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Thursday, July 31, 2008

If Wishes Were Horses Then Beggars Would Ride


And if Bull frogs had wings they wouldn't bump their little rear-end when they landed.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that rushing all over the place you are being your most productive self. Don't make the mistake of thinking that when you take time out for thought you are wasting your time.

All play and no work makes Jack a poor boy, but, quality time in thought can turn your wishes into diamonds.

As Plain As Black And White!

It has been said; if you invest one percent of your time in study, thinking and planning, you will make an amazing difference in the speed with which you reach your goals.

Everyday has 1440 minutes in it. Invest one percent of that time everyday in study, thinking and planning and you will be amazed at what those fourteen minutes can do for you.Developing this daily habit will bring you ideas and solutions not just when you are in your study time, but, almost anywhere.

You could be walking down the street, or giving a speech. You could be singing in the shower or cleaning a dirty diaper. Yuk.Now, pay attention: "Goals", are not wishes. Wings don't belong on
Bull frogs and beggars can't be choosers. And, you are not going to achieve your goals by wishes, or begging, or, lying around and licking your wounds.

Goals are accomplished by taking the bull by the horn and wrestling that rascal to the ground. Easy As ABC! How do you do that? There are three things you need to do.

(1), you need to write the goal down.

(2), Aim your sights high. And,

(3), Create a deadline.

Writing the goal down gives it purpose and clarity. You got to know what you're going after or else how will you know if you ever get it? Writing the goal down also will make an impression on your memory.

As an idea comes to our minds, that we have an interest in, we tend to analyze the thought with our "thinker cap", and determine if we can achieve it.If the idea has merit, we continue to analyze till we either find ourselves blowing and going like a locomotive, or fizzling out like a wet fuse.

You will always find yourself pursuing energetically, something that has made an indelible impression on your mind.Just Between You And Me And The Fence Post!If it hasn't made that kind of impression, then you will not find the kind of fire in your desire that you need to go for broke.

Your goals will still be like that stupid bull frog that wishes he had wings. Now, obviously, going broke is not what you want to happen. But, the attitude is what is important.Aim your sights high. It takes no more effort to aim high and accept prosperity, abundance, peace, health, life; than it does to settle for misery and poverty and small potatoes.

Now, no one has ever achieved one hundred percent of all their goals. But, why settle for a pig in a poke.The problem comes where we aim so low that we accomplish that goal with relative ease, and then, when the goal is accomplished, we realize all we got was this great looking slick bull frog, but the sucker's got no wings.Now, at that moment, we're not thinking, now wait a minute!

This sucker doesn't fly because I set my sights so low, that I became over confident, and reeled that bad boy in like a pro. Our great accomplishment just doesn't seem to satisfy and something seems lacking.You're Not Just Whistling Dixie!It is a lot better to shoot for the stars and miss them half way, than to shoot for the ceiling and miss it half way.

There seems to be a direct relationship between how easy we can accomplish our goals, and the mental power propelling the motivation.If you're not expending considerable energy to reach the stars, then it ain't the stars you're reaching for. You might as well be reaching for a clouded crystal ball, and reciting, twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.The stars don't give themselves easy to anyone. When you set your sights for the stars, you will subconsciously increase the amount of effort that you apply. You have too.

The higher the goal, the more your reason will tell you to be objective and honest with yourself. It will become mandatory that you expend enough effort to move your mountain.So, you will set a series of steps that have to be reached in order to go to the next level or higher position.

Goals are never reached, no matter how high or low, in one step. And, each level that we find ourselves having reached, we gain a little more confidence and head for the next level.

Get A Move On!
Ask yourself this question. Where will you be and what will you be doing ten years from now if you keep doing what you are doing right now?

This is the importance of setting a deadline for the goal. When you write your goal, you will specify the time limit for achieving it. This gives finality to it.Keep this in mind. Always be aggressive in asking life for more than what you really want. Ask for more than what you think you're worth. Why should I do that? Because, people have a tendency to meet the demands and expectations that are placed upon them within their time constraints.

Waiting With Baited Breath!
After you rise to the occasion and present the prize to yourself, then the next time you set out to accomplish a goal, you will be mentally prepared to grab the whole enchilada, take a licking and keep on ticking.It will be very beneficial if you outline the goal from beginning to end. Just don't try to answer every question at the very beginning. This is sometimes not possible. We don't always know all the answers when first starting out. This is why fear sometimes will hold us back. But, fear is never a friend to your goals. And, besides, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't.

Herein Lays Your Door Of Opportunity!
This is so important for you to take action on the goal and start moving towards it one step at a time. And, keep moving and keep moving. It won't move closer to you unless you're moving closer to it. And, if you let the pony die, the ride is over.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

How to lose weight without going on a diet.

You are reading this article probably for one of two reasons.

1. You want a weight loss program that works
2. You are a serial dieter, because you can never lose weight and then keep it off. In fact you seem to end up heavier and more depressed than before Possibly a third reason would be that you have become very cynical about all the new diets promoted by the 'stars' of television and the movies!!

Perhaps like me, you just see it as a means for fading stars making money by endorsements. Most female stars are thin, and if you knew how much they starved themselves because they believe thin is beautiful, you might, or might not be surprised!!

Perhaps I'm just an old cynic too!! There are a number of excuses we make for ourselves so we program in defeat before we begin a weight loss program. The first thing to note is, that we are all on a diet all the time, so why go on a diet to lose weight!! Our diet is what we are eating now, and all we really need to know is that if we eat 3000 calories per day, but only expend 2800 calories per day, then we will get heavier, until our increased weight means we need to expend 3000 calories just to lumber around!! This may be simplistic, but it is a very simple principle.

Taking the whole thing in reverse, it should therefore be possible to lose weight by reducing the calorie intake on a daily basis. Unfortunately this doesn't work for long.

Supposing you decrease your calories from 3000 per day to 2000, then logically you will lose weight, and for a while you do.

Two things happen, and the first is that you need less calories for your daily energy requirements because you weigh less, but secondly and more importantly the internal computer we all have detects that starvation is on the way, and it automatically reduces our energy use, so we only expend 2000 calories a day.

In addition it lays down fat deposits, as a 'rainy day' store anticipating a future without enough food. Low calorie diets just don't work for this reason. In fact 'diets' don't work because of the association the word 'diet' has. Diet means pain and torture, and it is interesting to discover what springs into your mind when you hear the 'D' word.

Excuses, and reasons pour out, and phrases like

1. You just put all the weight back on again
2. I'm too busy to eat healthily
3. I can't keep track of my eating
4. It takes too long to see results
5. The food on a diet is boring!!

The main comment seems to use the words 'willpower' - as in I don't have any!!

So let us examine some simple principles. Suppose you are 28 pounds overweight, how happy would you be, if it took you a year to lose it, and then it stayed off permanently? You would be less than sensible to say that is too long a time span, because it almost certainly went on slowly, a pound at a time, at first unnoticed!! Forget the word ‘diet’.

Just do the following:

1. Write down everything you eat and drink over a seven day peiod.
2. Let a close friend see it, and ask them to circle your ‘vices’.

We all have them, whether it is cookies, or chocolate, or wine. It may be biscuits, or two pints of milk a day – whatever. All you need to do is find an easy way to eat less of them!! Do this now.

Think of something that really makes you feel sick. In my case it would be finding a cigarette end in a can I was drinking at a party It would be imagining all the hairs that stick in the plug in the wash hand basin being in a glass of milk. It might be finding a fly in your mouth when you drink cola.

Then do the following. Take your thumb, and rub it against your four finger in small circular motions, whilst thinking of the thing that makes you nauseous, and you will feel really sick. All you have to do, is to associate that with the item of food, be it milk, chocolate, cookies, wine or whatever.

Every time you are tempted just rub your thumb and forefinger together, and temptation will vanish!! Just by doing that you will begin the process of slow weight loss.

You are not on a diet – never forget, all you want is weight control, and that simple step will go a long way towards helping you to achieve your ideal weight, whilst painlessly cutting out your ‘vices’.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

How To Develop Into A Better Tomorrow

Personal development AKA personal growth comprises the development of the self. Learn how to identify the deferent areas of personal growth and how to use personal development techniques to improve your personal and professional life.

