Thoughts To Ponder #95

Eric Butterworth was Senior Minister of The Unity Center of New York City from 1961 to 2003. Eric was considered a legend and spiritual icon in the Unity Movement. We will never know the countless number of lives that have been changed by applying the Spiritual Principles taught by Eric Butterworth. The author of 16 best-selling books on metaphysical spiritual1697ity, a gifted theologian, philosopher, and lecturer, Eric was a highly respected pioneer and innovator of practical mysticism, whose life was dedicated to helping people to help themselves.

"Prosperity books use as examples tycoons such as Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie to illustrate how you too can become a millionaire. The fact is, these people did not set out to make money at all. In each case there was the sudden or progressive unfoldment of an idea, which in turn was translated into automobile plants and steel mills. The real substance that made it all possible was ideas. Ideas are the flowing forth into mind of the wealth of the Universe."

"In studying mathematics or simply using a mathematical principle, if we get the wrong answer in a sort of algebraic equation, we do not suddenly feel that there is an anti-mathematical principle that is luring us into the wrong answers.....Evil, and evil spirits, devils and devil possession, are the outgrowth of man's inadequate consciousness of God. We must avoid thinking of evil as a thing in itself-a force that works against man or, against God, if you will."

"The purpose of life is not acquisition but unfoldment and personal development."

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life." Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Recovery. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Ray Kroc

Thoughts of the Day

So often people get so caught up in their daily grind that they stop thinking, when they get home they try to de-stress, but they turn on their TV, the same one they have surrendered their mind too and let it flood information into their heads, most of which is completely irrelevant.

Well, it seems that; Ignorance, Arrogance aB68nd Complacency are nothing more than Precursors of Disaster, Devastation, Doom - doomed to repeat. Doomed, via the law of unintended consequences using the very definition of insanity they decry - I ask why?

And that my friends is my first thought of the day and the one that causes me to write this short article, so let's begin this daily monologue of thought. Perhaps if I take you through my thoughts from today, it might make you think and wake up your mind, maybe you might take it back from the smog of information or the flickering High Definition TV in that living room cave of yours?

A friend today mentioned that the Multi-National Corporate Conglomerate knows No boundaries and he is correct considering that our World is growing closer and closer together now. After all we live in a Global Market Place, there are good aspects to that as well as not so good issues, as well. He asked me;

Has the evolution of the multi-national corporation transcended all boundaries and societies to completely dominate and eliminate society's culture?

Well, I do not believe that multi-national branding has to delete culture, or regional flavor. Indeed, allowing for regional variation by companies helps them "sell more" and therefore they will succeed better when they do. In franchising (I am retired from the franchising industry) we always did, and we competed well.

Adaptation for specific markets is "good business" and it makes sense. Someday, who knows, a World Franchising System, could allow governments, nation-states to operate in similar monetary, trade markets using similar laws. Make the Whole World like the United States - or United Franchise System, so to speak. Then everyone would be on the same team.

The thought occurred to me that it could work, except during times when those in-charge were not working together, kind of like the UN or during Change Management. hat About Changing the Way We Think about How Business is Done? Is that possible? Today, I finished reading a book:

"Rewiring the Corporate Brain - Using the New Science to Rethink How We Structure and Lead Organizations" by Danah Zohar - 1997.

And although I am not a new age type thinker, with all the spiritual fluff, wrapped around a quantum physics reality like a religion, the author did make some good points. And to one of those points and addressing such scenarios as the authors of "Co-opetition" where the future has in store from us a different market place were companies communicate and cooperate for the common good of all, without attacking and worrying about the competition, but rather focusing on the customers.

Sure, that could work and it would work a lot better if the corporation and the employees got along too and focused on what is best for all concerned, sometimes this happens but usually not. We just saw t1BFhe UAW strike at GM and General Motors write down in the third quarter of 39 billion dollars. Then in the same Wall Street Journal issue we read that Chrysler Company laying off 12,000 right after negotiation with the UAW? All this while the Hollywood Writers Picket outside the Studios along side the Homeless - See the point?

Worker's Unions and Global Government Political Impasse are very similar and when one side blames another well, "5B4there you go again!" and it occurred to me that If You Name it - "When you name it, you own it and if you own it, it owns you." Lance 2007. Even the Teamster Truck Drivers are out to get more right at a time when US diesel prices are at the highest point in our nation's history and oil is hovering near $100 per barrel, thus teamster truck drivers are at least for now - No Friend to Logistics.

Right after de-regulation of the industry teamster drivers would run other independent truck drivers off the road. Hurting competition, raises prices for all of us, as it is like a tax on the over all society. Still, those truck drivers are Americans and now 750,000 truck drivers have joined the Truckers Mobile Watch Program as part of the American Trucking Association. So everything is not black and white, no one side is evil and no side is innocent - too bad they will not all work together in a common cause, because the efficiencies and economies of scale would be significant and add to the everyone's quality of life and standard of living.

But, how can you be sure as business person that you are hiring someone who will be a team player and not turn into a problem for your companies bottom line? You cannot tell by their resumes, which made me think about an article I read recently that stated; Long Resumes Becoming Popular. Is a resume that tells a story better to judge a potential team member?

In some companies, the employees a5B4re trained to do every job in the company and thus, if there is ever a problem or disruption, someone else can pick up the slack. If you will read the book; "The World on Time" by Fred Smith - the FEDEx story you will see this point. During the California Fires a helicopter spotted a small fire that was growing, but instead of landing to try to put it out, they were told not to risk it and return to base, the fire spread and destroyed several structures within the hour.

Should all emergency personnel be trained to do some of this fire-fighting, even if on a limited scale. What if we designed pick-up Truck Portable Fire Suppression Spray System Devices for the Forest Service, Rural Mountain Communities and Area Residents? It has been proposed that new mini-fire suppression units needed for USDA Forest Service workers in every vehicle. Could we get some of these devastating fires out before they grew to epic proportions, threatened property, lives and wipes out water supplies?

Or is such a concept simply impossible due to the bureaucracy out there? And if government does nothing very well, then why let them do very much? Should the bureaucracy hold fake news conferences, like FEMA did? Should the regulatory bodies of the Federal Government PR their every move to prove to the citizenry that they are doing something, even when they are not? Is the bureaucracy so big that it cannot get out of its own way? This had me ponde5B4ring the following questions, perhaps worthy of future titles for articles:

• Why the Justice Department's Industry Regulatory Bodies Fraudulently Deceive the Consumer and Citizen
• How Government Regulating Agencies Justify their Growth at the Expense of the Taxpayers
• How Corporations Use Small Businesses as Banks During Recessions and Down Turns in Their Sectors
• How the Government Allowed Corporations to Crush Small Businesses - Case Study in Labor
• How Government Regulating Agencies Justify their Growth at the Expense of the Taxpayers

Indeed, we need to fix this problem of government and if we do not we will drown in red tape, which is killing businesses both large and small. Do we need Regulation Reduction to Reduce Recession Risks - or is the recession inevitable, as this ship cannot be turned fast enough before it runs aground? Is there a way to stave off a recession of shallow out its effects on our economy, middle class, currency and employment? I think there is a way, which made me think of writing an article titled:

Recession Proofing a Nation Using Franchising, Small Business Solutions and Entrepreneurial Training

Maybe, I will write this article and position myself as The Portable Franchise Guru or something similar? What if we took such a concept and franchised it out to the world? Networks of net-centric syste5B4ms to help the world, develop micro-businesses and habitats? Maybe, a book needs to be written on this subject; "Low Cost Third World Village Systems - Wells, Power, Microloans, Shelters, Farming Tools - eBook Project"

If we do not do it now then who will do it? Will the next generation come up to the plate and hit a home run, or will we just have to work harder and live longer to do it ourselves, as Life Extension in BioTech Advances. That's great, but will we run out of money helping all the baby boomers grow old, instead of getting them to fix the problems they were assigned and failed to fix? Do we let them off the hook, as it is not a very pretty picture with Pensions, Social Security, Medical Insurance and In Home Care Personnel Shortages.

