Your Beliefs Rule Your Life - What Do You Want To Believe?

The majority of people do not realize they are constantly reinforcing and being victimized by their beliefs. The beliefs you hold tell you what you can and can not do and what is right, wrong or true each moment. You can get lost in your beliefs that you only see the stories about 'What was' and 'What might be.'
When your 'What was or What might be,' are your consistent thoughts you miss the exquisite beauty that is in the here and now. You might also feel trapped in patterns that are causing you pain, loss and missed opportunities. Yet, it does not need to be that way.
The indoctrinated programs of mass consciousness about money, worthiness, intellect, ability make it more difficult for anyone to have a breakthrough because everything in society reinforces your program (beliefs). Yet, it is important to remember it is your program and beliefs about these issues that limit your success and happiness.
Harry Palmer said it best in his article, Designing Our Own Reality, "We experience what we believe. If we don't believe that we experience what we believe, then we don't, which still means the first statement is true."
When you accept your indoctrination and conditioning as, 'That is just the way I am,' you have moved away from being the source of your beliefs, and your past takes over as the source of your beliefs. Taking responsibility for your beliefs allows you to be the source of your beliefs right now. Looking to blame someone or something for your beliefs is disempowering and you allow your past to dictate your present. Thus, reality is anything you believe it is moment to moment. What others believe is their reality. Albeit can be one and the same on various issues.
Your beliefs have a direct impact on the quality of your life. Your beliefs cause you to think, behave and act in specific ways that either support or thwart your personal power. Your beliefs are imbedded in your unconscious mind. There is an easy way to discover your beliefs and systematically change them one by one.
Every moment you are unhappy about a situation is an opportunity to transform your negative beliefs to positive beliefs. For example: When you are in bumper to bumper traffic, you have choices - negative ranting thoughts, accept 'what is,' or if possible find another route. Either choice you will arrive at your destination as quickly as traffic will allow. The more you focus on the snarled traffic, the more upset you become. Accepting 'what is;' or taking another route allows you to create a stress free solution. This formula is applicable to any situation or issue.
This formula might seem too good to be true. However, it is that simple. Accepting 'what is,' or finding a more acceptable solution is the key to changing your experiences. Beliefs are the ruling formula. What do you want to believe? Change your beliefs and you change your life.
Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Metaphysician - Certified Hypnosis Practitioner, Author and Speaker. Dr. Dorothy facilitates clearing blocks, fears and limiting beliefs. You can live the life you desire. She brings awareness to concepts not typically obvious to one's thoughts and feelings. http://www.drdorothy.net/

The road not taken-medicine and Me

I will tell you this with a sigh of relief
Somewhere ages and ages, therefore,
Two roads were in the wood, and I-
I took the one less travelled,
And that made all the difference.

Robert Frost.

This poem in high school, you have learned. And it was my favorite. It was not a cheesy, boring and predictable. Is sad. It made me think. And, above all, all of the words appeared to come from his own mouth. Reading each sentence, each word of each verse, has led me to understand how life is information that we can make decisions and choices, we have (or had).

I wrote a note on Facebook that I have done on choices, when medical science chose my course of study in the field. I have written, that the Note is not just because I'm sick and tired of the life of doctors is, in other words, the people who wrote the Note, because I have been personally having doubts as to why I have selected. It was a little self-justification.

If some random person of me, why choose the medicine, I would like a response to the cliche-ly "Because you wanna help the people". This is true. Well, in part, in any case.

Honest reply. I do not know. (I) you do not want to do Engineering, law and Arts. Mainly, because I suck Physics, history and art. So the scientific disciplines that sounds good.

I wanted to, you've never done before in medicine. The fact is. ..

Before to make a career in medicine scholarship we had exposure to (a). The main reason is to see whether we can handle that. For any other reason, might be what you do not scare us, inspire us.

So my hospital at Putrajaya. When I look back on it now, it was a poor choice of exposure because the hospital was too clean, effective, and too good to be true too. The hospital was nice, and that is incorrect, because the image that the life of a doctor is easy and stress free. It is not.

So I was there every time I was just playing, I'm there, I am passionate about it coz of the people asking, I'm all. like "cuts I like Yeahh! It may be your own blood pumping! Hoyeahh! '.

Even though deep down I like the ... Why even here?

First in my group, and went to the Orthopedic ward. And as we had a listen to some ranting, and how difficult it is, how we should quit now, but when we got the opportunity to use my eyes, the doctor spent his patients in the room. See the old people have weak knees, how do they just sit and wait ... and wait. Other room on the top of this help him walk the patient to farmers of the nurses. Are all of the people here looked sad, or was just for me?

Then the door proved to be the entrance to my attention to the old man was transported, gurney. He was an older, possibly 70-ish, and doctors had brought the bed in her room. I looked at the old man. He took me. He was in the NIB, but then, he tried to rise. He made eye contact with me and then he waved to me. He is smiling and waving to me, like he knew me for the longest period of time. His eyes brightened. He was satisfied with.

Theory, he was wrong to me, maybe one of his sons or grandsons. It made me sad. The old man might not have had the right end. But if you make someone happy with my presence, may be unable to do more with the medicine. Well I took that as a sign.

On the second day we went to see how everything works in the sub-areas. Each of us has been set up in different rooms. I got the pediatric ward. So by the Chair, next to the doctor as we waited in the patient.

Malay, the doctor asked, "so, you wanna be a doctor, huh? The good you're in. How is the SPM result? "I told Her, and she replied" Oh my, that is good! That does not make me very well. But I hope u know that a doctor more than just being Smart. " I smiled. Just could not agree more.

The patient came to. He was accompanied by his mother, 12-year-old boy. Please, he was having problems with his liver. I'm not quite sure, but is quite serious. So serious, in fact, he is forced to check his urine daily. His mother would make some of the test, on their own at home may be able to verify the presence of the protein or something in his urine. He received the loads to take oral pills. He had made a number of treatments, including if they do electric manufactures the computer with the power to him. None, who had worked for. He said it was painful. I believed him. His eyes, that they will not be able to see it.

He is thin, but due to the disease, he may, in some weight. He was not allowed to be active, i.e., he cannot play football with his Friends. He wanted to go kite boarding school, but he is not working properly, his holding.

At the same time, he was silent. I smiled encouragingly for him. I said "good luck for the UPSR". He smiled back, unfortunately. I do not think that he wanted to hear. If only I could ' Hello ', can be corrected. Maybe that would make his day. If you only had a doctor.

Then there is this woman, who only gave the baby about a month back, and he was diagnosed with cancer. I've never felt so everything.

But with the medicine, I can personally, the opportunity to say "I can make u better" and mean it.

The money will be made to the medicine. Not for Dr. title. And certainly will not be able to make my parents proud.

I have made it a little boy. The old man. The Woman.

It is not simply, as can be. It is not because I am a smart tags. It is not, therefore, to make the correct things.

I did it, because if I have to pick up someone's pain and see the smile on their face, while the hurt go away, then there is no other contact. I am ready.

Even with all that, I still think about how different my life would be in if I have chosen medicine. Do not take the road is always in the spirit that haunt me Nights. But as long as I know, that the road that I am taking you for a ride, you can smile and say, that the life-"I'm afraid of you".