Personal development, also known as personal growth, comprises the development of the self. There are many types of personal development such as inner self, mental growth, physical growth, metaphysical, and spiritual growth to name a few. It also covers many different areas of your life such as personal self, relationships, health, careers, family, financial, and your social circle. Personal development can mean many things to many people that’s why there are thousands of different programs available. It is up to you to find the right one that’s a fit for you and your personal needs.

There are important areas of life that are considered in personal development and growth. Personal development involves growth in all these areas. Intellectual knowledge and learning something knew each day of your life is imperative. Development and growth in this area will stimulate your mind, stretching your thoughts to remain open to new experiences and skills. Develop your true self, your character, spirituality and emotions and you will become able to control your feelings, how you view others and your perceptions of the world around you. Learn to make friends with your self, and your higher power. If a person has no joy in his heart, he will not find joy in his life. This will also enable you to have more desire to improve your physical health. Exercise will not only improve your body’s health, and physical appearance you’ll also feel so much more motivated and mentally relaxed.

You’ll find yourself enjoying, experiencing, and exploring more of your life and engaging yourself into more activities, fun and adventures. Learning to feel better about yourself will also make your family life so much better. Make your life more interesting by doing things you didn’t normally do but have always enjoyed. You will have more energy and motivation to do daily task such as cooking, cleaning, washing, and one of the most important is quality family time. No longer distancing yourself from your family, your family will enjoy the change and will grow closer as well as become proud of your accomplishments. Becoming more in-touch with your personal and intimate relationships you’ll develop and grow more aware of your sensitive side as well as your partners, enabling you to listen more to your partners needs. Your relationship will be so much more enjoyable and fulfilling creating a better social life, friends and develop more long lasting relationships with them. You will learn how to approach people you don’t know. And convey the message you want to send. Your working environment will improve and you will gain more wealth working less. Learn to be more aware of your finances and money management.

Financial management is one I think we all are working on.

When ever life acts we respond to it. If something great happens in your life you may be very happy. But on the other hand if something really horrible happens you may be angry , upset or even sad. What ever the reaction is it all depends on you and your attitude. We all chose our feelings and control our attitude fortunately. So that gives us the ability to control our reactions to situations as they arrive. What ever you think about you bring about. If you don’t want negative things in your life change your attitude, change how you think.

Think of and only allow positive thoughts and beliefs into your mind. You will have positive results in your life. Your subconscious mind is being fed with information every second of the day, and you are not even aware of it. You need to change your negative habits to positive habits and learn to take charge of your thoughts, your feelings and emotions. Think positive, peaceful and prosperity thoughts. And your life will grow so wonderfully and you will regain true happiness and prosperity in your life. Personal development is a daily personal growth exercise that allows you to enjoy life. I hope you enjoy yours, as I enjoy mine. I used to be extremely depressed and my life was miserable. I began an incredible personal development program, now my life is incredible, my family life, personal life, spiritually, physically, emotional, financial, it’s all great; I have grown in so many ways. I now do the things I used to love but had lost all interest in. I have bigger and better goals and dreams, I get to travel and just enjoy my life without limitation. My personal development is better than what I thought possible. I have learned how to enjoy my life to the fullest and I’m so much happier. You have the opportunity to find out what’s possible for you.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Healthy Environment For Self Esteem

Healthy self esteem originates in the environment found in the: family, school, peer group, work place, and community. There are certain characteristics of your environment that need to be present in order for self esteem to be fostered and grow.

The main component of a healthy environment for self esteem is that it needs to be nurturing. It should provide unconditional warmth, love, and caring. It needs to provide the realization that other people are recognized as deserving to be nurtured, reinforced, rewarded, and bonded to.

Healthy environment for self esteem transmits messages of warmth, loving, and caring by physical touch, meeting the survival needs of food, clothing and shelter, and providing a sense of stability and order in life.

A healthy environment for self esteem should provide acceptance. It will recognize that other people see each other as worthy individuals who have a unique set of personality characteristics, skills, abilities, and competencies making them special. Acceptance enables people to develop relationships with others, yet maintain healthy boundaries of individuality within themselves. In the healthy environment for self esteem should be good communication, everyone should be heard and responded to in a healthy way so that healthy problem solving is possible.

Appropriate giving and receiving of feedback is encouraged and rewarded. Communicating at a "feelings" level is a mode of operation for these people, allowing them to be in touch with their emotions in a productive manner.

The healthy environment for self esteem must contain recognition and acceptance of people for who they are. That recognition and acceptance should not be based on the condition that they must first conform to a prescribed standard of behavior or conduct. This is unhealthy.

Unconditional recognition and acceptance given in the form of support allows individuals to reach their ultimate potential. The healthy environment for self esteem should be clearly defined and enforced limits known to individuals with no hidden tricks or manipulation. Limits set the structure for the lives of individuals, allowing clear benchmarks of appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Limits enable individuals to recognize their responsibilities and to chart their course of behavior in a rational way.

Respect and latitude for individual action within the defined limits of the healthy environment for self esteem should be present as well. This encourages individuals to use their creativity, ingenuity, and imagination to be productive within the established structure. Restrictions that suppress individuality can lead to a narrow focus, with people becoming stunted and handicapped in the use of their personal skills, abilities, and resources. Finally, healthy environment for self esteem should be bonding, which is the physical/emotional phenomenon between individuals and the others in their environment.

This is necessary for the development of healthy self esteem. Bonding is forming a mutual emotional attachment between an individual and a "significant other" (parent, child, friend, lover, etc.). This involves the significant other giving unconditional love and support as well as developing an emotional link between each other.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Habits Can Build You, or Kill You.

We go through our life creating sets of habits that in the end will create the life we want to live. We create this habits unconsciously. You might don’t know but these habits are the things that are holding you back in life, so STOP blaming others for your failures.

I will give you few bad habits that you are probably conscious of right away.

-Not returning phone calls on time.
-Being late for meetings and appointments.
-Having your cell-phone ON all the time.
-Answering the telephone during family mealtimes.
-Handling the mail more than once, etc, etc.

These are just few of many others.

Check yourself out by making a list of all the habits that keep you unproductive and not moving towards your goals. Take an hour or more so you can really think through this process, and plan it so you won’t be interrupted.

You can also ask for feedback. Talk to people you respect and admire, who knows you well. Ask them what they observe about your bad habits. What you are looking for here, is consistency. What do I mean by that, if you talk to 10 people and 8 of them tell you that you are always late to meetings, pay attention.

THE OUTWARD BEHAVIOR IS THE TRUTH, WHEREAS YOUR INNER PERCEPTION OF YOUR BEHAVIOR IS OFTEN AN ILLUSION.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Embracing Your Natural Beauty

As unique individuals of a similar species, we are all born with qualities that distinctively distinguish us from one another.

There are many congenital factors which contribute to our originality such as culture, customs, environment, and genetics. With that being said, our physical characteristics contribute to painting the world in its beautiful colors, adding texture and zest to what would otherwise be a bland, featureless world.

Skin tones can range in color from pink, yellow, olive, golden, bronze, to many different shades of brown. Hair color varies in shades of blond, brown, red, silver, and black; sometimes all of these colors can even be found on one single head. The windows to our souls are also tinted in an array of colors that can fall between blue, green, brown and gray. In addition to these colorful features, our skin and hair are again broken down into different types. Some of us are very pleased with the intricate combination that we were born with, while others are not; instead, choosing to embrace society’s standards.

As many of us know, today’s world consists of plastic surgery, color contact lenses, skin bleachers, nail tips, perms, hair extensions, weaves, and everything else that can be altered in order to sketch a smile on the face of what our mind considers to be beautiful. Let us take a look at the definition of beautiful.

Having qualities that delight the senses, especially the sense of sight.

Does this definition insinuate that unless you are naturally born with qualities that delight society’s sense of sight, you must modify your appearance in order to be accepted as beautiful?
It is appalling to even imagine this to be true; but by just taking a look around us, how could we say it is not? It may seem as if certain cultures target particular fixations; again, this may be due to certain genetic make-ups in which society has labeled as less than acceptable. Of course all ethnicities tamper with all available altering options, it is observed that while more Caucasian groups desire plastic surgery, more African Americans lean towards wanting straighter hair, but both desperately go through equally drastic measures to attain self satisfaction.