Still, I thought if the economy holds on then that will pay for the future funds to fix these issues. And yet everyone is debating about the so-called; Coming US Recession, rather than doing something to advert it. The Headlines seem obvious now, well at least to me? With CitiGroup, foreclosures soaring, GM 39 billion dollar charge off, Morgan Stanley questions, Chrysler cutting 12,000 jobs and rather weak economic numbers?

So what's the answer, we have too many outflows from our nation, we are borrowing too much and we have too much bureaucracy and being taken advantage of by preferred nation trading partners. Still, Capitalism with Protectionism decays society rather than Bui59lding it Up and I am no party pooper to capitalism, I believe in fair trade like any true5B4 economist would, still, what happened to fair trade, are we really getting a fair shake?

Some say things will get better and the economy is good, but with housing, construction, transportation and Auto all hurting and issues on the horizon with retail, how can anyone say things are rosy? Yes, I believe that consumer confidence is important and probably accounts for one-third of the game, to keep it going and we do not need any lower consumer confidence going into the Christmas Season, still I see that US Retailers are gearing down and conserving coming into the Christmas bend.

If that is not bad enough, we find that Al Qeada is plotting to attack Shopping Malls, stated an FBI official, who called the threat information credible. Top this with higher fuel prices definitely taking its toll on the consumer, and no more home-equity loan tricks for most consumers to pay off credit card debt and the US Automakers that make up retail economic sales figures and they are currently tanked, expected to remain low - one has to wonder about the economy.

Still, you know markets go up and they come down, industry sectors do their rotations and it is all in the ebb and flow of the river of monetary flow. I guess it is similar to the politics of this recent Water Bill that was vetoed and over-ridden only to be continued, as there is more to the story, before it gets fully funded and spent. The question thus goes back to corporate grow594th, can it go on for ever, always increasing its output and efficiency like Moore's Law or do we need to do a little tweaking on the way we do things?

Well, I need to get something to eat, it is nearly 10:00 am now and I have been busy thinking for over an hour. So, I will continue these thoughts of the day article later, but I hope you will enjoy these thoughts and that it gets you thinking too.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

Julia Cameron

The Need To Forgive Yourself

You can't make progress in personal growth until you learn to forgive yourself. Many of us replay our mistakes over and over, adding more self-criticism every time we do it. It's easy to turn a minor misstep into a major stumbling block.

As much as you'd like to be perfect, that's never going to happen. Human beings do make mistakes, and you're5B4 a member of that imperfect species.

Because your life will never be mistake-free, it's crucial that you forgive yourself when you do mess up. If you don't, you'll spend too much of your life in the past rather than in the present and future. Fear of making more mistakes will intimidate you in setting and achieving new goals. You won't grow.

You did the best you could

Personal growth is incremental. We become wise gradually, not all at once. Scolding yourself over mistakes assumes that you had all the knowledge and experience you needed to make a good decision, and often that's just not the case.

Even if you did have all the facts, other elements come into play, like emotional bias and acting too quickly. The mature view is that you did the best you could at the time.

Beating yourself up won't change the past. Instead, take a step back and try to objectively figure out what went wrong. Every mistake contains a lesson, but only if you can be calm enough to dig it out. Acknowledging that you did the best you could at the time takes blame out of the picture, and that makes it easier for you to come away with something worthwhile.

Learning requires an environment of forgiveness

Picture a kindergarten room in which children are learning the names of colors. Each time a child makes a mistake, the teacher smacks him or her on the hands with a ruler.

If you find tha28t action cruel and unacceptable, realize58C that you're doing the same kind of thing to yourself when you won't forgive yourself for your mistakes. We all know that a positive, supportive atmosphere is best for learning. You owe it to yourself to take that attitude toward your own errors.

Remember that you're the teacher as well as the student. When you forgive yourself for your mistakes, you'll motivate yourself to test new approaches and try again. Give yourself a pep talk when you stumble, instead of a chewing-out. Isn't that the kind of teacher you want?

Forgiving yourself helps you forgive others

Like you, everyone else is doing the best they can, too. Maybe their social skills aren't what they could be, but they're struggling as well.

We tend to be harsher on ourselves than we are on others, but why be harsh on anybody? If there's one thing people need, it's forgiveness. You'll just alienate them by pointing out their faults and shortcomings. Chances are they're already painfully aware of them anyway.

Forgiveness, compassion and respect build other people up. They'll build you up too, if you learn to show those qualities toward yourself.

How much and how quickly you grow depends on the way you treat yourself when you make a mistake. When you forgive yourself, you'll not only have more joy in your life, but you'll also see it overflowing into the lives of others.

If you're a single person, you can live a happy, confident, optimistic life using the proven principles in Jack Zavada's new ebook, Single & Sure

Caroline Myss

Self-Hypnosis Recordings to Gain Confidence

Self-hypnosis recordings are used to achieve many goals, especially those that are related to self improvement. As a technique to gain confidence, self-hypnosis has remained popular. But how effective are these recordings and how will they work to help people gain confidence?

Self-hypnosis Hypnosis is not considered nor accepted as a pure science, but it is widely practiced as an alternative form of treatment for a variety of psychiatric problems. It is also used to supplement the more traditional form of treatments such as medication and is often used as a way to manage pain, attain relaxation and yes, gain confidence. By using different techniques and when administered properly, self-hypnosis can become a valuable tool in personal growth.

Will self-hypnosis recordings help me gain confidence? Before you put your trust on self-hypnosis, first learn what the nature of this technique is. For one, self-hypnosis is mainly a tool to achieve a set goal. It is not an end in itself and whether or not it works will depend on different factors, all of which contribute to the success of a hypnosis therapy.

Second, self-hypnosis is notoriously dependent on its user. Certain individuals, for example, cannot be hypnotized not because they have some physiological anomaly in their person but because they do not have the tendency to believe or accept suggestions. That is not to say that people who use self-hypnosis are gullible. It's just that they are wired differently and are more willing to accept whatever it is that they so willingly volunteered themselves to do. So if you already prepared yourself to accept suggestions that you will gain confidence, then self-hypnosis will be of great use to you.

How are self-hypnosis recordings used to help people gain confidence? The goal of self-hypnosis is to allow you to attain contact with your own emotional life. Whatever behavior regression or pre-conceived notions you may have such as fear, phobias, anxiety and conflicts are brought out and eliminated or at least minimized, reducing their negative impact on your emotional life. The result, as all hypno-therapists hope, is a better and emotionally more stable you.

Self-hypnosis is a gradual process and beginners often undergo a series of basic techniques before moving forward to the more advanced techniques. Techniques also differ and whichever you use will depend on your own personal preference.

You will, though, encounter the techniques that are commonly used for self-confidence hypnosis sessions. One is the monotonous and repetitive use of verbal commands, another is the controlled breathing technique and still another is one that may use either or both music and imagery. Choose the technique that you are most comfortable in because that has more likelihood of working for you.

Can self-hypnosis recordings change my life for the better? While hypnosis has been practiced for thousands of years, its use is still clouded by plenty of misconception and misinterpretation. Do not cling to the hope that self-hypnosis will change your life. It won't. It's how you react to it and what you will do as a consequence of using it that will determine whether you will gain confidence or not. If you use if effectively, you can definitely benefit from the result of your sessions.

Is there any danger at all in using self-hypnosis recordings? Assuming that the self-hypnosis recordings you use are prepared by a qualified and trained professional, there should be little concern on your part. However, hypnosis has the ability to confuse, often allowing memory to combine with fantasy, producing a totally different and complicated version or persona altogether.