When A Crisis Strikes - Hope Is The Door Out of The Darkness

Hope Is The Door Out of The Darkness
Hope is probably the most important factor to dealing with any difficult time. Hope is what drives us forward and gives us the energy to endure and prevail over any circumstances. When someone has lost hope, it makes a person's life so much harder, suffering even more. Hope is the light at the end of the tunnel, the door opening to let the sunshine in. It gives us the reason to go on and to know we will get through whatever is happening now.
My family and I managed to survive those four years of separation because we continually had something to hope for. Even during the darkest times, we had avenues that gave us something to hope for. I am so grateful I wasn't sent away because I was truly afraid for my life and believed terrible things would have happened to me. So I kept myself focused on the good things that could happen. I always had some light that I could focus on with the vision of me going home always at the forefront.
To me, hope is finding Happiness, Optimism, and Positive Energy. It reminds us that better days are ahead. Life is cyclical and hope gets us over those bumps and valleys. It is also the door that opens to let light into any dark situation. Feeling hopelessness is common during a crisis. Look for the things that can give you something positive to focus on...you can breath, you can read, you have a special purpose in your life and this may be a part of forming you to be the best possible version of yourself.
If you imagine baking cookies, each ingredient by itself doesn't taste very good at all. Who wants to eat a spoonful of flour, or butter, or sugar, or even baking soda? But put them all together in the right measurements, bake them in the oven, and viola! You have delicious cookies.
Life is much the same. Each crisis, challenge, or trauma in itself doesn't feel very good, but the end result is a beautifully woven tapestry of your life that brings out the best of you. Focus on the future-the brightest future you can imagine-so that you can bring that into your life. It'll give you the hope you need to get through the challenges you may be facing right now.
Karin Volo is known as your Dream Job Mentor. She has worked in executive search for over 15 years on two continents and has placed hundreds of people in their dream jobs. She has worked internationally and has a good understanding of cultural differences and understands how important the right job or career is for a person's well being.
Get Karin's "5 Secrets to Standing Out Above the Rest and Find Your Dream Job" report now at http://inspiringyourverybest.com/

Your Life Resume

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Life's good news is where you are now is where you will be three years from now. The bad news is where we are now is where we will be three years from now UNLESS something changes.

Many factors influence and drive an individual's satisfaction or need to change both personally and professionally. Living a balanced life for example can we honestly say that we are in control of life's demands within our mind, body and spirit? Can we affirm that we are focused, managing accomplishments, commitments or are the events of life - wanted and unwanted - managing us?

Image a vista of mountain tops surrounded by a body of tranquil crystal clear water. You breathe deeply, and feel a pull to move closer to the water's edge and bending down to catch a glimpse of your reflection you suddenly hear the still small voice of God asking, "What do you see?"

Surprised by the question you shrink away only to find yourself haunted by the Creator's question. Again, you bend down to look closely into the eyes of your reflection but find yourself struggling to answer the question 'what do you see? We all have or will experience this place of unknowing; unable to identify with our reflection. Wondering who and what we are all about, doubting our future, what we did or did not accomplish up to now.

If we believe and trust that life is a journey, that we are here as spiritual beings having a human experience, then we will create a resume of our life. Yes, you read correctly a resume of your life. Human Resource professionals describe a candidate's resume as a snap shot of what was experienced, where the experience took place, when did the experience happen and how skills developed because of the experience. Many books have been read and seminars attended to learn how to create the perfect resume that vividly captures a candidate's value, experience and skills. Yet, little time is spent on creating a life resume so we can respond to the question what do you see when you look into the eyes of your reflection.

The strategy behind a life resume is to remember to record your accomplishments, the skills and experiences you gleaned each day. So let's begin with Johnny Smith. As far back as Johnny could remember, he was told by family and friends how outgoing and friendly he was and although shy by nature, Johnny began to live what he heard and was voted 'most friendly student' in High School. After High School, Johnny decided to postpone college and obtained employment at the neighborhood Pharmacy. It was there that Johnny made the most of his outgoing, friendly demeanor and once again, Johnny was voted 'most valuable employee' by customers, peers and management. After two years, Johnny decided to continue his education and attend college. He hoped his work experience would compensate for his average High School grades and low SAT scores. He was excited when he received the first letter, then the second and third but disappointed to read, we are sorry to inform you but....

Trying hard to stay encouraged, Johnny prayed for guidance and was led to create a life resume after hearing the still small voice of God say, "If you believe your life is worth anything, it will be worth recording and sharing."

And write Johnny did. Daily updating his life resume, recording accomplishments, skills and experiences; encouraging co-workers, customers and management to do the same. October 1st, exceeded my service goal by 5%. October 2nd, topped yesterday's sales goal by 11%; October 3rd, applied to the another college building my tenacity skills, October 4th, volunteered to help Mrs. Handley with her garden. Day after day Johnny recorded, striving to beat yesterday's objectives. Celebrating with others who recorded their life resume, cheering on and encouraging those who struggled to recognize their self worth.

Then the day Johnny was waiting for, a possibility letter. Johnny was invited to meet with the Department Head of Enrollment at one of the top Universities in the Country. The good news spread like wildfire and customers, co-workers and management wrote letter after letter acknowledging and recognizing Johnny's superior attributes of team work, tenacity, helpfulness, and above all his positive attitude.

Johnny felt unsettled the day of his interview, and praying for guidance, and direction he heard the still small voice of God reminding him to re-read his life resume, October 27, exceeded, November 2, accomplished, December 1st recognized...etc., and, after a daunting interview, Mr. Jonas, the Department Head of Enrollment, sat back in his chair and smiled.

"Johnny," he said, "in all my years as a department head; I have not received so many letters of recommendation from ordinary people as I have received on your behalf. You must be an extraordinary person."

Sensing Johnny knew nothing of the letters, Mr. Jonas picked up a mail bag called Johnny and proceeded to empty the contents onto Johnny's lap. Startled and left speechless, Johnny bowed his head and gave thanks.

"So what's the message here Johnny? How did you manage to create so many fans?" asked Mr. Jonas.

Johnny smiled and thought they remembered, then replied, "I keep a life resume sir and encourage others to keep one also. I record and celebrate my accomplishments and the accomplishments of others every day. I record the skills and experiences gleaned each day so I never forget who I am or what I see when I look into the eyes of my reflection. I believe a life worth living, Mr. Jonas, is a life worth recording. I never want to wonder who and what I am all about, and if I do forget, all I have to do is read my life resume and I am reminded of my gifts, my self-worth and my values."

That was a special day for Johnny as he was accepted into the University. It was a special day for Mr. Jonas also as he sat down to re-write the ending of his commencement speech to the graduating class.

.......and always remember, to keep and to update your life resume, to recognize and celebrate your accomplishments so if and when you have the opportunity to look into the eyes of your reflection you will know who you are; and above all, never forget a life worth living is a life worth recording.

Steve Jobs - Vision in Life, Inspiration in Death

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Steve Jobs has finally lost his battle with cancer, and lovers of computing and technology will mourn his loss. While there will no doubt be many eulogies and tributes to his achievements, I would like to offer a more spiritual perspective on this inspirational man.

For years we were privileged to see a man who was ahead of his time in vision, in originality and innovation: always taking the lead, while others could only play catch-up. A man who had an unprecedented ability to communicate and inspire others with that vision. A man who knew what we wanted before we did ourselves. Someone who, with his slick and yet informal style, had that special ability to reach the full spectrum of people. A genius? Probably!

However, this is not all that defines the man. In his last year we saw someone who, in the face of the greatest adversity, became even more. Although clearly failing physically, we saw an even brighter light and enthusiasm shining though. We saw dignity, responsibility, courage and a renewed delight in his vision.

How would you define a Spiritual Master? Would you say a Guru or Prophet? In the past perhaps we would have been limited by these concepts. Nowadays, however, the divisions and definitions of the past are blurring as never before. The Master of the 21st century can be from any walk of life. A true Spiritual Master is the person who speaks from the heart, who is connected to something higher than the norm, and who aspires to communicate that energy and joy to the rest of us. They give us a glimpse of something more and illuminate our lives with it. If this is today's definition of a Spiritual Master, then I believe Steve Jobs was exactly that.

Ask yourself, what will you do when you look in the mirror and see the face of death looking back at you. That is the moment when you learn who you truly are. Will you be a victim, locked in your own fear, who relinquishes your power and just diminishes? Will you find courage and dignity to hold your own to the end? Or, will you be one of those rare individuals who discovers even more within themselves. These people see their impending death, and find a renewed strength and clarity. Far from diminishing, they grow and blossom as the end approaches.

The knowledge of your own impending death has a bitter-sweet gift: the sharpest shift in perspective that anyone can ever experience. Immediately, the trivial evaporates, and only the profound remains. At that moment, you see the stark truth of your life's achievements. That is when you know whether anything you have done actually matters.

Can you continue your life's work, giving it that new razor-sharp perspective and making every moment count as never before? Those who can, not only live every second given to them to the full, but do so with such passion for life and with such focus, that we cannot fail to be uplifted by their example. We saw this in Steve Jobs.

Has Steve Jobs changed our lives for the better? On the material level, undoubtedly he has. The first decade of the 21st century has been transformed as a direct result of this man. However, what shines through Steve Jobs' life and work is far more than this. He left a spiritual mark on this planet too, even if he himself was unaware of it. He may not have been Mother Theresa, but still, he lifted us up and inspired us. He enhanced our lives, and he leaves the world a better place.