As many of us know, for the longest time in today’s world, straight hair has been the norm. With an exception of the 70’s, many African- Americans did not know how to appreciate natural pattern and beauty of their hair. Even children who have never had a complex and appreciated their hair was taught that straight hair was “good hair” and that hair that was not straighten was “nappy” and “unkempt”. For years now, we have depended on the straightening comb and chemical processing to get the hair to “be good” or “be tamed” so that it could be easier to comb and manage.

The cold reality of managing “good hair” is that people pay to have it damaged. What person in their right mind would pay for that, right? Well, that is just the thing…they obviously aren’t in their right mind. Whatever happened to our Higher Being and appreciating the way He created us? People in their right mind would think about how special He created each of us, down to the hair that grows from our scalps. Despite its texture and pattern, it is healthy hair; no different than the person’s hair that grows from their scalp straight. Do they go through the dreadful process of paying someone to make their hair “good”? Straight does not make hair good. What makes it good is that it’s healthy and it’s yours. If the whole process is thought about long and hard enough, questions of self worth and acceptance should undoubtedly surface. What then makes African-American hair bad? Is it fear that someone caught wearing their naturally textured hair will be seen as bad or shameful?

As more and more African-Americans have been embracing their natural hair, what they find is not nappy, kinky, or even coarse hair. It actually has a beautiful, medium to fine texture ranging from millions of medium to small curls. They eventually discover that the “kinky” or “nappy” hair that they thought they had, came from trying so hard to make their hair something it was not. It is sad how many people resort to doing things solely to fit into the norm. Whether it is your hair, nose, breasts, stomach or thighs you want to change; just as a person can discover their hair is naturally beautiful, you can soon discover that everything about you is naturally beautiful and does not need changing. True beauty is ONLY defined through the eyes of the beholder. Once you learn to recognize your beauty naturally, so will everyone else. Beauty is always there, but it takes wisdom to truly embrace.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Discipline Has Its Rewards

Transmutation of sex energy calls for more willpower than the average person cares to use for this purpose. However, those who find it difficult to summon willpower sufficient for transmutation may gradually acquire this ability. Though this requires willpower, the reward for the practice is more than worth the effort.

After all, all we’re saying is conserve your sexual energy, the most powerful driver of all creation, and direct it to noteworthy pursuits. Don’t sow your wild oats. Be inspired by a worthy love and worthy causes - move on your definite chief aim in the same spirit.

It’s always easier to follow your animal passions of the moment, as former Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad observes:
“Most people give in to their baser instincts, thinking more of short-term pleasures and gains than the kind of sustained self-restraint required in order to practice what is good and reject what is bad.”

Among what Confucius calls the “masses”, discipline is almost a bad word. Among the elite, those with vision - the productive, the actualizing - discipline is a very good term. Following its dictates - concentrating your time, energy, and effort towards goal achieving ends, rather than merely tension relieving ends, gives you full sail under power to achieve all the good things in your life you are motivated to achieve.

Those who embrace this philosophy apply to the “willing discipline” theory, believing to be inspired makes all necessary effort light. Review again the weight-loss example cited earlier in this chapter to make engaging the magic of discipline to your ends easy for you.

Speaking of discipline, it goes without saying that every person who desires the true riches of life understands you must maintain your health to make sustained noteworthy achievements. You need to implement a lifestyle that includes good nutrition, plenty of water, aerobic exercise, strength training, adequate rest, recreation, and a social and spiritual component. Cultivate good habits and avoid excess in all things. There are all kinds of literature and programs on a healthy, holistic lifestyle.

The majority of humans live lives that Shakespeare identifies as… “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

You, however, live a life of energy harnessed to a practical end. You are an actualizing being. Fruitful.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Dare To Be You

Over five billion people now live on this planet and yet no two people have the same finger prints. We all have some basic similarities with the rest of humanity yet each of us is unique unto ourselves.

Each of us has his own individual expression to offer to the world. That expression can take many forms from artistic interests, the way they think, athletic activities, the particular way we dress, musical talents, different hobbies, etc.

We should never forget that each of us is blessed with our own the innate ability and potential to achieve “success” no matter how insignificant this might look in the eyes of our own/ others critical nature. It is true that not everybody is meant (or want) to be a Bill Gates, Michael Jordon or Oprah Winfrey. But, at the same time it is even truer that nature creates variations, this being our uniqueness, and as we build upon our individuality it allows our sense of self worth to thrive. There is unlimited potential within each of us, all we have to do is realize it!

We are energy, and energy is about change and development, so from the moment of birth (and perhaps before) our passion is to develop on every level. This energy to be who and what we are builds and blossoms as we journey through life.

We all have the ability and opportunity to act in ways that are uniquely ours, Ways that expand our horizons and enhance our lives and the lives of others. It’s usually fear that stops us: fear of stepping outside the defined normal conduct of our group, of being thought “weird”.

Our built-in desire to retain group identity, security, and safety puts pressure upon us to be normal and can at times can be pressingly and tiredly restraining. We can spend a lot of time, effort and money to buy the right clothes, drive the right car, etc., all so we can get the approval of as many people as possible. In this process we give away our power, the essence of who we are and that which makes us unique and unforgettable. When was the last time you pointed to someone and said, “Wow, that person is so normal - I’d like to be just like that!” Instead, consider the heroes you admire and respect, whether they be political, religious, athletic, or in some other walk of life. Nelson Mandela; Mother Theresa; Gandhi; Tiger Woods - to name a very few - are these people normal!?

Take a small step, even a baby step, outside your comfortable boundaries and explore the possibilities. Then think about how it felt, and how you plan to keep extending yourself. By doing the unfamiliar and the electrifying we surprise ourselves by being more of who we are!
When you are working, work hard, when you are playing play hard, get enthusiastic and give whatever you are doing everything you have got while you are doing it, then when you move onto something else, move on with a clear conscience and give the new thing everything you’ve got. Not only will you get more into your life, you’ll have more fun in the process!

In Japanese flower arranging it is common that one of the branches in the arrangement is bent or broken, to signify that the arranger has attempted to present the flowers in a “natural” state. It is the “imperfection” of the broken branch that leads us to understand that the arrangement is potentially “perfect.” So, appreciation of those parts of us we may consider “broken branches” are in truth signs of our uniqueness and perfection.

When we move into accepting ourselves for who we really are, warts and all, we will be able to accept others for who they are; our relationships and ourselves will actually have a chance to grow into emotionally mature adults able to give freely out of choice and flourish in our new found freedom.

There is a world that awaits and always welcomes you - this world is non judgmental, doesn’t criticize, nor does it condemn; it is loving and impartial. Each of us must first find our own way to break free, to break out of what we have been told in the past and venture out on our own path; in our own uniqueness. This world will then open to you, and your life will truly and authentically unfold for you.

You are the treasure, a human miracle, rare and irreplaceable. Don’t waste this precious commodity by going about your life in a halfhearted fashion. Frequently review your own list of unique qualities. They represent who you are. Let them guide you. Shakespeare hit the nail on the head when he wrote “This above all, to thine own self be true”.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Abundance: The Three Core Truths

Here's an example of some common "I can't" feelings experienced by people who struggle endlessly with abundance:

- "I always have to work hard to make money."
- "No matter how hard I work... or how positive I try to be about my financial situation... I never seem to have enough."
- "It's not fair. Other people always get the lucky breaks. If only I had a quick windfall of money all my problems would disappear."
- "Money always goes to money. There's no point trying to think differently. I see it everyday. I suppose I should just be happy with what I've got."
- "I'm not the kind of person who makes a lot of money. I never have - so I guess I never will. I can never achieve abundance on every level"

And on it goes.

If you can relate to any of the above... or... you're struggling financially...it's a sure sign that you have subconscious "negativity" programs running "on the turn table of your mind"... and therefore... you NEED The Release Technique. You see, when it comes to abundance, there are three core truths:

CORE TRUTH #1:
It is our own suppressed feelings that are the root cause of all our problems (including financial problems). It's our own suppressed feelings that keep us broke... bind us in chains of misery... and make us suffer in every way.

And...

CORE TRUTH #2:
All of us have the inborn, natural ability to "let go" of our suppressed feelings that have a negative "hold" over our lives.

And...

CORE TRUTH #3:
The more we "pull up" and "let go" (or release) our suppressed feelings (subconscious programs)... the lighter, happier, healthier... and...more abundant we become.

Look, here's the best way I know how to describe it...