If you want to play it safe, go to a trained professional to ensure your safety and emotional well being. This is especially important if you're the kind of person who has more tendency to be accepting of suggestions. Otherwise, simply choose self-hypnosis recordings that are provided by professionals to help you gain the confidence you so richly deserve.

A caveat: self-hypnosis is not a cure-all and it will not solve all your problems. What it will do is to help you get in touch with yourself to find out how you can best solve a problem or react to a certain situation. As a way to gain confidence, self-hypnosis will only be effective if you yourself allow it to become.

For more complete information on self-hypnosis please go to: http://www.aperfectharmony.com http://www.a-1hypnosis.com/index.htm http://www.drnathaliefiset.com

Believeit

Why Would You Hurt Yourself Like This

Everybody knows that if you stick your hand in a fire you're going to be burned. This is a fact that was branded in our minds since childhood, therefore we usually take special precautions when dealing with fire. You wouldn't intentionally burn yourself because you are aware of the pain and discomfort it will cause you.

But what if I told you that you could be causing yourself and even more painful and deeper discomfort?

What I'm referring to is the pain and suffering caused by holding on to a unforgiving spirit.

A common misconception that people believe is they have a right to be unforgiving based on the amount of pain that was caused to them. Also since they feel alot of pain every time they think about what happened it's only logical to hold on to that resentment.

It seems right not to accept the guilty parties apology and sometimes they never apologize, but I'm here to tell you today that forgiveness is for you not them! It's so you can move on with your life and not dwell in the past on things that are not E5Epraiseworthy.

Holding on to unforgiveness is very painful to the unforgiving person and alot of times causes you to experience sleeplessness and stress which in turn could make you sick.

In addition it makes you meditate on angry thoughts toward the person who did you wrong which could lead to hatred.

Hebrew 12:14 "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."

Beyond a shadow of doubt, our spiritual enemy, the devil, will try to get us into a state of unforgiveness so that he can have an advantage in our life.

He will remind us of past hurts that occurred months, weeks or even years ago, if that will work for him. What he is trying to do is to get us to ponder them long enough so that we will act out on them. To "resist" these thoughts is to resist the devil.

I know first hand from my own personal experiences that the above statements are true and terrible, but the worst part of all is that unforgiveness keeps the all mighty, all knowing, all powerful, most high God from forgiving you!

In Matthew 18:21-35 The man who received personal forgiveness but refused to forgive the man who owed him a mere "hundred denarii's," was labeled a "wicked servant" because he was forgiven his debt which was far more than the debt he refused to forgive.

The power of forgiveness is immeasurable. It is a power that Jesus used often and even delegated to his followers.

Luke 17:3-4 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying I repent, you shall forgive him".

God loves us very much and is very forgiving, even when we make mistakes. God gives us chances to work on our behavior and be the best we can be. When you pray, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

Matthew 6.14-15 "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

In conclusion, to be unforgiving is to: anger God (Mt. 18:34), to give the devil an advantage in your life (2 Cor. 2:10,11), to conform to this wicked generation (2 Tim. 3:3), not to walk in love (1 Cor. 13:5), to stop God from forgiving you (Mt. 6:14,15) and to negate your own salvation (Mt. 18:32,34,35;).

David Hopkins is a "Christian Article Writer" who specializes in helping people remember to glorify God in everything that they do, so they don't miss out on any of His wonderful blessings.

Visit Daily Word Of God Group to read additional articles and to sign-up for a free newsletter to learn everything you need to know about why you should be putting God #1 in your life.

Spiritual Thoughts

Techniques in Building Courage for Improving Self Esteem

Building courage is the very first part to improving your self-esteem. When you build up your courage, it also helps you in expanding your mind. You are more likley to take risks that will guide you to an important positive future, where if you ordinary would not challenge yourself. Fear will fall way behind you when you build up your courage level.

All Courage is taking a hold of and admitting your most important fears. But, if you take measures to discover many new ideas it will help you to defeat these important fears. You must not allow your fears to take control of your life, you must gain as much courage as possible to master all of your fears.

being Scared is acceptable from time to time. When you see a flying object heading in your direction, you develop a positive fear that tells you to move out of the way. Healthy and positive fear is also respect. This is a very good thing.

Improving your courage will help you learn to control your life effectively. You will learn new ways to take all responsible actions and accept rewards and consequences. Courageous people will often admit blame and account for, while going over his or her actions and then by using what they have learned from it. Courageous people step up to the plate, rather than jump back at what time all opportunities arrive. Courageous people will step back while taking a closer look at all of their mistakes and accept them no matter what.

At times, a courageous person will feel spontaneous. Sometimes all of your planning will lead to failure, thus you just have to certain things without any planning sometimes. Not one person can explain what happens in the future. You may plan to go to the park on Sunday. then all at once, on the day your going to the park it rains, thunder, tornado, lightning, windstorm, or anything may ruin your plans. When you plan, you failed to plan for the weather or the weather report changed without you knowing about it. This causes you to make another plan to fill in the spots from your original plans. So, you can see that planning sometimes is not in the best interest. But, courageous individuals that are aware of this sometimes take spontaneous and decisive actions.

People with willing souls are ready to make improvements in their overall lives will learn to take control and relax. These individuals will feel so relaxed even when their plans fall apart. Lets say, it rained very hard the following day a person made plans to play soccer. Rather than letting the storm cause them to become down and depressed, this individual will move to find something else exciting and fun to do. In addition, he will enjoy doing what he does because he or she will not let anything ruin there day.

A truly successful individual will make improvements their life and have a positive attitude to learn how to trust all of their own decision making. When this person puts trust in who they are, they learn to trust other individuals also. Trust is something you'll find very difficult to obtain in a world of lies and corruption. But, someone out to improve their self-esteem will see past all of the bad and lies of the world and move forward a positive situation that will bring them happiness.

People can improve your life by making your mind creative. When you use your creative mind, you can create new and exciting ideas that will lead you to improve your self-esteem. Your computer along with many other choices can give you many different options.

But, you must be willing to put forth the effort to find these resources. You may feel intimidated at times. but this is normal. And if you are willing to take these situations with an open mind, you will find it easier to improve your self-esteem.

When your self-esteem is low, its very hard to get through the day. With every day you feel like this, it becomes more stressful than you can bear. Yet, if you are willing to let go of your stress and accept the situation, you will find your way in life to be much easier with fewer hassles. And, you want to relieve your mind of negative and depressed thoughts

Author: G.Wadel Find Out More On All Your Self Help Questions. http://my--self--improvement.blogspot.com

Greeks And Persians

Communication Steps to Keep Your Personal Power

These 4 steps, if practiced to the point of being second-nature, will bring you to a whole new level of effectiveness in all your interpersonal relationships.

This article (Part 2) provides some practical application, but first, a review from Part 1 of "Personal Power: 4 Communication Steps to Get It and Keep It":

INFORM: In a neutral tone of voice, simply reflect back to the person what they are doing. "Do you realize that you are late?" "Do you realize that you are shouting?"

REQUEST: You make a simple, calm request for them to stop the behavior. "I ask that you be on time." "I request that you stop shouting."

INSIST: You insist that the person stop. (It would be unusual to get to this level. Most people respond to either step one or two.)

LEAVE: If the person still has not responded to your reasonable statements and requests, you may have to leave the room, or perhaps leave the relationship.

The really great thing about this communication model is that when you do step one Inform, you are giving the other person a graceful exit. Most people are well-meaning, and do not want to hurt or offend, and simply may not realize that1056 their behavior or statements have the effect they have. So, by you saying in a neutral Do you realize that (whatever), they have the opportunity to apologize, learn your boundary without being threatened, and move on to a healthy conversation and relationship.

