noticed as I would notice a turn in my path or a pothole in the road.Resistance may be a human condition, but it is also spiritual because that is what we are, and it has purpose.Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. A student of NLP, ordained minister, New Age Light Worker and Teacher. Roy has written and published five books on New Age wisdom. Roy's books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.You may not always agree with what he has to say. You will always come away with a new perspective and your thinking will never be the same.Roy's style is honest and comes straight from the heart without all the metaphorical mumble jumble and BS.Visit Roy at: http://www.klienwachter.com
Keyword : change, alternative, path, journey, enlightenment, awareness, manifesting, self doubt,

Synchronicity

Author : Robert Baird
It is hard to capture the synchronicity of this next post. I can only assure you that I was working on integrating these things for this book and this post from a healer came through in answer to my directed thought or intent-ional request. Intent is a vital element of magical operations. Here is my response to this post I believe helped me integrate these thoughts."HiYes, the energy lattices are most interesting.Last night I was writing about the homeopathic tincture that when diluted enough times has none of the actual original poison in it and yet that poison lattice or intelligence remains. There is some rudimentary consciousness, such as allows
the muons separated in deep mines at Sudbury to communicate, in all energy. It is affinitely connected across space and time as I have written about at great length before. I was discussing the Cyanide in peach pits that Laetrile utilizes, to be specific.Now I find this response including a sigil visualized in another dimension by a healer on this seldom used site. By your thought of healing and taking the negative energy of the sick person away from them and encasing it where that energy will not return you are doing something like Dr. Masaru Emoto has scientifically replicated with water crystals. Crystalline structural intelligence is a major part of the shaman's work throughout over more than a million years as I see it. In his work we find the crystals respond to music or thought and convey a range of emotions or beauty. Your thoughts are an evidence of synchronicity that helped me clarify my thoughts this morning. Integrating all these things is something I will now do."Author of Diverse Druids, Columnist for The ES Press Magazine, Guest 'expert' at World-Mysteries.com
Keyword : Affinity, Serendipity

Just Think of Kyle!

Author : Maria Wanza
This morning at 5:22am to 6am, I was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed is an understatement considering I am still crying and it's like 7:15am. I am at work typing away.Kyle Maynard is what overwhelmed me.Kyle is a congenital amputee. But that is not what is important. What is remarkable is that Kyle can do everything. Kyle is a wrestler, a model and motivational speaker. The guy is either 18 or 19 years of age. The greatest additional is that Kyle didn't grow up in an exceptionally rich home. He was like any other kid in a normal family. But this family had a great and still has a great attitude.As Larry King was interviewing him I couldn't help but cry. Look at this guy who can do more than most of us and yet he has no legs nor hands...I kept muttering to myself. I thought of all the things I have said I cannot do. Things I have told myself are too hard to do. How could I have an excuse? How can I look myself in the mirror and limit that person I see? If you haven't seen Kyle Maynard's interview on CNN please request for it. If you want a reason never to give up, just watch Kyle.It's one thing to hear good stories that cause us to go ahead and live out our dreams. But I promise you that it is entirely another thing to see someone push themselves to achieve beyond human imagination. I don't even know why they haven't done a movie on him.I learnt alot this morning about making it no matter what life throws at you. I learnt that God has made us stronger than we care to know. But one thing that the parents of Kyle said will stick with me for long. You know, Kyle used to be fed when he was growing up. Sometimes he used to fall on the stairs and of course someone would have to pick him up. But one day his parents realized we will not always be around him to help him. So they begun to allow him to figure out how to pick up or feed himself. And he did. Now a statement they made was this is kinda paraphrased, "We knew he had to learn to do things for himself because the world was not going to tailor things for him." Simply said he had to learn to make the best of what he had because no one was going to stop and make room for him.Today I wished I could take that program and take it to all the schools of the physically challenged in Kenya and to all who say they cannot make it.I made a promise to myself this morning as I watched Larry interview Kyle...LORD EVERYTIME I THINK I CAN'T DO SOMETHING, PLEASE REMIND ME OF KYLE.I am just overwhelmed. If you watch Kyle you will get up and do everything that is humanly possible to accomplish your goals. And for real, you will make it. Just think of Kyle...Writing has a way of encouraging other people. That's why I do it...
Keyword : Inspirational, uplifting

A Perspective on Life!