The Mind Works Just Like A Computer! And, your suppressed feelings (subconscious programs) are like a virus interfering with your success - sabotaging every effort you make to change your life and to create abundance.

That's why traditional "success techniques" to achieve abundance rarely work as well as they should for most people.See, what traditional techniques have in common is they're all about flooding your mind with positive words and images.Nothing wrong with that.

But here's the problem: Since the age of about 5-years old, we all get into the unconscious habit of suppressing our feelings. These suppressed feelings (subconscious programs) then act like a virus that "eats up" all the positives you put into your mind.So until you learn how to "pull up" and "let go" (release) your suppressed "hidden" negativity... you have an "anti-success /anti-money virus" inside you that will forever keep you struggling with your finances and won't allow you to achieve financial freedom.

However, the good news is - once you learn how to use The Release Technique to "pull up" and "let go" of your suppressed negativity (mind viruses)... you naturally have a positive state of mind... and therefore... you effortlessly "pull" abundance into all areas of your life.Because once you learn to "let go" of all your subconscious programs (mind viruses) "hidden away" inside you - guess what?

Suddenly, as if by "magic," the damn will break and an avalanche of abundance will start pouring into your life from all directions.

You WILL achieve financial freedom, and the independence that goes with it. You’ll Wonder Where The Abundance Has Been Hiding All These Years! It may come slowly at first. Then faster and faster the more you use The Release Technique.Also, it will give you... another... big and unexpected advantage.

Namely...You’ll Have A New Feeling Of Solid Confidence, PeacefulnessAnd Sheer Joy Flooding Into Every Area Of Your Life!In other words, using nothing more than The Release Technique to "let go" of suppressed "negativity"... also... acts as a foundation for supercharging every other area of your life.

It's as if learning how to "let go" of your limiting subconscious programs... is... a springboard... that can send you rocketing to a whole new level of satisfaction and pleasure you could never get before.

Look, here's the bottom line: With this admittedly unusual process of"letting go" of suppressed "negativity" stored in your subconscious... It’s Utterly Impossible For You To Remain Stuck In Your Financial Quagmire and Impossible NOT to Achieve Abundance!

This is no joke. It WILL “Show Up”... Often From “Unexpected” Sources! And it doesn't matter if you don't have a high paying job either. It doesn't even matter if you have no job. Or, no current income. You CAN achieve Abundance!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

12 Steps to Living a Conscious and Authentic Life

These twelve steps sum up in essence what it means to live the life of a brilliant coach, empowering others in manifesting their heart’s desires.

To live the process is a bit like being the “Fool” card in the tarot deck.

You listen, trust and do what your higher self indicates. You are willing to listen to your own drummer and go where the messages, lessons, and guidance take you. When you live the process you don’t necessarily fit into the world of convention, but rather connect with your own purpose and align yourself with your value system and principles.

When you live the process you are committed to fulfillment rather than the trappings of success. You are dedicated to authenticity rather than position, prestige, or perks.You are devoted to the truth and honoring your ultimate purpose in life rather than momentary appetite gratification. It is because you have this unswerving allegiance to meaning and the deeper values in life that you have the ability to support your clients, colleagues and friends in being loyal to their higher selves. When you live the process, you encourage, empower, and en kindle joy in others aligning them with their true essence and values. Read over the

Twelve Steps to Living the Process and ask yourself if you are willing to live life from this perspective. If you are then you can truly live the life of a “Brilliant” coach.

1. To enjoy every day of your life; and have fun, doing whatever you are doing. Enjoyment means to find the joy in whatever you are engaged in. Joy is not so much found in any particular action as it is created within the person who is performing the act. When you find the joy within you, you bring it with you wherever you go, to whatever activity you do. It is part of you and dwells within you. When you are joyful, it is part of your essence and no one can take it from you.

2. To feel, experience and honor your feelings. Feelings are the outward expression of your innermost reality. Feelings enable you to connect with your authentic self. Feelings are a barometer of your overall well-being. Your feelings indicate how you are in relationship to yourself and others. When you allow your feelings you show that you respect your reality. When you honor your feelings you place your personal experience above saving face or pleasing others.

3. To tell the truth, your truth to the best of your ability. Telling the truth means that you are connected to your own perception of reality. It means that you look deeper than the surface explanation of your circumstances. Telling the truth means that you go beyond appropriateness and decorum and reveal what is sometimes unspeakable. Telling the truth is about being your authentic self and letting others experience it, regardless of their reaction.

4. To look within yourself for your messages, guidance, and direction. Looking within means that you are devoted to the spiritual side of your nature. It means that you will reflect on your options and choices before you act, checking in with your essence. Messages, guidance and direction are always there if you are willing to take the time to listen and notice what they are indicating.

5. To focus on solutions rather than on problems. Your orientation to reality is either to dwell on the problem or on the solution. It is always your choice, however, the problem gives headaches and heartaches and the solution provides a wonderful lightness of being. When you are committed to the solution, it means that you will not allow the problem to bog you down, drag you down, or dampen your spirit. It means that you always know that there is a solution to every problem and you strive to create win-win outcomes.

6. To believe in yourself, to believe in others, and to believe in the impossible. Believing in yourself means that you hold yourself in high esteem. It means that you validate your accomplishments and celebrate your successes. It also means that you would do nothing to hurt, demean, or sabotage yourself or others. You take time for your needs and wants and you care for and about yourself. In addition, it means that you are willing to go for the “seemingly impossible” that which appears unreasonable.

7. To be committed to moving in your life; to reach out for help and/or to have a coaching session when you get off track or “stuck.” It doesn’t mean that you must be perfect, but rather that you are realizing your dreams and making strides towards the others. The possibility of getting “stuck” is there for anyone who is too proud to reach out to others. Living the process means that you are never too proud to reach out to other coaches to obtain support, encouragement, and validation. In other words, you practice what you preach and you do what you teach.

8. To love yourself unconditionally; all the parts of you; and to treasure who you are. Conditional love means that you accept yourself only when you live up to the expectations you have stipulated. When your body looks the way it should, when you produce the results that you have outlined, when you have your relationship in great shape, and when your life is the perfect picture of success. When you love yourself unconditionally, you love and accept yourself when areas of your life are imperfect. When you are sick in bed you love yourself. When a big deal has fallen through, you love and accept yourself. When you have a dispute with your best friend, you love and accept yourself. When you let someone down, break an agreement, or unknowingly hurt someone, you still love and accept yourself. This may sound like narcissism, but in actuality it is about treasuring who you are and honoring your relationship with yourself. You also reflect to discover your lessons.

9. To pursue your dreams, your inspiration, to follow your “higher self,” and your messages. Going for your dreams may not always be convenient. Life presents us with tests and lessons that beg the question, “How much do you want it?” When you go after your dreams, inspiration and messages you realize that you will be asked to stretch into larger shoes than you previously filled. If you are going to be an example to others, you need to show the way. Showing the way means leading others to their inspiration. When you can’t seem to book the flight, find the time, or breakthrough the considerations, you use your own coach to support you through the challenges and make it happen.

10. To reach out to others and/or to God when you need support believing in the perfection of all and seeing your circumstances in the right perspective. Reaching out is critical. If you expect others to reach out to you, you must be willing to take personal inventory, notice when you are stuck, tell the truth, and do whatever you need to do to become unstuck. The reaching out to others does not exclude a higher power, your angels, your spirit guides, or dear loved ones who have crossed over. Reaching out means that you acknowledge where you are and you ask for help, guidance or direction.

11. To be responsible for your behavior and for your own actions, and to take charge of all situations which you are able to bring to a positive resolution. Being responsible doesn’t mean that you are to blame. Being responsible means that you acknowledge that you are cause in your circumstances. It means that you are willing to learn a lesson from everything that happens to you. It means that you are willing to take a leadership role in all areas that can possibly be resolved.

12. To regard everything in your life as a mirror, to learn a lesson, to grow, to search for the perfection in the grand scheme of things and to self-correct lovingly. Your commitment to growth supersedes any need to be perfect or to diminish yourself. Pride doesn’t block you from seeing, discovering, and growing in every facet of your life. Seeing the perfection is not always easy. To see the perfection, you must have some perspective and an elevated viewpoint. When you see the perfection, you examine the situation from the point of view of being necessary to teach you a lesson that otherwise you might not learn.Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott is a Negaholic

Specialist whose expertise in overcoming negativity overlaps with techniques to overcome stress. To contact Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott, Negaholic Specialist, for tips, advice, or counseling, please send your name, email address, phone number and question or comment to info@themms.com.This program is a small portion of the Interactive Overcoming Negativity Online Training we provide. If you’re interested in outstanding Overcoming Negativity Program, Contact Us Now; you can also subscribe to and access our Online Virtual Training Program by visiting www.mmsvt.com.