REAL LIFE APPLICATION:
I once I saw these steps executed expertly by a friend and colleague of mine at work. We had a boss who was extremely disrespectful, and out of control, and who would launch into personal attacks on a whim.

One day, my friend demonstrated all four of these steps with amazing calm. When the boss raised his voice and began to shout, she simply said

Do you realize that you are yelling?.

She repeated this a few times before moving on to step two.

I ask you to stop yelling at me.

He kept on. She responded with something like

I must insist that you stop yelling at me or I will have to leave the room.

He didnt stop, and she left. He was baffled! Did it change his behavior? Unfortunately, in this case it did not. But, my friend kept her sense of self, pride, and her power. Plus, she earned the respect of every single person who was in that meeting. I will never forget it.

POTENTIAL REAL LIFE SCENARIO:
How about the friend who is habitually late when you agree to meet for lunch. You can start by saying

Do you realize that you are 20 minutes late?

If they continue in this habit, say

I ask that you not be late when we are scheduled to meet.

If this is still not enough to promote a behavior change, then the next time,

I insist that you meet me on time, or I will leave the restaurant.

Next time theyre late - leave. The friend will arrive late, and be surprised that you have actually followed through, and were able to articulate each of these phases of the model with such calm, unemotional, clear, self-respecting aplomb.

Beware! Our natural tendency is to skip over steps 1 and 2 and go right for 3 and 4 and by that time, we are usually not able to keep the neutral tone of voice.

OK, time to practice.

List the people in your life who are crossing your boundaries and write down a simple sentence to inform them. For example, Julie, do you realize that you are usually several minutes late for our lunch meeting? Or Bob, do you realize that you interrupt me frequently when I am speaking?

Dont make any requests at this point. This is new territory for both you and those in your life. You have allowed them to cross your boundary for a long time, so give them a few chances to get it.

Practice, practice, practice saying them in a neutral tone. As you get comfortable with these 4 steps, you will become the queen (or king!) of good communication and boundary-setting. You'll earn the respect of others, self-respect, and healthier relationships than ever before!

Visit LifeHouse Coaching and sign up to receive more f*r*e*e* weekly tips in "Blueprints for a Dream Life." Edi Sowers works with professional women who face the challenge of balancing personal and professional priorities.

Removing the Possibility of Failure

Change Your Life From Ordinary to Extraordinary

Do you feel like you are spinning your wheels?
Do you have a business or personal goal that seems unreachable?
Is your life is way off kilter?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, here are few tips for you.

Spinning Your Wheels

If you are stuck in the muck of an ordinary life, do yourself a favor and come to terms with what is truly interesting and important to you. For me, it's always a list. Then ask yourself how much time you're spending doing the things that are no longer of any interest to you. Start eliminating the tasks, roles and events in your life that no longer fit. This process allows you to make time for the projects and hobbies you've missed due to your prior commitments. Spring is the perfect time for renewal.

Audacious Goals

Map out an outline to reach your seemingly unreachable goal. The only way to "eat an elephant" is one bite at a time. Consider reaching out to a trusted mentor who has already accomplished a similar plan. You might find working with a professional coach as an accountability partner helpful. One you've determined the steps you need to take to reach your goal, add a critical path time-line (start with your goal date and work backwards) to your calendar. These steps will help you become accountable for every bite. Before you know it, your audacious goal will start to materialize and PRESTO... Big Audacious goal accomplished.

Well-Balanced Living

Part of being alive is wearing many hats. We are parents, spouses, friends, entrepreneurs, employees, siblings, sons and daughters. Discovering the right balance of family, work, spirituality, fitness, education and more can be daunting if you don't know where to start. I've found the best way to tackle life balance is to be honest with yourself and identify the areas in your life that are suffering. One recommendation is taking time to assess your life. Make a list of all of the areas that make up your world, then rate each area on a scale of 1 to 10. The higher number reflecting the areas where you spend most of your time. In a matter of minutes you will discover the areas in your life that may be out of whack. Once you know where the deficits are you can start to rearrange your priorities. Once you've rearranged your priorities you are taking a big step on the path of true balance.

Shann Vander Leek is a life balance coach. Vander Leek is an excellent communicator with a positive attitude. Her personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in accomplishing personal and professional challenges. Shann Vander Leek is the founder of True Balance Life Coaching and is accredited by the Coach Training Alliance. Visit http://www.truebalancelifecoaching.com today for a complimentary coaching session. Check out Shann's blog - The Path of True Balance at http://www.truebalancelifecoaching.blogspot.com

Norman Vincent Peale

Creating Money Beyond Belief

I grew up in an environment of lack. At the tender age of 5, I remembered watching my mother looking all over the house and under the sofa set in our small living room for a five cent coin to pay the vegetable vendor - vegetables that she had wanted to buy to cook our dinner. She didnt find the five cent but the kind vegetable vendor gave her the vegetables anyway.

To save money, I always packed my food to school. This way, I dont need to buy from the school canteen. Most time it was just two slices of bread and a bottle of water.

For a long time I grew up believing that I have to work hard to become rich and that this was the only way to achieve wealth. That was what my parents taught me because that was what they believe in.

So I grew up with a lot of limiting beliefs about moneyFA5. I believe that

* most rich people become rich at the expense of the poor
* money is the root of all evils
* receiving money for helping people is sinful
* I dont deserve to be rich
* being rich is bad
* poor people are more honest than rich people
* poor people are more spiritual
* and many more

Then one day I chance upon a book. In it was the statement below:

Whether you believe it or not, its true.

The statement at first did not strike me as particularly special but somehow it stuck in my mind. Then one fine day, it clicked!

Of course!

All these while Ive been struggling with money, or the lack of it, because deep down inside my subconscious mind I believe that money is bad and since I am good, I should not have too much money. The powerful subconscious mind gives you exactly what you believe in.

I know that by changing my beliefs in money I could change my life from one of lack to one of abundance, but knowing is one thing and doing it is another thing altogether.

Old habits die hard. There was a lot of resistance to changing the old beliefs. Despite putting in all the positive affirmations about money and using subliminal messages, it was still a painstakingly slow process of change - but change it did.

I also learned meditation and learned to become more mindful of my thoughts so that I can delibrately allow only positive thoughts into my subconscious mind. Again, meditation requires lots of patience and discipline, but the fruits of the effort is well worth it. As I purify my mind more and more, I find that not only was I creating more opportunities for wealth into my life, I was also attracting a lot of good people and company as well.

Today, I do not worry about money.

I know I will not be lacking it. The universal law of abundance flows freely into my being and my life as I continue to practice generosity and gratitude towards others.

Wealth and spirituality are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are one and the same. A person who truly understand the universal laws knows that he or she is a spiritual being that is complete and whole, lacking nothing. That is our nature - unconditional love, joy and abundance. Only when we doubt our true nature does fear of lack creep into our lives. In the presence of fear, we create resistance to the flow of abundance into our lives. Have faith in your wholeness and the universe will provide - without fail.

You can choose to believe in unconditional love, joy and abundance or you can choose to believe otherwise. Whichever you choose, youll be right!

Dr. Tim Ong is a medical doctor who runs his own busy medical practice. In his free time, he enjoys giving public talks, teaching meditation and offering his service to hospice work in the community. He is the webmaster of The Self Improvement Site and Mind Science Info. He is also giving away his personal collection of life transforming ebooks at Book of Transformation.

