My Life Development

Benefits of Yoga

2009-01-02T01:29:00.000-08:00

Yoga through meditation works remarkably to accomplish harmony and helps the mind work in synchronization with the body. How often do we find that we are unable to perform our activities properly and in a satisfying manner because of the confusions and conflicts in our mind weigh down heavily upon us?

Stress is the number one suspect affecting all parts of our physical, endocrinal and emotional system. And with the help of yoga this things can be corrected. At the physical level, yoga and yoga poses have proven to be extremely effective for various disorders.

Listed below are just some of the benefits of yoga that you can get.

Benefits of Yoga 1: Yoga is known to amplify flexibility; yoga has postures that trigger the different joints of the body. Including those joints that are not acted upon with regular exercises routines.

Benefits of Yoga 2: Yoga also increases the lubrication of joints, ligament and tendons. The well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.
It has also been found that the body which may have started doing yoga being a inflexible one may experience a quite remarkable flexibility in the end on those parts of the body which have not been consciously worked upon.

Benefits of Yoga 3: Yoga also massages all organs of the body. Yoga is perhaps the only exercise that can work on through your internal organs in a thorough manner, including those that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime.

Benefits of Yoga 4: Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.
One of the far-reaching benefits of yoga is the uncanny sense of awareness that it develops in the practitioner of an impending health disorder or infection.

Benefits of Yoga 5: yoga offers a total detoxification of the body. It gently stretches the muscles and joints as we as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body.

Benefits of Yoga 6: Yoga helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny of your body as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life.

Benefits of Yoga 7: yoga is also an excellent way to tone your muscles. Muscles which have been flaccid and weak are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess fats and flaccidity.

But these enormous physical benefits are just a “side effect” of this powerful practice. What yoga does is harmonize the mind with the body and these results in real quantum benefits.

It is now an open secret that the will of the mind has enabled people to achieve extraordinary physical feats, which proves beyond doubt the mind and body connection.

In fact yoga = meditation, because both work together in achieving the common goal of unity of mind, body and spirit which can lead to an experience of eternal bliss that you can only feel through yoga. The meditative practices through yoga help in achieving an emotional balance through detachment.

This in turn creates a extraordinary calmness and a positive outlook, which also has tremendous benefits on the physical health of the body.

Benefits Of Shavasana

2009-01-02T01:27:00.001-08:00

For many it is considered to be one of the easiest asanas, but that is not the case. Even though it may look very simple and non-beneficial but it is the other way round. After doing all your yoga poses this is one of the most essential and important pose to complete your yoga practice with. It is the asana which gives the opportunity to relax. Shavasana means Corpse pose due to the look of the asana. As you lie down it makes you aware about your body and how each part of your body plays a very important role in your life.

As you go along meditating it relaxes each nerve of your body and improves your respiration which creates the areas for energy and vitality. It benefits mentally as well as physically, which helps in focusing your positive energy for a greater good. Mind and body should not waiver while doing this asana. Full concentration is required and it may prove to be very handy in times when you need the most. A motionless mind and body helps you reach the level of optimum relaxation. Listening to soothing voice or some chants may just help you reach that meditated level.

The respiratory and circulatory system is cleared and opens to a more refreshing life. The overworked muscles tend to relax when you are in this asana. Every system in the body relaxes which gives them the breathing space to conserve energy and be more useful later on. It is very beneficial for people who are heart patient as well as suffering from blood pressure. It helps in improving your stress level and may also relieve you from slight depression. Minor problems like headache, fatigue and insomnia may also be reduced. People with back injury or any other back problems should take extra care.

Benefits Of Salamba Sirasana

2009-01-02T01:26:00.002-08:00

Salamba Sirasana is known as the king of asanas. As in any story the king and queen play different role, in the same manner the asanas also play a different role. The Queen of poses, the shoulder stand helps in the development of the right brain which comprises of stability and patience. Whereas, left brain triggers the brain by pushing through the walls of obscurity towards clear vision.

You cannot master this asana in the first attempt. You have to learn it slowly and steadily without straining your neck and back. The presence of a yoga instructor would be the best thing to start off this asana. After many attempts and by the use of props like the wall you can be a maestro of this asana.

As the blood flows to the brain it improves the circulation of blood and gives a calming effect to your body and helps in relieving stress. In comparison with all the inverted poses this pose also helps in soothing your tense nervous system. The pressure applied on your shoulders and head make them stronger. Your brain receives fresh supply of blood making it more appropriate for better health. Circulation of blood makes you prone to fewer diseases. It helps in removing fatigue from your body to relax you.

The problems and ailments you face with your chest like bronchitis, asthma and breathlessness can get a sense of relief by this asana. Your digestion improves by this asana and stimulation is provided to the pituitary and pineal glands. The headstand helps in strengthening your arms, legs and spine as the entire pressure is put on them. The abdominal organs are toned by this asana which also strengthens your lungs. This asana is very therapeutic if you are suffering from conditions like asthma, infertility, insomnia and sinus.

Benefits Of Pincha Mayurasana

2009-01-02T01:26:00.001-08:00

The meaning of this asana is peacock feather pose. Before displaying the beautiful feathers, the peacock happens to lift its tail upright. This upright pose before dancing is known as Pincha Mayurasana. This represents the peacock in all its grandeur. The fierceness that is described in the peacock has to be imbibed in our day to day lives.

You can also call it as the elbow stand or the forearm stand pose too. As the entire weight falls on your shoulders, it has tremendous strength to withhold that balance for a specific period of time. As the shoulders are not joined together but kept at a distance distributing your weight on both the shoulders.

Similar to Adho Mukha Svanasana and Adho Mukha Vrksasana this pose also tests the inbuilt fear of falling. This fear factor is very common while doing all these kind of asanas. It is different to Vrksasana as the arms are not bended and in this asana it is bended giving you the extra support.

It may not be an easy asana to do on your own. You can use the wall as a support. The help of a friend or a teacher around would be worth the effort while doing this asana. Even though it may look like a simple asana, but doing it can be a different ball game all together.

This asana is a stress buster. It helps you tremendously to relax due to the position of the asana. The tension that would be residing in shoulder area is easily removed. Every muscle happens to do their bit making you more proactive towards your knowledge of mind and body.

As your chest opens helping your ribs, it also helps the shoulders including your upper arms and upper back. As your rib area and stomach area keeps the body straight they get toned too. Every part of your body is benefited while doing this asana.

The legs and buttocks are also strengthened because of the need, to keep your body in a straight line. This position lets you strengthen your thighs as it has to be kept straight without bending over. Thigh muscles benefit a lot by doing this inverted pose.

In this pose too the blood from the legs rushes down to the head, supplying it with fresh blood, which rejuvenates you as well as refreshes your mind and body to the highest proximity.

While doing any of the yoga asanas please confirm with your yoga teacher or doctor. People with back or any other problems should avoid such asanas.

Benefits Of Performing - Standing Head To Knee Yoga Pose

2009-01-02T01:25:00.001-08:00

Dandayamana Janushirasana is also known as Standing Head to Knee Pose. The core need for this asana is to maintain balance. With the sense of balance you tend to be a determined person from within. Your level of patience is also kept in check by doing this asana. It is a mind and body unison which creates greater impact. A state of balance is brought in your life. A cool and calm mind is always valuable for a quick decision and Dandayamana Janushirasana lets you do that. Calmness prevails when nervousness try to take over your mind. It makes you a positive and forthcoming individual. A need to learn and achieve is required to make it an attainable asana.

Degree of agility and flexibility increases by regularly performing the asana. The digestive and reproductive systems are at a full go due to the massaging done during the asana. It clears many of your stomach and digestion related problems. With a strong reproductive system your sexual life can take a turn, for good. Pancreas function better by steady execution of this asana. Thus, maintains the sugar levels and brings a breath of fresh air to all diabetic patients. You remember things better as it enhances your memory. Blood circulation improves the functioning of your body.

The flexibility improves the sciatic nerve. Acidity and flatulence problem can be coped very easily by regular and correct execution of the asana. It strengthens your limbs and your hands which are a great support system of your body. Every muscle of your body gets stretched to its maximum. If you are facing problems with thigh muscles, this asana would provide maximum relief. It tightens the abdominal muscles resulting in toning of your abdomen. It strengthens your back muscles which gives you a steady posture. Your biceps and triceps get toned due to the strengthening of the muscles. Due to the toning of the abdominal and thigh muscles your body achieves firmness. The sagging muscle tissue no longer exists. Massaging of internal organs creates a good exterior which is reflected on your body. A regular performance of this asana would bring lot of improvement in your life.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions before following any of the asanas from this article and the site. To avoid any problems while doing the asanas, it is advised that you consult a doctor and a yoga instructor. The responsibility lies solely with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Benefits Of Padangusthasana

2009-01-02T01:24:00.002-08:00

This is one of the basic yoga asanas which we learn initially while learning yoga. All the yoga poses help in improving your flexibility which becomes very useful in our daily life. The asana is also known as head to foot pose. Your desire to regulate your blood pressure can be done by this asana. The pressure on your head and the stretching of the muscles relaxes your brain, making you work out things more easily and calmly. The stretching and pulling tones your body and relaxes you by making you feel at ease. The bending helps your abdominal organs as it massages the liver and spleen making it useful to the optimum level.

If done properly this asana would benefit not only body but would teach you be calm and patient. It has to be done slowly and not in a haste, if you want to receive its full benefits. The tiring muscles would be elevated and rejuvenated by this pose. The stretching of the muscles helps your hips, thighs, hamstrings, groin and calves. When these muscles are stretched they make your body more agile and fit. It helps to strengthen the other muscles which would help in recuperating your tired body. The less stress you give to your important organs it would work in a better fashion and helping your health.

With the improper diet, many of us suffer from gastric and indigestion problems. As we do not take care of our health and does not even look at the warning signs our body sends to us. This exercise helps in removing the bloating feeling caused by the indigestion and gastric troubles. It stretches most parts of your body like back, spine and legs which also plays a major role at the time of conception. Your knees are strengthened; the pressure helps in reduction of flat foot. Some other benefits are in strengthening your prostrate gland, reduction in blood pressure, helps in removing your backache, less menstrual discomfort is also provided by this asana.

Benefits Of Matsyasana

2009-01-02T01:24:00.001-08:00

The name given to every asana derives its inspiration from nature. As this pose happens to look like a fish it is known as matsyasna - fish pose. The popular feeling is that Matsyasana is known as the destroyer of many diseases. This asana has to be done in padmasana which may not be that easy for beginner. To make it easy you can do this by stretching your legs and then lie on your back. Knees bent and hands by your side. It is one of the back bend poses which done in correct manner would be very fruitful and useful for you.

For many who are doing this for the first time can use support for your neck to avoid any strain. The use of a thick blanket may just be the thing you may need. Do this asana on a blanket to avoid any damage to your back. It can be made difficult with many variations depending upon the person who is doing it. While doing this asana hold it for 15 to 30 seconds to get the full benefit.

The intense pull of the asana helps flexing your hips flexors and muscles between the ribs to make it more functional. This asana helps to stretch most parts of your body. By the increasing stretch it stimulates the muscles and the abdominal organs including the neck and throat. This is the only asana which bends the spine and your neck backwards.

Pressure and stretch on the neck also helps the thyroid glands including the pineal and adrenal glands. The nervous system, kidneys, stomach, intestines, the pelvic organs are strengthened and toned due to this asana. Asthma patient’s health will improve by this asana. It also helps in improving your posture. It is very useful for constipation, mild headache, fatigue and menstrual pain.

Benefits Of Garudasana

2009-01-02T01:23:00.001-08:00

'Garuda' means eagle and 'asana' means pose. Garuda known as king birds also happen to be the vehicle of Vishnu. Even though most of the yoga poses aims towards balance and tranquility, by the look of the asana it will be more visible. This asana would help in loosening up your joints. Stretching your muscles would help in making all the parts of your body more fit.

While doing the asana sense of balance would be achieved as you are standing on one foot. It would look similar to you being wrapped by yourself. As this is a standing pose many beginners do not happen to find the right balance, for this they can use the wall to support the back. This can be done with different variations and can be very challenging. You should consult your doctor before doing any of the yoga poses. Even though these are very beneficial it would depend upon your body whether you can manage these asanas.

Even though this may look like a difficult asana but by regularly doing it you may master it and would be able to reap its benefits. The key for all the asanas is that you have to remain in that pose for at least 15 to 30 seconds which would be more beneficial for you. The key areas which this asana focuses are the ankles, calves, thighs, hips and shoulders.

The benefit which you can get from this asana is the strengthening and stretching of you ankles and calves. These areas which may be neglected would be treated well by this asana. The stretch would help your thighs, hips, shoulders and upper back. The pull which is created in this asana would help making you more relaxed. So when you are relaxed the level of concentration also improves as you are also keeping a check on your breathing while doing this exercise. There is balance all over your mind body and soul which keeps you always in check for the better things in life.

Benefits of Chair Yoga – Part 4

2009-01-02T01:22:00.001-08:00

Chair Yoga can easily work in harmony with most physical rehabilitation prescriptions. Many physical therapists have knowledge of Yoga or are teachers of Yoga. Many doctors, physical therapists, and medical professionals recommend Yoga to patients who are making a “come back.”

Yoga gives these patients the strength to move ahead, when many would be discouraged. The comebacks that I have personally witnessed are inspiring to me as a Yoga teacher. Over time, I have seen come backs from strokes, heart attacks, and car accidents.

It touches me that they thanked me for teaching them Yoga or Chair Yoga.
The courage to go on came from within their minds, but Yoga became a significant part of their lives. As a Yoga teacher the inspiration was mutual and made me feel helpful. After all, being of help, and being appreciated, are prime motivations for teachers of any subject.

Muscle tone is a result of stretching and flexing any muscle group. Active muscles display themselves on anybody that chooses to use them. This is also a good way to relieve oneself of anxiety, stress, tension, and prevent depression. Like the other benefits, previously mentioned, this results in whole body health. A healthy body does, indeed, compliment a healthy mind.

For those clients who are confined to a chair, it is wise to include some form of a weight bearing, or weight resistance, exercise program. For those who can stand, Chair Yoga is another weight bearing exercise that will stimulate bone building.

With progressive weight resistance, you use free weights or machines, but with Yoga you bear your own body weight. The end result of these exercise programs would be increased bone density and prevention of Osteoporosis.
Seniors spend more time alone, than any other age group. Sometimes, we all need a little solitude, but too much solitude can lead to depression, in some of us. Living life like a monk is not for everyone.

Chair Yoga classes offer a social activity that helps to stimulate the mind and body in a positive way. This becomes an uplifting activity that participants look forward to. Regular attendance, and socializing in Chair Yoga classes, is a healthy activity that leads to building strong relationships.

It also exposes seniors to the many activities that are going on within the community center. Participants of chair Yoga classes are exposed to whole health and gain a nutritional education as a member of a senior, community, or wellness center.

Lastly, all participants in Chair Yoga classes learn to relax and quiet the mind, through breath awareness, meditation, stage-by-stage relaxation, a combination, or another method. The end result being that these Yoga students can control their minds, focus on the good things in life, and prevent depression.

Benefits of Chair Yoga – Part 3

2009-01-02T01:21:00.002-08:00

Flexibility is considered to be a “by product” of Yoga practice, but in the case of Chair Yoga, it is often “down played” or taken for granted. Since most Chair Yoga enthusiasts are seniors, the true value of flexibility is mobility.
When you consider that mobility for seniors can be the difference between dependence and independence, flexibility is now of extreme value.

The following is an observation I have made after working with groups from assisted living complexes, adult day care centers, nursing homes, and seniors centers. The average mobile senior citizen is much more flexible in the hips, spine, wrists, and shoulders, than his or her dependent counterpart.

Just crossing the legs can be difficult for the clients I work with in a nursing home. Students in Chair Yoga classes learn a variety of exercises that will “free up” many of the major joints. Many students also remark how pain, from a variety of ailments, is much more manageable, after practicing Chair Yoga.

Increased range of motion makes a difference, when reaching for anything. It also helps to prevent injuries that can occur from strain or a possible fall. If a senior falls, there is certainly the potential that the results could be life threatening.

Chair Yoga offers a significant number of balancing exercises. Although balance can be affected by medication, inner ear problems, and more, many seniors show much improvement in balancing their bodies within weeks of their first Chair Yoga class. Therefore, flexibility and balance are a significant part of an injury prevention package that can improve, or enhance, the quality of life for seniors. This fact has been realized by seniors who flock to Chair Yoga classes on a daily, or weekly, basis.

Most of us realize that physical conditioning is not the only factor involved in dependence. There are a number of disabling diseases that can affect any one of us and have nothing to do with lack of flexibility. Lack of flexibility is not the single overriding factor involved in independence for seniors.

However, it is a fact that less mobile, and frail, seniors will become confined.
Hence, most seniors should make an effort to stay flexible, for what is ultimately their own dignity at stake. You could look at your physical condition as an insurance policy for independent living. After all, who really wants to impose on their children or relatives for the sake of existence?

Benefits of Chair Yoga – Part 2

2009-01-02T01:21:00.001-08:00

We have all heard the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Those words are extremely profound, when thinking about correcting poor posture and alignment. It takes years to create poor alignment.

Therefore, poor posture cannot be corrected in a single day. A more appropriate saying, when thinking about posture and alignment might be, “The leaning tower of Pisa cannot become straight in a week.”

However, improvements to posture can be made through Chair Yoga exercises and through daily “posture awareness.” In my classes, I refer to posture awareness as “homework.” It usually draws a chuckle from students, but they also know that class time is the time to learn and practice Chair Yoga together.

Time away from the Yoga class is when you put the principles you have learned, in motion, and adapt them into your lifestyle. I cannot promise Chair
Yoga is a “cure all,” but you will see improvements in every aspect of your life. However, practicing your homework separates the fantastic success stories from those who see some modest improvement.

So, what is posture awareness? This is taking the time to be aware of your posture, on a daily basis. The first thing you want to do in order to open your awareness is look at your side profile in a mirror and any photographs of yourself. At this point, look at your spine from top to bottom.

Do you see slumping, forward tilting of the neck, or extra large curves? Your spine should be aligned so that it is fairly straight at all times. During a number of daily activities such as: Standing, walking, reading, eating, sitting, lying, typing, and more, you should make a conscious effort, to keep your head and back straight.

Now, we can all remember a schoolteacher who preached, “Keep your back straight,” but now we know that he or she was absolutely correct. Take the time to adjust your spinal alignment, from this moment on, and every time you can remember to do so.

If possible, you should also attend any workshops about Chiropractic and
Orthopedic medicine. Educate yourself about your body, your spine, and your choices. You can usually find these workshops and many more valuable meetings at your local senior center. These workshops are usually free, you are under no obligation, and it makes for a good “Fact finding mission.”

The alignment and posture principles, you learn in a Chair Yoga class, can be as simple as, “Pain or no pain.”

Benefits of Chair Yoga – Part 1

2009-01-02T01:19:00.002-08:00

In comparison to many forms of exercise, the benefits of Chair Yoga far outweigh the risks. The therapeutic exercises work the body, from head to toes, to the best of any client’s ability.

Therefore, the method used, addresses the whole body in a single routine.
This is an amazing feat, for a low-impact exercise program, where the average session lasts 45 to 60 minutes. The following information will highlight some of the many benefits of regular participation in a Chair Yoga
class.

Increased circulation is a result of movement and every body part that can move is used in a typical Chair Yoga class. For many of us, we think of cardiovascular heath first, and this is right fully so, but Chair Yoga helps many other forms of circulation, within the body, as well.

To sit still for days on end, we invite diseases of many kinds. Diabetics need movement to keep sugar levels in “tolerance zones.” Chair Yoga also has routines for the feet, toes, hands, and fingers, so there is no part of the body left out. Due to this whole body approach, the immune system is also stimulated by regularly attending Chair Yoga classes.

The many movements, bending, and twisting, in a regular Chair Yoga session, stimulate the elimination of toxins, within the body. Every time you bend the waist in one direction or another, the stomach aids in digestion and the lower back is gently stimulated.

Now, back to cardiovascular benefits - There seems to be a lot of confusion about what is classified as aerobic exercise. One of the definitions for aerobic exercise is: Any exercise that would increase circulatory and respiratory ability. When the heart and lungs have to work harder to keep up with the body's need for oxygen that is aerobic.

In fact, gardening and housework are also aerobic exercise that most seniors routinely do. This is not to say that gardening and housework are complete health maintenance systems, but they do burn over 200 calories per hour, for the average person, and meet the aerobic definition.

Much of this mentality stems from the “No pain – No gain” era. Most of the original advocates of this theory are now “nursing their own wounds” and practicing gentler forms of exercise. After all, none of us are immortal, and the body can only take so much abuse over time.

May I remind anyone, who is left standing, from the No pain – No gain era, that walking is also classified as aerobic exercise. So, whether you walk or run a mile, aerobic benefits are gained and significant calories are burned.