What on earth would he think of my comments? Would he laugh? Would he dismiss them? I could not possibly say. I just hope he realised how much joy he brought into the world with his vision, his imagination and his infectious enthusiasm: the very best of legacies.

I hope people will be able to say half as much of me.

Dr Anne Whitehouse studied at Cambridge University and had a scientific career before ME forced her to re-evaluate her life and change direction. She is now a speaker, transformational therapist and author of You Are The Alchemist - Transform Your Life. Do you want to inspire others with your life? Would you like to help others by being an example of hope? Would you like your suffering to have some real meaning? If you are stuck in fear and powerlessness, you can stay where you are, or you can use it to turn your life into an inspiration. Let me show you how you can do this for yourself. Go to http://www.thealchemydr.com/ to find out how.

Writing your own thoughts and emotions of Strangers reading takes Courage

This is my first published article on the network. It has taken me to write and send this piece may be thousands of people from EzineArticles, making them, I do not know, read and dissect a long time.

Although I am a social person and comfortable in their own writing, I have been very selective in choosing who I have in my writing. My problem by publishing my writing is to expose myself to the people, have never met, who are my soul. I am noyrtyneet my own vulnerability in admitting these fears and because of the Unknown phase I think is unpleasant, and free.

For some time now the others have been encouraging me to write. Well done to the opening-up of the tickets through my writing has given me and, and is to enter and send this song to the pace. (I) to overcome their own fear and come out the other side, Feeling exhilarated and excited. Whether your own comfort zone, I have given myself to the sound of the world.

Some of you may be unable to connect my feelings around this. To understand their own feelings of trepidation and sits back, but was impelled to write because of the fear of strangers in a critical voice in the home. One way to view positively to this challenge is made, is just as, in fact, the number of people who would benefit from writing, you may need to be considered to be benefitted from the mine.

You may have written something positive, that may change lives by helping them become readers, and the movement for the sake of clarity or teaching them something of value.

We all have something to say about this world, an important and perhaps it is time to share. I'm sure the other there are ready to hear what you have to say, and people who have more than a little appreciative. Of course, too, is one of the benefits of this experience can be completely adapted to all those who have and are meant, as in baring your soul, you are building a personal strength and character. Who knows, it may well step up to you to do something to change your status, which you have been wanting to do, but were kept back by itself. It just go!

Three Types of People To Watch Out For

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As I've mentioned in previous articles, your time is precious, and to spend it with a contemptuous and cynical individual is ill advised. Now I'm going to outline three philosophies that have only harmed humanity and if you're familiar with someone who seems to share a similar ideology as the one described, then you might want to reconsider that relationship...

Hedonists - Hedonism was the dominate philosophy in Ancient Rome, and arguably lead it to its demise. In hedonism, pleasure reigns supreme. These types of people seek out superficial pleasures without giving much thought to the negative effects their actions could potentially cause. The creed of hedonism is "If it feels good, do it!"... This philosophy has been known to produce gluttonous and lustful individuals who consequently have very little determination. Although these people may seem "fun and amusing" at first, you'll soon realize that they won't do you any favors in the long run.

Individualists - An individualist, when faced with a pressing decision will initially think "what can I get out of this?" Individualism is essentially a selfish philosophy that puts the main concern on "you and only you". Individualism severs the community as a whole; these types of people will harm the community in order to advance themselves. This philosophy is a bit less evident but just as dangerous as the others. It may take you awhile to spot an individualist out but once you do you can either keep your distance or attempt to alter his or her philosophy. Individualists mindset can be changed however, individualism has proven to be the easiest dogma to alter. A simple wakeup call and some words of wisdom should do the trick.

Minimalists - Minimalism is the rival of greatness and the founder of mediocrity. This philosophy is pretty self-explanatory, "What is the least I can do?" The minimalists want to reap all the rewards while giving none of the effort. "How can I put forth no effort, but still accomplish everything I want to?" If you spend too much time with these types of people you'll subconsciously inherit their slothful nature. One thing I have come to realize is that working hard is extremely contagious chose to spend your time with hardworking individuals and the first change you'll notice is your work ethic. Unfortunately this theory works both ways, spend too much time with a lethargic person and you'll be at risk for developing a similar work ethic.

Austin Hatem
Be Different...Be Bold...Change the World...
http://www.outofinspiration.com/

Survival Motivational Speakers

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There are motivational speakers that teach survival techniques regarding certain scenarios. These speakers are usually invited to speak at training camps and summer camps for kids. They teach about how to survive when faced with a certain situation and how to overcome certain obstacles. Should a person be lost in the jungle, lost in the dessert, or perhaps marooned in a desert island these survival motivators will teach you all about how to survive and find civilization or get rescued. Read about some of the survival techniques a survival motivational speaker teaches to their audience.

· Survival techniques when in the jungle - When a person is lost in a jungle or in a rainforest, it is always best not to panic and simply calm down in order to have a clear mind to think rationally. Survival motivational speakers will teach a person how to salvage for food, how to hunt, how to find clean drinking water and build a temporary shelter to sleep in for the night. Also they will teach a person how to reach civilization or how to get rescued by passing crafts or patrolling rangers. The most important thing that a person must remember when in the jungle is to always find clean drinking water to keep a person hydrated at all times.

· Survival techniques when in the desert - A person who is lost in the desert can survive for days as long as they know a few survival skills. This is where a survival motivational speaker comes in, they will teach you all about surviving in the desert and how also how to find civilization and get easily rescued. But the most important thing to remember when in the desert is to always hydrate. It can get pretty hot in there and a person will easily get dehydrated if they don't take in enough fluids ounces per day. Also remember to cover your head with a hat or a cloth so you'll keep the temperature of your head normal when walking under the heat of the sun.

When night falls, remember that the dessert can get pretty cold. You will need to have a fire burning in order to keep yourself warm and build a shelter to cover you from the cold night breeze. Your shelter and bonfire will also protect you from certain dessert wild animals that may harm you while you're asleep. So make sure that your fire burns all night to keep those unwanted predators away.

· Surviving a desert island - A person stuck in a desert island also need to remember a few things in order to survive. Motivational speakers will help a person how to always keep it calm, and be sure to be on the lookout at the shoreline for passing vessels or aircraft so you can call their attention. Draw or make a big sign at the beach that says S.O.S or HELP. These are the international signals of a person in distress and when someone spot them then a person can be then rescued.

Learn more about survival techniques that motivational speakers teach by logging on to our site at http://www.dobbo.com.au/

Success Secret - Happiness Is A Choice

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People search for keys to success. Some say it is all about hard work, some attribute success to patience and perseverance, some simply credit it all to destiny. Perspectives differ but everyone agrees that success doesn't come easy.

But one misconception many people have about success is about its relation to happiness. That success leads to happiness is a common belief. And one can say it is a myth.

Success does not necessarily lead to happiness. You can have all the success, fame and riches you desire and still not be happy with what you have. Happiness does not come from abundance or opulence. Happiness is essentially a state of mind and rather than success being a cause for happiness, one can say, happiness is always a cause for success.

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen"

~ Elizabeth Kubler Ros

Happiness is a choice. You can be happy no matter what the circumstances are. The biggest struggles of life, the deepest pains, and toughest challenges do not have the power to tear you away from choosing to be happy despite everything. You may say this is impossible. How can one remain happy in the midst of pain?

You can if you approach pain with a positive attitude, as an obstacle or challenge which has been put in your path to test your resilience and stoicism, you will be able to face it square on rather than let it climb all over you and drown you in depression.

It is all a matter of your own thoughts

Happiness is not something that depends upon another person or situations either. You have the power to create things that make you happy. Many difficult or sad situations arise every now and then. It is all up to you how you choose to feel on any given day.

For instance, if you are handling too many responsibilities, your success in fulfilling each one of them will depend on how you balance the various responsibilities and approach each one as per its importance. If you let yourself become confused, hassled and disorganized, the problems that are actually opportunities in work clothes will seem all too difficult to handle. The opportunities will slip past you, and you will just be looking at the problems and not what's behind them. It is not important how you look at things but what you see there.