Monday, July 21, 2008

10 Ways How Passion Can Turbo-charge the Law of Attraction


The truth is ... if we want to turbo-charge the Law of Attraction in our lives, we need to approach our lives with passion and intensity.
This is the foundation of the Law of Attraction. Is it true?10 reasons why people living with passion are able to accelerate the
Law of Attraction in their lives are:
1) Passion Flames Focused Action.
Not all action results in positive outcomes. But any action is better than no action. Any action you take bridges the gap between the spiritual and the physical. Like a laser beam, action focused action concentrates your activity and energy in powerful ways, which in turn accelerates your results.
2) Passion Fuels Our Desired Outcomes
When we are not passionate, we do things half heartedly and achieve run of the mill results. With passion, we are virtually assured of excellent success in what we want to achieve.
3) Passion Opens The Floodgates of Creative Inspiration
Haven't you experienced this before. When you are passionate and excited about something, your mind becomes like a creative force that cannot be stopped. You develop one amazing idea after another. But when you are lackadaisical about something, nothing creative comes to mind no matter how much time you spend on it. Like resonance, passion is a higher frequency vibration that will attract more high-frequency vibrations " like creativity and ingenuity. And when the two frequencies are in harmony, you get extreme results!
4) Passion Turbo-charges Your Results
Whether your focused on increasing your financial abundance or creating a work of art, your strong flames of passion and emotion will usually propel your results so that you achieve what you want more quickly that you would ordinarily.
5) Passion Inspires Clear Vision On The Way Ahead
Life is full of choices and that includes the paths we take. No one path is correct or wrong but some paths are more difficult to tread on than others. Passion helps us to choose the right path by giving us greater clarity and insight because of its importance and meaning to us.
6) Passion Keeps You Firmly
In The PresentA nature of a passionate person is that they are completely immersed in what they are doing at the moment. They do not worry about the future or dwell in the past. Look at any athlete, they live for the moment they are playing. Nothing else matters. Not the past or future games. It is the next point. Not the end score. So if we can learn to focus on our current activities, we will enjoy them more and achieve more.
7) Passion - An Escape from Complaints
Instead of complaining and being unhappy about what we do not want, passion helps shift our attention to focus better on what we do want. The more we do things that we are passionate about, the less time we focus on what we do not have, the unhappy things. The negative things. And we start attracting more of the positive things!
8) Passion Means No Fear
Passion fills you with an adrenaline rush that blocks out all fears and resistance. Instead of anxieties, passion drives you forward and enables you to do things you never could have done.
9) Passion Extends Endurance
When as engaged in activities of our passion, time flies and we do not even feel that we have been working on it a long time. We spend time and get lost in it because we love it and achieve so much more. So with passion, we build endurance to achieve greater results than we would normally have.
10) Passion Begets Passion
Passion fuels passion. Emotions like love, grace, joy, hope are often magnified when we ourselves are part of it. So it is with passion. The more passionate we are, the bigger the flames of passion will burn. So much so that it becomes an unstoppable fire, fueling itself.The Law of Attraction speaks about the vibrations you emit to the universe. If you emit strong emotions, like your passion, it will eventually return to you in the same or similar form. So if you want to reap what you sow, make sure your infuse whatever you do with passion and energy and just marvel when this creates a circle of love, joy and abundance in your life!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Instant spirit boosters.

If you are feeling like everything is getting on top of you, or you are finding it difficult to cope or function or you are feeling down in the dumps, then try these 5 easy-to-do tips to relieve tension and stress and boost your spirits:

1. Take a relaxing bath. Add music, candles and a glass of your favourite drink: beer, tea, hot chocolate, wine or even champagne. Close the door and forget about everything else for an hour or so. This helps to increase levels of calmness and the calmer we feel, the less likely we are to get stressed out or depressed.

2. Comedy night: get in your favourite nibbles: chips, tortillas, salsa, crackers, cheese, pizza, chocolate, cookies, ice cream etc. Crack open a bottle of wine or pour yourself a beer or two and spend a full evening watching your favourite funny films or comedians. Laughter raises our spirits and is a great antidote to the stresses and trials of modern living.

3. Get out of the firing line: Take off for some peace and quiet for a day or better still a weekend or a week. Take a journal, relax and gather your thoughts. When we are under pressure or struggling to cope with a major situation or event in life, seeing solutions to our problems can be really difficult. Distance from problems can bring clarity and relieve tension. I love going to the coast when I feel like this and it always, without fail, helps me to calm down and find solutions. I do not know why but there’s something really soothing about being near the ocean. Being near water, come to think of it.

4. Increase calmness and feel great by indulging in massage. Share a massage with your partner – create a relaxing atmosphere by softening the lights and have oils and towels to hand.

Lavender oil is particularly relaxing. Or, treat yourself to a massage from a professional masseur or masseuse. For an invigorating massage, visit a Turkish bath if you are fortunate enough to have one nearby. Massage is very relaxing. It’s one huge stress buster as well but be warned, it’s addictive! Not a bad thing to be addicted to though, and it will do you no end of good.

5. Spend a week without watching any television. Television can fill your mind with negativity, bombard you with image manipulation via commercials and give you a distorted view of reality by showing you everything that is bad about the world. Famines, disasters, murders, violence, war – the list is endless – and news programmes and soap operas are full of such events.

So give your mind a break from this assault on your senses. Abandon the television for a week and do something more rewarding instead: Read a book, listen to music, socialize, workout, go for a walk or try your hand at something new. If you need to hear the news, listen to a radio news bulletin once a day. But try and avoid them for one week, replace them with something more life enhancing and see how you feel.

The above ideas are very simple to implement but they are also very effective in helping to relieve stress and tension. Give them a try and watch your mood levels rise!Is acne stress related?

Stress - Since your skin in your largest organ, how you live can sure influence how healthy your skin is. And stress, not necessarily "bad" stress, but rather certain external and internal stressors, factor into this health equation. So let us look at how to handle these stressors with regards to acne prevention. External Stressors- A goal of acne prevention would be to keep your skin pores clear from clogging and becoming infected and irritated, resulting in blemishes and inflammation.

So you need to look at your external environment throughout the day for factors that could trigger skin pore clogging. Here are some examples of what to look for: grease, oils and sun, like being around open fryers in kitchen areas, or around machine oil and grease in workshops or factories, or out in the sun all day on a construction jobsite.

Too much oil, grease or sun on the skin can clog pores and trigger acne and other skin irritations. Minimize contact by wearing long sleeves and other protective wear and gear and discussing further options with your dermatologist or healthcare provider. With regards to being out in the sun, note that a small amount of sun each day can be fine and healthy.

However, extended periods can trigger the sebaceous glands to create more oil as your skin dries out. At the same time, the dried out skin needs to be cast off or shed at a faster rate than normal. The resulting extra oils and dead skin make a wonderful environment for pore clogging.

So here, too, use protective clothing for outdoor activities and apply sunscreen; oil-free products
are best for acne-prone people, and those with a minimum protection of SPF 15 and both UVA and UVB protection.

Internal Stressors - Internal stressors like anxiety, fear, low self-esteem, depression and a variety of other internalized emotions, can trigger chemical reactions inside your body that can result in acne flare-ups and other skin irritations. What happens is that these emotions can set your adrenal glands to work creating more cortisol, the substance that in turn causes your sebaceous glands to produce increased amounts of sebum oil, excessive amounts of which can be blocked in pores. Same old story: extra oil + extra dead skin cells = blocked pores, triggering acne flare-ups.

With internal stressors, though, the results are usually "inflamed papules" or small, solid inflammations (or skin elevations that do not contain pus), instead of whiteheads or blackheads.