Benefits And Usefulness Of Trikanasana

2009-01-02T01:19:00.001-08:00

Trikanasana is also known as the Triangle Pose. As and when you look at the asana you can easily notice why this name has been given to this asana. It works out every muscle of your body from the arms to the legs. It is a great way to shed some of the excess weight you have been carrying all along.

This asana helps all those have been struggling with weight problem. If you are looking for a good figure and a curved waist line, this is the pose to do. It helps in curing rheumatism and lumbago, a problem with your lower spine region. It is a good asana to make your shoulders and arms more flexible. A stiff body can achieve a state of flexibility by doing this asana. It has direct impact on your muscles as you start doing it.

Your neck and arms get stretched. The stretching of the neck and shoulder muscles helps you recover from spondylitis problems. Spondylitis can be termed as one of the commonest problems faced by many, due to the long hours of sitting in front of the computer.

The monthly cycle comes at the right time as well as with lesser pain. Any other problem with the menstrual cycle is corrected, benefiting you thoroughly. The upper body is very well toned too. Due to the continuous stretching it helps your body to become a reservoir of good health. Problems with your heart are rectified helping it to function in a better manner.

It massages and strengthens the thyroid glands, kidneys and the adrenal glands to function in a better manner. It reduces the production of the cortisol, a stress hormone, helping you to be less stressed. The hormone level is very well regulated preventing many of the problems.

While doing this exercise, your legs and buttocks are strengthened as well as toned. Blood pressure problems are also rectified. If you are suffering from digestion or constipation problem this is the best thing to help you out. Condition of the appendicitis is also corrected by doing this exercise regularly.

The muscles of your abdomen and the hip joints become more flexible. The reproductive system functions better with the intensity of this pose. It helps in creating a proper immune balance to help you fight diseases.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions before following any of the asanas from this article and the site. To avoid any problems while doing the asanas, it is advised that you consult a doctor and a yoga instructor. The responsibility lies solely with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Benefits And Usefulness Of Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimottanasana

2009-01-02T01:18:00.000-08:00

This asana is also known as the Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose. This asana similar to its name stretching your legs and arms. It is one of those enduring asanas that helps your heart and other parts of your body. Stretching is always good for your body. It helps in creating the right balance for your body. Doing this asana is a step forward towards better health. It helps in creating unison between the mind and soul. By doing this pose your heart rate becomes normal. This asana is very useful for most parts of your body. It may be difficult at first. This hitch can be defeated by doing this asana regularly.

A stiff body becomes very flexible by doing this asana. It helps in improving your basic movements. There is fresh supply of blood to the brain which helps it to stimulate the brain for better functioning. The posture helps in toning your abdominal organs which helps to create a flexible body. A flexible body helps you do this posture in a much better manner. If done properly the benefits you reap will remain with you life long.

It is very important that you keep your legs straight while doing this asana. The inhaling and exhaling at the right time also creates a favorable impact on your body. It is very good for clearing your mind to get you out of depression. Many of the ailments related to stomach can be bid adieu. It helps in relieving constipation, indigestion and acidity. It compresses the pancreas which helps in maintaining your diabetes level. The asana helps in reverting your age as your face glows by doing this asana.

Sciatica is also prevented as it helps in building and strengthening of the nerves. The sciatic nerves are stretched helping you to recover faster. Your legs are stretched which helps them to get into the proper shape. The legs become much stronger after doing this asana. If you are having weight problems it can help in creating a proper waist line. A good massage is provided to your kidneys, digestive and reproductive system. It is very good for avoiding brain problems such as aneurysms and tumors. It is very good for your back too.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautions before following any of the asanas from this article and the site. To avoid any problems while doing the asanas, it is advised that you consult a doctor and a yoga instructor. The responsibility lies solely with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Benefits And Importance Of Bhujangasana

2009-01-02T01:17:00.000-08:00

Bhujangasana is known as the snake or cobras pose because it reflects the look of a raised hood. As you raise your head along with your chest it represents a snake hood. The rest of the body lies down representing the body of the snake. This asana can be one of the best asanas for your back as well as your spine.

Inhaling and exhaling plays a very important part in this or any other asanas. Bending and stretching of your back may differ between individuals. As some has their youth to help whereas some manage even without that. It all depends on how flexible your body is and how much can you bend, to make the utmost use from your asana.

It has been said that, as long as your back is flexible you still have a long way to go. Every muscle of your body is pulled and stretched which gives the elasticity and suppleness to your backbone. With the passing of age our back starts throwing tantrums and becomes very stiff against our wishes. Before any such thing happens tone your body and other parts of your body by doing this asana.

By stretching, it tones the spinal column which reflects your back and with the extra pull entire abdominal muscles get toned too. Torpid muscles like uterine muscles and ovaries get toned too while doing this asana. It is one of the best asana which serves as a medicine for wet-dreams and leucorrhoea. It also helps in developing your chest as well as firming the bust due to the raising hood position.

This position helps in creating the necessary pressure to the adrenal glands which provides rich supply of blood for the entire body. Liver and other organs next to it also benefits from this asana. Problems of irregular menstrual cycles can be solved with this asana. The pressure applied on your stomach and muscles helps in relieving you from constipation problems. Acute gas troubles are also resolved if the asana is done on a regular basis. People suffering from slip disc problem gain due to the stretching of spinal column giving it a proper toning. Your backache problems may just leave you forever if you do this continuously.

Use NLP For Smoking Cessation

2008-12-31T07:23:00.000-08:00

NLP stands for NeuroLinguistic Psychology, and many people are finding as one of the more beneficial stop smoking programs. Typically, this is one part of a bigger overall package that may include several quit smoking products and methods. While it’s evident that NLP does work on some who are looking for help to stop smoking, it’s also apparent that no stop smoking hypnotherapy will work unless several factors are present.

Arguably, the most important factor is a personal desire to quit smoking cigarettes. If the smoker is looking for stop smoking aids because a spouse is constantly nagging about the smell of smoke, it’s unlikely that any stop smoking help is going to work. Quitting smoking has to be the smoker’s desire. Look at some examples between an internal and external drive.

If the smoker is fully aware of the health risks of smoking, he or she may say it’s time to quit. An internal reason to seek quit smoking help is that you (as a smoker) know you’re doing harm to your body, and to your family and friends who deal with your second-hand smoke. This is an internal prompt to quit cigarette smoking. In this case, the desire is real and quit smoking hypnosis or NLP may very well be just the boost you need to successfully quit.

Another important factor in this case is that the family and friends are likely to be supportive, rather than censuring an occasional desire for a cigarette. There’s typically less pressure on the smoker who’s trying to quit when he has a good stop smoking support network.

Some examples of external prompting to seek some program such as stop smoking hypnosis or NLP are the spouse who is constantly nagging about the smell of smoke, or even the cost of cigarettes. While those are legitimate reasons for stopping smoking, the desire is typically not as strong and it may be more difficult for the smoker to actually quit. When the desire for a cigarette comes around (as it most likely will), the smoker with external drives to quit smoking cigarettes is more likely to choose the cigarette even though the penalties will be the cost of the cigarettes or the nagging of the spouse.

That’s not to say that external prompts can’t be strong enough to help the smoker quit, only that those prompts aren’t as likely to succeed as if the smoker truly has the desire.

If the cost of the habit is prompting the smoker to give it up, he may find that he’s not willing to pay for follow-up treatment. Many who undergo some form of hypnosis find they need additional sessions to remain strong against the desire to smoke. Hypnosis isn’t a free stop smoking therapy, but then nothing (other than sheer willpower) is free. If money alone is your prompting, you have to look at the long-term effects – money you’ll save over the next year, two years or longer. That might help you justify the cost of hypnosis or NLP as a resource of how to stop smoking.

One of the most important aspects of hypnosis and NLP therapies is the focus on both the physical and mental aspects of quitting smoking. Smokers who use only a stop smoking aid such as gum may find themselves longing for a cigarette simply because they feel the need to have it in their hand. Hypnosis stop smoking programs usually help deal with that part of the addiction, as well as the physical symptoms of withdrawal.

Unlocking Self Improvement Power Course

2008-12-31T07:22:00.000-08:00

When we look at a certain object, a painting for example - we won't be able to appreciate what's in it, what is painted and what else goes with it if the painting is just an inch away from our face. We reach a point in our life when we are ready for change and a whole bunch of information that will help us unlock our self-improvement power. The only time we think of unlocking our self-improvement power is when everything got worst.

We learn our lessons when we experience pain. We finally see the warning signs and signals when things get rough and tough. When do we realize that we need to change diets? When none of our jeans and shirts would fit us. When do we stop eating candies and chocolates? When do we realize that we need to stop smoking? When we realize that we're gonna die tomorrow.

The only time most of us ever learn about unlocking our self-improvement power is when the whole world is crashing and falling apart.

Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another, we are all going to experience different turning points in our life - and we are all going to eventually unlock our self-improvement power not because the world says so, not because our friends are nagging us, but because we realized its for our own good.

Now, you don't have to feel a tremendous heat before realizing the need for self-improvement. Unlocking your self-improvement power means unlocking yourself up in the cage of thought that "its just the way I am". It is such a poor excuse for people who fear and resist change. Most of us program our minds like computers.

Self-improvement may not be everybody's favorite word, but if we look at things in a different point of view, we might have greater chances of enjoying the whole process instead of counting the days until we are fully improved. Three sessions in a week at the gym would result to a healthier life, reading books instead of looking at porns will shape up a more profound knowledge, going out with friends and peers will help you take a step back from work and unwind. And just when you are enjoying the whole process of unlocking your self-improvement power, you'll realize that you're beginning to take things light and become happy (continue part 2)

Turcbocharging Employees with 99 Octane Motivation

2008-12-31T07:18:00.000-08:00

Keep them Euphoric: 5 more ways to turbocharge employees.

These are five additional ways that you can successfully create an encouraging work environment while increasing employee.

1. Distinguish your employees. It is essential that you empathize with your employees. Know about their family; know about what they do after hours, what interests them. This is not meant to be prying into an employee’s personal life, but knowing an employee can help you to resolve what motivates that employee. Different people are motivated by dissimilar things. What does the employee want? What do they want from this job, from their life, and for their future? Reaching goals can be difficult. Helping someone to reach a goal at work is impossible if you do not know what that goal is.

2. Discover more. It is your responsibility to create enthusiasm in the workplace. Therefore it is up to you to continue to study innovative ways to spur employees to action. You might opt to take classes that offered as short courses at HR firms or online universities. This will give you a fabulous opportunity to continue to learn new ways to stimulate your employees

3. Splurge special time with your employees. Take a few minutes out of your day to just talk with your employees. Give them an opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns or simply ask how their week went. This will demonstrate how much you care about his or her happiness within the company. You can also schedule performance reviews either once a month, once a year or however often is comfortable for you. This will allow you time to sit down and spend a little more time with the employee and give you a chance to discuss the highs and lows of the period in which the review is accomplished. Positive conversations, even on a casual level are a great way to increase employee motivation. Schedule one-on-ones and leave titles at the door.

4. Understand the employees’ feelings about their career. Most employees start out in a job on the bottom with hopes of advancement. One way to increase employee drive is to discuss the likelihood of advancement or lateral movement within the company structure. It might be a different position, or a promotion, in a sister company. Your employees should know that you care about the things that they care about. Let them know that you are there to help them achieve their goals and they will give you 110%

5. Be transparent. You as a manager know what it feels like when a higher up seems to be keeping something from you. Even though there may not be a secret, the big boss still hasn’t informed you on what is going on. Your employees may feel this way consistently. It is very important to keep employees informed about issues that arise in the company even if it does not directly affect them. Employees want to know about the company and they want to be involved. It is a good idea to have regular “catch-up” meetings, just to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Prepare employees if a major event is going to happen, such as a leveraged buyout or inspection by the CEO. Another way to explode inspiration among employees is to hold consultations when the company is planning on changing existing policies. Invite feed back from the employees and ask if they have any ideas about how to resolve the issue.

You as manager holds the keys to create a work environment that beneficial for company and employee growth. Sun Tzu asserts that “You are only as strong as your weakest link”. Increasing motivation among employees will make each link a little stronger and forge a tougher backbone for the company.

Travel Phobia and Fear Of Driving

2008-12-31T07:15:00.000-08:00

Travel phobia is a particular form of anxiety that may occur after a person has been involved in some kind of accident, maybe a road or rail crash. They may have escaped physically unscathed from the incident, however they might well have perceived it as a potential threat to their well being, physical health or indeed life.

Anyone suffering from travel phobia is likely to avoid travelling as much as is possible. If forced to travel by car, they are likely to prefer to be in control of the car, rather than be a passenger. During the journey they will be perpetually alert, scanning the road for potential accident causing situations. By the time they arrive at their destination, they are often irritable, tense and exhausted. This only serves to reinforce the phobic response.

Some individuals will refuse to even travel by car, bus or rail despite the drastic upheaval this will cause in their day-to-day lives. This avoidance is one of the reasons phobias are maintained as the sufferer is not exposed to the situations they fear and therefore cannot come to terms with their phobia.

Fear of driving or Hodophobia can be triggered by a variety of different factors and can manifest itself as anything from mild nervousness to an incapacitating full-blown panic attack. These responses are learned behaviours and they are all highly treatable.

Some people are simply terrified of even being in a car, whether driving themselves or being driven by others. Perhaps they once had a panic or anxiety attack while driving and suffer under the perpetual fear that it will happen again. On the other hand, they may fear that other drivers are going to lose control.

Many drivers feel comfortable driving on familiar roads, close to where they live for example, but grow scared that they might lose control in unfamiliar territory. Others may be happy to drive on ordinary roads but have a fear of driving on motorways or dual carriageways.

There are also those who are afraid of getting caught in heavy traffic, or driving at night or in difficult weather (sleet, snow or fog) or of driving down narrow lanes.

Train Your Brain This New Years

2008-12-31T07:13:00.000-08:00

It’s that time again when people start thinking about their New Years Resolutions. Usually they involve, losing weight, quitting smoking, and joining a gym, just to mention a few.

What about you? What News Year Resolution have you planned for this year?

Have you considered the benefits of improving your mind? Usually, this is the last thing people consider, but in reality it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself and those around you.

People who want to build their muscles know that it takes time to work on specific areas in order for the muscles to develop properly and these same people will pay big bucks to join the local gym to work on these areas and yet they forget to invest in things that will enrich their minds.

By enriching your mind and building yourself up mentally you will be able to challenge yourself to take on other areas of your life that need improvement. Your life is influenced by your thought processes.

You can learn to build up the muscles in your mind, so to speak, and strengthen your inner man with positive goal producing thoughts.

Most New Year Resolutions fail, mainly because people do not have the proper mind set to set proper goals and lack the ability to make a roadmap that will lead them to success.

What is it you want for you and your family next year? Doesn’t investing in yourself by improving your mind make sense.

You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars in order to benefit from the great motivators of the world. People such as Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy and Les Brown can be heard via your computer for about the cost of a cup of coffee per day!

What are you waiting for?

Make this year the best year ever by investing in your mind!

Visit Success University Today!

To Thine Own Self Be True

2008-12-31T07:05:00.000-08:00

We have looked before on the concept of self-love and I would like to take the time into look into this in more depth.

If you remember, we said that AGAPE love was an unconditional love and that we needed to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Let us look more closely at why we have so much difficulty in the area of loving and accepting ourselves. We will start by looking at two very basic questions.

1.)Why do we have so much difficulty loving ourselves without question?
2.)Why do we feel we need the approval of others to validate our worthiness?

These are big questions and the basis of our non-acceptance of ourselves. We were not born with a negative self image of ourselves, in fact, we were not even aware that we needed the approval of others. Acceptance of ourselves as individuals was a learning experience from those significant others who were around us. Some people were lucky and had a loving and encouraging environment, while others, sadly, grew up with condemnation and disapproval.

Because of disapproval that may have been experienced in our childhood years, many of us grew up with the generalization that “Since they did not accept me, I am unacceptable.” Through the repetition of key incidents in our lives we learnt to have a negative view of ourselves. The problem arises when we fail to realize that these were childhood events. We still see them retrospectively through the eyes of our inner-child. We must learn to stand back and put them in a different perspective.

As adults we may now realize that those who hurt us with their disapproval and criticism were acting in the only way that they knew how to act. Many did not realize the extent of injury that was caused to our psyche. It is up to us now to rid ourselves of these self-sabotaging thoughts about ourselves and face reality. We have two choices. We can either accept what was said about us and live with self-recrimination or we can choose to forgive those who said hurtful, un-accepting things to us and rethink the situation.

Face it, we were not all perfect children and we are not perfect as adults either. All people can never be all good or all bad. We have to come to the realization that we are human. We need to accept ourselves the way we are. That means accepting the bad along with the good. We all make mistakes, we all have weaknesses. This doesn’t mean that we stop trying to improve ourselves, but we must stop condemning ourselves.

We also must become aware of the things we want to change about ourselves because WE as individuals want improvement in these areas, not because we feel that others want us to change. Accepting a situation is the first step to achieving power over it. We can not live our lives for the acceptance of others. We need to live our lives honestly and freely.

Take the time to listen to your inner voice and find out who YOU really are. You are an individual and you don’t need to conform to what the world around you wants you to be. You need to discover who YOU really are and then gather the courage to let the real you be you. You have the power to be your own person.

Let us stop putting on masks to represent the people we think others want to see. Don’t feel you have to seek their approval. Take time to learn who you are and then let the real you shine through. You are a beautiful person just the way you are and are worthy of love. Learn to love yourself and you will see the world around you change for the better.

Three Deadly Sins to Avoid When Choosing a Professional Speaker

2008-12-31T07:03:00.000-08:00

As I survey the speaker’s market I’ve become a tad weary willfully wearing the title "Motivational Speaker". All speakers worth their salt seek to motivate or cause action. Maybe it's just me, but does the mere mention of the term "Motivational Speaker" conjure irritating mental pictures in your subconscious mind? There are far too many stereotypes being propagated regarding speakers. I will address a few of these speaker stereotypes and hopefully simultaneously construct a not-to-do list that aspiring speakers may use on their roads to success in the lucrative speaking industry.

Motivational Speaker Stereotype Number One:

The "Over-The-Top" Speaker

The "Over-The-Top" Speaker or the O.T.T. Speaker appears to have discovered a new fad diet which includes mountains of pure sugar and caffeine. The O.T.T. will at any given moment find it necessary to expend tremendous amounts of energy racing about the platform as if a sniper has them in the crosshairs. During smaller office presentations, The O.T.T. speaker may also be seen jumping atop a desk shouting "Go For It!” or performing their best impressions of former Governor and one time Presidential hopeful, Howard Dean's famous "YEAAAAAHHHHHH".

It didn't work for Mr. Dean either.

Reality:

I do not desk hurdle. Many professional speakers whom I admire keep their gestures natural and their tones conversational in nature. This is not “Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey” and a speaker's stage is not a big tent.

Motivational Speaker Stereotype Number Two:

The "T.M.I." Speaker

In efforts to emotionally connect with the audience, the notorious T.M.I. Speaker offers up way Too Much Information of a personal nature. To the bewilderment of the hiring authority, the TMI speaker utilizes 90% of their time recanting inner-turmoil, teary-eyed, blow-by-blow commentaries of abuse, personal struggles and tragedies. Though touching, the program's focus is obscured and the message diluted by the T.M.I. Speakers deluging pity party. The T.M.I. speaker fails to realize the goal of any program is to inspire some sort of action of the audience, not to become a martyr or charity case.

Reality:

Engaging your audience is the goal of any professional speaker, but personal stories should only be used if they directly support and impact the overall theme of your program. Please allow me to cement my viewpoint with a brief story: During my first professional position as a paralegal for a government agency I had the marvelous opportunity to work side-by-side with a number of experienced individuals and mentors. These mentors taught me many compelling business principles that I currently utilize. One day at work on a crowded elevator I struck up a conversation with one such mentor. In the efforts to protect the innocent and the ignorant I'll refer to the mentor in this story as "Mr. Edwards".

Me: Hello Mr. Edwards, I noticed you in the lobby earlier today...

Mr. Edwards: Yes, Timothy my family paid me a visit...

Me: Really? Was that your son you were holding earlier?

Mr. Edwards: Oh no, that was my nephew. I can't have kids, I'm sterile.

Me: Okay

Motivational Speaker Stereotype Number Three:

The "High-Tech, Low-Performance" Speaker

The H.T.L.P. Speaker loves to put on a show! The H.T.L.P's program not only begins, its middle and its end is littered with state-of-the-art, eye-popping sound-effects and a fantastic frenzy of flashy visuals. In the outset the audience is totally mesmerized, but it becomes grossly apparent that the H.T.L.P. is heavy on the glitz and light on the substance. The H.T.L.P. is a show-person. The H.T.L.P’s entire speech can be boiled down to a bookmark of inspirational quotes which can be readily found by any 12-year-old conducting a 30-second search on GOOGLE. Yes, the H.T.L.P. catches the audience’s attention, but has no inkling where to go from there, except, you guessed it, onto the next variation of visual, vain displays which culminate into sensory overload and useful substance deprivation.