Author : Joseph Ghabi
All of our lives we always seem to direct our concern toward attempting to conclude our life path or destiny in this lifetime without really knowing or understanding what this means to us. In reality the importance lies not in trying to determine our life path or destiny, but, in effect of how much growth we accomplish within one lifetime. So you are not condemned if you make one or two mistakes from time to time! The importance in reality in the acceptance of the situation, then the understanding of what you've come to learn and move on in your life. At the end of that particular lifetime, it is measured if we succeeded to meet our intended life path and the relevance is in what amount of growth that we were capable of achieving in that lifetime.By putting less restriction and pressure on ourselves in concentrating less on our life path, we can allow different experiences and the people that come into our lives to bring us our growth. Rather than comparing their signs in horoscope, astrology or numerology with our own in order to determine if they are compatible with us or not, just appreciate and understand that you needed those experiences when they came to you, otherwise the people were not part of your life in the first place.In our human level, it is normal to push away certain experiences or people that we encounter in our lives, a common reaction out of a lack of security in ourselves. That is in reality the fear of the unknown in any situation that is not familiar to us. Think of it in that way. If we need the experience then that is enough reason to accept and learn to deal with it in the first place without questioning its impact or value in your life. Just accept it as part of your growth.Growth and our life path are not the same and we cannot look at them from the same perspective. Try to look at it from my point of view at the moment.Growth is defined in such a way that for the evolution of a soul, that soul requires the capacity to evolve under specific learning experiences in order to attain a higher level of wisdom, as well as being a companion to its fellow souls without placing judgment or by discriminating people for their skin color, religion or ethnic background.Our life path is a set of goals that we put to ourselves in an intended direction that should lead us to reach our highest possible level of growth. However, there is no such thing as one way or one direction that can lead us to our most desired life path. We can take any direction in life and always have use of our free will at our own discretion. It is important to remember that the direction will only determine the amount of growth that we accomplish from such a decision we took in our life when we do use our free will.As an example of that I am not sure if you watch "The Price is Right" on TV? When a contestant goes on stage and they have 3 doors in front of them to choose from, DOOR #1, DOOR #2 and DOOR #3. The contestant is exited about being there in the first place! When looking back at the audience to see his wife or her husband pointing with their finger at door1, 2 or 3, providing their opinion of what they think their partner should pick. Finally they decided on door #3!… It is here that you should understand what I discussed previously, in terms of the amount of growth we might achieve and under what circumstances it will occur. If that contestant choose DOOR #1 there was a car valued at 15,790$, behind DOOR #2 there a bed room furniture valued at 7,238$, and DOOR #3 there a cruise valued at 11,877$. As you can see, with which ever door you choose you are still going to win and have an experience with those prizes, yet, each one had a different feeling and value, but only in percentage. You might feel somewhat sad sometimes that you did not choose the door that your intuition was leading you to choose but at the end you still did not lose as you can see. As we can compare all of that into our life and whatever direction you choose to take is still right. The only change is the difference of experiences that each direction will bring us in return, and the amount of growth they provide for us. With that conclusion, regardless if our experience is good or bad, in either case it is still growth.As we can see there is no right or wrong here just learn to trust yourself and act upon whatever feels right for you. Never question it and avoid asking other people, relatives or a medium for an answer because you do hold your own answers inside of you. Just learn to trust yourself, even if you are in the worst situation of your life so far! There is always a way out when we apply our own determination and will into making the change. You are the master of your own destiny at the end.In reality our biggest fear in life is in accepting the necessity of making a change. Change brings an unfamiliar territory that we need to cross bringing the necessary people or situations that we need to let go of. Think about it and be honest with yourself in order to make your change valid and effective. The minute you take that leap into an unknown direction, people, situations and insight will start to fall into your lap from an unknown source. Why? Because you already took your decision to act and allowed space for change. From then on the universe will start to support you in whatever direction you plan to go on your next stage of the journey we call life.Cherish that life and just try to make the best of it and have a positive attitude about it. As it is now, I am writing these words to you regardless of what you choose to do with them. Our crossing has been met only by you reading my words and from there it is your choice for what you do with it. But the growth is as it is for you, as well as it is for me. This will bring me an opportunity to grow by learning to appreciate the chance for me to share my insight, wisdom and understanding with you. As you see there is always a win win situation here and we will never lose. Just learn to appreciate your chances to grow and enjoy your life in the process.Copyright © Joseph Ghabi
http://www.freespiritcentre.infoAbout the Author:Joseph Ghabi is an author, lecturer, and healer. Joseph provides Intuitive Numerology Consultation, Healing Childhood Experiences Consultation and PhD Candidate living in Montreal Canada.At the age of eight Joseph discovered his clairvoyance. Joseph is natural medium. Joseph started the 'Free Spirit Centre' website. A community centre devoted to personal growth, self help, soul growth, eating disorders, relationships, healing and human issues. You can find over 800 articles on the site.Joseph task is in bringing Souls back to realization of their own personal power and into alignment with their own soul purpose and path of evolution.
Keyword : life path, life, personal growth, self-help