Ray Kroc

Thoughts To Ponder #29

"Love is not a matter of what happens in life. It's a matter of what's happening in your heart." --Ken Keyes

"Love is just a feeling of togetherness and openness in your heart." --Ken Keyes

"Love means tearing down the separateness and the boundaries between your heart feelings and another person." --Ken Keyes

"Love everyone unconditionally, including yourself." -Ken Keyes, Jr

"Love wasn't put in your heart to stay. Love isn't love until you give it away." --Michael W. Smith

"You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running ac8C6ross fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip." --Jonathan Carroll

"Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous; and it pricks like thorns." --William Shakespeare

"Real love is simply accepting another person. Completely and unconditionally. Russ Von Hoelscher. When you fail to get the love of the person you cared for, you put your beautiful loving feelings back in your pocket and get on with your life." - Source Unknown

"Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love." --Erich Fromm

"To make other people the source of your love is to live your life as a complete emotional dependent, always moments from deep depression due to the words or actions of another." -Russ Von Hoelscher

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life." Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Recovery. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Julia Cameron

The Parthenon Principle

Have you seen a picture of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece? I will never forget walking up to the massive granite ruins. The size and power still remaining in a building constructed 2500 years ago is overwhelming!

Although the roof lies on the ground, in pieces, most of the columns that supported it are in place. There are a lot of columns!

I think of the Parthenons roof often. If its roof had not been supported by all those columns it never would have lasted as long as it did. By any standards, it lasted a long time.

I have a roof, which shelters my family and I call it a financial or revenue roof. It provides for all our basic needs. Revenue or income also emotionally supports us, and provides the extras we enjoy in our lives.

I do not want my roof to fall in. My Parthenon Principle is to support this financial roof with as many columns as possible. If one column of income collapses (and they always do) there are others to take the weight so that the complete revenue structure will not crash on our heads.

Another way to look at this is - do you have all your eggs in one basket? Is your entire income dependant on one source? What would happen to you if that source disappeared?

Last month, I lost my largest corporate client. It happens. This client had grown over the last five years, slowly utilizing more of my services and representing over eighty percent of our revenue.

I had let it get disproportional large. Fortunately, we were prepared with backups, and other 'standby' pillars of revenue, ready to be rushed in, to support the revenue roof.

Think about your income and revenue, and prepare for worst case scenarios. Make the choice today to support your revenue roof, and your income streams by using the Parthenon Principle.

1. Build an emergency fund of at least three months of expenses. Not only will this fund provide emergency support if needed, you will have a sense of financial freedom just knowing it is there. Think of it as a spare column for your roof. You might not need it, but it feels good having it!

2. Consider additional sources of income. Can you create something to sell? Is there somewhere you can add on part time work, doing something you enjoy, which would provide you with added income? Even a small amount of money will build a financial reserve, and give you an income if your primary source fails.

3. Eliminate your debt as much as possible. You can manage without income far longer if there are no monthly payments to be mailed.

Think Parthenon Principle!

Your online friend and Coach,

Miami Phillips
Helping others find their path - and stay on it.
www.creativemasterminds.com

Quotation of the Week

"Failure to prepare is preparing to fail." Mike Murdock

About The Author

Miami Phillips is an ANSIR Certified Personal Coach and the founder of Creative MasterMinds who believes personal growth is an essential ingredient to being happy and contributing to this world. While his main focus is affordable personal and business coaching, he also offers motivational teleclasses, ebooks, reading recommendations and much more. To find out more visit his site at http://www.creativemasterminds.com or send him an email at coach@creativemasterminds.com

Ray Kroc

How A Coach Can Use The Enneagram As A Personal Development Tool

The Enneagram is a powerful personality typing system can be used as a personal development system, and also as a powerful tool for working with your coaching clients at a deeper level.

It divides the human ego into 9 distinct personality types, 3 different ways of taking in the world (heart, mind and2238 body), and 3 different subtypes (social, 1-on-1, and self preservation) that describe how we interact with the world and others.

If you are a coach that wants to help your clients transform their lives, then you will need to help your clients go deeper into themselves. Together, you'll need to explore their hidden assumptions, belief structures, and ways in which they react to the world.

As you're helping them do this self exploration, you're sometimes a step in front of them, leading, and sometimes you're a step behind them, following. You are always encouraging, holding space, and being present with them as they go in deeper and deeper. It's a fine dance.

As their coach, you can help them take the next more easily by building trust. You want to give your client the experience of being deeply seen, heard, and understood. To help them take the next step into themselves, you want to develop the skill of seeing deeply into their world. You can then be their guide as someone who's been there and knows what to look for. Together you'll explore their deeper reaches.

One of the greatest gifts of the Enneagram is how it provides a precise map of that interior territory - of the hidden beliefs, spaces, and places they haven't explored.

With the insights provided by the Enneagram, you can talk with them about their internal experience in words they've never even used before. It enables you to put a framework around what's happening inside their bodies, minds and emotions, and allows them to experience themselves in a new way.

It lets you know what's going on inside them, and this is huge.

Your clients relax. They go, "Wow. Thank you for seeing me so deeply. Thank you for holding me with so much compassion. You see me. You know me. You validate me. Now I can open to you. Now I'll let go of my old beliefs and my version of the truth and step with you."

The Enneagram is a system that allows you to see into the pain, the agony, the suffering - and the grandeur and the bigness and the light and the greatness - of each of your clients. Bringing this to your clients is huge!

As an example, let's study just one of the nine types. Type 2 on the Enneagram is called The Giver. They tend to help other people and lose themselves in other people's needs. They can easily give their power away and lose their own agenda. What they want, where their strengths are, who they are - all this gets lost in helping and serving others.

This can lead to problems for Type 2's in leadership and management positions. Because they are focused on pleasing and helping other people, and they may have a dozen or more people reporting to them, they can create unrealistic - and unnecessary - demands on their time and energy.

A common response from Type 2's is, "I find myself constantly going out and wanting to please, help, and give myself to other people. And I get so lost. I can't find myself in it."

One of the ways of working with a Type 2 is to help them uncover the belief they must give to get. We want to help them see this unconscious pattern they use as a way to get others to like and appreciate them.

Almost everybody can get edgy about seeing their shadow side. A Type 2 will resist seeing this side of them until they trust you. But once we bring it out of the dark and into the light, once we demystify it, they'll likely go, "Wow, so that's what's going on!"

Then the coach we can start to work with it. Now they can challenge those assumptions, get underneath it, and enable their client to let it go. They can release it and open the door to move into other ways of being.

As a Type 2 comes out of their story, their whole life changes. They start to take care of themselves and embody their own self worth. They learn to set limits and boundaries. They relax into being okay going after their own goals and dreams. They gain the self-empowerment and conviction to hold themselves accountable, and can look in the mirror and say, "I matter."

Once this happens, all their relationships will likely transform - in both their personal and work lives.

Transformational coaching can impact all areas of a person's life. When people transform, their worlds change. And then you get that "Thank you." As a coach, you receive the appreciation and warmth that comes from having such a deep impact on a person's life.

And this can be a powerful driver of your business's growth. They tell their friends about you, who then call and ask, "Will you coach me? I have this thing I'm trying to work through. I want to hire you."

As coaches, we like being able to charge what we're worth. We like being able to help people transform - and make good money doing it.

This article was co-written by author Doug Greene and Enneagram Coach Benjamin Saltzman. Doug's work has appeared in numerous publications including the NY Time, LA Times, American Counselor, and others. Benjamin is a business, life and relationship coach who also teaches other coaches how to use it through seminars and information products. For a free report about coaching with the Enneagram, and a 7-part audio series on transformational coaching, visit the TheUltimateCoachingTool.com

Julia Cameron

Dealing with Manipulative People

At some point in our lives we have all run across manipulative people. Perhaps it was a friend, relative, salesperson, coworker, supervisor, customer, tenant, or casual acquaintance. Perhaps we did not even recognize it as they manipulated the facts or situation to their benefit, or perhaps we did see it but were helpless to counter their behavior.

The motivation for the manipulator can be varied. Some see manipulation as a way to get what they want in life. They feel that by controlling other people's thoughts and actions they can also control the agenda. They look at manipulation as a way to deflect attention from their own inadequacies.