Solution:

Many professional motivational speakers acknowledge the need to capture the audience's attention, but should a professional speaker need a truckload of explosives to do it? No. The highly regarded professional speaker realizes that he or she is the distributor of the information being disseminated not some slide projector, movie screen or artificial simulator. The speaker who relies too heavily on electronics to deliver a message detracts from the human-element of their content. Limiting the bells and whistles in the show will allow both the audience and the speaker to focus on the theme and purpose of the program. Clients watching their Rate of Investment (ROI) versus their Rate of Return (ROR) will expect less show, more business and measurable results to justify a speaker’s fee. In short, if the only requirements for an effective presentation are flashy PowerPoint slides and spectacular visuals, there's no need for a human-being, and I beg to differ.

Wrap Up:

Many elements can be included in a speaker’s arsenal to deliver the utmost impact in their programs. Story-telling, humor, props, visuals, gestures, role-playing, personal anecdotes, eye contact and poignant quotations all serve as a means to effectively communicate the overall theme of a motivational speaker’s message. A speaker shouldn't rely on any one method too heavily and the ultimate goal must always be to leave the audience with a course of action they are motivated to pursue. After all, it's what happens "after" we leave the stage that matters most, right? A professional speaker who leaves his client with positive measurable end-results is a highly sought-after resource and no joking matter.

There is no place like now.

2008-12-31T07:01:00.000-08:00

Most people in our culture today are so busy running around trying to arrange their lives to be somewhere else. We all want to be somewhere else geographically or financially or in our relationships. We want to be anywhere but here as we've been led to believe that if only we can be somewhere else then our lives would work. This escapism acts like a drug that only gives temporary relief to a chronic problem.

Apart from wanting to be somewhere else, most people today also live by a philosophy of "some day" that allows them to manipulate time. "I can do it, but just not today. I'll do it when…" and they use these excuses to stay in their comfort zones. The problem is that both someday and somewhere are undefined and illusionary. Somewhere does not exist and someday never comes, although you keep hoping that it does. This can be very disempowering and is responsible for a lot of disappointment and frustration for a lot of people.

The truth, however, is that right now is all you've really got. Tomorrow is never promised to you and learning to fully live in and for the moment is a vital distinction to make in creating a great life. Being grateful does not mean that you loose your drive or purpose, but allows you to slow down and really enjoy the ride. Not only is it healthy to want more from life, but it is also required to be truly fulfilled and knowing where you are is critical in getting where you want to be. Using someday as an excuse to soften your problems will not create long term success and fulfilment. Be honest with yourself and stop making excuses only to make yourself feel better. A little pain can be very useful as it will at least move you to action. There is always something you can do right now to turn your ideas into reality. There is always one small step you can take.

One of the most powerful resources you have is resourcefulness. This means that right now you have all that you need to achieve whatever you desire and that you have the ability to take action with exactly what you've got and exactly where you are. You do not have to wait for "some day when" or "when I am..." before you take action on your dreams and goals. The smallest idea acted upon can make all the difference as it immediately makes your idea real and smothers someday because you used your will to consciously take charge.

It is important to realize that the purpose of pursuing a goal or a dream is not just in achieving it but even more so in the experience of achieving it. You do not travel for the purpose of reaching a destination but for the purpose of travelling. Whatever dream or goal you are pursuing you will probably spend more time in pursuit of it than actually achieving it and most goals are an anti climax when you actually achieve them anyway. The process is where the true fulfilment comes from and the actual experience is what makes you become something instead of accumulating something. If you can't be happy and grateful without your goal then changes are that you won't be happy and grateful with it.

Live in the present, but know where you are going. Be right here and celebrate and capture the magical moments of your life. Hold on to them as the treasures you get to take with you into your magnificent future. Life is not just lived in the moment but also created in the moment. Now is the best time to design the next ten years of your life. Let your thoughts and knowledge serve you through action. Action is what eventually determines you destiny. Move confidently in the direction of your choosing and don't get seduced by the popular belief that some day things will come your way or some day your luck will change. You are the source and the creator of your own prosperity and it all starts with a sense of immense gratitude for everything you already have exactly where you are right now. One of the greatest privileges you have in life is that you can start right now with exactly what you’ve got to create anything you desire as the ultimate resources to life are within you.

Living in a place called somewhere really won't serve you long term although it might feel good as a short term escape or excuse. Having to consistently lie to yourself that you will act on your true desires some day when x, y or z is just right will only create an unnecessary burden. When you turn your "some day" philosophy into a "same day" philosophy you can start to adopt the mindset where you take action on your ideas immediately with exactly what you've got and exactly where you are.

What someday and somewhere really comes down to is that you falsely admit to yourself that what you need is not available to you. This creates a belief that you are not in control of your life but that you are waiting for something else somewhere else before you can take charge. Ironically, you will only get full access to your true resources when you take action exactly where you are with exactly what you've got, despite your excuses. True happiness and gratitude never relies on external conditions but is purely determined by your evaluation of where you are now. Now contains the seed of the rest of your life. Plant it with joy and water it with gratitude and rejoice in your life for you are its creator.

The True Price of Success

2008-12-31T06:59:00.000-08:00

Standing in the gale-force winds, the kid was looking queasy. We could all see the storm was growing more intense.

The rain had already plastered his hair to his forehead and his new black suit was starting to cling to him in ways Mr. Armani never intended.

A typhoon was coming -- the seventh this summer to hit Japan -- and the kid's job, as newest employee, was to stand in front of a TV camera while the weather buffeted him about for the nation to watch. Sort of a talking weather vane.

I take my exercise along that stretch of beach every day, and today one of the most powerful typhoons on record would soon be upon us. I knew I couldn't stay too long, or I'd be caught in the wind and the torrential downpour. I'd make my walk extra-brief this day.

But the television crew had a different assignment.

They, and many other crews like them, are dispatched in satellite equipped trucks to many well-known sites all over Japan. These crews provide live reports on the progress of the storms as they rip their way up the Japanese archipelago.

And the kid in the black suit was their sacrificial lamb today. It was his job to get out there, once the storm reached its peak, and do a show and tell. That's what the people huddled at home want to see, and sponsors will pay well to bring them exactly what they expect.

If you've watched a lot of news over the years, you'll know that the greater the devastation, the higher the viewer ratings. That's the way it works -- more destruction means more interest.

In fact, you may recall that Dan Rather got his big break into national news by doing exactly what this kid was doing -- standing stubbornly in a raging hurricane and giving moment-by-moment reports to the viewers at home.

The networks find it's profitable programming to report on all the destruction, disruption and deaths.

But before we get off on an "Ain't-It-Awful" tangent, let me say right here that this scene I've just described carries one of the richest lessons you'll ever gain.

Typhoons and hurricanes cause huge disruptions. Your humanitarian heart empathizes with those caught up in the tragedies; aches for them; wants to reach out with succor and aid.

And I do applaud that urge to give comfort and help to those that life dumps on. The feelings are normal and proper.

But I suggest that sympathy alone, no matter how heartfelt, is a one-dimensional (even a poverty-ridden) way to respond to the world.

Sympathy can be a good thing, but often it's only a cheap imitation of caring. If it doesn't lead to action, it's basically worthless for anything but show.

However, it's possible to add a second layer of responses, a layer that involves going out and interacting with that world you're so empathic with.

Furthermore, since you've been seeking some way to gain wealth, let me say this. You've just found it.

It's called action.

Action -- appropriate action in response to the problems and tragedies you see around you can make you not only a better person, but a very rich one as well. It can allow you to provide far greater aid to those in need than you could ever accomplish with an aching heart alone.

And the profits from your actions will help you stay in business long-term so you can continue helping your fellowman.

Now, you may already be running a business. If so, you're providing people with some kind of solution to their problems. Are you being well paid for your solutions?

If so, that's good.

But if you're not being well rewarded for your efforts, there are only three possible reasons.

1. You're not telling enough people about yourself.

2. You're not very convincing because you don't believe you're very good at what you do.

3. You may not be solving problems that are big or urgent enough. This is probably the most common limit.

The biggest need today is for people who will do what you and I can't (or won't) do for ourselves. This includes people who make us feel better.

Consider the relative public value of a heart surgeon versus a sales clerk. A captivating entertainer or sports figure versus an office cleaner. A brilliant attorney versus a typist.

It's not my intention to demean anybody who is fulfilling any useful role in society. But the smaller paydays almost always go to the person who is more easily replaced. If nearly anybody can be quickly trained to do the job, there's lots of competition for that slot, and so the price goes down.

And the high-profile jobs like brain surgeon, trial lawyer, pro ball player, or CEO of a multinational -- well, most people won't ever try for those spots, meaning there's less competition. So the people who do try for these jobs can charge whatever the traffic will bear.

This is basic economics, right? We already know all of this. But if we already know it, why do we so seldom apply it to our own life? Why aren't we qualifying ourselves for the absolute top spot in our respective industries?

In many cases, it's because we unthinkingly shy away from "responsibility." We're scared of a bigger role... a higher profile. We keep ourselves small because... well... we just do, that's all. For example, can you tell me exactly why you're not the top authority in your industry? Can I tell why I'm not?

We do know the answer to that, though, don't we?

It's basically cowardice. We're scared spitless of making ourselves uncomfortable through doing things that we're not sure we can do perfectly. If we tried something big and super-ambitious, oh my goodness, what if we didn't do it very well?

We don't like to take chances. Don't enjoy big measures of ambiguity in the things we do. So instead, we plod along like cows coming in from the pasture at evening, regular as clockwork, utterly predictable -- and dependant upon whomever feeds us at the end of the day.

Cows don't take big chances. Neither do sheep. They stay close to the same territory day after day, year after year, clustered together, acting just alike, grazing placidly, never having any grand adventures. There are few opportunities in the fenced-in pasture. Just eat and sleep and grow old.

Ah, but the venturing soul slips through the fence, goes into unknown territory, and seeks out new things to do. Among us humans, we admire most the men and women who push past the barriers to new territory. Record-setting athletes. Inventive new artists and writers. Bold leaders who set new directions and escort the rest of us into new fields. Explorers in medicine, literature, flight, business, sports.

People who go out seeking new places to find, new levels to achieve, new problems to solve.

If you want your income and your life to expand, you're going to have to explore. Go out there past the edge of what you already know, past the comfortable, to a place where you're unsure what your outcome is going to be.

You, in a very real sense, become a gambler. But you will be gambling on the only thing in the universe that's worth the action -- yourself.

It has been said that the real reason for becoming rich and successful is not the money or the fame. It's the joy of being the person you have to become in order to achieve those goals of yours.

Know this: You'll never achieve those goals as you are now.

You really must become a whole different person. A bigger person. A stronger, more capable person.

And how do you do that? You stretch yourself. You make yourself uncomfortable, and you stay that way until you grow into it.

That's the true (and only) price of success.

The small change that creates massive results in your life.

2008-12-31T06:57:00.001-08:00

"It is never too late to become what you
might have been." - GEORGE ELIOT

I believe that we all reach certain key points in our lives. We all reach crossroads where our lives hit a certain threshold of "pain" that we are no longer willing to settle for. This threshold is very different for every person. I also believe that if you are unhappy with anything in your life then that is a call to action; a desire from deep within the "real" you that wants to experience more of life.

This can be very challenging for a lot of people as they have this urge to improve their lives but they don't have an effective strategy. They then do the "logical" thing which is to work on the effects instead of the cause. Here is a simple thought process that will be a wake up call to you if you feel like you are spinning your wheels.

For my life to get better I have to get better.
For things to change I have to change.
I am mine. This is my life and I am the creator of my destiny.

I can change any and everything in my life by simply changing myself. This puts me in the driving seat of my life and makes my life my responsibility. It eliminates fear and apprehension for I know that no matter what life gives me I can always get to the next level and take the next step by simply making the internal shift in my own psychology.

I can stop looking for events, people and circumstances to blame. I only need to look inside. No matter how influential you are you cannot control the circumstances and events of your life. There are only three things over which you have absolute and total control and these are all you need. It forms the total experience of life. My thoughts, my actions and my words are always under my conscious control. They are MY thoughts, they are MY actions and they are MY words AND they create MY world every minute of every day.

This is incredibly liberating. Whenever I want to have more, experience more or change anything, I need only look inwards and work on myself. Jim Rohn once said that the hardest work you will ever do is the work you do on yourself. See, you can run around and work incredibly hard at trying to influence and change circumstances, but that will only make you tired and discourage your future efforts. It’s much easier to change yourself and your perception of yourself and your life. Nothing has any meaning except for the meaning you give it.

Changing external events have very little impact in your life on the long term. Small changes in you; in your perceptions and psychology might seem insignificant at first, but because the change is in you it effects all of your thoughts, all of your actions and all of your words. This seemingly insignificant change, over time changes the whole direction and end destination of your life. If a captain of a ship changes direction just one degree the end destination might be a different continent all together. Like the captain changing his course by one degree it might be unnoticeable over a short period of time, but over greater distances the small change becomes very significant.

Most people try and change the big things; they constantly try and change any and everything in their lives, but they then fail to maintain the change. Instead, making small consistent changes in yourself, in your own character you can create phenomenal results. All change starts and ends with you. If you are going to invest the time and effort to improve your life, then invest it in changing yourself. Invest your time and effort in improving "you" and let go of the superficial urges to control events and circumstances. Your whole perception and experience of life comes from you and who you are. Change yourself, improve your character and just watch the world improve and change before your very eyes.

The Quit Smoking Swear Box

2008-12-31T06:54:00.000-08:00

There are many people who are attempting to quit smoking. This article gives free tips on how you can kick the habit and to stop smoking those cancer sticks once and for all. I hope you enjoy the read.

When I was a teenager I clearly remember one of my teachers introducing a swear box at school. The concept, which I am sure you will be aware of, is quite simple. If you swear you have to put a certain amount of money in the box. At first people found it quite amusing and thought the idea was a bit of a joke. After having to put quite a lot of money into this box in the first few days of the project, I soon realised that it would be a lot cheaper if I could learn to control my tongue. Such a simple idea had a big impact on the school and at the same time taught me a huge lesson.

There are many reasons as to why people should stop smoking. Without doubt the most important is your health however a lot of people have a strange attitude to their own health despite hearing of many people dying from cancer related illnesses. They think that it will not happen to them or that by the time they get old, that a cure will have been found. They make comments such as, I could die in a car crash tomorrow anyway.

Over the last number of years we have seen regular government advertising campaigns to convince people to quit smoking. These are becoming more and more shocking and hard hitting, however people still do not listen.

What people do seem to care about, probably too much in my opinion, is money. Despite ever increasing tax raises on cigarettes people still continue to buy them. My idea is to keep a record of how many cigarettes you smoke per week and also how much it cost you to buy them. Then times the figure by fifty-two and that will be the amount you spend on cigarettes per year. How happy would you be if your boss offered you an increase to your wages of that amount? This is the reality as that is the increase in available money you would have per year. Just think about what you could spend that money on.

So we have now decided to quit smoking cigarettes once and for all. It is not going to be easy however. You will need to battle the demons in your head, who will be trying to convince you to have just one more. Going back to the swear box idea from before, it can be just as effective in any stop smoking program. It is likely that you will bow to temptation and every time you smoke one cigarette you put the equivalent cost of one whole packet in the swear box as way of punishment. The proceeds from the box could be given to a charity of your choice. This is you continue to let your demons win, will soon be hitting you hard in the pocket and hopefully will then convince you to stop.

I wish you every success in your quest to stop smoking.

The Power of Notes

2008-12-31T06:51:00.000-08:00

Notes are very powerful. They express your thanks, encouragement, sympathy, apology, congratulations, feelings, and requests to others.

Many people create notes on a computer and print them or send them through the Internet. However, I believe the most effective notes are handwritten. A handwritten note is personal and rare. Due to this, it will be given more attention by the reader and have maximum impact.

A few weeks ago I was in Michigan for my dad's funeral. While there I attended my mom's church on Sunday and met her pastor for the second time. While talking to him, I learned that his mother died a few months ago and his dad was critically ill. On my way home to Virginia, I had a stop at Chicago O'Hare Airport. While waiting for my connecting flight, I pulled out a box of note cards and wrote several notes and mailed them. One of those was an encouraging note to my mom's pastor. I found out later that he was so touched by the note that he took it to his church and read it at a meeting. He made it clear to those in attendance how much of an encouragement it was to him. What I didn't know when I wrote the note was that during the following week not only did his dad pass away but his wife was diagnosed with cancer. I believe God used my note to help him during a very difficult time in his life. I also wonder how many others he talked to were changed because of that note. Maybe some of them are now writing notes as well. What if I hadn't written that note?

I would encourage you to start writing notes regularly. What a simple way to influence people's lives in a positive way. If you are concerned about how to get started, the following two books on the subject have been the most useful to me:

- "The Art of the Handwritten Note: A Guide to Reclaiming Civilized Communication" by Margaret Shepherd

- "Business Notes: Writing Personal Notes That Build Professional Relationships" by Florence Isaacs

Get a note card, pen and stamp. Write a note to someone who has been on your mind today. Only God knows how much that person, and the world, will change for the better due to the few minutes you take out of your busy schedule to write a few sentences.

The Power of Focus

2008-12-31T06:50:00.001-08:00

A few months ago my cousin bought a new car. As soon as this happened, I began to notice the car model seemingly everywhere I went. It wasn’t the case that everyone else suddenly bought one. I just noticed it more. It would have been strange if it didn’t happen all the time. You find yourself more aware of a certain object or issue after it has been brought to your initial attention. Then you notice similar objects over a period of time…perhaps for as long as the object is on your mind…like dreams perhaps. It’s the same with targets. Keep them at the forefront of your mind, and you will notice more things related to them.

There is a meta-physical side to this. Some people will tell you that you can bring the right situations or coincidences into your life simply by focusing on what you want. You might believe this or you might not. Even if you don’t, you have to admit that people who keep their goals on their minds are more alert. They see things that others miss. I have encountered it many times in the past. When I just started my first business back at University, my first priority was to get clients. It was difficult for me to do this. I didn’t know where to start from. I also had my studies on my mind at the time. So I tried to partition the time I had for both. My business partner was different. Though he was studying perhaps even harder than I was, he always managed to keep the business on his mind as well. So, he always came upon opportunities for clients or ideas, while I was lost. I didn’t even notice these opportunities as they passed by.

Sustaining focus indefinitely can be quite difficult. There is so much more in life fighting for our attention. So it helps if you can prioritise. Make this goal one of the most important things in your life, so it stays with you. It should be something that stimulates you. That way, it won’t be easily drowned out by the background noise. As you go about your activities, you can consider circumstances in the context of your goal. You will notice more opportunities. You will have more lucky breaks. You will increase your chances of success.

You would be surprised how much could be gained by throwing out a casual comment regarding your interest in a conversation in shop. Maybe the stranger you are talking to could turn out to be an investor. Maybe he will have some useful advice that could aid you on your path. You might see a billboard with a message that could trigger a new idea in your mind. All of this could happen; but the chances are dramatically increased by ensuring that your mind is focussed.

So if, for instance, your goal is financial independence (you and most other people!); keep it on your mind…and not in the fearful way most people do. Just be alert. Observe your environment and the people you meet everyday. When your chance comes, you will be able to see it and grab it.

It’s all about focus.

The One Thing I Know

2008-12-31T06:48:00.000-08:00

I know one thing.

I know this thing with all my heart, and with all my soul, and with all my being.

I know that I have the choice to be who I am, when I am, where I am.

I may not have a choice, today, about what I do for a living, where I live, or what kind of car I drive.

But if who I am today is a writer, I'm a writer, even if I live in a homeless shelter, write on paper bags with stubs of pencils, and take the bus to a job in a fast food joint to try to get out of the shelter.

If who I am today is a writer, I'm a writer, even if my kids are sick, my car is broken down, my computer won't boot and I haven't sold anything in years.

But if who I am today is a writer, and I decide that who I should be is a doctor, I'm going to be pretty miserable, because who I am is a writer.

On the other hand, if I'm a writer who wants to become a doctor, I've got a great handle on who I am, who I want to be, and probably an idea of whether it's possible and how to get there.

Never lose sight of who you are. Be who you are, no matter where you are, or when you are.

Be you.

The Observation Cycle-You Get More of What You Are Observing

2008-12-31T06:43:00.001-08:00

Many people often ask, "Why do I keep getting more of this (as they refer to something unwanted)?" The answer is always the same - you get what you vibrate! In other words, whatever you give your attention, energy and focus to, you'll get more of it.

I hear people say, "But I'm not giving attention, energy or focus to this and I keep attracting more of it." Or, "I know what I want, but keep attracting this (pointing to what they don't want)."