Turn your mind towards positive thinking. Decide to finish the jobs according to priorities, spare a few moments to absorb the beauty that surrounds you, count your blessings, and read some inspirational messages. Create your own happiness.

Remember, the amazing thing about life is that, you choose what you allow into it. You choose how things affect you, you choose how you react. Happiness is a Choice. Make it. Keep smiling!

Noah Brown is a freelance writer who writes extensively on parenting children by building stress-free enjoyable parent child relationships. She also writes on motivational videos and inspirational quotes which provide useful relationship advice and parenting tips.

What Is My Next Great Step?

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What is my next great step?It was just before the summer really kicked into gear. I had the opportunity to listen to my colleague, Kurt Hoelting, author of The Circumference of Home, tell his tales of a year lived differently. He spoke of his decision to live a year apart from his car. The realization that his impact on the earth was too great for him to not somehow do something differently directed him to make a substantial alteration in the way he was living his life. So he did. His life for one year was lived with a new compass and as a result, his life will never be the same. By writing his story, he also had a significant impact on many of his readers, inspiring them to heed their call to take their courageous next step, and I count myself as one of them.

What is that something that brings us to realize the imperative for us to take a "next step", and that by not moving forward, we are cheating ourselves of something great? Next steps are not always Hail-Mary-football- passes with two seconds left in the game that go in the record books. Next steps can be the next logical sequential movement forward that is uncomfortable and sometimes frightening and is easy to rationalize avoiding. I think that true next steps never really go away, they keep returning to our consciousness until we take some action on them.

However you personally describe "your greatest self inside of you", it calls you to be courageous and it instructs you to follow your truth. It will push you towards your next step. If you do take the time to listen to that inner voice however, be ready to pay attention and take action, because once you know your right course of action and you choose not to pursue it, it is difficult to be happy knowing that you did not stand up for your greatness.

This stepping out may concern what you most need to do, but have resisted, regarding your health and well being. You may have been a smoker that had quit and felt your best ever, but due to some stressful life circumstances you fell off the wagon and started again. There is a part of you that will never forget what it felt like to have more energy and more breath. This will nudge you towards that feeling again and again. This persistent nudging might pertain to your weight, your sense of fitness or many other aspects of health as well as relationship, work, spiritual fitness and more.

I think that direct experience more than anything else brings us to the brink of next steps. It is the witnessing and feeling of something that runs against our personal grain that sets the stage for the necessity for change.

Once you know and have felt or experienced prejudice, can you ever really be at peace treating another in the same way? Once you have experienced being in a relationship that is mutually supportive, can you ever really be happy in one that is not? Once you have seen an island of albatrosses choked from plastic garbage remains, can you ever buy plastic bottles for your family without knowing the consequences? After working in a job that inspired you to be creative can you ever be really satisfied with a 9 to 5 menial task environment?

So my question has been...what is my next step? What am I being called forth to pursue that the pursuing of will increase my passion and excitement and life force. And what is it that the putting off of doing will keep me in a place of mediocrity, void of synchronistic experiences that remind me of how fabulous my life is and can be. Where am I living outside of that personal integrity? As I have personally explored that question, I am finding my next steps being laid out clearer and clearer for me. I am finding my choices getting stronger and the opportunities for me to write and teach expand for me. As i pursue that question, I am receiving clearer answers. I also know for myself, that if I do not heed the call, if i do not pursue the opportunities laid out before me, they will likely wither away because I am in essence telling the universe a lie. "Please give me a chance" but by refusing to dive in and instead stepping back down off the ladder, I am really just giving the universe lip service.

So my question to you, as always, is what is your next step? What are you avoiding, the avoiding of which is keeping your life smaller than you deserve? I ask you to take a moment right now and contemplate this question and see where it takes you.

Craig Weiner, DC has been in the health care field for 25 years, as a doctor of chiropractic, certified massage therapist, EFT practitioner, health coach, workshop leader, and creator of the Transformational Dialogues. Together with his wife Alina Frank, they are the creators of Path2Passion, a 6 week webinar series supporting couples in creating a powerful and intimate relationship. http://www.chirozone.net/, reach at drcraig@chirozone.net

The Crucial Question and What You Can Do About It

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AppId is over the quota

What is the crucial question facing the world today? Is it socio-political -- government corruption, human rights, sexual inequality, overpopulation? Is it sociological --religious, racial, political divisions, immorality, violence, permissiveness, breakdown of the family? Is it economic --over-consumerism, materialism, unemployment, the collapsing economy, globalization? Is iteco-global --poverty, war, terrorism, managing natural resources, global warming?

What if instead of choosing from this seemingly endless list we consider these issues as symptoms of a deeper malaise? What if we consider that it may be less the issues in themselves than how we choose to respond to them? Do we choose to respond to them out of fear, helplessness and despair or from empowerment, love, compassion and empathetic engagement? Won't our future and the future of humanity depend on how we respond, from where we respond and on what actions we take now?

Thousands of years ago humankind understood that being precedes doing. Our sense of presence, of being-ness, aligns us with powerful forces. The state of the world today is a reflection of inner turmoil, violence, unrest and uncertainty. If we human beings were to look seriously inside, as a collective act, and make a sincere commitment to a new intention to live harmoniously, intelligently and joyfully together the world would be transformed. But first we must understand the relationship between the inner and outer worlds. Being precedes doing: what we think, feel and understand inside us is reflected into the outer world.

Therefore, the crucial question for humanity today is: will it awaken? Will we awaken to our true nature, to what is possible and inherently human, to a life of wisdom, compassion, empathy and kindness? Will we choose to realize out higher nature, the True Self?

What can we do? Where should we begin? How can we start?

As ever, we start slowly, firmly and resolutely with inner conviction and resolve to overcome obstacles, to persevere, to become... ourselves.

First, a little discipline. Not remaining a slave to our desires and our fears, choosing how best to spend our day wisely, looking for balance in our life activities, thoughts and feelings, sometimes willingly doing what we don't want to do, persevering and enduring in wise and skilful ways and effortful striving towards the spiritual, the transcendent and the divine.

These basic practices serve as a foundation for continuing development.

Second, feel the world. This means letting in the experience and the intuition of ordinary states and responding to people, events and phenomena in the outer world and allowing them to affect you, becoming emotional, not in the conditioned sense but in the deeper sense of abandonment to naturalness and love.

This engagement aligns you to the world in authentic relationship.

Third, cultivate awareness which means staying awake, alive and responsive; seeing what is happening on all levels of human experience and not taking anything for granted, but staying intelligent in the true sense of the word, witnessing, being non-critical, accepting, not in a foolish way, but in an expansive, loving way that discerns when things are OK and when they are not.

Separation from the mind of judgment frees you from prejudice and bigotry to meet the world with deep compassion.

Fourth, keep your eyes open wide and your heart open wider. Combining your work in deepening awareness and non-criticism with your ability to feel the world ever deeper, more and more profoundly leads to a heart-opening that transforms your inner (and in time your outer) world.

When the heart becomes truly available and wholly present, transformation must follow.

Fifth, allow yourself to be affected by the world, touched by people and events. Awareness deepens into profound responsiveness that is less sentimental and more loving, less conditioned and more spontaneous.

In time you will have reached the threshold of spiritual surrender.

Finally, be present and breathe. Breath connects your energies and is itself the direct experience of enlightenment - the living truth.

These radical practices are central elements in the process of human awakening, the concern of psycho-spiritual practices, healing and therapy. At some point you are bound to need help, guidance and support in your personal and spiritual development. This is the time when you should seek a therapist, counselor or guide who is familiar and skilled in guiding you wisely.

About the Author:

Richard Harvey, Psychotherapist, Author and Spiritual Teacher, makes the connection between counseling and psychotherapy and spiritual growth. He speaks particularly to those who are looking for more than they have found in therapy. And offers guidance to those seeking to undertake the inner journey - guidance free of dogma and grounded in what many of us experience as the "messiness" of our personalities.

Visit his website http://www.therapyandspirituality.com/ for inspiring ideas and practical help, and see http://www.therapyandspirituality.com/human-awakening.html for an overview of his approach.

c Richard G Harvey 2010

What Can You Learn From Your Mistakes To Be Better Tomorrow?