These individuals have insecurity in their own ability or have failed to properly execute tasks to which they were responsible. They manipulate the situation by calling attention to problems in other areas so that the troubles in their areas are overlooked. Still other manipulators are factual manipulators.

They take statistics or number to paint a picture to arrive at a conclusion they may believe is right, even though it is very wrong. In many cases these manipulators are passive and unaware of their error until it is pointed out to them, but by that time they have committed to the incorrect conclusion and will defend it rather than to admit the mistake.

In his book, In Sheep's Clothing, Dr. George Simon states that all of us have used manipulation at some point in our lives. But he insists that does not make us all manipulators. He cites manipulators as those that habitually and aggressively manipulate. According to Simon, "The tactics of deceit, manipulation and control are a steady diet for covert-aggressive personality. It's the way they prefer to deal with others and to get the things they want in life."

The key to working with manipulators is to recognize their behavior and deal with it. Robert Bacal, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dealing with Difficult People says the critical message is "it isn't going to happen with me." The manipulator seeks those that they control and you have to position yourself away from the target of their behavior through the proper actions early in their game.

Rick Weaver is an accomplished business executive with a wealth of experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain enhancement, project management, team building, and process improvement. Building on a strong retail background, Rick moved to full supply-chain involvement, working with hundreds of companies to improve sales, processes, and bottom-line results.

As Rick's interaction in varied industries expanded, he became troubled as he increasingly noticed that people and companies had untapped or unfocused talent. Coupled with Ricks passion for training and development, popular style of interactive workshops and seminars, and strong desire for continuous improvement, he founded Max Impact Corporation to be singularly focused on helping individuals and organizations achieve high performance.

Rick is a popular speaker at seminars, workshops, and conferences. He has spoken in 43 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and in Canada and Puerto Rico. He is available to speak at groups of all sizes.

Contact Rick at 248-802-6138 or rick

Jim Henson

Riding Your Horse Away From His Buddies

Horses are herd animals and those instincts often fall into place in other places such as an arena or trail ride. These are also the times when you generally need the horse to be more independent and do what you ask. These herd instincts often lead to fights either on the rail or on the trail, but in order to find the root of the problem, it is important to look at things from the horses point of view.

The horse has a reason for everything he does. It is up to the rider to find what those reasons are. If the horse is scared, then you will want to help him to relax and calm down before you head off in a different direction. If he just wants to go somewhere else because he feels like it, then you will want to treat him differently and tell him where you want to go. This might end up in a small fight, but he may just be acting stubborn. The rider should be able to feel the situation and feel what they should do next. If the horse is truly scared, then you may want to begin with baby steps.

The baby step horse is the one we will discuss. You will want to ride your horse with a friend, assuming that their horse does not have this problem, and you will want to gradually begin suggesting to the horse that you want to veer away for a little bit. All you are doing is suggesting, maybe applying a little rein direction or leg. He may not respond immediately but any pressure you apply for a different direction will make him think about moving that way. As soon as he gives the slightest effort, remove the pressure and relax. He will probably continue staying near the other horse, so you will want to suggest your way again. The key is to get him to understand that there is only pressure when he is with the other horse. As soon as he realizes he wont be pressured if he goes your way, he will decide to go your way.

The hardest part of this training is that you must have a feel for your horse. Many people have problems developing and finding this feel and getting the proper timing on relieving pressure. The horse will provide you with little signs he is thinking of going your way, these signs might be as simple as his ears moving in that direction or taking a slight step in that direction. For example, if you are riding along with a friend and you decide that you want to veer off to the right and away from that horse, you will apply rein pressure and the horse will give you a sign that he is thinking of that direction by turning his head slightly to the right. When you see this sign and that is the way you want to go, relieve the pressure immediately. The sooner you are able to relieve the pressure, the more willing the horse will be to move in your direction.

This process is especially useful in young horses and colts that have just been started. They are more in tune with the rider and the rider will need a greater amount of feel. Many older horses have often begun to ignore many cues from the rider, as many times you mistakenly cue your horse when riding and they learn to basically tune you out. Young colts are not like that and they are very sensitive to everything you tell them. You may not necessarily want to focus on setting this as a goal, but you may choose to practice it with your horse over a short amount of time. The horse will soon begin to understand and will gradually become more willing to go where you want to go rather than staying with his buddies.

Some horses will take more effort than others and they may need a little more convincing. Many times you may also need to pay really close attention to what you are doing, and your horse will be more willing to respond. The key is finding a feel for your horse so that you will be able to see or feel what he is about to do. Many horses may give you very subtle cues such as twitching an ear in that direction, while others will turn their whole head. Colts can be even subtler and you may have to rely on your feel of the horse in order to feel which direction he is going to go. These methods will work whether you ride English or Western and can be easy training procedures that can be used on the trail. Anytime you have an opportunity to test your horse and teach him something new, you should take advantage of it.

Ron Petracek is the current article director for a rapidly growing equine social network community. He was raised in Southern Idaho with a beautiful jet black morgan as his adventure companion, and the Snake River within a easy ride. Horses and the outdoors are a solid part of his life. For more great information and FREE equine classfieds! Everything from horses to trailers & tack please visit. http://www.theequineyard.com

If you would like to help other learn more about horses than visit our beautiful and friendly equine forum http://www.horsechitchat.com

Alpha And The Omega

The Power Of Performance Feedback

We all receive some sort of feedback in our lives, on or off the job, everyday. How we receive it, however is an extremely important adaptive skill; our success at this skill seems to be linked to our past experiences. If such an experience was painful or humiliating for us in the past, we are likely to resent receiving feedback. In contrast, if we felt a certain amount of acceptance along with criticism in the past, we will tend to be less anxious and defensive about the process. It's through feedback that we can "see ourselves as others see us."

Feedback is the lifeblood of performance in the workplace. According to research, providing feedback is an effective way to motivate employees to learn in training and increase the effectiveness of goal setting. With some tasks feedback occurs naturally. For example, in baseball, a batter receives feedback on his swing by seeing how hard and far the ball travels. For other tasks, however, judging the correctness of a behavior without feedback is difficult. For example, you complete a project for you boss and he grunts at you or worse yet, never comments on the quality of the project, leaving you to wonder if you are meeting the companys expectations. Feedback is so important that it can have a profound positive effect on job satisfaction and reduce turnover.

A final consideration for feedback concerns what type to give. Research and common sense agree that positive feedback should be given when tasks are performed correctly. Praise provides an incentive to continue correct behavior. To be most effective, negative feedback should be delivered by focusing on the behavior and should be accompanied by specific suggestions for how the individual can improve performance.

Because of the importance of feedback in the workplace, the process is likely to have some psychological and emotional effects on the person receiving the feedback. A balance must be maintained between giving too little and too much feedback. An individual will not learn if too little feedback is given. However, too much or overly detailed feedback causes frustration, slowing down the learning process.

Feedback is constructive when it is given with the goal of encouraging and reinforcing positive behavior. For feedback to be effective, it must be given when individuals do things properly, not just when they make mistakes. Here are some tips for effective feedback.

- Identify the behavior and focus on it rather than the person's personality. For example, if someone is often late for work, you might say, "In the past two weeks you have been late 6 times" rather than "We are tired of your lack of responsibility and commitment to your job."

- Explain how the behavior is impacting others. For example, "When you arrive 10 minutes late, customers get angry because there is no one to help them. When other employees cover for you, it causes them to get behind on their work, resulting in them missing part of their lunch break or being forced to work overtime."

- Ask the individual for suggestions on how the behavior can be changed.

- After arriving at a solution, together you should set a specific goal. For example, they could agree that the employee be on time everyday for the next week.

- After an agreed upon time, the two of you should meet to see if the goal has been met and to set new goals.