There are a few things to check out if you are curious about why you keep attracting things that you don't want - remember the answer is always the same - you get what you vibrate. So, the challenge is to find out what you are doing to create this attention, energy or focus to this issue. Here is a quick check-off list to help you determine what you might be doing to attract more of what you don't want.

(1) Are you saying what you don't want by using 'Don't', 'Not' and 'No'?
(2) Are you complaining or worrying about what you don't want?
(3) Are you observing what you don't want?

In your observation of what you don't want, in that moment, you are giving it attention, energy and focus, thus attracting more of it. Just by observing it, you are offering a matching vibration to it. And Law of Attraction which is obedient in every moment, will unfold more of that vibrational match into your life.

When you open you wallet and see how much money you DO or DON'T have, then you offer the same vibration. When you open your client or customer file cabinet, you observe how many clients you DO or DON'T have, and again, in your observation you offer the same vibration, thus the observation cycle continues.

It's easy and quick to change your focus from what you DON'T want to what you do want. Each time you notice you are giving attention to what you don't want ask yourself, "So, what do I want?" Create one clear statement about what it is that you do want and spend a few moments focusing on THAT thought. You can only hold one vibration at a time and this easy exercise ensures that you are now focused on what you do want.

Remember, observing what you don't want will cause you to offer the same vibration to it and you will attract more of the same.

Observing what you DO want creates a matching vibration within you to your desire so that Law of Attraction can bring you more of the same.

The Observation Cycle-You Get More of What You Are Observing

2008-12-31T06:43:00.000-08:00

The Number 1 Secret of Success

2008-12-30T20:56:00.001-08:00

Do you know what one of the key secrets of success is - what
makes people successful in business, sport or any other
aspect of their lives?
Let me come back to that in a minute.

Ever since I discovered that I wasn't invincible and that my
body would fall apart over time, I've been a member of a
gym.
I've attended regularly over the past fifteen years and my
body deterioration is almost being kept in check.

However I've always noticed a lot of new faces at the gym,
some of which seem to disappear over a short period of time.
Most gyms and health clubs have a high turnover of members
or "churn" as the marketing people like to call it.
One club I know of loses around fifty members a month and
has to work hard to sign up that number just for the
business to stand still.

It's not that these gyms offer a poor service, on the
contrary - it's because the members - "give up."

New members join to lose weight or to get fit. They then
torture themselves on the rowing machines and all the other
instruments of agony. If, after a few weeks of sweat and
pain, they don't see any visible result - they give up.

You're probably away ahead of me on this; because the key
secret of success that I mentioned earlier is this - NEVER
EVER GIVE UP.
This is what separates the winners from the losers in
business, in sport and in life - this is what success is all
about.

If you have a mountain to climb either literally or
figuratively and you reach an obstacle - don't give up.
Find another way round - even go back a short distance and
come at the situation from another direction.

Whatever it is you're trying to achieve, whatever success
you want - never give up! Make mistakes - fall down - get up
- fall down - but get up and try again.

So there you have it - If you want success remember what
Winston Churchill once said - "Never - Never - Never give
up!"

The Key To Your Motivation and Success

2008-12-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

What sets successful people apart from the pack? Is it luck, money, good lucks, and/or talent?

No, it is one small simple fact -- motivation.

People who are successful all share one trait -- they are motivated.

Of course, motivation really isn't simple at all. That is why there is multi-billion industry focused on self-help books, tapes, seminars, camps, and coaches.

There is just one problem with using these methods. When it comes to motivation one size does not fit all. One of the elements that makes human beings so endlessly fascinating is that we are all individuals.It is the primary reason our species has been so successful. It also means we each have different interests, goals, and motivation.

So before you can begin following any one of the thousands of motivational programs available you must first determine which motivational group you fall into.

After some thought, study, and research, I have come up with four basic motivational categories:

~ The Pessimist
~ The Competitor
~ The Minimalist
~ The Exhibitionist

The Pessimist

The Pessimist is personified by my husband. Whenever he gets the smallest bit of bad news he immediately leaps into the deep end of doom and gloom. It doesn't matter if the problem is small or large, he often reacts as if it is the end of the world. If the satellite dish has a momentary hiccup in service then he immediately assumes the bill didn't get paid and our account terminated and our credit score is now on the decline.

It took me a long time to learn how to deal with this. At first I thought it was real panic and I would try to shield him from the smaller hiccups, and even some big ones, of life. But now I know this is actually how he motivated himself.

When we face challenges, big or small, he works himself through a familiar cycle. First he outlines the worst-case scenario, then he outlines his options for action, and then he takes action. And when he takes action just get out of the way as he moves very quickly -- and successfully. Challenge faced, problem solved. It makes me crazy but it works for him!

The Competitor

My brother thrives on competition. Whether he is playing sports or working in sales, he is always more successful if he has competition.If his motivation flags he can easily juice himself up with a quick comparison of his progress toward a particular goal in comparison to others. He likes to keep score and that keeps him motivated. He wants to win whatever competition is at hand.

Don't knock this method. By almost any measure my brother is a huge success and has worked his way from a contract employee barely able to afford his two-bedroom apartment to a high-level sales executive with a six-figure salary plus bonuses to further incentivize him.

The Minimalist

Perhaps this person might best be described as having a short-attention span. They need short-term goals that are immediately visible and can be achieved within a short time span. They can go the distance as long as it is broken up into smaller projects. Each small victory will spur them on to the final goal but they need those little successes to keep them motivated. In many ways this label applies to me but I think down deep that I am really in the final category.

The Exhibitionist

I know I fall into this category because I have a very difficult time with goals that I cannot see. It is one of the reasons I hate cleaning -- sure you can see the results but with a busy family you know how long those results stay visible!

Like the minimalist I enjoy breaking large projects up into small, bite-sized chunks so they are not so overwhelming. When I grade papers for my teaching gig I always divide the pile into several smaller piles so I can feel I am making progress. I do the same with cleaning -- first straighten the room, then dust, then vacuum.

But it isn't enough for me to accomplish the task -- I need to have a to do list that I can check off as I go and then crumple up and throwin the trash at the end of the day. I need to be able to point to some visible success for the day whether it is a shining kitchen, a stack of graded papers, or a pile of completed manuscript pages.

Which category do you fall into? Once you know that much about yourself you will be better able to find the motivation technique that works best for you. Stop by the Words of Inspiration web site and vote in our motivation poll and then go get motivated!

The Essential Keys To Self Improvement And Motivation... Revealed!

2008-12-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

What are the three keys to self improvement and motivation?

1. INSPIRATION.

Inspiration is critical to staying motivated and improving oneself. If you are not interested in your business, your motivation level will never be high and you will not be able to sustain interest for very long.

Take an honest look at your inspiration level. Are you excited about going to work or is it an obligation? You would be surprised at the number of people who choose a business that looks good on paper, but in reality does not interest them in the least.

These individuals will grow weary and uninterested pretty quickly because they have no inspiration or passion to sustain them during the difficult times they will encounter as a small business owner.

If you do not like your work, then think how you can re-focus your small business to better match your needs. Or consider making a change entirely. Without inspiration, there will not be motivated to even try self improvement.

2. SETTING GOALS.

Short and long-term goal setting is vital for any business owner. If you do not set goals, you would have no definite purpose on which path of self improvement to take.

How could you possibly be motivated if you were unsure about the direction of your company?

Take the time to put your goals in writing. A business plan may sound daunting, but it is really nothing more than goals, strategies, implementation and a budget. Write your own business plan and update it at least annually.

Include “mini-goals” that can be accomplished in a matter of hours, days or weeks as well as the more ambitious “grand-goals” that may take years to complete. Refer to this plan throughout the year.

But can a business plan really help motivate you? Of course. Written goals will make you feel more professional and certainly more connected to your business. It will also free you from having to reinvent your business goals every single day.

3. NETWORKING.

Another key factor in getting and staying motivated is networking with other small business owners. No one person knows all the knowledge.

However, when a number of people begin working together, the challenges will just be there waiting to be conquered.

In fact, the isolation of working alone is of one the most difficult parts of being an entrepreneur. You can never be on your way to self improvement without the help of others. Mutual support is motivating.

Make it easier on yourself by connecting with others either in your community or online. Even when businesses are not related, you will often find common ground and ways to work together.

Many successful entrepreneurs report that finding the right networking group was a turning point in the growth of the business. Working together, a networking group can help its members generate more qualified sales leads and solve problems faster and more efficiently.

Sharing ideas, expertise and experience is also an invaluable aspect of motivation and self improvement.

Your own personal team of business owners will help re-energize you when the burdens of running your own business seem too much.

With your networking team to rely on, you can accomplish more in less time and probably have more fun in the process. You will feel motivated to accomplish self improvement when you know you are not alone.

The Biggest Loser

2008-12-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

I am a “Loser”. You’re gonna learn from this writing today the reason why you too must be a “Loser”. In all seriousness, let me share with you why I am writing this. Over twenty million Americans watched the evolution of a winner in a reality show called “The Biggest Loser”. This particular show involved severely overweight and obese contestants that had simply lost all control of their weight. The winner that ultimately lost the most body weight and decreased his overall body fat was awarded $250,000.

I want to correlate this show to business, life and to personal success. You need to be the Biggest Loser when it comes to changing your associations with others. One of the contestants on the show was severely obese to the point that others would look at him and say to themselves, “He will never be healthy…he’s past the point of no return…he’s really disgusting.” But that person made the decision to change his life and become the ultimate winner…The Biggest Loser. I want to share with you 5 secrets on how you to can become The Biggest Loser.

Secret #1 – Realization
You must realize where you are today. The winner of the Biggest Loser realized that he was overweight and would ultimately die from his decisions to allow himself to become so unhealthy. He realized that enough is enough, and he made a change. I challenge you today to take a look at where you are in your business and/or your life. Have you had enough? If so, then you need to “lose” all your negative habits and associations.

Secret #2 – Accountability
As soon as the contestants realized where they were in their lives, they became accountable to their teammates (aka Mastermind Team) in order to become the Biggest Loser and drop massive amounts of weight. These individuals look like completely different people. This is similar to your progression towards your ultimate Why in life. People start saying that you are changing…you act different, you sound different, you listen to different CDs, you read different books and you even look different. You are on a success journey and accountable to Champions on your Mastermind Team. Where are you in your life? Are others noticing these differences about you? If not, it’s time to drop the negative associations and habits just like those contestants dropped that weight.

Secret #3 – Extra Step
The contestants pushed themselves to go the extra mile by participating in extra workouts, taking advantage of the extra associations with others that have goals and dreams like them and pushing themselves that extra step not to take part in indulgences that would ruin their overall goal of losing weight and becoming The Biggest Loser. Have you taken that extra step by attending extra events/seminars, making extra calls, investing in extra CDs and associating with extraordinary people? This extra step will push you to the next level and give you that edge that others don’t have.

Secret #4 – Rewards
Reward yourself as you begin to change and go to the next level. When you go to an extra event/seminar, save the ticket, your name tag, etc. and put them in your dream journal. This is a way of saying “I did it! I went that extra step and now this is my reward!” Be excited about that extra step and reward yourself with praise and self-acknowledgment.

Secret #5 – Personal Coach
Every single person on that show had a Personal Coach. Are you happy where you are in your life? Do you need to lose weight, lose debt, gain health, gain wealth, lose negative associations, gain a Mastermind Team, gain prosperity, lose failure and/or gain success? A major secret to achieve your ultimate why is the importance a Personal Coach. The first thing that The Biggest Loser did when he won the $250,000 was hug his Personal Coach. Why? Because his Personal Coach was there each and every step of the way. I know when I personally coach Champions and receive their emails/calls saying that they have gone to the next level in their lives, I experience great excitement in their accomplishments. That’s what happens when you become a Champion…that’s what life is all about! You can’t do it alone!

In order to become a Winner in life, you must first become a “Loser”. I suggest that you read this article another 5 times. Analyze where you are right now, where you want to go, who you must associate with to get there and the habits that you must lose to do it. For those of you who want to go to the next level, I would love to be your Personal Coach and I only coach Champions who truly believe that they are worthy to receive success and go to the next level in life!
Find your WHY & FLY!

John Di Lemme
www.FindYourWhy.com

The A-Z Of Motivation

2008-12-30T20:27:00.000-08:00

Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting bad grades make you realize that you need to study. Debts remind you of your inability to look for a source of income. Being humiliated gives you the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for yourself to save your face from the next embarrassment. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help you to get up and get just the right amount of motivation you need in order to improve yourself.

With all the people trying to pull you down and waiting for you to fail, how can you stay motivated and positive?

Try this A to Z of tips for motivation

A - Achieving your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places because they will only drag you down. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

B - Believe in your self, and in what you can do. Believe in your possibilities and your dreams. Every advancement of humankind has taken place because someone believed in themselves.

C – Consider all of the angles and aspects of everything you encounter, whether it is people or situations. Motivation comes from strength of purpose. Being able to see both points of view will give you more chance of being successful and keeping those around you motivated too.

D – Don’t give up and don’t give in. Every successful person from J K Rowling to Walt Disney to Sylvester Stallone to Thomas Edison had multiple failures before being successful. Sometimes their failures or rejections ran into the hundreds before they achieved success.

E – Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F – Family and Friends. Use your family and friends to help you stay motivated. The big football teams have cheerleaders and fans to encourage them. Your family and friends can be your cheerleaders and fans. Use them to keep you going when you feel your motivation drifting.

G – Give that little bit extra. Self improvement happens everywhere all the time, whether you are at home, at work or at school. Anthony Robbins tells us that the difference in effort between excellent and outstanding is miniscule, yet the difference in rewards is massive. Giving that little bit extra can put you into the outstanding.

H – Hang on to your dreams. There may be times when it looks bleak, but hang on to your dreams. The night is darkest just before the dawn. It is at this moment that you are closest to success and 95% of people will give up. Push through this moment and you’ll achieve your dreams.

I – Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t get involved in their dramas or toxicity – just walk away. Surround yourself with people who will encourage and support you. Remove those who want to pull you down and watch you fail from your life. You’ll find it much easier to stay motivated.

J – Joy and gratitude. Perhaps two of the fundamentals for motivation and success is to be joyful in what you do and grateful for what you have.

K – Keep pushing forwards no matter how hard life may seem. In the toughest moments you can choose to move forwards or to run away. It’s your decision – one path brings you closer to the success, the other takes you away from it. Which do you want to follow?

L – Learn to love your self. This isn’t as easy as it sounds for most people, but by loving yourself you will be happier and more motivated because you will believe you deserve what you achieve.

M – Make things happen. Motivation and success doesn’t come from sitting in front of the television drinking coke and eating pizza. Take action and you’ll achieve your dreams.

N – Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game. At the end of the day, if you live a dishonest life, it will come back to you. Living an honest, fair life allows you to be proud of what you do.

O – Open your eyes. Everyone has a set of blinkers that they wear and see everything through them, i.e. how they would like things to be. Look at life with open eyes and see things how they are, and see them how you want them to be. Then take action to make it happen.

P – Practice makes perfect. The more you practice, the better you become. A top sportsman doesn’t reach their status through a single practice or game. They practice harder and longer than anyone else, and as such, are rewarded more than anyone else.

Q – Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, which do you want to be?

R – Ready yourself. Always be ready to take advantage of the opportunities and situations presented to you. Prepare in advance, and ignore the voice telling you to put it off until tomorrow. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark!

S – Stop procrastinating. You can put it all off until tomorrow, but one day there will be no more tomorrows. Start procrastinating about procrastinating and do tomorrows jobs today.

T – Take control of your life. Discipline and self control are synonymous with motivation. So many people believe their lives are out of their control. Look at your life in detail and you’ll discover you have more areas under your control than you think.

U – Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Understand others and strive to be understood.

V – Visualise it. Your sub-conscious knows no difference between your imagination and reality, so if you rehearse your success in your mind, then your sub-conscious will believe in it and make it happen.

W – Want it more than anything. Every successful person has had a burning desire to achieve their goals. The Wright brothers didn’t invent the aeroplane because there was nothing on the television. They had a burning desire to succeed and kept going, even in the face of setbacks.

X – X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends. This X-Factor sets you aside from the crowd and marks you out for success.

Y – You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, thinks or talks like you. Value your unique gifts, whatever they are and use them for your success.

Z – Zero in on your dreams and make it happen!!!

The ABC’S of Life

2008-12-30T20:26:00.001-08:00

This article is targeted toward professional marketers in the industry of network marketing. During one of my workshops, I did a special presentation
on the ABCs of achieving the top position in life and in business. The ABCs that I spoke of are as follows: A – Attitude/Action, B – Building/Belief,
C – Commitment/Caring.

The foundational key to success in life is a positive attitude. We all hear about it, we all talk about it and we all read about, but do we all have positive
attitudes? Your attitude can go in three different directions – forward, neutral and backward. Going forward produces a positive attitude, remaining neutral
and/or sliding backward result in a negative attitude. You cannot have both a positive and negative attitude! A person with a positive attitude will have “down days”, which are characteristics of a leader. In order to be
successful, you must experience frustrations in life that tend to make you a stronger leader with a drive to succeed. Another important component to developing a positive attitude is establishing daily action steps. There are three key ingredients in building a professional business in network marketing or life in general.

1. Reading your WHY card upon arising in the morning and retiring in the evening. The most important force in your life is your WHY, which I speak extensively in my training programs and during seminars. (WHY are you
living the life that you live day in and day out) You need to internalize your WHY and develop it into your spirit.

2. Consult with your Mastermind Team. Your Mastermind Team is the first three people that you consult with each and everyday that will ultimately help you achieve your WHY in life.

3. Speak to three new people a day about your business. Those three new people are three new prospects/three new seeds. “Seed time and harvest will not cease.” Those are two principles that will parallel your success in business
and mainly in life. Basically what ever you plant you will harvest – positive or negative.

A forward-moving attitude will help you to build a huge business for yourself and have an incredibly successful life. I challenge you this week to read your WHY card, consult your Mastermind Team daily and speak to three new people a day about your business.

Find your WHY & FLY!

John Di Lemme
www.FindYourWhy.com

The “Find Your Why” Challenge

2008-12-30T20:25:00.001-08:00

As many of you have heard me say, you must know your WHY in life (your ultimate
purpose) in order to deal with such issues as:

• Why recruit?
• Why deal with traffic in the morning?
• Why come in early and work late?
• Why deal with certain clients?
• Why introduce your business to people on a daily basis?
• Why work and plan over the weekend?

My personal mission statement is “You must be absolutely clear about your goal and
be relentless in your pursuit of your “WHY” and reading your WHY card for the first seven
minutes upon rising is the secret to cementing your WHY into your heart. In turn, this
will direct your actions as you progress through your day. You will begin to see yourself
handling some of your challenges a little differently, because you know WHY. You will
not be afraid to deal with the challenges as you proceed towards your WHY. An example
of a WHY card is:

I will deal with all the challenges of today, because my WHY is to spend more
time with my family, provide for my children's education, have the finances
needed to take regular family vacations and be a mentor to my kids. I will be able
to donate a percentage of my earnings to my church or favorite non-profit
organization. I will be a successful entrepreneur and build an ethical, profitable
business for me and my family.

I challenge you to re-evaluate where you are today and where you wish to be 5 years from
now. Then, decide to take action and write a personal WHY card that you will read daily.

“...write the vision and make it plain on tablets that he may run who reads it. For the
vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it will not lie.”

You need to accept my challenge and write a WHY card! This step will totally empower
your life. I would love to read your WHY card so feel free to e-mail it to me
john@findyourwhy.com.

Find your WHY & FLY!

John Di Lemme
www.FindYourWhy.com

TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

2008-12-30T20:23:00.000-08:00

Living in our world today can be very stressful. While some of the stress that we experience is actually useful for motivating us, a point can be reached where it becomes very harmful, physically, emotionally and even spiritually. Knowing how to manage and even reduce the harmful effects of stress on a daily basis, of staying balanced and centered as we encounter the many stressors of everyday living, is crucial to our well being. Among other things, taking care of ourselves will necessarily involve us nurturing our physical body, of eating healthy foods, of exercising. Learning how to take care of ourselves in this respect is also very important for everyone as our experience of stress can and does affect others as well.

Learning how to take care of ourselves also involves making appropriate distinctions about ourselves, others and life in general. One distinction that is crucial for our well being is realizing how and from where much of our stress is primarily generated. While some of the stressors that we face are apart of what it is to be a human being, much of the stress that we experience is of our own creation. A great deal of the stress that we experience has its origin in our own personal story and the meaning we make about life, in the thoughts that we think. Once we understand that we are truly the cause in the matter, that we are responsible for the thoughts that we create or invent and that it is from these thoughts that much of our stress is generated, then and only then will we begin to be able to truly manage our stress and have the power to live the life that we want and love. Blaming others or situations for that which we experience will only limit our power, lead to frustration and eventually a great deal of stress.