To combat internal stressors and prevent acne problems, here are some suggestions. Get plenty of rest and sleep a recommended average of eight hours per night. Try to maintain regular hours each day, regardless of which shift your work. Some say to focus on reducing SWAT: reduce your stress, worry, anxiety and tension, so journal a little each day mentioning any "SWAT" stressors you have felt. And focus on those that may seem overwhelming or to be taking too long to "end," seeking help from others or other resources as needed for stress managementCheck with your dietician or healthcare provider to establish and follow a regular well-balanced dietary and exercise plan of action to keep your body healthy on the inside and outside.

Keep a check list of "Things that Calm You" handy for stressful times, like reading a book, resting, listening to music

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Know What You Want: If You Build Them, They Will Come!

When you’re looking for that special someone, you need to figure out who this person is going to be. Knowing what you want and who you’re looking for really helps you find the right person.
We once attended a seminar on relationships where attendees were asked to design their perfect mates as specifically as possible.

The goal was to create a wish list of all the qualities and characteristics we felt were important.

It was a great exercise — a lot of the attendees realized that they didn’t know what they wanted, although they had very specific ideas of what they didn’t want. A few months later, the participants reunited to complete the final part of the seminar, which analyzed our results. We were blown away by how many participants had met people who matched most of the criteria on their list. It was as if putting it down on paper reinforced the belief in their mind’s eye. Or perhaps by defining what they wanted, they became more conscious of those qualities when they saw them in a potential partner.

Either way, this exercise worked for a large number of people. Visualizing your ideal partner and the relationship you want is a great motivator. Athletes have long understood this process of imagery and will visualize a goal before acting on it. You can do the same with your love life. Give it a shot now! You have nothing to lose.

Close your eyes and picture your ideal partner. Engage all your senses. How does this person smell? What does he or she look like? Listen to this person’s voice. How does it sound? When you kiss, how do you feel? Where are you? What are you doing? Are your friends and family around?
How does he or she interact with them? Try this a few times until the picture becomes clear, then take out a piece of paper and make a list of the most important characteristics of this partner.

List about 20 qualities that mean something to you. What values and attributes does this person have? Look over your list and separate your “deal breakers” from your “ideals.” “Deal breakers” are the absolute nonnegotiable traits, like finding a partner who wants children or is of the same religion (if those traits are important to you).

“Ideals” are more about the attributes or traits you’d prefer, like “ambitious” or “good sense of humor.” By prioritizing which qualities are important and which are ideal, you’ll discover what you’re absolutely unwilling to accept and where you’ve got some flexibility.

Be Flexible

Don’t be overly specific when you think about your ideal partner — such as wanting “tall blondes” or “no bald guys.” Celebrate individuality and be open to new possibilities.

You could end up ruling out the woman or man of your dreams simply because they have the wrong hair color or are a few hairs short. Remember, it’s a wish list, and nobody’s perfect. Over the coming months, it will change and grow as you discover what’s really important to you in a relationship. Remain flexible and open with your “ideals.”

Fools Rush In

One of the biggest dating mistakes many singles make is when people are in too much of a rush to settle down. Disaster! They hook up with the first compatible person who comes along, instead of dating several people and then making a powerful choice as to what’s best for them.

Give yourself time to choose. The dating experience teaches you a great deal about what’s really important to you in a partner and what you have to offer. By observing yourself, you will gain new insight into how you react to different situations, and which problems you bring into each relationship. It’s only when you are inside the dynamic of a relationship that you can truly discover these things — otherwise it’s all “in your head.”

Friday, July 18, 2008

Listening and The Law of Attraction

There are so many different potential applications to the Law of Attraction that one could easily get confused and even lost in all of that potential. Experimentation is the most fruitful method of learning to apply anything and especially the Law of Attraction.

One area of interest to me is in how our listening affects that which we attract to ourselves. I define listening as something heard, felt, read or observed. We can listen to our surroundings by observing, listen to someone speaking by hearing them, listen to a writer by reading what they’ve written or listen to ourselves by being aware of how we feel.

There are many more examples, can you name a few?

Most people believe that listening is a very passive action however; my experiments have shown me that it is something quite different. Listening is a dynamic action and when we do it deliberately we affect how we experience our lives in a profound way.

Most of us are quite rational in our thinking so a little proof might be in order. Try this: The next two people you come across in your day listen to them deliberately. When you encounter the first person, make a conscious decision to listen to them as though they are the world’s greatest leader. Take just a second or two and imagine how you would feel if you were talking to a world leader. Then listen to that person and pay attention to how you hear what they say. Is it different then how you usually hear them?

When person number 2 shows up, make the conscious choice to listen to them as though they are the funniest person you have ever met, taking a few seconds to imagine laughing a belly laugh. Now pay attention to how you hear what that person says. The expectation that person number 2 will be funny should provide for a few good laughs.

Assuming your little experiment was successful (and if it wasn’t just keep repeating it, it may take a little practice) imagine for a minute what might change around your house if you started listening to your teenager or spouse differently.

It’s also useful to remember this when you are out and about in the world. Often times people wait in line at the customer serve desk anticipating that the clerk on the other side of the desk will be distant and not very helpful. Well guess what happens when they get to the clerk?

How we listen to people is just as much an intention as anything else. And often we decide how to listen to people (or our environment, ourselves or a writer) out of habit. If a child is normally mouthy, as soon as he begins to speak most of us would just fall into our habit of listening to him as a disrespectful kid. What would happen if we listened to that same child as if he were brilliant, or gentle or full of creativity?

We can attract the behavior we want from others; we just have to make the choice to listen to them differently. It is the most allowing place we can be when we hear people in a way that they don’t normally show up.

Want to change the world? Try listening to it differently!

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Methods of Self Control


Before you go to sleep tonight, ask yourself that are you happy? What is your true calling? Think for a moment and the results will still probably surprise you. In the race to move, ahead in life you have neglected your inner self. You are juggling so many things at once that you have no time to interact with yourself. You may posses all the ingredients that make you socially successful.

However, there is hollowness and emptiness in your life that does not allow you to enjoy life. A spiritual deficit engulfs you because of which you do not have peace and serenity of mind. You spend money and time and travel to distant places to discover the peace of mind. However, the truth is that no one can provide you calmness of mind, the key to controlled mind lies within you. You seemed to have exchanged your life and true happiness with materialistic accumulations.

A person who possesses latest gadget and has designer wardrobes is socially considered successful. An individual today has postponed his living, his priorities includes a high package job, latest car and mobile. However, the irony of your life is that he may own the latest phone but has no time to talk to his family members. You are so busy in your life that with each passing day you are getting trapped and losing on the moments that could provide you true happiness. You can simplify and add happiness to your life by adopting some techniques. It will improve the quality of your life and provide you peace of mind.

Start appreciating the beautiful gifts of nature like rainfall, blooming flowers, sunrise and sunset. Observing them will give you a sense of calmness and you will fell happier. Happiness lies in these little things of life. Stars, dew studded flowers and different shapes of moon teach you a very important and basic lesson in life that nothing stays forever. It is advisable that you learn the lessons from the past and then move ahead.

Always focus on your present keeping future in mind. Oscillating between past and present leaves no time to focus on the present. You should keep experimenting things and never be scared of failure. Failures teach you lessons in life and by experimenting new things; give space to your creativity. This leads to deeper understanding of the self and leads to fresh ideas.

Exercising regularly releases the negativity from your body and keeps you healthy. It is advisable that you exercise in the park as keeps you close to the nature and allows you to enjoy the chirping of bird, rising sun and dew studded grass. Because of focusing on the beauties in the surroundings, you become more positive and happy.Music is a great healer and a stress buster.

Listening to music can bring your stress levels and charge you for day. It creates a positive aura around you and keeps you energized. Meditating is a great method that can be used for connecting with your self. It can be done at any corner of your home, you are required to sit cross-legged and eyes close. It must be done at same time everyday and at same corner.

Planning your life on a weekly or monthly basis gives a direction to your life. It helps you in prioritizing your schedule and focusing on important aspects of your life. It is advisable that you break your difficult goals into short-term goals. For instance if you wish to save 10000 dollars annually, break down your saving plan on monthly basis. It will make your saving plan realistic and successful.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Personal Development with a Purpose

There’s an old saying that goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any path will take you there.” The same is true of personal development. Everyone who starts down the path of personal development wants to grow – to evolve into something more than when they began their journey. But figuring out just what path to take when you set out is a major challenge in and of itself.What exactly does that mean? Most of us have some sense of the meaning of the term “legacy.” The common use of this word is backward looking.