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AppId is over the quota

Do you know that old saying, history repeats itself? Sadly most people do because it is true. Far too often the same mistakes happen over and over again. You see political leaders doing it, you see businesses falling into the same pitfalls that they've hit before, and it is not uncommon for you to notice yourself doing the same thing in your personal relationships.

However, that does not need to be your fate. Instead, you can be smart and learn from the mistakes of yesterday so that you do not make the same ones tomorrow. It is easier than it may sound. You simply need to think back over your life, identify your mistakes, evaluate the choices that you made, and look at how you could have done things differently.

Learn from your mistakes! People do not take nearly enough time to reflect on their own experiences. When you do not do this you deny yourself an opportunity to learn. This means that you will never move forward in your development. Instead, you will be stuck where you are right now making the same mistakes over and over again.

To avoid this you need to take an honest look at your past experiences. Identify a few key instances where you faced a dilemma and wound up unsatisfied with the results.

Learn from your mistakes! Once you have a few instances to focus on spend some time thinking about the mistakes that you made. What were the details of the dilemma that you were facing? What was the thought process that led you to make the decision that you made? Where did your decisions come up short? What part of your decision was successful?

After you have answered these questions you can really start to evaluate your answers. Start off thinking about what didn't go right. Mistakes tend to be more visible in retrospect than success is. However, just knowing that something didn't go right is not enough.

Learn from your mistakes! You need to uncover why it didn't go right. How did your decisions come up short, and what were you left needing? The answers to these questions will help you to avoid these same shortcomings in the future.

As you think back on your thought process try to think about the logic that brought you to the decisions that you made. Think back over the facts that you were dealing with and how they brought you to the solution that you chose. Additionally, as your reexamine these experiences try to think about each situation and how you could have done things differently.

Learn from your mistakes! Sometimes hindsight offers you new perspective and insights. Use these to think about how you could have altered your approach so that you were left with a different and more favorable outcome.

Now that you have these new revelations, it is your job to try to apply them to future decision-making. Use what you've learned about your tendencies and instincts so that you can refine them to be more dependable in the future. By doing this you will be able to learn from the past and create a more productive and happy future for yourself.

Herb Ammons is a Motivational Speaker and Author. http://www.herbammons.com/ Ammons is the co-author of a new inspirational book called Hope for Tomorrow: A Book of Motivational Quotes. Grab FREE, Exclusive Report, "Resolve To Help Yourself," visit: http://www.herbammons.com/help-yourself.html

The Truth About Creating Personal Change

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AppId is over the quota

If you are anything like me, chances are you have made a resolution at some point in your life to make a change but put it off into the future. I've told myself, "next week I'll start going to the gym" or "I will organize my office later." To my disappointment "Monday" and "later" come and go.

Truth be said, future goals are great because they are well intended. An intention is the focused power that precedes the action needed to create change. However, the illusion of a future date to start the change may be a mistake. Doing so, places resolution and the potential for change in the future. "I'll stop smoking next year." "I will go on a diet starting next week." Unconsciously I assume that placing progress in a future date is easier than placing progress and change in the moment. As long as I don't deal with it now, I'm not dealing with it.

Change is now, not tomorrow or next year. There IS no future, there is always only NOW. Who you are in this very moment dictates how the next moment will unfold. When you experience the future, you do so in the moment of NOW. More often than not, we place change in the future and choose to tackle it at a later time because we are afraid of what it will take to address it right now. We have convinced ourselves that changing now requires some level of "sacrifice." What will be different tomorrow? Next week? Or next month?

The past is just as unreal as the future. Living in it will similarly delay change you may desire. Dwelling on past patterns keeps you living in the past and will discourage you from taking action. All negative past patterns, are just that, "past" patterns, and should be left there. As you are here reading these lines right now, you can decide and be who ever you want to be. Enable your WILL to make choices and decisions that are in alignment with your target.

Make the change now by declaring the change in the present. Start with affirmations like, "I eat healthy and lose weight" "I am smoke free!" "I decide what I want in each moment". Continue to put in motion a flow of energy and conviction that aligns your efforts toward your desired target.

Choose one thing that you can do right now and that will pull you closer to what you want to create. Write it down and go do it...NOW!

The Child Beneath the Shields

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AppId is over the quota

I see people, but more than the people, I see the heavy shields they keep on carrying. The shields are of ideas, beliefs, notions, concepts and identities. The person sitting behind those heavy shields, I have observed, is always an innocent little child. Atrophied, a little scared, caged inside the shields like an animal.

It wants to come out. It wants to enjoy life but shields pose as if there is some danger outside. They give a different picture of the world. The child wants to touch the flowers, it wants to slide on the rainbows, it wants to walk on the clouds. But all that the child beneath the shield is made to see is competition - cut throat competition, enemies, ready to stab you. Its all a rat race towards nothing where one does not even bother to stop and look around at the whole absurdity; where one is caught in the "supposed to's" and imitation.

All that the child wants is food and love. When I get to walk by Rose garden or by Sukhna Lake or any other park at that, I see some real children. They have enough trust to keep their defenses down. They sit embracing each other, some of them even kissing. Neither future nor past exists for them. They are in the moment.

But when they separate, truth surfaces. Their shields are up again. All that had been happening was a trade - "You keep your shield down and I mine; I give you love and you me." It's not that shields get down on their own, its all a means to an end. To seek a gratification. To seek gratification and then to revert back to the cut throat competition with enemies who are ready to stab you. Even that love becomes like sex - a momentary escape from the monotonous struggle of life.

This 'competition' and 'enemies', all seems like an over exaggeration. It does because we are living blindly. We our-self are not aware where our actions spring from. To see how the mind works - as a means to an end- makes us see the whole trade that is going in around us in the names of Love, in the name of religion, in the name of spirituality, in the name of humanity and what not; to see that it leads to misery no matter how noble it may seem on the surface.

We tend to get caught in the word and all the junk that has been conditioned into us with that word. To see the reality as it is often painful but it is also liberating in the long run. But our shells of beliefs and concepts are so precious to us that we would rather spend our whole life in them, defending them. To look beyond the shell is to embrace the open sky that is there for you. To have the courage to look beneath at the hollowness is to take the path to true freedom.

But we just want to build a bigger and stronger shell. No matter how big your shell is, its not match for the sky. NO matter how strong it is, it will still keep you busy all your life. When you are busy with trivialities, you miss life. You sacrifice life at the altar of your notions. You end up spending your life maintaining your shell. To have the courage to go through the PAIN of understanding your misery is to end the game. End the game and start living.

What Rocks Your World?

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AppId is over the quota

What rocks your world and how do you handle the jolt of newness? What I mean is, if you get some new information that has the potential to radically change your outlook on life and about the world or even just change your perception of one small thing, do you embrace it or constrict? A little of both? None of the above and you just keep on keeping on? Do you ignore it and tell it has nothing to do with you?

This interests me in light of the constantly streaming information we have access to in the world, as well as new insights that are being shared with us constantly. So when someone comes up with a radical new concept, how do you handle it? How do you react? What do you do with the information?

Now there's a good word: in-form-ation. Material that creates form. I like that. It's kind of like the saying "you are what you eat". Well, yeah, you are what you are in-form-ed with. Concepts and thoughts, emotions and sensations that somehow make up what you are in this existence. Not on the essential level, but on the day to day functional level. How I take what people have said to me, how I react and from what conditioning.

What I do is to connect to how the information or new concept actually feels in my body, on the sensory level. You know, if it makes me feel excited, a bit bubbly inside, if I feel my inner smile coming on...

On the other hand, if it makes my body's energy rev down, makes me feel constricted, well then I don't necessarily nix it right off, but I know that I may have some examination to do around this subject. And this can be tricky, because it may be hitting one or another of my conditionings that no longer serve me! At least I know I have the choice to either reject or contemplate it.

So I guess that that is what it is all about: CHOICE, which is something we always have. Even deciding not to choose is a choice in itself.

So for me, I actually like my world to be rocked on occasion. I have asked the Universe now and then to slow these events down now and again, just to give me a chance to enjoy and process the changes.

Here's to accurate choices!

Love and Blessings,
Rhonda Joy
Copyright Rhonda Joy Eagle, 2011

I invite you to a 30 minute complementary session to begin to learn how to really go inside to discern and discover what choices are best for you, by learning how to use your own sensations and inner material unique to you. In this way you can choose what you are informed with!