Becoming present to the fact that we have a tendency to constantly evaluate, judge and even blame others, and especially ourselves, is very important. How we conceive of others and ourselves in this respect will make a huge difference in our experience of life. For example, for some much of their life is spent attempting to make others and themselves wrong, wrong for what they think and do, wrong for what we think and do. Once we make another wrong, especially ourselves, anger, anxiety, guilt, frustration and even sadness will eventually follow and with it a great deal of stress. A simple truth is that as human beings we are all doing the best that we can at any given moment. If we or others knew differently we would behave differently.

Another simple truth is that we are perfect, whole and complete just as we are. It is our story about ourselves that does not allow us to truly experience our own completeness. Making mistakes in life does not make us wrong or flawed in some way but only presents us with feedback and valuable opportunities for growth. Becoming present to how we make ourselves wrong, of how we put ourselves down, allows us an opening to realize that we are not what we do or think. Our true self is something much different. Becoming present to our attempts to make others and ourselves wrong in some manner will also create a cleaning for us to begin to think, feel and behave differently. Once we fully realize that we are perfect, whole and complete just as are, we will bring forth into our lives experiences that will truly empower us and others. It will be at this point that we will begin to authentically take care of ourselves. Taking care of ourselves in this respect will also involve taking care of our true self, of unconditionally loving ourselves completely. It is only when we truly love and accept ourselves, as we are, in the present moment that we will be able to do so with others. We always think, feel and behave towards others as we think, feel and act towards ourselves.

One manner in which we can practice being who we truly are is beginning to become aware of the thoughts and beliefs that exist within us including and especially those that are self-limiting. Meditation and other holistic, self-enhancement techniques of this nature allow us this ability and opportunity to watch, monitor and become present to our inner world, to the very thoughts that generate our life and experiences. Such a process will eventually allow us to truly understand that we are not our thoughts and beliefs, that we are something different from, that we are much more. Our thoughts are merely apart of the machinery of being human.

Once present to the thoughts and beliefs that quickly, if not instantly, move through our mind also allows us the opportunity to reframe from impulsively acting upon them and as a result to become free from their constraints and potential harm to us and others. Such a meditative process, especially as it applies to the thoughts and beliefs that we have about ourselves, is the key to truly taking care of yourself. Such awareness will eventually allow us to truly experience the fact that we are good enough, just as we are, one that deserves to have a wonderful and powerful life, that we truly are perfect, whole and complete. Once we fully understand this for ourselves it will allow us to get it about others, for those that we work with and for those in our lives that we love. The end result of such a meditative process is that much of the stress that we experience, especially that which we create, will simply not exist, allowing us to create or invent the life that we truly want and love and to live it powerfully.

Harry Henshaw, Ed.D., L.M.H.C.
http://www.enhancedhealing.com

Survival

2008-12-30T20:19:00.001-08:00

Survival is one of the most demanding and challenging issues that we face as humans!

Survival challenges us through many different issues such as: child abuse, sexual abuse, birth, death, job loss, health problems, low self-esteem, relationship ups and downs, parenting, deceptions, breakdowns, poverty, natural disasters, education, addictions and even our own desires to be strong.

Survival comes in little packages and it comes in enormous boxes. It appears when we least expect it, never letting us prepare for the battle. It hides around corners, waiting to pounce on us. It is constantly testing our inner powers and strength.

To live is to survive and without survival you have no life. Survival is a choice. If you choose to survive, you must fight hard. If you choose to not survive, you will die. Simple!

Survival will change who you are many times. How you deal with your challenge and how drastic the challenge is will determine how much of yourself you manage to keep safe.

A couple of common phrases that we run into many times in our day is, "Only the strong survive" and, "What does not kill us will only make us stronger". These are very good survival attitudes to practice. We need to be strong to survive. It takes pure GUTS to survive and move forward in any situation. It takes having total control of your thoughts, which is one of your best weapons in the battle of survival. It demands consistent striving to reach your goals, stopping at nothing to meet your destiny.

I emphasize the importance of strength, when battling the war of survival.

To be strong is:

to be able to stand your ground and hold onto your inner beliefs, which will be your best strategy to win the game.
to be born into the survival game without knowledge or understanding of the rules, and still overcome all the obstacles.
to be able to clean the skeletons out of your closet that have been haunting you from your past.
to take control of your life and deal with the monsters, whether it be through telling a story or confronting the monster face to face.
to be able to look back at the reasons for your pain and suffering and wave at it as if it were just a car going by.
to be able to smile at a happy memory of a loved one that was taken from you without reason.
to be able to say NO to drugs and misuse of alcohol.
to be able to forgive, forget and let the waters flow under the bridge.
to feel physical pain every minute you are awake, yet be able to smile and ease that pain with positive thoughts.
to look in the mirror and know you are the best, and to believe who you are.
to let go of hate and resentment, when your heart has been deceived or broken.
to push forward when all the negative forces feel like they are pushing you backwards.
to continue tearing down walls of negative thinking, and replace them with positive openness.
to open your heart to another after it was forced to close.
to keep searching for answers to a better you, even when all you want to do is quit.
to look to tomorrow for the sunshine, when the rain refuses to stop.
to give birth to a child, and raise him/her with love and respect.
to embrace growing old and never regretting it.
to study hard and achieve all the knowledge that the world has to offer you.
to not allow the material world to confuse you as to what is really important in life
to be a hugger, not a judger.
to smile when you want to cry.
to Live, Love and Laugh.
********************************************************

"We are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun."

William Glasser

"Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, society will face tremendous difficulties; the survival of humanity will be endangered."

Dalai Lama

Dorothy Lafrinere
Owner/Operater
Website- http://www.womensselfesteem.com
Weblog- http://www.justblogme.com/Dorothy
Forum- http://womenselfesteem.proboards29.com
email- dorothy@womensselfesteem.com

Success Steps For Your Personal Or Business Life

2008-12-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

Fact: Success is something of which we all want more.

Fact: Most people believe that success is difficult.

Fact: They’re wrong - it’s not!

Success isn’t really that difficult. There is a significant portion of the population here in North America, that actually want and need success to be hard! Why? So they then have a built-in excuse when things don’t go their way! Pretty sad situation, to say the least.

For those of you who are serious about having more, doing more, giving more and being more, success is achievable with some understanding of what to do, some discipline around planning and execution of those plans and belief that you can achieve your desires.

The Truth About Success

The first thing to remember about success is that it is a process – nothing more, nothing less. There is really no magic to it and it’s not reserved only for a select few people. As such, success really has nothing to do with luck, coincidence or fate. It really comes down to understanding the steps in the process and then executing on those steps.

There are basically six key areas to higher achievement. Some people will tell you there are four while others may tell you there are eight. One thing for certain though, is that irrespective of the number of steps the experts talk about, they all originate from the same roots.

From my perspective then, here are the six key steps:

1. Making the decision

2. Clarity - developing the Vision

3. Focus – having a plan

4. Commitment – understanding the price and having the willingness to pay that price

5. Belief – believing in yourself and those around you

6. Taking action – practice Ready, Fire, Aim…

Making the Decision

If success is a process with a number of defined steps, then it is just like any other process. So, what is the first step in any process?

Making a decision to do something – this is the first step. We all know that nothing moves until someone makes a decision. The first action is always in making the decision to proceed. This is a fundamental step, which most people overlook.

So, make the decision to move forward. Commit your decision to paper, just to bring it into focus. Then, go for it!

Clarity

Having clarity of purpose and a clear picture of what you desire, is probably the single most important factor in achievement. Why is Clarity so important?

Without clarity, you send a very garbled message out to the Universe. We know that the Law of Attraction says that we will attract what we focus on, so if we don’t have clarity, we will attract confusion.

Consider the following analogy:

You are going on a cruise, but when the ship sets sail, you discover it has no rudder. What happens? One of 3 things will occur:

1. You will sail along until you collide with an immovable object, after which you will sink to the bottom

2. You will run aground and become hopelessly stuck in the mud

3. You will drift aimlessly until you arrive back at the original dock

Trying to go through life without clarity is similar to sailing a rudder-less ship – no good thing can or will happen!

The sad thing is the majority of people have no clue about what they truly want. They have no clarity. When asked the question, responses will be superficial at best, and at worst, will be what someone else wants for them.

So how do we get clarity? Simply by asking ourselves lots of questions: What do I really want? What does success look like to me? Why do I want a particular thing? How will this achievement change my life? How can I use this success to make a difference for others?

Introspection is the trick. Understand what you want, why you want it and what it will do for you. This is a critical factor, and as such, is probably the most difficult step. For this reason, most people never complete this aspect – then wonder why life is so difficult!

Once you have a clear understanding of what you want, it is critical that you engage in goal setting – specifically setting SMART goals.

SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Sensitive - S-M-A-R-T. Knowing what you want and setting SMART goals as mileposts on your quest cannot help but give you clarity!

Focus

Focus is having the unwavering attention to complete what you set out to do. There are a million distractions in every facet of our lives. Telephones and e-mail, clients and managers, spouses and kids, TV, newspapers and radio – the distractions are everywhere and endless. Everyone wants a piece of us and the result can be totally overwhelming.

So, how can we stay on course with all the distractions in our lives? Willpower is a good start, but it’s very difficult to stay on track simply through willpower.

The best way is to develop and follow a plan. Start with your goals in mind and then work backwards to develop the plan. What steps are required to get you to the goals? Make the plan as detailed as possible. Try to visualize and then plan for, every possible setback. Commit the plan to paper and then keep it with you at all times. Review it regularly and ensure that every step takes you closer to your Vision and Goals. If the plan doesn’t support the vision then change it!

Along with your plans, you should consider developing an action orientation that will keep you motivated to move forward at all times. This requires a little self-discipline, but is a crucial component to achievement of any kind. Before starting any new activity, ask yourself if that activity will move you closer to your goals. If the answer is no, you may want to reconsider doing it at that time.

I coach my clients to practice the 3 D’s – Defer, Delegate or Delete. Can the particular activity be done later? Defer it! Can it be done by someone else? Delegate it! Does it need to be done at all? If not, consider deleting it! Posing these questions will help to keep you focused on what is truly important!

Commitment

Commitment is something that comes from understanding that everything has its price and then having the willingness to pay that price. This is important because nobody wants to put significant effort into something, only to find out after the fact that the price was too high.

The price is something not necessarily defined as financial. It could be time, effort, sacrifice, money or perhaps, something else. The point is that we must be fully aware of the price and be willing to pay it, if we want to have success.

Belief

This is perhaps the single biggest obstacle that all of us must overcome in order to be successful.

We all carry a lot of baggage, thanks to our upbringing. The majority of people carry with them, an entire series of self-limiting beliefs that will absolutely stop, and hold them back from, success. Things like “I’m not good enough”, “I’m not smart enough”, “I’m not lucky enough”, and the worst, “I’m not worthy” are but a few of the self-limiting beliefs I have encountered. We carry them with us like rocks in a knapsack, and then use them to sabotage our success. So, how twisted is that?!?!

The old expression is absolutely true – whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right!

One of the main areas that I work on with my clients is shedding these non-supportive beliefs and replacing them with beliefs that will help them to accomplish their desires.

It is truly amazing the damage that we, as parents, can inflict on our children. So why do we do it? For the most part, we don’t do it intentionally or with malice. In the majority of cases, the cause is a well-meaning but unskilled or un-thinking parent, who says the wrong thing at the wrong time, and the message sticks – as simple as that!

And it's not just parents that are the cause - teachers, friends, clergy members or anyone else that has influence in a child's life can be a contributor to these self-limiting beliefs!

The bottom line is that we must shed the bad and replace with good beliefs.

Taking Action

“Nothing changes until something moves” – this is the battle cry of author and journalist Robert Ringer. And he is absolutely correct. Not all of the decision-making, clarity, planning, focus and belief in the world, will get you to where you want to be, without taking action!

Action – putting your plans into play – that is what will get you to the destination. Don’t get caught in the paralysis of analysis, or in the conundrum of Ready, Aim, Aim, Aim, Aim…

Get the oars in the water and start rowing. Execution is the single biggest factor in achievement, so the faster and better your execution, the quicker you will get to the goals!

Conclusion

So, there you have it; the six steps that will help you to the fabled land of achievement and success! You now have the opportunity to push ahead and reach your potential. No more excuses - make the commitment to take action TODAY!

Figure out what you want, put a plan together to achieve it, understand the cost, believe in yourself then go and get it!

Stay Strong You Can Make It

2008-12-30T20:16:00.001-08:00

What is your deepest fear? I have heard the poem that asks this question in recent movies and it has touched me on a deep level. I watched the movie Akeelah and the Bee over this past week while watching cable and this poem was quoted. So many of us try and do what is simple and take the path of least resistance because it suits us. This journey of life is filled with many obstacles and road blocks. It is intended to be that way in order to make you into the exact you you are to be. Most people miss the opportunity to grow and give up and give in to pressure.

A few years ago I preached a sermon at my fathers church in Mechanicsville, VA and I dealt with pressure. I said to the congregation that a diamond is one of the most valuable things that we have. It comes from a piece of coal. Well how is a diamond formed? It is formed by pressure. Every piece of coal does not become a diamond. Only the ones that stand up under pressure are able to be formed into this valuable stone. You need to be a diamond. Most people look externally to the reasons why they fail in life. In order for you to be just what God intends for you to be, you must stand against the pressure of life and come out on the other end as a diamond.

The first line of that poem starts like this, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure, it is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us, ..." When we are young, we have dreams and goals that are lofty. I say lofty because most people do not even believe that you will go after what you want. Let's face it, most people just wind up settling for what life throws at them instead of going out and getting what is rightfully theirs to begin with.

You have a right, more than that a promise from God himself that you will be able to have peace, joy, and prosperity. We have these promises from our creator and we do not take full advantage of them. Why? Because when times get hard, most give up. You can not be a blessing to me if you do not do what God called you to do. You can not be a blessing to the world unless you stand the pressure and become a diamond.

In part my success is dependent on you playing your part in the world. If Martin or Malcolm did not stand up, I would not be where I am today. If Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and other black leaders did not risk death, my freedom may have never come. If you do not do what you were created to do, who will you hold back? The bible says that wide is the way that leads to destruction. The path to Him is called strait (not straight). This word means hard or difficult. This path builds character. This path builds leaders. Stop looking at challenges as give up points. Look at them as the way to create something precious in you.

You have everything you need inside of you to be a great person. Never give up because of circumstances. You can not grow with out some struggle.

Start With A Baseline

2008-12-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

Making changes in your life is great and it is the way we grow and develop as people. Change is a constant process and part of being human. When you embark on changing anything in your life you have to start from where you are. Until you know where that is it would be difficult to effectively make the change. You have to start with a baseline.

Starting with a baseline is about honestly figuring out where you are and what you are doing so that you know exactly what needs to be changed. It may sound odd, but many of us are unaware of what we do. When my clients tell me they want to lose weight the first thing I do is have them keep a food journal for a week just to get a baseline. The next week they share how shocked they were to see not only how much they were eating, but also what they were eating. Many of us are on autopilot and we simply are not aware of what we are doing. When you track it - and this works with anything - you have a real picture of where you are and what needs to change.

I read a statistic once that said most people consistently spend about 10% more than they make. I believe that is true, and it is because what is being spent, especially on a credit card, is not tracked. I once had a client that just didn't have enough time to accomplish everything she needed to do. When she tracked her time for a week she was made painfully aware that she was spending hours in front of the television. The first step in change is awareness. You have to become aware of what you are doing and exactly where you are before you can proceed forward. Keeping track for a week or two will provide you with valuable information that will support your change effort.

Before you embark on any type of change effort you have to know where you are. I liken it to those travel maps that have an X printed next to "You are here." Until you are aware of exactly where you are - and many of us don't have a clue - it will be impossible to make the needed change.

The first step in your change effort is to determine where you are. Keep a log for a week or two. This will give you a realistic idea of what you are doing. You can track anything from how much money you spend to how many hours of sleep you get. Once you know the truth about where you are you can proceed.

STAFF AND EMPLOYESS MOTIVATION

2008-12-30T20:13:00.000-08:00

As a person with a position of decision making it is critical to provide direction to employees through staff motivation. Staff motivation is seldom an easy task as it involves working with a number of personalities & who come from different personal situations that can sometime be brought into they workplace. it is important to realize that all employees have outside factors in their day to day lives & this in turn can effect your staff motivation, as a leader it is your duty to keep your staff motivation high which in turn will provide a more efficient workplace.

Staff motivation is an integral part of corporate America, that cannot be overlooked by decision makers & leaders of companies. To get the most out of your employees it is critical to keep staff motivation high, as this leads to higher productivity throughout an organization. Learn some tips to keep your staff motivation at an optimal level.

When properly used staff motivation can be a vital tool to get the most out of your employees. it is important for people in the position of decision making to let your employees know when they do a nice job by using positive words, as this will benefit the entire company through a total team effort. But simultaneously employees must know that with reassurance comes high expectations & it will be up to them to meet those expectations, staff motivation can accomplish this task.

To get the most out of your employees, be sure to balance workloads in a fair & honest manner. Playing favorites can be counter productive to your staff motivation, so its important to consider that all employees are held in the same respect & on an even playing ground. There will be times when you do find yourself favoring six employee over another but to get the most our of your employees & to keep staff motivation high it is important try minimize this.

Staff & employees require to know that they are doing a nice job or else staff motivation will suffer. When you staff knows that they have done a nice job & you've clearly indicated this through a positive but firm tone not only shows your commitment as a leader but also shows your compassion resulting in a boost of staff motivation. Public recognition is always a great tool to boost your staff recognition by letting your employees know they are doing a nice job. Nothing feels better you boss publicly acknowledging a job well done, it is important to let your employees know this to keep staff motivation high.

The best corporate mangers in America are always looking for ways to boost their staffs productivity. It takes hard work, patience, understanding & dedication to get the most out of your employees. Keeping your staff motivation & productivity high will be a measuring stick of your performance & success as a manager. improvising & adapting to situations are a few traits a manger must have to get the most out of employees keep staff motivation high & be productive as possible for the company as a whole.

Sometimes Typhoons Come

2008-12-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight half of southern Japan is hunched down awaiting the arrival of the typhoon. This is #15 for the Pacific region this year, and the third one in about six weeks to come our way.

By the way, if you're not quite sure what a typhoon is, it's the Asian name for tropical storms or hurricanes.

Our little town of about 18,000 has only one industry -- its white beach -- and it waits all year for the two hottest summer months when hundreds of thousands of vacationers come from all over Japan to lie in the sun and play in the peaceful little bay.

And this particular night, the town had planned its annual fireworks display. They have something called "Message Fireworks" where a visitor pays up to a hundred dollars for somebody to read an announcement of his undying love just before a volley of fireworks are fired off. This one event raises many thousands of dollars for the town.

In addition, the local merchants make a sizeable part of their yearly profit during the summer months.

But tonight the beach is dark. No fireworks will dazzle the crowds tonight. No concession booths will sell snacks, and no families will congregate to enjoy the summertime display.

All those plans. All the money invested in food, in merchandise, in giant fireworks that shoot two hundred meters into the air.

So when a typhoon comes -- and no amount of "positive thinking" will stop it happening from time to time -- the merchants here just sigh, suck it up, and go to Plan B, which is to try again tomorrow night. And if that doesn't work, then next weekend.

You see, they've seen it all before. They know that sometimes things WILL get in the way of their plans. So they stay flexible. They have contingencies, Plan B's and even Plan C's.

Now, the point I'm making is not that weather is a doggone nuisance.

Instead, I invite you to consider one question: how flexible are you prepared to be? (The operative word is "prepared".)

When stuff happens -- and it will -- what's your Plan B and your Plan C? Don't have one? Then shouldn't you think about getting one?

Because stuff WILL happen. That's just the way life brings you special opportunities you never expected, never imagined, and never wanted. But once life brings it on, you need to be prepared to deal with it.

Like a boy scout, you need to be prepared with backup plans.

But to have a backup plan, you first need a main plan. And of course you've got one of those... right?

So You Want To Win the Lottery

2008-12-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

If we all got everything we wanted, most of us would have won the lottery by now. So what happens when we notice that we aren't getting what we want, even when we've been using Law of Attraction to manifest a particular desire for an extended period of time?

Wanting to win the lottery is a clear desire, therefore, you need to use Law of Attraction deliberately. If you're not getting evidence that your desire to win the lottery is manifesting, then you need to review the Law of Attraction formula and check to see if all three conditions for Deliberate Attraction are being met. All desires you may have, for example, attracting an ideal mate, an ideal client base, ideal health or an ideal abundance of money require these same three conditions.

Step 1: Clearly identify your desire
Step 2: Raise your vibration (Give Your Desire Attention)
Step 3: Allow it

So let's examine these three conditions with respect to manifesting a winning lottery ticket.

Step 1: Clearly identify your desire (You bought a ticket and you WANT to win.) Step 1 is done.

Step 2: Raise your vibration (You talk about and daydream about all the things you'll do with the money you win.) Step 2 is done.