The basic question is what to do with the feedback we receive. Some people deflect it, deny it, explain it away, or in some other way try to protect themselves from the potential impact of the feedback they receive. One's personal goal ought to be focused on developing the capacity to stay open to feedback especially, during those moments when you are feeling defensive about the feedback. The defensiveness is a clue that you are about to learn something very important about yourself.

A person who is highly practiced in this skill will frequently solicit feedback from supervisors and work colleagues as a way to learn from mistakes and to make changes.

Copyright 2007 Michelle Simms, personal development coach. My ideal client is not defined by a specific profession, but by the passion they have to grow personally and professionally. Michelle leads weekly teleseminars on emotional intelligence topics. She invites you to explore http://www.SimmsInternational.com

Jehovah

Relationship Advice - Five Rules for Adding Romance to Your Relationship

Do you know how romance in marriage tends to take a backseat to juggling daily responsibilities such as jobs, kids, and household chores? You may feel that you are doing goods just to remember to do something for special occasions like Valentines Day or your anniversary.

Romance is no longer important, right? You can still have a solid marriage without it. However, romance is to a relationship what dessert is to a meal. Both are sweet and satisfying and can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Here are five rules to jog your memory about how to be romantic:

Romance Rule #1: Repetition Reduces Romance

I know a man who gave his wife perfume one year for Christmas, and she loved it. It was a romantic gift. So every year he gave his wife the same gift. After 15 years, it was a routine and no longer romantic.

Romance Rule #2: True Romance Comes From Relationship

The most romantic gifts are the ones that tell your spouse that you intimately know his or her tastes, wants, and desires. Pay attention to what your spouse talks about and constantly look for romantic ideas.

Romance Rule # 3: Little Things Count

Romance can be as simple as a Hersheys kiss or a coupon for a back rub. Dont forget about the little things.

Romance Rule # 4: Sometimes Romance is Extravagant

Sometimes splurging for your mate lets them know how special they are to you. Spending money to romance your spouse is cheaper than a divorce or paying child support.

Bringing home a single rose can say, I thought about you today. On the other hand, a bunch of roses says, I love you a bunch and you are priceless. So dont be afraid to invest in romance; you will receive great interest on that investment.

Romance rule #5: Romance Requires Planning

Dont wait until the last minute to buy a gift or try to think of something romantic to do. It will be obvious that you did not put much thought or effort into the gift.

Just do it (Nike Commercial)

Romance is just one way to let your spouse know how much you love and value them. Sometimes it is easy to take him/her for granted and quit expressing your appreciation for them.

Do you want to learn more ways to improve your marriage. Get a free e-course, "Five Common Barriers to Building a Dream Marriage", by Jeff and Laurel Barnet at http://www.BuildingYourDreamMarriage.com

Alexander Graham Bell

Guidance for New Alzheimer's Caregivers

Caring for a parent, spouse, sibling or other loved one with Alzheimers disease can be a rewarding experience that builds your inner strength and character. Caregivers usually assume the care giving role out of love and a desire to help a family member in need. The selfless act of care giving is widely respected and will certainly make you a stronger and more confident in your ability to make a positive difference in another persons life.

Usually, care giving begins with just helping out a family member, showing love and support by making his or her day a little easier. Alzheimers patients experience more severe symptoms with time, resulting in the need for increased care and supervision boardas time goes on. In time, the lifestyle associated with the caregiver role can sneak up on even the most active and driven caregiver. Though caring for a loved one with Alzheimers disease brings with it numerous rewards, it is not uncommon for caregivers to find themselves overwhelmed at times as they strive to establish a harmonious balance between their own needs and the needs of their loved one.

An Alzheimers caregiver can become so consumed with the demands of caring for a loved one while upholding other daily responsibilities that his or her own health becomes neglected. The symptoms often experienced by full time Alzheimers caregivers, such as guilt, anger, exhaustion and depression, are so consistent and debilitating that they are collectively being referred to by some medical professionals as caregiver syndrome. Some experts suggest that simply acknowledging oneself as a caregiver and identifying with the role can lead a person to better deal with the responsibilities associated with caretaking. Realizing that care giving is not unlike taking on a second job can put caregivers in the proper mindset to provide the best care for their loved one with Alzheimers and for themselves.

As the world becomes more aware of the long term effects of caring for a loved one with dementia, more resources are becoming available to help caregivers effectively manage the responsibilities. Support groups and training programs for Alzheimers caregivers offer guidance that can lead to less stress for caregivers and delay the need to move their loved ones into professional full-time care.

If you have recently taken on the responsibility of being the primary caretaker for a loved one with Alzheimers disease, it is important to remain in tune with your own needs and emotions. You may feel angry or exhausted at times due to the unpredictable nature of Alzheimers disease. Realize that such emotions are common among Alzheimers caregivers, release yourself of any guilt caused by them and move on. Do not neglect taking time for yourself once in a while to regroup and relax. If your loved one requires constant supervision, have another friend or relative take over caretaking duties or take advantage of respite care at a local Alzheimers care facility so that you may create time for yourself. Establishing a balance between tending to your innate needs and those of your loved one will make you a better, more effective caregiver and affect a more positive environment for everyone involved.

About the Author: John Trevey is the C.E.O. of Uncommon Care, an assisted living Austin Texas home specializing in Alzheimer's care. He is the manager of both The Barton House and the Breckinridge. For more information, please visit http://www.uncommoncare.com

Real Psychic Reading

Spend Thrift

Who wants to be a millionaire? You could do so much with all that cash. Take care of the family, buy a mansion in Monaco, park a Lambroghini in the garage, cruise the Caribbean and have caviar with your couscous for the rest of your natural days. Or could you?

Perhaps not. Even multi-millions can dry up. Just as if they were hundreds or thousands. The secret to creating wealth lies, not in spending lavishly but in saving and investing wisely and purchasing thoughtfully.

New four-wheelers depreciate in the first 0 - 10 seconds, expensive suits fray, watches lose money over time and yachts sink. Wealthiness comes, not in extravagance but in extra vigilance of how you spend your hard earned cash. The problem is that we live in a consumer driven economy and our quest for the best has a habit of leaving us feeling spent.

Regardless of earnings, thriftiness is the key to wealthiness. Before you buy, ask yourself if you really need it? Start creating reserves, no matter how small and turn a savings habit into a savings grace. One of the terms in our modern language is, retail therapy.

Many people attempt to fill gaps in their lives by buying things or shopping to ease the pain of a less-than-ideal relationship, career, situation. However, this is only a temporary fix for that empty space. In the end, the new-car smell will fade away, the dress will have been worn one too many times. Find a more fulfilling solution.

You can create personal wealth through self-discipline. Many a lottery winner has won a ton but lost the entire stack, through sheer indulgence.

Thomas Chalmers is an executive coach based in Scotland. He works with executives, politicians, and entrepreneurs. http://www.idealifeinternational.com Michael Imani is a mind/body expert who works with clients on weight and life management. http://www.michaelimanicoaching.com

Laws of Attraction

Like Me Like You

This article was prompted by a question I read, it went something like this, If you met yourself in the street would you like yourself? This got me to thinking, there were a lot of things that irritated me about myself, that I felt embarrassed about and things that I got frustrated about, but not anymore. If I cannot accept myself the way I am how can I accept others the way they are.

Psychologists often say that you must learn to love yourself before you can learn to love others. I think that it should be put more like this If I am not sure if I can love myself, how can I be sure my love for others is real. You can be sure you love other people if you really do things for them only considering what is really best for them and having no self interest in the process.

If you learn to love others, you will love yourself and if you learn to love yourself you will love others it is as simple as that. The reverse is also true if you go through life hating yourself you can end up hating others and if you go through life hating others then you hate yourself.