Contact me at http://rhondaeagle.com/contact-us/ and we'll set it up.

Why You SHOULD Take a Vacation

Are you taking a vacation this summer? No, I just have too much going on at work; I can't afford it right now: I wish I was, but I just can't swing it. Those are comments that I hear a lot from my clients. The perils of NOT taking a vacation have been well documented. Dealing with stress and burnout top the list.
If I told you that I had a way for you to jumpstart your business, that you would discover ways to break the grind that you are in, and that you will come up with new creative business solutions, would you be interested? If you are like my clients, you would be willing to listen at least. And you probably have already figured out that taking a vacation is the secret.
Still not convinced? This is the icing on the cake: You will improve your health and longevity. I am pretty sure everyone wants to live longer! A State University of New York survey found that men who took annual vacations reduced their risk of death by 20 percent. And a study by Wisconsin Medical Journal found that women who took frequent vacations were less likely to become depressed, tense, or tired.
Hopefully by now, you are rethinking your resistance to taking a vacation. It doesn't have to be to an exotic place or expensive-it can even be a staycation. My coaching client, Damon, from Maverick Window and Doors, turned a command performance at a family reunion into a vacation that did everything I promised and more.
Damon's family reunion in Canada was an opportunity to not only rekindle some long-distance family relationships, but also some cherished childhood friends. An extra bonus was the car trip with his college-bound son from Southern California to Canada- a unique opportunity for some quiet reflection road time and also time to just be with his son.
We talked about how having this reflection time was a great opportunity to visualize how he wanted his life to be when he got back. We also talked about him purposefully making some "gratitude gifts" with his family and friends at the reunion.
I was anxious to talk to Damon when he returned. He shared with me how valuable his reflection time was: "I looked ahead-at my life as I see it, including my daily routine, myself, my health, my business and I just pictured a joyous, happy me." He realized as a result that there was a lot that he wanted to let go of. "I can't carry all this around all the time." He has wanted to do this for a long time, but now he has a compelling reason to really do it-he realizes that it will get him to the vision that he wants to achieve. When he was in the middle of the grind, it was impossible to see that.
But the best part of Damon's vacation was making the gratitude gifts. When he openly shared with one of his childhood friends about how he felt, his friend looked at him with tears in his eyes and said, "That's so cool that you would say that." Damon said, "I just had such a good, warm feeling."
The summer is half over. How about squeaking out some time to take a vacation if you haven't already? And while you are scheduling a vacation, schedule in some gratitude gifts to go along.
I'd love to hear your experiences of taking or not taking a vacation. What do you think about making a gratitude gift on your next vacation?
Dr. Lynn K. Jones--Certified Personal and Executive Coach
http://www.lynnkjones.com/

We Need to Look to God for Revival

Revival is a time to refocus, to get re-energized, reinvigorated, shaken up so we can go out and live in the way that God desires for us.
We have so many things that are really testing us!!!
- Economy is in shambles - Recession seems like it will never end - Debt ceiling crisis is frustrating - So many businesses are failing and laying people off - Jobs are hard to come by - Marriages are under attack
There is so much uncertainty in our lives!
Because of all of this if we are not careful we can easily buy in to all news of doom and gloom. If we are not careful we can allow our spirits to marinate in pool of negativity and pessimism. If we are not careful we will start walking around defeated....
In the book of Acts chapter 3 there was a lame man, a beggar who was laid at the gate of the temple called Beautiful. If you have ever seen a beggar begging, one of the first things they do is make eye contact with you. Instead of the beggar looking at Peter and John, Peter had to tell him to "Look at us".
It would seem that the beggar had in a sense given up. He was not on the prowl. He was a professional beggar that had been disarmed of his greatest weapon. His spirit was broken, he had settled into a spirit of complacency and was resigned to get whatever came to him rather than to make something happen. I wonder if that is how many of us have become like this beggar man.
We have been going to the same gate and doing the same thing over and over again with the mindset that thinks, "If I get something out of it fine.... But I'm not expecting much."
But rejection started beating down upon us, complacency has set in and we feel like we are going in circles and not accomplishing anything. So we put our heads down and say why bother... giving more, doing more, sacrificing, more, risking more? Why Bother??!!!!
And so you put your hand out and say half-heartedly... Lord Please Bless Me... But you don't expect it.. You don't really seek it..
You ask cause you know you should..But friends God wants us to LOOK UP!!!
Look Up for help, Look up for hope, Look up for guidance.
The Psalmist says:
Psa 121:1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Psa 121:2 My help [cometh] from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
Psa 121:3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
God is not asleep.. He is not overlooking you...
1Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
1Pe 3:13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
God Knows, He See's, He Watches, He Cares and He Wants us his children to know where and who to go to!!
Look Up To God Who Cares and desires to Revive Us!

The 10,000 Hour Rule by Malcolm Gladwell

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AppId is over the quota

'Outliers,' by Malcolm Gladwell is one of the classics and contains an extremely important message for budding experts.

I absolutely love this book! Have you read it yet? I recently read Tipping Point by the same author, and enjoyed that but this one is even better. It is completely fascinating.

Although it makes perfect sense to me that to be an expert you need to practice your chosen craft A LOT I had never really thought about it in statistical or scientific terms. (Being more of a creative type, science and stats usually send me cross-eyed)

There is a difference with this book though. It's a social study of the secret of success and is like a modern twist on Think and Grow Rich. It is as you might imagine full of amazing true stories but rather than just relating inspirational 'rags to riches' stories it actually investigates the nitty gritty of where people have come from and how their upbringing affects their success.

One of the fascinating case studies in the book is, 'What does Bill Gates have in common with the Beatles?' Shall I tell you or let you read it and discover for yourself? It is an incredible case study so go on treat yourself to the book - it is one for your success library.

If money is tight or you read as many as me why not join the library? It was just sitting waiting for me on the shelf at the little Stowmarket Library so I guess it was destined for me.

This book has really created a serious shift in my thinking. One of the main concepts in the book is that all experts have practiced for approximately 10,000 hours before reaching the level of being world class. (The 10,000 Hour Rule)

This is something we can apply right now. If you're struggling to achieve success and wondering why others have made it 'quicker' than you, take a look at how long they have been energetically practicing your type of business.

If you're a writer - have you actually written or done the things that writers need to do for 10,000 hours?

For Network Marketers this is particularly useful I feel, because people often come in thinking they will get rich in a couple of years. (or less!)

Some do but let's be honest - they are freaks of nature! But take a look at how many hours they 'practiced,' before those 2 years. Perhaps they are new to Network Marketing but what did they do before?

Maybe they were coaches, teachers or marketers. That means they clocked up A LOT of hours doing some of the activities that you need to do to be successful in Network Marketing.

Are you getting the picture? I find this strangely comforting because it means that although your background and upbringing does have a major impact on your success; you can make up for this by putting in your 10,000 hours.

The other thing to bear in mind is that this emphasises the need to specialise in something. If you're trying to be brilliant at too many things you may not be able to get your 10,000 hours in to achieve real success in any particular field.

I did a quick calculation as follows:

If you do 10 hours per week for 10 years you still only reach 5,200 hours and that's with NO weeks off!

So if you do 20 hours per week for 10 years or 10 hours per week x 20 years you hit the target. Wow. That is a lot of time and practice right?

Don't panic though. Apparently it takes about 10 years for your mind to absorb all that you need to become world class anyway.

So based on these figures you can see why it takes many people years and years to be truly successful and why people like Randy Gage who are now world class talk about the 5 years or more that they 'failed.'

Was Randy world class after 5 years then? No I don't think so. He started to reach the first levels of success, so you don't need the full 10,000 hours to earn a great income but you do need to be clocking up those hours of practice if you want to shoot for being one of the best.

This is why he has been the top earner in the company I work with for 5 consecutive years. He was out of the business for many years but had already clocked up his 10k hours and was staying sharp as a business consultant, prosperity guru and author.

A word of caution though! The book also talks about the importance of being in the right place at the right time so be sure to evaluate if your chosen profession is in growth mode right now in this rapidly changing economy.

In terms of partnering with a company; the same applies. Timing is as important as your 10,000 hours because if you've missed the growth curve or the company specialises in something that was breakthrough technology 30 years ago this probably isn't the best place to invest your hours now.