If the only thing we needed to do is Step 1 and Step 2, most people would have everything they've ever become excited about. So as you observe that you've NOT attracted what you've been desiring (in this case, a winning lottery ticket), you'll need to check the three step process to find out what step needs your attention more often. In most cases it's Step 3 - Allowing.

Allowing is the absence of doubt. Doubt is a negative vibration that cancels out the positive vibration of your desire, so removing doubt will allow your desire to come to you. Removing doubt will speed up the manifestation of your desire.

One of the best tools for removing doubt is to start keeping a log or journal of all the ways in which you are attracting more abundance into your life, thus, you are finding proof! Abundance is simply energy and the more often you discover that you are aligned with the energy of abundance, the more often you will be removing doubt that you are Allowing your desire to win the lottery. For example, if you find money or someone buys you lunch or you find a great sale on an item you want to buy-this is all evidence that you are in alignment with abundance. Logging this evidence or tracking it in a journal will help you prove to yourself that you are aligning yourself more and more with abundance.

In short, how soon you'll win the lottery is determined by how much doubt you have about winning, and winning is all about removing that doubt thereby aligning yourself with the energy of abundance.

Self-Motivation: How to Keep Yourself Motivated

2008-12-30T20:08:00.000-08:00

Keeping one’s self going is a difficult thing to do. There are a million distractions that occur every day and that can mean that we do not stay on track with what we should be doing. Self-motivation is something that does not come easy to a lot of people and that means that there are some steps that need to be taken before you can become motivated to the fullest extent. Of course there are some other matters that first need to be taken care of. If there are a lot of distractions that keep you from doing what you need to be doing then you need to make some changes. This is really the first step towards becoming self-motivated in any form.

To be self-motivated means that there is no outside force or person pushing you to become what you want. The whole concept of succeeding lies within yourself and that means that you will need to make the effort yourself to be who you want to be. The doing away with the distractions means that you need to be completely self-reliant. If you have many distractions then you will not be getting the things done that need to be so you are not being self-motivated in that sense. Take the effort to make sure that you are completely absorbed in what you are doing, especially when it comes to work. This will mean that everything else takes a back seat and you are working to the best of your ability.

If you are a person that needs a push to get going on something then you will need to devise a plan to become self-motivated. If you are one that requires the motivation then you will need to be sure to have something nearby that reminds you of what you need to be doing. For instance, a photograph depicting an event will be sure to move you along whenever you look at it. The same goes for a saying by a famous person that has succeeded in the way that you wish to succeed.

To be self-motivated is to be the one person that gets it done without having to be told to do so. Moving along through the ranks and being the one person that succeeds where others fail is above all the rest. Take the time to become self-motivated and you will be much happier with yourself to say the least.

Self Motivation Secrets

2008-12-30T20:05:00.000-08:00

We all have a lack of self motivation at times. We can learn a hundred ways to improve our lives, but then hesitate to act. Something less important catches our attention, or we just don't feel like doing what we need to do. Even a person who is normally highly motivated can sometimes have a hard time getting started on an important task.

Is there a solution? There are probably dozens of them. Below are six of the best self motivation techniques that consistently work when used. Try them all, but if you find even one or two here that work for you, you'll be on your way.

Self Motivation Techniques That Work

1. Talk to get motivated. One of my favorite ways to create energy and motivation is to talk. Once I tell my wife about the article I'm going to write, I'm out of my slump and back at the keyboard. For less inspiring tasks, talk about the larger goals it will help you achieve.

2. Stimulate your desire. Seeing their potential future motivates many to sign up for get-rich-quick plans. The really good salesmen can put you in your imagined dream home in minutes, and make you feel motivated to do anything to make it real. Learn to be your own salesman.

3. Stimulate your pain. One Neuro-Linguistic Programming technique is to mentally link pain with not acting. It is like when finally stop hitting that snooze button on the alarm, and get up because you think you might lose your job. Just imagine any bad consequences that may occur if you don't do what you need to do.

4. Find a true interest. If you have no interest in what you are doing, it might mean you need to do something else. If it's just a task you dislike, but it needs to be done, relate it clearly in your mind to the greater goal. I don't like to drive, but I don't have a motivation problem when I'm driving to the mountains for a vacation.

5. Boost your energy. You need energy for self motivation. Coffee may help for a while, if caffeine doesn't create other problems for you. Exercising and sleeping well help too. Yo should also watch out for sugary foods. The "sugar blues"kill motivation. Once you find energy boosters that work for you, make a list and keep it handy for future use.

6. Take any small step. I've found if I commit to raking up one bag of leaves, I soon want to finish all the yard work. Taking any small step towards your goals is a great self motivation technique. To make this even easier, break larger goals down into small steps.

Motivation techniques really do work, but don't ask me how to get motivated to use them. In any case, you were motivated enough to read this far, so you'll be fine. Oh, and humor is number seven. A good laugh can overcome that feeling of being overwhelmed that sucks away self motivation.

Self Hypnosis - Tune Your Mind to Win

2008-12-30T20:04:00.001-08:00

There is a saying that winning and losing are two sides of a coin. All of us would like to be a winner in all our endeavors, but unfortunately very few of us succeed. But there are some people who always turn out to winners. All of us know someone who always is a winner.

Whatever they do, anything they attempt, they meet with success. Be it business, playing a game of cards, finding a date or even if they were to enter the Olympics…hey presto! They are the winners. You know for sure that they’ll win against the odds and find their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Its like they just wouldn’t accept anything but victory. All we do is admire them and wonder how they do it time after time.

Have you ever wondered why winners always win and losers always lose? Perhaps you would like to be let into their little secret. Winners EXPECT only winning. That’s the catch! Sounds pretty simple. Well it is.

Now pause and take a minute to think…. a winner foresees his success. He knows he’s the one who’ll win. He has tuned his mind to win. Most of you have run a race sometime or the other in your lives. What was your mindset before the race? Did you think you’d win before you ran the race or did you contemplate winning only when you were in the race? Perhaps you hadn’t even thought positively and had already seen yourself as a loser.

Whether they are dealing in real estate or buying a car or just about anything, a winner EXPECTS to get exactly what he wants. Even for the Olympics, you bet they’d bag the gold hands down. And they do. And sometimes they do it against all odds. It is this EXPECTATION that makes one a winner, scoring over the rest. There are many athletes who have won against all odds. If we just look around us we can see people who win all the time.

Do you also want to be a winner? What you have to do is…
Keep your eyes closed and imagine you have a particular aspiration in life. Relax and concentrate. Let your mind focus only on the fact you are going to achieve your aim.

Now, shut your eyes once more and EXPECT that YOU WILL achieve your target. Observe a subtle change. Do you not feel more confident? That’s the difference between letting our mind ponder and waver too much about anything.

Perhaps you can win or lose. But the EXPECTATION has only one likelihood…. winning. You are almost there.

The answer now lies before you. So what do you do next? Apply your mind with full intensity, concentrate on your goal and EXPECT TO WIN. Before any venture, just take a deep breath, relax and pause…. to think and ….TO WIN. Think of the aura of success around you. Bask in that glory of success. Now that you have set your mind on winning, you are surely going to be a winner.

Everything you are going to do or say will spell triumph.
Now that you know the path to winning, the rest is easy. And the chances are you WILL win. One hundred percent. All you require is mindset to win.

ROAR with CONFIDENCE!!

2008-12-30T20:00:00.000-08:00

I am back, after a few days of vacationing with family. Weather was awesome, the beach was full of nasty jelly-fish, yuk! All-in-all, life has been good. I hope life has been as good for all of you.

Well I will start this article out by telling you that I did ROAR with CONFIDENCE when I was on vacation. I went to the beach several times and trust me, to walk the beach and play with a child and race her in nothing more than a small bathing suit, is a total ROAR for this girl. We seem to be constantly looking for an easy way out to gain confidence. I hate to share this reality check people, but confidence is something that we already have and have always had since our cute little butts were spanked at birth. Look no further, I have looked up the dictionary meaning of CONFIDENCE for your minds to grasp, here it is:

confi-dence...1. full trust:belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing. 2 .belief in oneself and one`s powers or abilities: self-confidence: self-reliance, assurance which implies faith in oneself.

As you can see there, it is all inside of your head. You must belief in you. First and foremost, you must trust you and your abilities to survive with greatness and good feelings about who you are, what you look like, how you think, how you love, how you deal with unexpected events, but most of all how you continue to build your inner confidence, even when the going gets tough. There are so many outer elements that continue to test our inner confidence, that it's no wonder we scramble at the best of times to smile, when we just want to scream. I have spoken of a few throughout my blogs: television, videos, reality shows, climbing of the "corporate ladder", society`s constant attack on aging, over weight people, and please do not forget about the children.

Children are faced with fears that threaten their confidence all the time. They fear their parents will look down on them for not having the best grades. They fear their peers will toss them to the curb if they do not follow. They hear continuously how messed up their world has become, and how it is teaching them negative things. How can that not weaken their CONFIDENCE. It would kill mine. I'm just happy that I was strong enough to know the difference between WWF wrestling, cartoons and real life.

To ROAR with CONFIDENCE is as effective as telling the world to BITE ME! I love to say that as you all know.(winks) CONFIDENCE is not easy to keep strong, when we feel threatened inside, or we feel our relationship is being threatened. We immediately feel it is us, that are at fault, which in turn strikes down our confidence.

We need to trust in ourselves, trust that we know what we want and what is good for us. Your life is not suppose to be a debate on how you should fit in, or whether someone tells you how to look or feel about you. You are your life. Your lack of confidence removes you from who you are meant to be. Trusting and having CONFIDENCE in you does not mean that you will always be right about things, but it does give you strength to overcome your doubts, low self-esteem and correct your wrongs and rise above the lesser you.

I sometimes wonder why people do what they do. Is it because they lack confidence and feel that any type of attention will build their self-esteem? Or is it that they truly just do not care anymore and let themselves be the joke of the moment? I have the seen women in internet porn.(research purposes only) Now this is my opinion, so bear with me here: I am in no way judging anyone, but I do want to reach out to them and tell them there are better ways to build up confidence and feel wanted and appreciated. For the women that fall into the prostitution world and feel that is the only way to stardom; when did they lose their respect and self-esteem and when did they become afraid to ROAR with CONFIDENCE? Women that have been scorned and throw themselves away literally to the bar scene, where they become a piece of meat and are treated worse than a dog, you know that you are not happy there and that those roads to better feelings are not the right roads. How can one respect themselves if they have no strength to ROAR with CONFIDENCE? I cry for all women that have fallen into the traps of feeling that attention will bring them higher. They will never find their freedom to ROAR with CONFIDENCE if they continue to depend on anything or anyone outside of themselves to get them there.

You need to save yourselves. You stay in negative environments where you feel threatened because you need so much acceptance that you have been mislead to believe that it will strengthen your CONFIDENCE. You were born with what you need to save you! DO NOT wait for help. Help yourself. Do not cry to be rescued, it will not happen. YOU and you alone, have to make that climb. Just trust your feelings and follow them. Trust that you alone, can give yourself all the strength to ROAR with CONFIDENCE.

I am hoping, that through my website and these written thoughts, that some women out there will wake up and see that they are unique without all the negative attention they feel is the way. Just be YOU! You can only be your best as being you. Not by following someone else`s standards, but only fulfilling your own. Love you first and most. Strive to ROAR with CONFIDENCE and DO NOT let anyone take you down.

You are you, and that in itself is a very special gift that no one else has. The more I believe in me, the easier it is for me to grow stronger inside and fight all the negative elements that I come across day after day. Life is not easy, nor does it come with any promises. As I have said so many times, "What does not kill you, will only make you stronger". Live those words people and I mean it when I say it, " ROAR with CONFIDENCE". It truly is a feel good tip. (ROARZ)

I seek myself in everything I do.

I find myself.

I dream my dreams wherever I go.

I become myself.

I ROAR with CONFIDENCE!

Dorothy Lafrinere
Owner/Operator
Website- http://www.womensselfesteem.com
Weblog- http://www.justblogme.com/Dorothy
Forum- http://womenselfesteem.proboards29.com
email- dorothy@womensselfesteem.com

Replace The Negatives In Your Life, With Positives And Move Your Life Ahead.

2008-12-30T19:58:00.000-08:00

If you want to move your life ahead, you should replace the negatives in your life with positives. This article will show you how to take the negative influences in your life away and replace them with positives, so you will have increases in morale, and productivity. Focus on the positive for success and peak performance.

Most of us are not aware of the amount of negative influences in our lives. We are bombarded with negative messages from the media, the people around us, and most damaging of all, ourselves.

The first step in the process in replacing negatives with positives in your life is to make a decision to start looking for the negative messages and ways to replace them with positives. Decide that you will focus on the positive in this world.

Begin to drastically cut down on the amount of news you take in. Most people start their day with the news. And of course most of the news is bad news, fires, floods, etc. Then it is on to traffic and weather, which also stresses the negatives. So by the time you have finished your coffee, you have had enough bad news to last a week. Does all this bad news make you want to throw open the door and greet the new days, no quite the opposite. And how about the way we end the day? Many of us watch the news before going to bed and get a big dose of negative information just before trying to go to sleep. Is it any wonder so many people have trouble sleeping? The mood we are in before we go to sleep carries over to the next morning, so you are setting yourself up for starting the next day in a bad mood. Odds are you don’t need all that negative information you are taking in from the news, and you will function just fine without it.

Replace the news you were taking in with such things as, motivational tapes, uplifting music and sites such as happynews.com, that stress good news. Also reading empowering books helps a great deal. Books can be a fantastic way to recharge your life. Look for success stories, biographies of successful people, etc and see what works for you. You will begin to feel better right away.

Your next step is to limit the amount of TV you watch. A recent study showed that 78% of the people watching TV, are not interested in the program they are watching at any given time. So watching TV is probably making you bored at best, and taking you away from actives that would be more fun. Prime time is the period when most people are watching TV; you can make it your prime time by turning off the TV and using that time to move your life ahead.

Next you need to limit your exposure to negative people. Most people don’t realize how draining it is to be around negative people, but they drain your energy and spirit in many ways. Negative people pull you down, so work to remove them from your life to the extent you can. Never get involved in the office pity party, or complaint sessions that come your way. Seek out people that support you and that you feel good being around and use these people to replace the negative people in your life.

The most damaging source of negativity is ourselves. Most of us generate lots of negative self talk that our minds accept as the truth and results in our being held back in many ways. We focus on our shortcomings, our problems, and spend our time predicting more bad news for ourselves, generating lots of fear and worry, while undercutting our ability to try new things, etc. Begin to focus on the positive aspects of you. What are your unique strengths, what have you accomplished, how are you different and better than other people? Use visualization and affirmations to build images of yourself accomplishing the things you want and use these to replace the negative images. Give yourself lots of credit for everything you do right, so you are getting even more positive news about yourself. Also, set aside three minutes every day to think about all the good things you have in your life right now. The process of thinking of the good things in your life, will generate good feelings for you that will last much of the day.

Don’t forget to take care of your body. Eat healthy, cut out some bad habits, and get regular exercise in order to boost your self-esteem while building your strength and endurance, so you can accomplish more.

Helping others will also help you feel better about yourself. Take time to get involved in a charity, animal shelter, or other activates that help others. You will get good feedback from others and develop a genuine sense that you are a good person. What you put out comes back to you, so make sure it is good that goes out.

By replacing the negatives in your life, with positives, you will make yourself and probably the world a better place. You will feel better mentally and physically, plus accomplish many of the things you wanted to. Nothing is ever accomplished without action, so start now to move your life ahead.

Reducing Fear of Driving with Proper Breathing

2008-12-30T19:57:00.001-08:00

Those that experience anxiety, fear, or panic while driving often report an inability to breathe normally. They may have a feeling of being unable to take a deep breath, as if they’re throat or chest were closing in. They may find themselves gasping and gulping for air or with fears of having a heart attack or lung disorder. Fears of losing control may present themselves stemming from the inability to control one’s own breathing. All of these situations are common with the panic that ensues from a fear of driving and cause discomfort and more advanced symptoms, but none are physically dangerous. The goal in learning to breathe properly is not to prevent suffocation or any physical problem, which won’t occur anyway, but to prevent the uncomfortable sensations that result from breathing in this manner. Fortunately, these breathing difficulties can be remedied using simple techniques.
The act of over breathing, or hyperventilating, results in the body taking in far too much carbon dioxide than is needed. Take a look at just some of the symptoms caused by hyperventilation and see if they look at all familiar:
• Racing heart
• Heartburn
• Dizziness
• Vision disturbances
• Numbness or tingling in extremities
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Muscular shaking
• Chest pain
• Sensations of chocking
• Sweating
You may be surprised to know that all of the above sensations of anxiety experienced when driving can be attributed to how you breathe. Learning to breathe in a new way can reduce or eliminate a wide range of complaints associated with the fear of driving. Hyperventilation is not always as obvious as we are lead to believe by the television, where a person is gasping for air and having a paper bag over the mouth (to slow the rate of exhaled carbon dioxide). Hyperventilation is much more subtle and the person experiencing it is often unaware they are over breathing. Only a small change in the mix of oxygen to carbon dioxide can cause pronounced symptoms and additional anxiety. Holding the breath also results in the same list of symptoms.
One of the most widely taught methods of proper breathing is controlled, diaphragmatic breathing. It has been widely known that people with general anxiety, or those subjected to a phobia tend to breathe from their chest (thoracic) and not their stomach (diaphragmatic). It’s easy to tell where you are breathing from, simply place one hand on your navel and the other on your chest, right over the breastbone. We're going to use your hands will tell you what muscles you are using to breathe. As you breathe, pay attention to which hand is rising and falling. If it’s mostly the hand on your chest, you aren’t breathing from your diaphragm and need to work on teaching your body to breathe properly. If it’s only the hand on your belly moving, then you’re breathing well. This check should be used again when you feel anxious to ensure you maintain your breathing pattern. If you are skeptical about the correct way to breathe, simply look at the way a baby or dog breathes. They breathe in a relaxed manner with their bellies moving up and down, their chest stays still.
If you need to correct your breathe, below is a basic exercise that should be done as often as possible to retrain yourself. With enough work you’ll actually move your unconscious breathe from the upper lung to the lower lung. This experience greatly reduces anxiety and the physical symptoms of tension.
1) Again, place one hand on your navel, and the other on your chest, right over the breastbone.
2) Exhale completely. Drop your shoulders and relax your muscles, as you do so pay particular attention to the muscles of your face and upper body.
3) Pause for three seconds.
4) Inhale SLOWLY through your nose by pushing your stomach out, not your chest. Visualize yourself breathing in and out through your navel. Your chest hand should stay relatively stationary, while your lower hand rises and falls.
There is also a more advanced breathing technique that can help you in the midst of an anxiety or panic attack that actually plays a role in eliminating the fearful feelings. The Driving Fear program does an excellent job of teaching the strategy to assist those that suffer from anxiety, panic, or phobias related to the fear of driving or specific driving situations such as highway driving or driving over bridges.

Re-Commit

2008-12-30T19:56:00.001-08:00

Any time we start something new it is exciting and we are very motivated and committed. As time goes by, however, the burst of enthusiasm can wane as the reality of how much work is going to be involved kicks in. When you find yourself slacking a little and not being as enthused about the new change or goal you are working towards, that isn't a sign to quit. It is a sign that it is time to re-commit.

I am in the fourth month of my "New Program" of eating right and exercise. The first three months I was excited, enthused and rearing to go. However, I have found that the last month has been a tad more challenging and I have begun to slip a bit in my new exercise and eating habits. As I waned so did my results, which made me think it wasn't working. Closer examination revealed that it wasn't the system that wasn't working; any system will work if you work it. But, it isn't magic. It takes effort and, most of all, commitment. When I realized that my commitment had slipped I recommitted and got back on track. This is all part of the process and I don't see my temporary slide in commitment as a failure. I see it as an opportunity to strengthen my resolve and continue on the journey.

The more you renew your commitment the stronger it will be. Commitment isn't a magic pill, take it once and you've got it. Commitment is something that needs to be tended to, adjusted and strengthened. I have begun to renew my commitment every day, which helps to remind me how much I really want to make this change work and stick. You might not have to renew your commitment as often, but it does pay to check in and see where you are on the commitment scale. If you notice that you are not where you want to be with your goals it might just be that it is time to renew your commitment.

Put Wings on Your Dreams

2008-12-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

We Need Dreams

Dreams are important. Not the dreams you have when sleeping. I'm
talking about the dreams you have for your future -- the dreams that keep you
going -- the dreams that make each day worth living.

Dreams Aren't Enough

As important as dreams are, they arent enough. Why? Dreams don't take
you where you want to go. A dream needs wings -- to become a tangible
vision -- a passion that will take you where you REALLY want to be.

Bethany Hamilton lives in Hawaii -- her passion is surfing -- her dream
is to become a professional surfer. She spends every available minute
in the water, even home-schooling so she can have more time to pursue
her vision. At 8 years of age she entered her first major competition
taking the division championships that year. Bethany's dream had become
her passion -- a tangible vision.