So think about yourself as if you were a friend in need who you just met and do the following:

1.Learn to like yourself

2.Forgive yourself for what you may have done

3.Dont be embarrassed by your actions

4.Accept yourself faults and all

5.Love yourself

It does not matter whether you come to love yourself through loving others or whether you come to love others by accepting and loving yourself as you are. The result is the same, true happiness.

Also remember this if you really truly and selflessly love another person then you also love yourself, you just might not have realized it yet.

I am a husband, and father of one son who works as an engineer. I became involved in writing articles about self improvement and positive attitude as part of a process of developing a more positive attitude to life myself.

I am committed to making my thoughts freely available to anybody who takes interest in reading my articles in the hope that they can similarly make their attitude more positive.

For anybody who is interested in improving their attitude to life and would like to see more of my articles or simply wants some advice on how they can feel better about themselves please contact me at simonmaya@yahoo.com. I am also interested in any feedback about whether my articles are providing a positive benefit and if there is any interest in my developing a web site as a forum for my ideas.

Franklin D

A Happiness Poem

If a happiness poem could bring forth a smile,
Then my face would always dress in style.

If my ears could hear my computer screen,
From one to another, they, too, would grin.

My keyboard types for my eyes not my tongue
This happiness poem will never be sung.

But what of my eyes? Don't they shine?
Yes, but not from this poem of mine.

The pen is mightier than the sword,
But a pen can write only words.

The feelings I sense and the senses I feel
For keyboard and screen remain far too real.

My ears and my nose remain at rest.
My cheeks and hairline are doing their best.

But if this happiness poem could make my mouth smile,
My face would forever dress up in style.

About The Author

David Leonhardt first published this happiness poem in A Daily Dose of Happiness at http://TheHappyGuy.com/daily-happiness-free-ezine.html. Read his friendship poem at http://TheHappyGuy.com/friendship-poem.html

info@thehappyguy.com

Power Of Intention

10 Tips to Boost Your Positive Energy

Wouldnt it be great to pop out of bed in the morning, have flowing energy throughout your day without any caffeine or candy bars, accomplish everything you want, and feel great? For most people this would be a dreamwe could all use more energy!

Ill share with you 10 simple tips to boost your energy each day. The key is consistency. You need to do these things regularly to feel the cumulative effects.

1.Plan important activities when you have the most energy.

This is one of my favorite tips. Plan your schedule around your energy level. Choose activities and projects that are naturally energy producing at your low points in the day. If you drag in the morning, plan one of your more enjoyable activities first thing. It may take some time to transition your schedule but it will be worth it!

2.Do the work you love.

Nothing is as energy increasing as passion and enthusiasm. If you have no interest in your work, its unlikely that youll ever have optimal energy. This doesnt mean that you must love everything you do but at least some of it must utilize your natural talents and interests.

3.Boost your energy by getting regular exercise.

This certainly does not come as a surprise to you. You know that you exercise makes you feel good and boosts your energy. You just need to do itregularly.

4.Know your personality style.

Your personality determines what is energy draining or producing for you. If youre naturally an introvert you typically recharge by quiet time on your own. If youre naturally an extrovert, you typically gain energy by social time with others.

5.Eat right and watch your energy soar.

This is another one of those tips that you already know but, if youre like most people, probably arent doing. A diet rich in complex carbohydrates, protein, and fiber will help you sustain energy and avoid the sugar roller coaster that you get when you eat sugary snacks.

6. Keep the big picture in mind.

Its easy to get caught up in the moment of stressful situations and feel exhausted. If, however, you remember the big picture including why youre motivated to achieve your goal or why the small stuff isnt that important, youll feel energized.

7. Drink water.

One of the most common causes of fatigue is dehydration. We often mistakenly assume that were hungry but the fatigue culprit is often thirst.

8. Celebrate and reward achievements.

The more you focus on your achievements, both large and small, the more law of success focused you will become. This will help you achieve more and all this achievement is sure to boost energy.

9. Avoid energy-vampires.

You know these types of people. Just being in their presence seems to drain your energy in the blink of an eye. Use assertiveness skills and limit your time with them.

10. Take physical and mental breaks.

Monotony is exhausting. Periodically give yourself a break by a few moments of mindless activity and quick stretching exercises or walking.

If some of these tips stand out to you as more energizing or practical, select those and focus on implementing them consistently. Youll get and keep your energy flowing.

Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA is the author or coauthor of 6 books including the New York Times bestseller The Confident Speaker (McGraw-Hill, 2007). Get many more tips on how to land a book deal, get quoted in the media, and get booked as a speaker at http://www.platformbuildingsecrets.com

Dass

Trust

Learning to trust continues to be one of the most challenging spiritual practices of my life. A long time ago, when I was a boy, I clearly remember making the choice to trust people I met. When I was young, friends seemed rare and precious. I felt fortunate to be able to call even one person a true friend. Today, I am blessed with many friends, and they are deeply precious to my heart. What's changed for me is that instead of trusting people to do what I want them to do, I trust them to be themselves. I choose to hang out with people whose actions are consistent with their words. They are congruent in thought, word and deed. Their loving acceptance of who I am, including my perfectly imperfect human nature, is one of the greatest gifts of my life.

Lately, though, I've been thinking about trust on a whole other level. It's about trusting me. Those of you who know me well know that I've made many choices in my life that were quite self-destructive. 40 years ago I was shooting speed, and even though I stopped doing that in 1968, I soon became addicted to alcohol. There have even been times when I felt suicidal, and so there is a part of me, what I call my inner child, who has serious trust issues. My ability to trust myself rose immensely after I quit drinking in early 2001. It rose again when I completed writing, and then publishing, Drunk with Wonder.

Now my focus around trust involves trusting an infinitely loving universe. On the face of it, many reasonable people looking at the state of our world may well wonder if I have taken leave of my senses. Perhaps. I realize that I am making a conscious choice to look at the apparent chaos, endemic hatred, war, global warming and seemingly endless suffering and still choose to trust. The funny thing is, when I look at the world through eyes of love and compassion, I see many reasons for optimism, even joy. People are reaching out to other people and offering support, whether it in the form of micro loans, volunteering to lend a hand in helping people rebuild shattered lives, or simply offering a hug and a kind word.

We are taught that being open, authentic and vulnerable leads to being taken advantage of, and there is certainly ample evidence to support that view. Yet it is in our connection to the divine where our passion lives. And that brings me back to trust. I trust that every person on this planet is God in form doing the best they can, given the circumstances of their lives. I trust in the inherent goodness of people, even though sometimes I have felt taken advantage of, even used and abused. The truth is, in my darkest days, I did my share of using and abusing, though I always reserved the most damaging abuse for myself.

But that was then, and now I know better. Now I make other choices. I have largely forgiven myself for the poor choices I made earlier in my life. I realize that every day I have the opportunity to make new choices, more loving choices, choices that serve my vision boardof living in a world where every single person feels safe, loved and celebrated. When I remember to trust, even in small things such as finding a parking space, it works out every time. When circumstances don't turn out the way I think they should, I look for the gifts in the experience and I always find plenty. Always. I don't know of a more powerful spiritual practice than learning to trust. Have you trusted today?

Steve Ryals, author of Drunk with Wonder: Awakening to the God Within went from homeless and shooting drugs in San Franciscos Haight-Ashbury district at 17 to graduating from UC Berkeley on the Deans List six years later.

Drunk with Wonder was written, edited and designed with almost no help from fossil fuels. Steve is proud to say that Drunk with Wonder is printed on 60# Thor Offset acid-free, recycled paper with soy-based ink. Drunk with Wonder is the culmination of years of research and decades of personal experience.It's been hailed as where "Conversations with God meets What the Bleep Do we Know?" To learn more about this timely book go to: http://drunkwithwonder.com, http://drunkwithwonder.blogspot.com

Spiritual Thoughts