I hope you find this rule as inspiring as I do. If you want to be a world class copywriter... start writing every day. If you want to be no.1 in your MLM company you need to practice meeting and connecting with people (on and/or offline) inviting, following up and the other professional skills.

If information marketing is your big ambition start creating your own products and building your list; not next year but right now because you need the 10,000 hours under your belt if you want to be one of the best. You can still make money in the meantime but you know where you're headed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rachel Henke shares the secrets of becoming an expert in your niche to attract perfect clients, publicity & opportunities. For more expert secrets visit: Insider Secrets Report

Write, Play, Love, Show Up

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AppId is over the quota

Last weekend I finally saw the movie Eat, Pray, Love based on the book by Elizabeth Gilbert, and illuminated on screen by a glowing Julia Roberts.

There's been huge buzz around the book, and the movie, billed as one woman's (Elizabeth Gilbert) spiritual journey as she travels to Rome, India and Bali, in a year of self-discovery (and recovery) after her divorce.

The critics, and many of my women friends, have given both the book and the film mixed reviews - the majority deeming it more of a travelogue than a deep spiritual awakening.

Reading the book and seeing the movie with open curiosity and without any expectations for either, I enjoyed them both. And here's why.

Whatever one's opinion of the depth of Gilbert's writing and spirituality, she took some chances, showed up (admittedly in some well-chosen stunning locations), did the work, and then put her soul into print.

To each her own 'spiritual journey' and Gilbert simply shares hers, with humor and heart.

As a writer, and relentless world traveler, Gilbert's story also made me reflect on my own time in Rome, a city that wears its passions (not only for food) on its sleeve and can teach all of us a thing or two about living with 'gusto'; and lush, calm Bali, where 25 years ago I experienced what it is to live daily with true grace and ease.

And while many think taking a year out of your life to "find yourself" is self-indulgent or time well wasted, I believe these sabbaticals are powerful ways to renew and recharge our selves and our souls. In the last few decades, I have taken three year-long "detours" in my usual work life to live in Australia, Los Angeles and the South of France. And I plan to take more.

Years later, I'm still gleaning meaning and insight from my peripatetic lifestyle, and what this desire to keep moving (and exploring) is feeding. However, to date, most of my year-long journeys have only been documented in personal journals and postcards. Hmmm. Perhaps I have the material for my own version of Write, Play, Love.

Which leads me to the most important lesson I've learned from Gilbert and her self-described "freakish success" with Eat, Pray, Love. Our creative spirit - our genius - is there for all of us but we have to show up to work with it, that unidentifiable source where great creativity resides. And even if we can't always tap into that source, we still have to have the stubbornness to show up, step up and keep doing our part in the creative dance.

Life, love and writing are not just about taking chances but about showing up - consistently.

What helps you continue to show up?

My philosophy of writing, and all art, echoes Gaboury's belief about architecture: "The essence of architecture is space structured for human beings, but the ultimate goal is symbolic, metaphoric or spiritual, like any other art form. The difference with architecture is that it links art with the practical."

I believe that powerful writing, too, can link the artistic with the practical.

You can hire me to write feature length stories, or to produce short, snappy creative content for print, broadcast or online.

http://barbaraedie.com/

When A Crisis Strikes - People Helping People

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AppId is over the quota

Many times we tend to focus on the differences between us and that causes all sorts of problems. If we focused on how much we have in common, it would be easier to understand each other and have compassion.

The Dalai Lama said it so well when he stated we are humans sharing an experience on this planet. We all have problems in our lives. We all have 24 hours in a day. We all can smile, laugh, cry, and get hurt. It's all a part of this experience and that's what makes us human.

Help Others

When you are going through a tough time, it can be easy to feel sorry for yourself. Feeling like a victim is one of the worst ways to react because it will keep you feeling powerless. The best way out of that sand trap is to help others. When you can do something nice for someone else, you are creating good energy and will bring good things into your life.

EVERYONE goes through difficult times and if you can help someone else, it will make you feel good about yourself. When you help others, you will often realize that someone else has it harder than you. Realizing this helps you reach a place of gratitude and that will raise your energy vibration.

The Law of Giving is one of the foundational Universal laws that states what you give you will receive. My husband Sergio often says "sharing is having more." The best way to improve your life, to grow your business, to find the love of your life, to feel good about yourself... is to give. There is a part of giving that a lot of people overlook though. And that is receiving.

Allow People to Help You

Just as important helping others is, allowing others to help you is equally as important.

In any crisis, it is essential to have a support network of people who love you and can be there for you as you need them. Whether friends, family, counselors, spiritual advisors, mentors, support groups or anyone new the Universe may bring into your life to help you through a tough time, learn to rely on others and accept their help.

We are not meant to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders by ourselves. Just having someone you can talk to, someone who will listen to YOU, will give you a feeling of not being alone and give you someone to lean on. We are social beings and need people to love and care for each other.

It can be hard to accept help at times but I believe it is essential for our own well being to get the support and help we need. The Law of Giving is cyclical and the other half of that cycle is receiving. So be open to receiving the help, the support, the friendship, and the gifts that are waiting for you when you allow them to come into your life and accept them gracefully.

It is our nature to want to love and be loved-not just romantically, but as a species. The more we accept this and embrace it, the easier it will be for us to get through those difficult times. We are stronger when we support each other. And when we are helping others, or allowing others to help us, it cushions those rough bumps in the road.

Karin Volo is known as your Dream Job Mentor. She has worked in executive search for over 15 years on two continents and has placed hundreds of people in their dream jobs. She has worked internationally and has a good understanding of cultural differences and understands how important the right job or career is for a person's well being.

Get Karin's "5 Secrets to Standing Out Above the Rest and Find Your Dream Job" report now at http://inspiringyourverybest.com/

What Seal Team Ninja Chipmunks Have To Teach

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

One day we discovered a hole in the plastic lid on the peanut can that was in the cupboard. We knew what it was. It was our resident chipmunk.

We were right, and we were wrong.

Here's the story.

Living in semi-country, we always host chipmunks. They run in and out of our garage, they stand on their hind legs and watch Del chop wood, and laugh at me from behind bushes while I am working in the garden.

Someone with chipmunks probably made the movie "Holes" because sometimes my garden looks just like that. This is different from moles and shrew holes. They are secretive within their holes. Chipmunks are playful and love to see the results of their labor, so are more often scampering around on the surface.

However, when we discovered that at night that our chipmunk was coming into the kitchen and raiding the cupboards and drawers, we knew it was time for a relocation of said chipmunk.

We purchased a live trap and put it out into the kitchen at night with peanuts inside, but didn't set it because we wanted the chipmunk to be familiar with it first. That was a mistake.

In retrospect we can see they got very familiar with it while munching away without any danger.

We waited to set the trap because we wanted to take him into the forest that Del manages. It is a beautiful big forest, far from any homes.

However, we shouldn't have waited, because right away the chipmunk had the upper hand.

First, it was the weather. Since Del wanted to take him or her to the woods while working there, we waited for a day it wasn't going to rain. This earned the chipmunk a whole month reprieve during which he once tried to eat M&M peanut candies that we left in a bowl by mistake.

(The giveaway was the rattle - rattle in the middle of the night.)

Finally, we decided enough was enough, rain or no rain; it was time for capture and release - somewhere beautiful of course - but not necessarily in that same forest.

That was when we discovered our error in thinking there is only one chipmunk raiding the goodies. It is a Seal Ninja Team.

This is how we know.

We bait the trap with peanuts. It takes only the slightest touch on the platform for the door to fall.

The first time the peanuts were gone, but the door remained open, we figured he got lucky. The second time, we were astonished, and then the third, fourth and fifth time... all we can say now, is, "Are you kidding me?"

We tried placing the peanuts where it would take a major balancing act to reach them, but still they are gone.

We decided perhaps we could video them (sounds like something that could go on a best animal video show right?) but they vary their timing so we can never plan it. Sometimes the peanuts are gone within minutes, sometimes hours, and sometimes overnight.

We've taken to whispering our plans in case they hear them.

Here's what we imagine.

One chipmunk holds the door open, one holds the triggering mechanism, and one goes in - stuffs the peanuts in his mouth, and the mission is completed.