When Your Vision Is Attacked

Bethany's vision was viciously attacked on Halloween morning, 2003,
when she was 13 years old. Bethany was lying on her board -- left arm
dangling in the cool water.

She remembers a flash of gray, pressure, and a couple fast tugs. She
also remembers watching the jaws of a 15-foot tiger shark cover the top
of her board and her left arm.

The shark was gone as fast as it appeared. So was her arm.

What It Takes To Keep Your Vision Alive

Fast thinking friends and surgery saved Bethany's life. Everyone --
including Bethany -- believed her surfing days were over. But within a
week her vision returned -- she rejected the fear and thoughts of defeat.

Less than 30 days after the attack Bethany was back in the water. Her
family and friends were there to cheer her on.

Her first attempts were failures. She struggled to push herself up with
one arm and keep her balance. Her fear was that her dream would die in
the water that day -- the shark victorious after all. Bethany pushed
down her fears, gritted her teeth, and kept trying. And then it happened.

Tears rolled down her face -- the crowd cheered -- she caught her first
wave and rode it in.

The Dream Takes Wing

Only months after the vicious attack, Bethany amazed thousands by
achieving the unimaginable -- taking 5th at the 2004 National Scholastic
Surfing Association Nationals Championships. In September she struck
again, winning the Open Women's Division of the NSSA's Hawaiian conference
season opener. Having placed in the finals of the National Surfing
Championships Bethany has secured a spot on USA's National Surfing Team. She
has truly conquered her fears!

Five Ways To Put Wings On Your Dreams Bethany's story shows how to put
wings on your dreams:

1) Your dream must become your passion -- a tangible vision.

2) Everything you do needs to fuel your vision.

3) When your dream is attacked, face the adversity squarely and choose
to overcome it with whatever it takes -- face your fears and do it
anyway!

4) Make necessary adjustments -- regain your balance -- and keep your
eyes on your goal.

5) Accept help when it comes -- with grace and gratitude -- let it fuel
your vision.

From Dream to Vision to Reality

Bethany's vision overcomes her fear of sharks and her continued
nightmares. Her story teaches how to create dreams with wings that push you
toward your life-goals. Follow her example and your dreams will become
reality, too.

Pride

2008-12-30T09:35:00.000-08:00

I was taught as a child that pride was a bad thing. Well, we all know that too much pride can cause us to be full of ourselves, sell centered and have a know it all attitude, among other negative qualities.

I wasn't taught as a child that pride can be a very good thing. I know now that we all need to have a decent amount of pride in order to have a decent amount of self esteem. Attaining the pride in ourselves in order to establish a decent amount of self esteem is sometimes difficult to do as an adult....... if it wasn't instilled in us as we were growing up.

It has been my experience the past few years to discover that trying new things, accomplishing feats....no matter how small they may seem to others, and succeeding in our efforts, can help us to increase our pride in ourselves and our self esteem.

One of the things that I have been doing for approximately four years now is learning the computer, networking, building websites and blogs as well as posting on forums. I feel good about my accomplishments to date and I believe the success I've had thus far will only fuel the fire for me to learn and do more. These activities have helped me with my own self esteem.

I started selling Avon Beauty Products last October and doing so has helped me with my self esteem too. I'm getting out among people again and am also taking better care of myself while using and demonstrating the products. Taking good care of ourselves physically really has a huge impact on our emotional state, in my opinion.

Another kind of pride I have developed in the past four years is a huge sense of pride for my brother, David. His constant struggles with depression/anxiety might have caused him to give up and withdraw totally from everyone. Instead, he has fought the battle ferociously and is coming out on top. Of course, he has days when he mostly keeps to himself, but he also has many wonderful days when he enjoys his time and I enjoy the time I get to spend with him.

My therapist taught me many years ago that writing is a wonderful aid in overcoming our problems. It really helps to express our feelings. My brother, David, joined me in this venture of blogging on this site and I am so proud of his continuing and increasing ability to express himself. He is so in touch with his feelings and has so much to offer others who suffer with depression. He has certainly helped me with mine. Did I mention how proud I am of him?

Prepare for Opportunity

2008-12-30T09:33:00.001-08:00

In the epic classic book and movie, Ben-Hur, the main character, Judah Ben-Hur, through an accident and tragic misunderstanding is arrested and sold to work in the mines by the Roman authorities. Despite going from the son of a wealthy family to slave, Ben-Hur refused to fall into despair. He exercised and built his strength up. When he was ready he inched his way up the mineshaft and made it to the top. Unfortunately, he was easily captured because he was blinded by the sunlight after spending so much time in the dark mine shaft.

His captors were so impressed with his strength that they sold him to the Roman navy as a rower for their warships. Again Ben-Hur refused to give up. He used his great strength to become the best rower on the boat. Eventually, he was given the special privilege of not being chained to the boat.

Later in a great naval battle, his boat was rammed and sunk. Because Ben-Hur was not chained, he was the only slave to escape. He was able to save the admiral who had given permission to have him unchained. The admiral was so grateful; he took him to Rome and adopted him as his son. Later when the admiral died, Ben-Hur inherited his great wealth. He eventually made his way back to Jerusalem and was reunited with his mother and sister.

What can we learn from this story? Instead of slipping into despair from the injustice done to him, Ben-Hur burned with great desire for freedom and to right the wrong done to him. He refused to give up. Despite the hopeless situation he found himself in, he spent his time preparing himself. When opportunities came he took advantage of them.

Winston Churchill

“To every man there comes . . . that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.”

Many have had to go through tough times. Many think their situations are hopeless. Many think they are in dead-end jobs going nowhere. There is an amazing miracle waiting for those who bide their time by preparing and improving themselves.

Develop your talents. Don’t waste your time spending hours watching TV or spending unproductive time on the Internet. Take classes. Successful people never stop learning. Improve the skills you already have. Improve your reading, writing, and vocabulary.There seems to be a universal law which seems to always send opportunity to those who are moving forward. You will be amazed when that opportunity comes along that your unique collection of talents and abilities fits it perfectly.

Practice Self Talk and Positive Affirmation Statements in Your Life

2008-12-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

Positive self-talk means purposely giving yourself positive reinforcement, motivation, and recognition- just as you would do for a friend. Congratulate yourself when you do well, and remind yourself of your abilities, accomplishments, strengths and skills. Keep a to-do list, check off accomplishments, and review your progress periodically.

Make self-talk work for you. When you habitually say to yourself has a very profound impact on your self-image, your self-esteem, and your performance as well as eventual success. Remember that your subconscious triggers physiological responses to match the pictures and thoughts that you have of yourself to make them happens. Make this work for you by keeping your self-talk positive.

For example say to yourself either “ I did a good job on that changing a friend’s oil even though I took a quart and ½ for myself “ or “ I did a good job of not paying a good friend the cost of supplies for the efforts he did for me “.

Stop negative self-talk. You may well be quick to nag yourself because your mother wanted you to more than perfect. However, negative self talk can be damaging because your subconscious believes what you say to your when you repeat that negative talk in your mind over and over. How is your subconscious to know otherwise? If you catch yourself using negative self-talk, stop and rephrase. Eliminate the negative words. Focus instead on the best course you can take and do it.

Make positive communications a habit. Focus on the positive in goal statements, self-talk, and all communications. Compare the following phrases, and notice how the positive words convey confidence, commitment, and enthusiasm.

For example instead of “I will try” substitute the phrase “ I will “. Instead of saying to you “I should do “insert the phrase “I will do “. Try saying “ I want to “ or “ I choose to” instead of the more common “I must “.

Focus with affirmation statements. Affirmative statements are positive self-statements or reminders to help you achieve goals. They are positive messages with a punch “mental bumper stickers” of sorts to motivate your subconscious mind to work for you.

Here are guidelines to help you to use the powerful tool of affirmative statements as vital mental reminder technique.

1) Make the statements personal to yourself. Not arbitrary or generic. Use the phrase “I” , your own name , or you

2) Keep affirmations short. How can you use the affirmations if you cannot remember them?

3) Phrase your affirmations positively. The mind accepts as truth the words that you give it. Use positive words only as affirmations. Leave out any negative words. For example say “I will not be nervous during my interview with the warden “. Rather say “ I will be calm and self-assured during my interview”

4) Include a positive emotion. A phrase that triggers a positive emotion strengthens the affirmation. For example “My goals are valuable and it excites me.”

5) Phrase affirmations as fact. Phrase a goal as though it is happening even if you have not achieved it yet. Your subconscious believes mental messages and works to make them a reality.

6) Say your affirmation at least 6 times a day. Repetition is life. Repetition enhances self-confidence, acts as a reminder, and stimulates your subconscious to help you achieve your goals in life.

It cannot be overstated the impact that positive self talk and affirmative statements can help you towards the vital goals that you have identified in your life. Remember that without goals even if you work hard you are like a ship without a rudder.

These powerful tools of positive self talk and positive affirmations can more than help speed you along to your chosen goals.

People Do Business With People They Know, Like, And Trust

2008-12-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

One of the most important activities in growing a business is growing relationships. Many people think they can go out to networking events, hand their cards out and the business will come flowing in. It may happen like that, but not likely. It takes time, energy and effort to build a network. Through building that network you build relationships with people who know you, trust you and will do business with you.

I was at a networking event where I witnessed two men that had no clue what networking was all about. The first gentleman walked up to me, introduced himself, asked my name and proceeded to tell me what he did and how it could help me. He then left to talk to someone else and a second gentleman came up, introduced himself, didn't bother to get my name, gave me promotional information about what he was selling and then went off to talk to someone else. Neither of these men would remember me if I called them, and I have no idea if they are people I like or trust, so there isn't a chance I will do business with them. Networking like this is a waste of time. Unless you're willing to build your network, get to know the people, and perhaps see how you can help them, you might as well stay home.

Networking isn't just for people who run their own businesses. All of us have a network of people we depend on. We might use their services, get referrals from them and ask for assistance when seeking a job. I call this cross-pollinating, and we all do it. It is vitally important that we build relationships with the people in our network so that we can obtain good tips and advice. If you neglect your network you might find yourself without resources or references when you most need them.

Networks are important to your success. To have a useful network you must build and nurture the relationships and focus on how you can help your network before you consider taking from it. Zig Ziggler advises that the best way to build your business is to help someone else build hers. Givers get. You don't just take from your network; you also give to it. The secret is the more you give to your network the more you will get back.

Overcoming Obstacles – The Story of Jewel

2008-12-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

Do you have a dream? I bet you do.

And I also bet you have a long list of reasons why you aren’t pursuing that dream.

But you CAN start turning your dream into a reality – no matter what your current circumstances are.

Take Jewel, the American pop singer. Even as a child, Jewel knew she wanted to be singer.

After high school, she decided working dead end jobs was an unbearable way to live, so she moved into her VW van (and I think her mother also moved in the van with her). There she lived on peanut butter and carrot sticks, wrote songs and performed at a local coffee shop in San Diego. Eventually, while still in the van, she was “discovered.” With her first advance, she rented a house with her mother, bought a “new” car (a used Volvo) and a new guitar.

And the rest is, as they say, history.

Jewel knew she wanted to pursue a dream and she did, even though she had no money and no connections. She overcame her lack of money and eventually became a huge success.

But even without becoming a huge success, you can still take steps this very day to start living your dream. No, I’m not asking you to quit your job and move into your car. But there are small steps you can take each day to bring you a little closer to living your dream.

Action Steps:

1. Write down your dream.

2. Now write down all the steps that need to happen to turn that dream into a reality. Not sure about all the steps? Make researching the steps the first thing on your action plan.

3. Make the commitment to spend 15 minutes every day working on your dream. That's all you need to do -- just spend 15 minutes on a task (more if you can fit in the time).

Fifteen minutes may not seem like a lot of time, but trust me, even something that small makes a huge difference. I guarantee that if you religiously spend 15 minutes on your dream, before you know it, you'll start to see it manifesting right before your eyes.

One Kindness At A Time Makes a World of Difference -5 Caring Tips

2008-12-30T06:51:00.001-08:00

Do you want to make a real difference in the world? Is there something you'd like to change - some way to find your own purpose for being on this earth?

You know, you don't have to do take-on-the-whole-world-by-yourself projects. The easiest and most effective way to change the world is for each of us to do one small kindness at a time. One kindness has a ripple effect, with far-reaching consequences you may never know about.

Below you will find five ways you can make a difference from the e-book, "101 Ways to Change the World". Many things can be done that don't cost a lot - just a small investment of your time.

1. Give anonymous surprise gifts to co-workers or friends - with a note telling them they matter. It doesn't have to be much to let them know someone cares, how about:

a candy bar

one cookie

a flower

something you have lying around your house

Every time, it will be the fun of knowing someone cares that will make their life better - just by giving a little time and thought to someone else.

2. Give away a professional service - offer it FREE once a week, twice a month or once a month to someone who needs it.

Free dental cleanings

Free house cleaning

Free meal at your restaurant

Free accounting service

3. Form your own "Good Deed Patrol" for a fun way to change your world.

Watch for people doing something to make a difference in the community. Listen to conversations to discover these people.

Talk with your radio station or local newspaper and ask if they will include a small section in the paper or a small spot on radio programs to say THANK YOU to these people - it doesn't have to be much.

Think how excited someone would be to open the paper and see a THANK YOU NOTICE to them for something they did.

Since no one will know who the Good Deed Patrol is, this might encourage people to do their best at all times!

4. Respond with kindness every time someone is rude or mean to you. One lady was treated very rudely by an attendant at her gas station. She responded by taking him a plate of cookies and telling him to have a nice day. Now he goes out of his way to be nice to her. Each of us can choose to respond this way!

5. If you like to give parties, you can make an even bigger difference.

Throw a big party and invite as many people as you can fit.

Their "ticket" to the event will be a bag of groceries for a local food pantry.

Make sure to send along a list of what the Food Pantry needs most.

There you have it - just a few simple ideas to get you started. If these didn't spark your imagination, go to http://www.101WaysSeries.com to download a copy of the e-book, "101 Ways to Change the World". Let's start a kindness revolution!

One Kindness At A Time Makes a World of Difference -5 Caring Tips

2008-12-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

Do you want to make a real difference in the world? Is there something you'd like to change - some way to find your own purpose for being on this earth?

Below you will find five ways you can make a difference from the e-book, "101 Ways to Change the World". Many things can be done that don't cost a lot - just a small investment of your time.

1. Give anonymous surprise gifts to co-workers or friends - with a note telling them they matter. It doesn't have to be much to let them know someone cares, how about:

a candy bar

one cookie

a flower

something you have lying around your house

Every time, it will be the fun of knowing someone cares that will make their life better - just by giving a little time and thought to someone else.

2. Give away a professional service - offer it FREE once a week, twice a month or once a month to someone who needs it.

Free dental cleanings

Free house cleaning

Free meal at your restaurant

Free accounting service

3. Form your own "Good Deed Patrol" for a fun way to change your world.

Watch for people doing something to make a difference in the community. Listen to conversations to discover these people.

Think how excited someone would be to open the paper and see a THANK YOU NOTICE to them for something they did.

Since no one will know who the Good Deed Patrol is, this might encourage people to do their best at all times!

5. If you like to give parties, you can make an even bigger difference.

Throw a big party and invite as many people as you can fit.

Their "ticket" to the event will be a bag of groceries for a local food pantry.

Make sure to send along a list of what the Food Pantry needs most.

NLP: Your Pathway to Personal Success

2008-12-30T06:43:00.000-08:00

As a certified NLP trainer, I am often asked, "What is NLP?"

The term NLP stands for neuro-linguistic programming and was coined in the early seventies by John Grinder, an assistant professor of linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Richard Bandler, a student of psychology at the university. They began their work by studying Fritz Perls, a psychotherapist and originator of the Gestalt school of therapy, Virginia Satir, a well-known family therapist and Milton Erickson, a world-famous hypnotherapist. Their intention was to model outstanding therapists and identify patterns in order that other practitioners could use these patterns to generate similar results. It may be said that NLP is about identifying excellence through an exploration of patterns, and then devising means for others to use those patterns to achieve similar results.

NLP also draws on earlier work, such as Ivan Pavlov's conditioned reflexes (1904). In NLP this is called anchoring. NLP takes theoretical results developed by others and makes them available to you and me so we can improve our lives and well-being.

NLP is more than just techniques. It is a curiosity about how people who are high achievers accomplish what they actually set out to do. It is also a methodology that assists you in discovering those thinking and communication patterns that prevent you from being successful and shows you how to achieve the results of successful people. That is, NLP is a process of discovering the patterns of excellence of experts, and it makes these effective ways of thinking and communicating available for others to use for their own benefit or to assist others.

NLP had its origins in therapy and is now applied in all areas of human endeavor - education, health, sports, business and, perhaps most importantly, interpersonal relations.

Let us break down and analyze the terms neuro-linguistic programming.

Neuro refers to your neurology - sense organs. It is about how you absorb information. For example, you use your eyes to see things in your world. You also experience or perceive events through your other senses: aural (hearing), kinesthetic (tactile touch or emotional feeling), gustatory (taste) and olfactory (smell).

Linguistic refers to the language - pictures, sounds, feelings (kinesthetic), tastes, smells and words - that you use to remember and make sense of a particular experience (or to forecast a future experience). For example, can you recall your breakfast this morning? When you remember having breakfast, can you see a picture in your mind, or can you hear sounds (perhaps a radio was on or you were engaged in a discussion with your family)? What about tastes and smells? And how were you feeling - happy, tired, excited?

Think about a significant event in your near future. Do you envision yourself being successful? Or failing? The pictures, sounds, feelings, tastes, smells and words that you use to describe future experiences have a bearing on what actually happens. You do create your own reality!

Programming refers to your habits, patterns, programs and strategies. If it is a workday, do you follow a particular routine as you get ready for work? Perhaps you like to lie in bed an extra five minutes after the alarm goes off. Do you shower or bathe right away or have breakfast first? If you take time to look at what you do, I am certain you will see a pattern that you follow in getting ready for work. If for some reason you do not follow that pattern, do you find yourself feeling that something is missing?

You have patterns, habits, strategies and programs for everything you do. Some of these patterns serve you, but others do not - resulting in unwanted outcomes. You may be fully aware of some of your patterns. You may become aware of others only when someone else brings them to your attention. And you may choose to quickly forget about these patterns because you want to avoid addressing that part of your life. And there are still other patterns that you are not aware of at all, yet they continue to influence how you look after yourself, communicate with others and perform your daily tasks. If the patterns serve you - that is, generate positive results in your life - great! However, if you find that some patterns do not serve you, would it not be useful to identify those patterns and to change them so they work to your advantage?

Question: Who put your patterns, habits, strategies and programs in place? Of course, you did. So who can change them? Only you. But first, you must become aware that you run these patterns. This is one of the biggest benefits of NLP - becoming aware of the patterns, habits, strategies and programs that you have been running unconsciously and then using NLP techniques to change them in order to achieve the outcomes you desire.

Music For Self Improvement

2008-12-30T06:41:00.001-08:00

Would you like to pop in a CD and have a better quality of life, and even self improvement? There are three ways you can use music to accomplish this.

Music For Motivation

Put on energetic music, and even doing housework seems less like work. Using music to motivate yourself or change your mood is an area where you can trust your experience and experimentation. When you find the music that energizes you, relaxes you, or makes you happy, keep it ready for when you need it.

Music For Intelligence

Music creates neural pathways in your brain that stimulate creativity. Studies show that music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking. In one study, three-year-olds were split into two groups. The first had no special training in, or exposure to music. The second group studied piano and sang daily in chorus.

Eight months later the musical three-year-olds were much better at solving puzzles. They also scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the other group. There's also anectdotal evidence that listening to music, especially from Mozart's era, can help you study and learn better.

Hopefully there will be more research. In the meantime there's no reason not to do your own experimentation. I've heard that Stephen King writes with loud rock music playing, so the benefits of music may be according to your own tastes or brain-organization.

Music For Brainwave Entrainment

Want to listen to some music, and get smarter, or have instant easy meditation? There are products now that "entrain" your brainwaves, in order to put you in a meditative state. Music is embedded with beats and pulses that entrain your brain waves to a specific frequency. Put in the right CD or MP3 for your activity, and you get better brain function. Science? Partly.

Brain wave frequencies vary with mental state. Daydreaming and light meditation take place in the "Alpha" range of frequencies, for example. So if you listen to music containing beats at a frequency of 10 Hz you will generate more brainwaves at a 10 Hz frequency and enter a relaxed Alpha mental state. Do these things really work?

Yes. I've found two products that put me in a peaceful state unlike any other music or meditative practice. Studies will prove the effects (some have already), and disprove the wilder claims. Given my results, however, I wouldn't wait for more research. Many things work long before the scientific proof arrives.