Take this question: “What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?” In this case, a legacy is something like the achievements we’re known for when we’re gone. But this backward looking sense of a legacy is just a small part of what I’m after when I talk to clients about their legacy.

After all, we’re not planning for their funeral here! The reason why I use the word “legacy” is that it focuses our attention on the whole picture and purpose of our lives. It’s fantastic to have career goals, financial goals or relationship goals, but often times we tend to ignore the other aspects of our lives in favor of pursuing those particular achievements. This imbalance inevitably slows down our growth and frequently results in all sorts of health problems.True personal development requires a holistic approach, one in which you’ve set out the ideal picture of your life and developed a goal structure that supports that the achievement of that total life goal.

Because a legacy just is your complete life’s goal, having one is a crucial step in taking a holistic approach to personal development.So one fantastic benefit to having a legacy is that it can help you to create and organize goals. It provides you with the ideal towards which all your efforts in life are directed. But having a well thought-out legacy offers so much more. As with any other project, there will always be distractions while you are working on yourself. We have habits to overcome, patterns of procrastination, people who need our time and energy, and so forth.

The power of a legacy is that it can provide a very powerful tool to conquer those habits, steer clear of the procrastination, and to meet the needs of those around us with out getting diverted. In fact, the reason why these diversions can have such a pull on us is because we don’t have any particular force guiding us in a direction that we truly want to go. But when your day is built around your legacy, those distractions become impotent.

The short term pleasures that procrastinating offers pale in comparison to the potential of your legacy and as long as you stick to your goals, you’re always one day closer to realizing that dream.Of course, the extent to which your legacy will help you to create and organize your goals, and boost your motivation is going to depend upon how much detail you give to the picture of your ideal life.

This picture of your legacy often develops over a long period of time, but you can get a decent handle on it by thinking about the following lifestyle components:

1) People – what kind of people do you value, feel comfortable with, get excited about spending time with?

2) Passion – what is it about life that enlivens you and fills you with energy?

3) Purpose – what is it that brings meaning to your life or gives you a sense of fulfillment?

4) Responsibilities – what kinds of responsibilities are you comfortable handling in your life, whether they be personal, professional or spiritual?

5) Career – what manifestation of your abilities, purpose and passion would best fulfill your career needs?

6) Values – your values are your needs and desires, ranging from your most basic physical needs to those that dictate your relationships with your friends, loved ones, co-workers and the environment at large. What are your values? This list here certainly isn’t exhaustive, but it’s a good start.

Not only will it help you to fill out the picture of your career, but the relationships you develop with your self and your loved ones. At the C.H.E.K Institute and in my PPS Success Mastery Program we get into much greater detail as we help our clients find and create their legacies on a daily basis.Because this picture you’re developing is your life’s goal, I recommend, just as with any goal, that you write it down. Or, if you are artistically driven, you can draw it, paint it, sculpt it, or make it physical in whatever way works best for you. However you do it, don’t allow your legacy to remain just an idea!

Your legacy will be much more motivating when you can look it in the face each and every day.Knowing that you have a purpose and that you are living your purpose every day is a wonderful thing. It makes me spring out of bed each morning, energized and excited! How many people do you know that look forward to their day, every day, in that way? So take the time to map out your legacy today. You’ll be giving yourself a path to personal development with a purpose and that’s a path to success!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Happiness – Finding True Happiness is Within All of Us

You are not born to be happy just as you are not born to be sad.
Happiness is a choice for you to make, if you understand certain facts about yourself and life generally.

Here are some important facts in relation to happiness, if you understand and accept them you can be happy to.

1. Like Yourself

Many people simply don’t like themselves and feel that this prevents them achieving happiness because they are simply not worthy, and feel inadequate to deal with life and all that it has to offer.

However were all born with potential and were all born good.

However, if you feel you don’t have the art of appearing likeable (even though you are) work on it and learn basic social skills.

Keep in mind there is no reason for you to feel inadequate and like yourself – The first step to happiness is to like yourself.

Know your strengths know your weaknesses and work on the areas that need improvement.

2. Accept Life Is Not Perfect

Life is not all joy and fun, there is despair, feelings of loss and feelings of life is not fair.
Simply accept it’s the same for everyone, but you can make the bad better and remember there is always someone worse of than you, so be thankful to god for what you do have.

Leading on from this:

3. See the Good In All Situations

Even if you are involved in a bad situation, take the positive from it.

What have you learned from it has it made you stronger, wiser and more able to cope in future?

Many people simply change their lives after a bad situation they have encountered and re merge with a new strength and conviction, to change their lives for the better.

You can always find a positive to take from any situation, so make sure you do.

4. Accept People for What They Are

As far as possible try and see the good in people rather than the bad.

Don’t however surround yourself with negative people, if they are a bad influence on your happiness; remove them from your life.

Don’t let another person burden you with their problems, for to long if they can’t sort it out chances are you can’t to and advice them accordingly.

Under no circumstances use up energy in anger, or look for revenge on people who have hurt you, simply move on and learn from the experience.

5. Do What You Really Want To do

Many people are sad simply because they never do what they really want to do.

Now of course, we can’t always do or achieve what we want in life, but if it is within your grasp go for it.

Quite simply it’s better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all.

Many people remain sad because they always “think what if”

Well, you won’t know the answer unless you try and the experience if you fail or succeed will enhance your life in some way.

6. Life Is What You Make It

It’s an old saying but is totally true. Life is not always good to us the same as it’s not always bad to us, but by accepting this fact and confronting life in a positive frame of mind, you really can make life a rich, fulfilling and happy experience.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Creating A Limitless Life

What is a limitless life? It’s a life where you are free to reach your highest potential - a life where negative thinking is powerless to stop you from pursuing your dreams and desires to create a rich and abundant life full of joy and possibilities. It’s a life where you are completely open to seeing those possibilities.

I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. Diane Ackerman

Do you want to only live the length of your life, just plodding along and taking what comes your way? Or do you want to live the width of your life as well, experiencing the fullness of opportunity that life has to offer and always being open to more - more joy and happiness, more peace, more abundance, more love, and more success in whatever way you define it?

1. Take responsibility for your life. This is the only way to go beyond just taking what life brings. You have to claim your life in order to create your own destiny. It’s under your control. Believe it or not, you are the one who decides how to spend each day that you have here on Earth, and you can choose to spend them either in joy or dissatisfaction.

2. Decide what you want. So many people waste life’s precious moments complaining and reciting all the things they don’t want. Free yourself from that trap. Look deep inside yourself and determine what a limitless life means to you.

3. Take action and live now. Stop waiting for tomorrow. Make even a small amount of time each day to either do or pursue the things you dream of. Don’t wait to take action when you could do it now, and don’t assume life will reward you with all you dream of if you’re unwilling to get off your butt to go after it.

4. Learn to quiet and question your mind. Ceaseless and unquestioned thinking is one of the greatest obstacles you will ever face in pursuing a limitless life of happiness, abundance and peace. Your mind and thoughts are tools for you to use to support yourself in your unlimited life. (Think you don’t have time to learn to quiet your mind? Check out my article Meditation in a Busy Life.)

5. Think big and push yourself beyond your comfort zone. This is one of the best ways to keep yourself growing. In life, if you’re not growing then you’re either stagnating or dying. Stretch and reach for a little more than you are comfortable with, a little more than you think is possible and you will often be rewarded beyond what you expected.

6. Continually work at releasing your negative thoughts and feelings. Negativity inside of you in any form is resistance, and resistance sets up limits. When you can free yourself of negativity, you open yourself to new possibilities that were previously clouded by your negative perspective. (For tips, see my long article Overcoming Negative Energy at my website.)

7. Surround yourself with other positive-minded people. Cultivate friendships and relationships with people who are joyous in life and have a positive energy within them. Seek out other unlimited thinkers - they do exist! (And my personal suggestion is to run the other way when you’re confronted by negative complainers - they’ll suck the life right out of you…)

8. Take time to consider why you or your soul are here. Are you here to live a life of misery and complaint, or unlimited abundance in every area possible? Realize that there are some people living under the most difficult conditions life can offer who still manage to create love, joy and peace for themselves.

9. Search for and live your passion. When you find what you truly care about and put your energy into it, you create a a powerful force for breaking through your preconceived limits.