Looking back, we can see this has been going on for a while.

Our live mousetraps last summer caught a few mice. After that, the peanut butter was eaten, but the trap remained open. When the peanut butter was gone, the trap was set so we would look inside and restock the peanut butter. Of course, you know there were no animals inside!

Once again, it had to have been the Seal Team Ninja Chipmunks at work.

We removed the temptations for the chipmunks to be in our kitchen while we try, once again, to outwit these chipmunks.

However, we admire their joy, their playfulness, their obvious ingenuity. We are in awe at the teamwork that we figure must be going on and their intelligence to use what is set against them, and find a way to make it work for them.

All these qualities would serve us all well in our daily lives.

The next time you see something that looks impossible, remember the chipmunks, and I bet you will find a way.

Read Beca's new book: "The Four Essential Questions: Choosing Spiritually Healthy Habits." Paperback and Kindle version here

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The Reality of Design Inspiration

The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative.
The quality of having been so stimulated, esp. when evident in something.
A person or thing that stimulates in this way.
A sudden brilliant, creative, or timely idea.
The divine influence believed to have led to the writing of the Bible.
I'd like to challenge the idea of inspiration as stated above. This is how I would define inspiration:
Inspiration
An edge piece of a puzzle.
Think about how many puzzles you have started, got 90% of the edge work done, and then never touched again? I honestly could count on one hand how many I actually got past that point and I have a feeling the same is true for most people. Why is this true? We get all the outer pieces together because they are easy to sort out, it takes little time to pull out all the pieces with flat sides. Then we can fit them together because we can distinctly see the edge of the puzzle on the box.
So why do we stop when we get the edge nearly done? Because we know the next step is going to take some commitment and all we have is an outline. All the hard parts start to look like blobs of color or texture and our brains can't sort it out.
Missing Pieces
More often than not this is what inspiration does. We see people who create innovative products and we say "What a stroke of brilliance!" or we see a beautiful work and we think "They are so talented!". Then we think "I wish I could do that", we start to arrange what we know (the edge pieces) about it. As we piece it together we start to run into problems and unknowns (Ambiguous blobs of color or texture), if we hit enough of these we start to get doubt. Doubt turns into dismay, and eventually we tell ourselves "I'll never be able to do that".
Obviously this doesn't happen every time, so what about the times that we push through and finish the entire puzzle? What is different about those times? In my opinion there are two things missing and these are: Risk and Failures. I've come up with a simple formula which I think explains the level of success anyone will have at any given task.
(Inspiration + Risk) x Failures = Level of Success
So it all starts at inspiration, it is necessary to have inspiration to accomplish anything. With inspiration you must understand and accept the risks, the later is more important than the former. Nothing worth doing is without risks but truly accepting what may happen and doing it anyways is the ultimate goal.
This is when we reach failures, for every failure you make there is a much higher chance you will succeed the next time you do that thing. This is why I love to sketch my ideas to the point of exhaustion. I've found that the more times I try and fail in rapid succession the faster I can get to the part where I can succeed! It's incredible! The faster you fail the faster you succeed!
Make a Change
This silly equation aside the main thing I wanted to address is that Inspiration is nothing without Risk and Failure. So challenge yourself to finish the inside of the puzzle. Think of one thing you've always wanted to accomplish and go do it! You will probably fail, but then you should just do it again! Then you should come back here and share what you did with me because I would love to hear your stories.

Thoughts From The Box - "What The 'L'!"

Did you know that the bible tells us to get the 'L' out of here? Damien, you say WHAT?!? Believe me, I said the same thing when I read it for myself. It clearly says get the "L" out of here. OK, please read on and I'll show you where.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's Will is-his good, pleasing and perfect Will." How do people know what God's Will is for their lives? They meditate and study the Word of God, which transforms their minds. Don't you see it? When we remove the "L" from the World, we are only left with Word of God.
The Word of God renews our minds so that we are set apart to then be a light to the world.
Sadly, in Matthew 19 starting at the 16th verse we find the story of a young man who just could not get rid of the "L". We catch up to the story as the young man is asking Jesus, "What good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Jesus responds by telling him to follow the commandments, and then he lists a few. "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal..."
"All these I have kept," the young man quickly replies. "What do I still lack?"
Jesus answers, "If you wish to be complete, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." As soon as the young man hears this, he goes away grieving because he possesses great wealth.
You see, our walk with God is more than following commandments or doing good deeds. We must also set ourselves apart from the world. The interesting thing in this story is that the young rich man knew that he lacked peace even though he had followed the Lord's commandments, and scripture indicates to us that he was essentially what the world considers to be a "good person." But the young man just could not let his worldly possessions go, which kept him from following Christ.
1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." No one can serve two masters, Matthew 6:24 emphasizes. "Either we hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Don't get me wrong: Money/wealth is not necessarily bad, even though some people quote the scriptures as saying this. (However, scripture does tell us in I Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.")
I'm also not saying that it is impossible for a rich man to enter heaven because Jesus states later in Matthew 19 that, "nothing is impossible for God." However, Jesus is very clear with his disciples,: When and if the time comes that you have a choice, will you follow Christ or the world and its possessions?
I truly believe that the Word of God is a firm foundation for you, a place where you can begin discovering the peace that you might be looking for and that the world is known to lack. In addition, I believe we are to use that Word greatly in our lives, for the benefit of ourselves and others. I endorse the advice from the Book of James where we are told to not merely be hearers of the Word but also doers.
So my friends, getting the "L" out of here, will only leave us the Word of God. And trust me, from my experience that's a great place to start.
Prayer,
Dear God, Thank You for this special day that You have made. Help us continue to follow Your Word daily, and give us the strength to share our light to the world so that others can see Your Word, which is alive and working in us. I ask this in you Son Jesus Christ Name. Amen
Blessings,
Damien K. H. Nash, Founder & CEO
TNGP Publishings, LLC
http://www.tngpublishings.com/
Author of...
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Teamwork at Its Finest: Lessons Learned From Teens

Every now and then you get a chance to witness teamwork operating at its finest. Usually this is found in sophisticated work environments or in places where adults have known one another for a long period of time. I however have found it at a high school with a group of seniors who have come from a variety of backgrounds with enormous variations in economic and social status.
As a group, there is nothing special that stands out among them as evident in their number of 29 with the majority of them being males. With the exception of a few, they are not the most intelligent, athletic or popular class. Their personal interests are varied from medical school to marines, from marine biology to hunting, from football to dance, and from art to engineering. Yet they get along with surprising contentment for their differences. How? There are three observations as to how they have accomplished this task.
Servant leadership. One of the most striking features of this group is their ability to transfer leadership from one to another depending on the circumstances. On the football field, one senior is the leader, in the classroom another senior is the leader, and when planning the social functions yet another senior is the leader. The overall attitude of the group is to serve one another by serving the interests of the entire group instead of an individual. Thus they are more willing to accept alternative leaders from within their class and work together by pooling from each person's strengths instead of competing for center stage.
Respect for each other. To be sure, there are times when there is tension in the group and one person feels disrespected by another, there may even be an occasional disagreement. But when there is a disagreement, instead of taking sides, the group tends to encourage each one to come back to the group and not allow the disagreement to destroy the unity. This in turn allows an individual to admit their faults, feel accepted and more importantly prevents them from "losing face" in front of their peers. In the end, all is forgiven and respect for each other is willingly returned.
Focus on the group. The above two observations occur when all the members of the group understand the value in preserving a group and creating a teamwork environment. Strangely enough, the desire for teamwork was not accomplished by taking personality assessments or listening to a speaker, instead the desire grew by witnessing how a lack of teamwork affects the individuals of a group. As a result, by seeing what they did not want to become, they were motivated to move past the petty circumstantial issues and focus more on what is best for the group as a whole.
So who is this exceptional group of young individuals who have managed to learn significant life lessons about teamwork? They are the current seniors at Foundation Academy, a private Christian school, in Winter Garden, Florida and without exception they are all extraordinary students not just for their individual accomplishments but also for their group mentality. Isn't it nice to hear about the positive impact of a group of teens can make in their culture instead of the negative impact of so many others?
Chris Hammond is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern at LifeWorks Group w/ over 15 years of experience as a counselor, mentor & teacher for children, teenagers & adults.
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