10. Be open to giving AND receiving. Give of yourself in everything you do. Put your values into your life, give your love as freely as possible, support others as they try to create happiness for themselves. And then make sure you are open to receiving all the good that’s coming to you. If you are not open to receiving the best that an unlimited life has to offer, then you will not see the opportunities and gifts before you and they will pass you by.

Life is like a gift in a box, and you have to decide whether to throw it away, leave it sitting unwrapped in the box, or gleefully tear open the box to find the delightful possibilities inside. It’s up to you. Nobody else gets your gift. Nobody else can open it for you.

Are you ready to embrace your gift with gratitude and be open to the unlimited possibilities that await you? Are you ready to live the width of your life fully? Then start today. Don’t wait. Enjoy!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Can You Prepare Yourself to Handle the Bad Things in Life?


Do you ever find yourself turning off the evening news because watching one more story about something bad will shoot your stress level into the stratosphere? Global warming, terrorism, record home foreclosures and of course, murder, crime and scandal are the prevailing stories of the day.

We live in a world where we're constantly bombarded by bad news. While you can't bury your head in the sand and pretend these problems don't exist, can you prevent the state of the world from stressing you out?

Louise Lewis, a ‘self-growth junkie’ and author of the inspirational new book, "No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You!" believes we can learn to protect ourselves from feeling overwhelmed by negative events. "Many of us, whether we're consciously aware of it or not, absorb all of this bad news and it chips away at our sense of security and balance," says Lewis. "So how do you prevent the state of the world from completely stressing you out? You focus on changing the state of your world and on touching the lives around you in a positive way." For example, if your life is a daily routine of getting up, going to work and then coming home and watching TV each night, you can become isolated. That makes it easy to focus on the very negative things that are going on in the world.

On the flip side, if you seek out opportunities to socialize and show compassion towards others you achieve multiple positive benefits. "When you build bonds with other people it's like weaving a safety net for yourself," says Lewis. "The ability to commiserate and laugh together establishes a healthy foundation for you emotionally. And when you feel anxious about the world-at-large, giving to others can help.

Your giving spirit can simply lead you to talk to someone who looks lonely in a coffee shop. Sometimes chance encounters where you take the time to reach out on a human level can have a profound impact on others-- and yourself."Reaching out to others can be a key coping strategy when things in your own life get rough—and the reality is, they will get rough at some point.

Whether you’re dealing with a divorce, death of a loved one or some other drastic, life-altering event, Lewis believes it is possible to prepare yourself for adversity. “I’m not saying you should walk around in a constant state of anticipation waiting for bad things to happen to you,” says Lewis. “But realistically speaking no one is immune from problems. So if you work on fortifying your life, you’ll be in a better position to handle those major events when they do happen.”So how do you ‘fortify’ your life? For starters, you spend time figuring out what’s important to you—essentially determining what your personal meaning of life is.

If you gain a sense of what matters most in your life and then focus on those areas, you’ll have an anchor when the storm hits.“Deciding your own meaning of life gives you strength and it also gives you a freedom to break down barriers with the people you love,” says Lewis. “Once I began following my own sense of purpose, I was able to talk to my family in a new, more open way. They sensed the honesty of it and it’s changed the dynamics of our relationships. It put history in its proper place- the past. And our improved relationships fortified my buffer zone against the bad things in life.”

Visit www.noexpertsneeded.com for more information

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Alternatives to Standing Still

A lot of people who look for guidance on self-help and self improvement are secretly fed up with themselves and their lives. Mainly, they feel they aren’t ‘making progress’ and they’ve come to the depressing conclusion that they’re standing still. They feel as though their lives are going nowhere and they that they are stuck. That may be true, but if they think that standing still is a lazy place to be, where they’re expending no effort, and living each day in a way that involves no energy or commitment, they’re fooling themselves.

Try it. Stand upright, away from walls, tables and other support, and see how long you can manage it. If you’re young and healthy you should be able to stay that way for hours. But observe your body. It isn’t immobile, far from it. It fact it’s constantly moving. Every moment that passes your muscles are making small adjustments, keeping you in balance. Some people say the Sixth Sense is actually balance, and they may be right, but it isn’t an instinct, it’s learned behaviour. When babies start standing up, they aren’t discovering how to be upright. They’re learning how to avoid falling over. They do it be developing a sense of where their body is in relation to up and down, right and left, then learning how to move to compensate for the effects of gravity, dragging them in directions they don’t want to go.

It’s the same with riding a bike. Young people who are in the process of learning how to control the machine often wobble around a lot, sometimes falling off. The problem they have at first is that they think they have to somehow keep still and upright, which – they anticipate - will keep the bike on track. Wrong. The bicycle is constantly moving. The trick is to realise which way it’s going and adjust your posture and the position of handlebars and wheels in tiny ways so that you don’t fall off. Same with roller skates, skateboards or surfboards. People on these devices are continually in danger of falling off. The successful ones are the ones who sense in which direction they’re going and learn how to make the necessary adjustments before the ‘fall’ becomes catastrophic. In a very real sense, you aren’t ’staying on’ a surfboard, you’re simply in control of how gravity is making you come off it. Finally, ever thought about driving a car? There’s no benefit in keeping going in a straight line. You have to follow the twists and turns of the road and then make decisions when you come to junctions. Isn’t that a bit like life?

The sad fact is that it’s easy to think that just because something has become a habit, it’s easy and it involves less effort ‘carrying on’ than changing. Like getting up and going to work at the same job every day. If it’s ‘easy’, then why would anyone ever have a problem dragging themselves out of bed on a Monday morning? And why would a new job, or a move to a new town, or a new relationship, be any less easy than the energy you’re putting into overcoming that ‘Monday morning feeling’? I’m constantly amazed how people seem to think that ‘familiar’ and habitual equates to easier. I worked with a woman who was the proud possessor of a top-of-the-range computer but every month when she sent out mailings, she always wrote out the addresses on the envelopes by hand. It was ‘easier’, she said. Every month, same momentous effort. When I introduce a person to some life-changing activity, they often say, ‘I can’t go to your meeting. I go to Bingo on a Thursday/ wash my hair/ watch Seinfeld’. The sad fact is that we like to think that we are irreplaceable and we couldn’t possibly let our Bingo companions down. They would die without us. Really? Move to a new house, stop going and just see how soon they forget you were ever there. Or miss an episode of Seinfeld. Would he miss you?

However the commitment to TV programmes is routine and familiar and many people mistake that for ‘comfortable’. They don’t realise how much effort it takes to make that rendezvous happen. What about the opportunities that you have to cancel? Someone wants to take you out for dinner that night? Hey, a date with a rich man sounds better to me than an hour observing someone who doesn’t even know you exist. Even if he does make good jokes. What about getting stuck in traffic? How many of us pull out all the stops to ensure we arrive in time for the beginning of the TV we’re addicted to. No, but we’re good at ignoring that. We construct an analysis in our heads that comes down hard on the ‘positive’ side when we’re weighing up the pros and cons of missing our favourite TV show. Then we balance the scales a different way when we’re invited to do something else with our time.

What if we were honest and actually faced facts? What if we appreciated that yes, standing up is an effort in itself. When someone invites you to join the gym, or take a jog, or go on a sponsored run, why not think about the small difference there really is between the new effort and what you usually do, instead of exaggerating that gap? What if, when faced with the chance of a new job or a business opportunity, we actually thought hard about how much we hated our current routine, or our fellow workers, or the boss, or the company, or the hours we’re asked to commit? Sure, the new plan sounds like it needs a lot of energy, but think – think about the amount of energy you’re putting into your current life. Think about how much effort you’re putting into ’standing still’. What you do now costs energy too. It may not seem like that, but only because you know that you don’t have to think about it much.

Here’s a challenge. Next Monday morning, write in your diary: ‘I like my life just the way it is’. Then, as the days roll on, write down every time someone mentions an opportunity to change your job/ the fact that the company might be closing down/ the training the boss wants you to go on, and list the excuses, the manipulations, the negotiations you have to do to avoid all that and ’stay as you are’. And that’s just your job. Do the same with family and relationships. Try the same with where you live, your health and hobbies. Your beliefs. Then, at the end of the week add that all up and try to admit: it takes time, energy and commitment to ’stand still’. Would it really be more effort to do things a bit differently – and start moving?