If you are skeptical, you can wait for more evidence of the benefits of brainwave entrainment. Meanwhile, why not try classical music when you study, just to see if it helps? Experiment with music - Mozart isn't dangerous.

Motivational Thoughts-Make Your Own Holiday Day

2008-12-30T06:39:00.000-08:00

March 26th is Make Your Own Holiday Day. This is one of the most flexible holidays. You can celebrate this day for any reason you wish. It is for you. Make a day to celebrate a day you have forgotten, or invent one for your fun. There is no compulsion and no common theme for the day. This day is for each of us to enjoy a holiday. I have not been able to find out how this tradition originated.

But is a great idea. Make a holiday today, if it is 26th March. Why not to expand the idea little further and begin celebrating many more days for no rhyme or reason but to enjoy and have fun? All right, we need not take a holiday from work on all such days, but can try to create a holiday like atmosphere. Can this not be done? Let me elaborate. For example, I make 7th of every month a special day for myself. I work on that day, but try to bring in as much fun as possible. Throw parties, go walking, take life little less seriously and try to fill the day with as much joy as possible. I hope that I am making myself clear.

All of us have conditioned our minds. We will celebrate each holiday on a particular day and follow the particular tradition for that. Why? Why not to be little more inventive and create our own holidays along with other traditional ones? Imagine 12 more days a year full of fun and joy. Let me give another example. Say, I was born on the 10th April. Generally, I will celebrate my birthday on that day every year. Why cannot I call every 10th my birthday and have fun? No, I am not asking for presents for twelve birthdays, but at least nothing can stop me from treating friends? Nothing can stop me from enjoying the 10th of every month as my birthday and carry that cheer in my heart? I am not asking my friends to send me cards, but won't they be happy to get ecard from me thanking them? Or an ecard to say a Hello? Or an ecard to wish Good Morning?

Only our attitude stops us from making a day cheerful for our friends and ourselves. 26th March reminds us of the immense possibilities of human imagination to make our life a beautiful life. Best, let us make everyday a holiday. Let everyday be a holiday from worries and stress. Give tension a holiday everyday. Give a very long and permanent holiday to all those emotions such as jealousy, worry, stress, tension, and their friends.

Motivational Speaking - Stuck in the Middle with All of You

2008-12-30T06:37:00.000-08:00

Why do we need structure? Why does the desire for the cubicle life consume us all? What is it about money and the white picket fence that dismantles our dreams, destroys our imagination and devalues the sense of adventure in people?

From the time we enter kindergarten until the time we exit college we are poked and prodded and led in the direction of the average; of the middle-class. Athletic dreams are squashed at an early age save the very few exceptional talents, artistic pursuits deemed unnecessary unless you are the second-coming of Picasso or Shakespeare, traveling and seeing this incredible world first hand is to be put off in favor of your "education" and "real life".

There is such an immense aversion to failing that in an attempt to shelter our children from the pain of it, we, as a society, encourage them to be average, conservative, and just like everyone else. It's as if we believe by setting our goals low enough we can all achieve perfection but perfection is not interesting. Being faulty is. Symmetry is not as exciting as asymmetry and straight is not as fun as winding.

Where's the adventure in going to school, studying all the time to get your meaningless to anyone, but yourself, "A" average, getting a job, making a good salary, raising two kids with your wife and dying after your retirement in Florida?

My uncle spent eleven years traveling through Europe and Africa before coming home after getting sick in India - that man has stories to tell. What does Joe in accounting have? Tabloid headlines.

People end up living their lives vicariously rather than accomplishing their goals by themselves. The worst example of this is sports parents pushing their kids, for their own personal glory, to the point of hating the sport they're playing. Sure your kid may be a champ at fifteen, but when he's a nervous wreck who can't hold a steady job or find a girlfriend who can tolerate his constant bouts of depression we'll see how proud you are of your accomplishments then.

What good is an imagination if you don't believe in it or dreams, if you don't attempt to follow them? And what's so scary about failing anyway? I do it all the time and it always makes me more interesting and more intelligent. Sure, it's uncomfortable sometimes: awkward situations, apologies for mistakes, but so what? No one can go through life without being uncomfortable ever, so why make such a fuss about it. I say develop some ideals, see the world, turn off your TV, turn on your mind and live life.

And if you get all-in with bad cards have the guts to ante up again and play another hand cause who knows this time it might be rockets.

Motivational Sayings - Ten Great Ones

2008-12-30T06:35:00.001-08:00

Why read motivational sayings? For motivation! You might need a bit, if you can use last year's list of goals this year because it's as good as new. All of us can benefit from inspirational thoughts, so here are ten great ones.

"Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are." - Dale Carnegie

"Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right.' Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." - Napoleon Hill

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?" I dream of things that never were and say, "Why not?" - George Bernard Shaw

"A small trouble is like a pebble. Hold it too close to your eye and it fills the whole world and puts everything out of focus. Hold it at a proper distance and it can be examined and properly classified. Throw it at your feet and it can be seen in its true setting, just one more tiny bump on the pathway of life." - Celia Luce

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." - Carl Bard

"I'm not telling you it is going to be easy - I'm telling you it's going to be worth it" - Art Williams

Motivational Sayings - Attitude

Attitude "There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." - W. Clement Stone

"Nothing on earth can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." - Thomas Jefferson

"A person cannot directly choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and so indirectly, yet surely, shape his circumstances." - James Allen

"Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning." - Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi

These are quotes that mean something to me. Hopefully one or two of them are also inspiring to you. If not, maybe they will motivate you to create your own motivational sayings.

Motivational Art Prints

2008-12-30T06:33:00.001-08:00

There is no reason why your home office should only be characterized by books, papers and gadgets. Taking the time to personalize your work space can have immense benefits for your state of mind. In particular, surrounding yourself with motivational art can fuel productivity and inspire you to achieve more. Decorating your home office walls with the beauty of art may transform your mood, and printed words of inspiration may transform your business!

You may not be aware of it, but there is an enormous array of motivational art available. So, how do you find the perfect piece that complements your work space? Start by thinking about what you would like your office to say about you. For example, if you are the type of person who proudly maintains an organized and highly efficient office, you may want to choose a piece of motivational art that supports your belief in discipline or excellence. Motivational art prints come in a variety of designs, but each has a unique message. Choose a message that says a lot about who you are and what you believe in.

When John Taylor quit his job after 15 years of service, he was just a little apprehensive to say the least. He had enjoyed his role as account manager for a large advertising firm, and had acquired a great deal of knowledge and experience. Making the decision to leave his job was not an easy one, but John instinctively knew it was time to pursue his life long dream of starting his own small marketing firm. When John said his farewells, he received many good wishes and wonderful presents, but one gift stood out from the rest. It was a beautiful poster of a triumphant mountain climber standing atop a majestic mountain, and below were the words, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life”. For John, the words rang true and soon the poster became the focal point of his new home office. During that first rocky year, whenever John felt unsure of his decision to leave a life of stability, he looked up to that poster and reminded himself of the necessity of having courage in life.

If you are just moving into your new home office space, or if it is high time that you redecorate your existing one, consider the addition of motivational posters. The variety of posters available guarantees that you will find one that speaks to you. Embellish your office with a stunning image and change your mentality with words of inspiration.

Motivational Art in the Office.

2008-12-30T06:31:00.000-08:00

In today’s business environment, motivational art has quickly become the darling of entrepreneurs. Why? Simply because it works! In short, motivational art posters/prints are photographs or drawings that carry an inspirational message that corroborates the picture. Therefore, they make the perfect office wall décor. Not only do they add some esthetics to the room but surrounding yourself with motivational art will help inspire you and boost productivity.

Here are 5 power tips when buying inspirational posters online:

(1) It does not matter having more than 1 inspirational print in your room. You can have as many as you want, as long as you don’t end up cluttering your wall.

(2) Every motivational artwork will deeply influence your mood. Therefore, try to find a print that not only serves as a good office décor, but also as a therapy during hard times. For example, if you procrastinate a lot, find an artwork with a compelling statement about procrastination. This will motivate you to stop procrastinating and finally get the job done.

(3) Never ever try to decorate your wall with bare posters. They look cheap and sweetly degrade your whole office décor. Remember that motivational art is nothing short of art! Always either laminate your artwork or frame it for a better coup-d’oeil. It is also good to mention that you should only buy from companies that have an in-house framing and laminating service.

(4) Place your artwork in a strategic position where you will often come to have eye contact with it. Do not place it in your back unless you have a good reason for doing it, as in if you receive people in your office and want them to peep at it while talking to you. (…) This helps create a friendly atmosphere and puts people at ease. You might also want to place a few in your waiting room if you have one.

(5) As far as possible, purchase “art prints” instead of “posters”. Motivational art prints are printed on a higher paper grade and does not degrade easily in time. Posters are, well, just the contrary.

As simple as it might seem, the right inspiring words can make a real difference to the right person. Whatever is your objective in business or real-life, motivation is a key factor to success and having a motivational print on your wall is the first step to success.

Motivation's Effect On Mental And Physical Health

2008-12-30T06:28:00.000-08:00

Many studies have been done to research the effects of motivation and mental health. As the implications of helping those with negative self-esteem, depression and anxiety are immense this is certainly an area of research that deserves a great deal of attention.

Psychology Online reports on a study investigating the differences between INTERNAL and EXTERNAL MOTIVATION. The report states that "Although our society is largely extrinsically-motivated by external rewards such as money, fame and power, research has indicated those who are intrinsically-motivated by inner desires for creativity, fulfillment and inner satisfaction are psychologically healthier and happier."

How can this help you?

The study of health psychology seeks to understand how our ability to cope with stress can help us to prevent illness and promote health. Some of these coping mechanisms are naturally inborn but may be taught to those who lack them. Motivation is one of the tools that researchers are trying to use as a combatant of negative stress reactions.

Motivation is something that we use every day. It's what enables us to survive - to get food because we're hungry, to go to work to pay the bills or to educate ourselves in order to pursue a higher goal in life.

How we respond to life's demands can affect our overall health. How are you classified?

The same report on Psychology Online identified those who respond to life with negativity or anxiety as most likely to deal with the physical affects of anger, guilt, nervousness, frustration and fear. These emotions can cause hypertension and high blood pressure which can lead to heart attack or stroke. Other complications include ulcers, arthritis, asthma and kidney disease.

Some therapists suggest that by using positive self-talk and trying to restructure the WAY we look at events can offset the physical and mental effects of dealing with negative or stressful events in life.

Interestingly, people who tend to focus on themselves as the controller of their fate - in fact 'self-motivated' - are more likely to feel a sense of control when stressors affect them. Instead of blaming something or someone else they have the motivation to deal with a problem and look for a reasonable solution. This positive behavior helps them to achieve goals and find personal contentment.

Therapists try to teach patients how to emulate this positive reaction to stress and use their motivation as a source of empowerment. Learning to manage stress and using motivation to set goals, work through a problem or fix it can in turn promote better mental and physical health.

Motivation Letter For Work Abroad

2008-12-30T06:26:00.000-08:00

If you are applying for a job abroad (particularly in Europe or South America), a Motivation Letter For Work Abroad takes the place of a Cover Letter. Both resumes and Motivation Letters are much less formal than their United States equivalents. The Motivation Letter, as its name implies, tells your prospective employers why you are motivated to work for their companies. It gives you a chance to describe your personality, the languages you speak, any awards you may have won, and what motivates you to work abroad.

The Motivation Letter is constructed like a formal business letter, with your name and address in the top right corner. Beneath this and against the left margin should be the name, job title, company and address of the recipient. (It is worth doing a little digging to find out the name, if you don't know it.) European countries don't put a period after title abbreviations, so remember to leave them off ; i.e., "Mr" instead of "Mr." and "Dr" rather than "Dr.". Spell out the name of the month and use the order "day-month-year."

The first paragraph of your Motivation Letter describes the job for which you are applying, and how you learned about it. The second paragraph should address your qualifications for the job; don't just list them, talk about them. Show yourself to be a person of initiative and creativity ; in short, motivated! In the third paragraph, talk about why you want this particular job. What skills do you bring to it? What do you hope to learn? Finally, in the fourth paragraph give your contact information and times you are available for interview.

If you used the recipient’s name, close "Yours sincerely;" if you used "Dear Sir or Madam," close "Yours faithfully." Type your name four spaces down and two spaces under that, against the left margin, type "Enclosure." Sign your name in the space above your typed name, attach a resume to your Motivation Letter For Work Abroad, and you've done it!

Motivation Is The First Step To Success

2008-12-30T06:24:00.000-08:00

You will undoubtedly have dreams. Whether you dream of having the perfect house with the perfect car, or you dream of settling down to have a family, even if you dream of retiring by the time you're 40, the one key to success is doing something about it. It may sound obvious but if you dream of retiring before you reach 40 and yet you aimlessly skip from job to job with no hope of progressing a career, it is very unlikely you will achieve your goal.

Set goals and ambitions and write them down on a piece of paper. Make sure that you are always striving to reach those goals. Sometimes it can be difficult to get the motivation you require in order to succeed at your goals but you can use the goals themselves as the motivation you require. Keep your piece of paper on you and if you are beginning to feel downbeat or skeptical about your goals then look at your piece of paper and remember why you are pushing yourself.

Structuring your life in this way, may seem like it loses its spontaneity but that doesn't have to be the case. Find a career you like, set up a business, and have fun doing it but always remember that if a good opportunity crops up you should take it with both hands. It is worse not to try something and not know whether it would have been successful than it is to never try anything.

Presuming you have set reasonable goals you should always be able to see a way to fulfill them. If you set goals that are too difficult you will find it incredibly difficult if not completely impossible to meet your goals. You should try not to alter them if possible, however, we don't know what's around the corner so we can't always plan for it. Don't see this as a failure but take the opportunity to reassess your goals and keep going.

Motivation is Consistency in Action

2008-12-30T06:23:00.000-08:00

We all exercise for the results. Different people are looking for different results or outcomes. Goals vary from weight loss, athletic performance, endurance, strength, toning, body building to more flexibility, etc. Here are 10 tips for motivation and consistency to get results and achieve your goals.

Exercise with a Buddy. Try working out with a friend, spouse, or co-worker. It’s harder to skip a workout if you know someone is counting on you. The buddy system brings a social element to exercise which makes it more fun.

Set a New Goal. An initial goal sets a foundation in which future training goals are based. Setting a goal, such as entering a 5K race or rock climbing, may never have entered your mind. But after your initial goal is met, you will see new, interesting, and fun adventures in fitness you never thought possible.

Change Your Routine. Just a slight variation can take you to a new level in your workout. We use periodized training, a systemized approach involving progressive cycling of various aspects of training protocol, in 6 week intervals to avoid plateaus, boredom and for maximum effect. If you feel you are at a stand still, train three times a week for 3-4 weeks and experience the difference.

Treat Yourself to Variety. A heart-rate monitor, jump rope, Physioball, medicine ball, and other exercise equipment can help you work out more effectively and make your workouts more fun and challenging. Try adding a sport to your activities instead of always working out in the gym.

Try Something New. Personal trainers will challenge you with exercises you’ve never tried before. Training with different trainers also provides variety plus you learn from the experience of a team of trainers. If you always walk on a treadmill, try riding an exercise bike or an elliptical trainer. If you always lift with machines, try free weights instead.

Track Your Progress. Keep an exercise log. This will help you track your goals, monitor your progress and adjust your routine as necessary. Occasionally, test your maximum strength to determine your progress in total strength. By using a ten rep strength test, see how much weight you can bench press and leg press in ten reps. Use your first measurement of weight and reps as a benchmark and every three to four months, retest your strength.

Reward Yourself. When you reach a goal or milestone, treat yourself to something special – a massage, an evening out, new clothes or some other indulgence. Studies show rewards are a key to staying motivated.

Remember the Benefits. You know how good and healthy you feel after a workout? Make a mental note of that feeling. Use that memory to motivate yourself the next time you’re thinking of blowing off your workout.

Go Easy on Yourself. Stuff happens – doctor’s appointments, sick kids, illnesses. Don’t let a few missed workouts turn into a month of unfulfilled resolutions and move you further away from your goals.
Plan and be Ready to Exercise. Schedule your workouts like you schedule meetings and doctor appointments. Write your exercise time in your palm pilot or day planner. Pack you duffle bag with your gym clothes the night before you go to work or school. Or have an extra duffle bag in the car ready to go just in case you forget your gym clothes. For more information on staying motivated and tips on exercise, go to http://www.easyexercisetips.com

Motivation in life

2008-12-30T06:21:00.000-08:00

So many of us are demotivated to achieve anything. Such people are not enthusiastic about anything. They don't want to work towards any goal. Nothing motivates them to work. Why is it so? Why many of us are not motivated? What is wrong?

We think in different ways and our thinking is decided by many factors. Some are known and some are unknown. The known factors are - thinking, circumstances, early upbringing, living style, culture, family support, friends, own intelligence etc. Our thoughts and our mental makeup is also decided by many factors that are yet not known. Two persons of similar upbringing may be facing similar situation, but react in opposite ways? there are so many whys about the human mind that it is very difficult to determine about what may happen.

Coming back to the central question - why are some of us totally demotivated? There is no easy answer. Can anything be done to propel such people towards work? Can one do anything to make them enthusiastitic about anything, so that they begin working towards it?

Take your own example. You are motivated to do one thing, but totally demotivated by something else. A mathematician may get very excited looking at a Math problem, but remain unaffected by the greatest pieces of music? Why? The musician acts exactly opposite, or may get equally excited by maths problem and music. Why? Our mind is a complex structure, about which we ourselves don't know much. How many of us can claim to know about their own mind? They may know about thier abilities and disabilities, their likes and dislikes, etc. but can they predict about their own reaction in a situation? very difficult.

One has to find one's own answers in such situations. One has to reflect himself/herself and decide about the action that can be taken to break the unmotivated state. Friends, family and even medical science can help one to a certain extent, but the final destination has to be reached by the person on his/her own.

If at anytime, you notice that a friend of yours is getting demotivated about life, try to inspire him/her as much as you can. Even if you are physically away from your friend you can send him inspirational ecards and tell him to download motivational screensavers and wallpapers. So motivate everyone who needs the boost.

Motivation- Get the Daily Dose that Keeps You on Fire

2008-12-30T06:20:00.001-08:00

"One of the strongest characteristics of genius is the power of lighting its own fire." John W. Foster

If that's the case we each have the ability to manifest the genius within. Motivation seems to have many of us playing red light-green light. We're on, then off. Check out the following steps to keep the fire burning.

1- Be in tune to what lights your fire~ Dr Carol Dweck*, who received her PhD in psychology from Yale, and is currently on staff at Stanford University has studied motivation and offered the following, "… when you sift through the literature on creative genius, the researchers agree that motivation is perhaps the number one component in the realization of genius. Many of our most illustrious geniuses in every field were people who were considered ordinary as children, and then just caught fire around their topic and achieved amazing things that we know about today—from Darwin, to Coleridge, to Cézanne. All of these people were not necessarily extraordinary children." What provides the emotional charge that makes it easy to take action? List the topics, ideals, information, music, activities, causes, and passions that get you wound up? This is part of who you are, different from others, that deserves to manifest and be shared.

2- Get your daily dose~ Fill yourself up with the stuff that keeps your flame lit. Don't think about what you "should" do. Do what makes you feel great! Incorporate joy into your schedule daily. First, you will feel more energized, more complete, and in flow. Secondly, you stand apart from others. So if you hate building your business by cold calling, don't do it. What do you enjoy? If you are uncomfortable networking, shifting your focus to helping others may make a big difference if that’s what you value. Filling your mind with exciting information, listening to uplifting music, or connecting with someone who inspires you may be just the daily habit to keep you whistling while you work.

3- Take responsibility to motivate yourself~ As motivational speaker Zig Ziglar would hear complaints about motivation wearing off he would sometimes respond saying, "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing-that's why we recommend it daily." Too often we are looking for someone or something to provide motivation when it's really up to us to keep that spark ignited.

What makes you jump out of bed in the morning? What inspires you into action daily so that the genius in you is manifested fully? Ponder that. Starting Now!

* The interview with Dr. Carol Dweck, PhD, can be read here .

Copyright 2006, Beth A. Tabak, All rights reserved.

Motivation By Facing Facts

2008-12-30T06:10:00.000-08:00

"Things is either done, or they ain't done." Marlon Sanders

Some of the greatest truths are the most obvious. But they are also the most overlooked. Many of us need to take a look at the importance of facing the facts and accepting that more usually needs to be done to complete whatever we are doing.

It is very easy to kid ourselves that we have done something or finished something when we haven't. We need to be motivated by taking a thorough look at whatever we are doing to check that it really is finished and finished well. If you are tired and think you have already done a good job it is tempting to stop work before the job is properly completed.

Whenever I mowed the lawn and considered it mown, I could guarantee that my mother would be able to point out long grass at the edges of the lawn that had not been properly mown.

She was right; the lawn had not been properly cut at the edges. The job was not done. No job can ever be completed perfectly but it should be completed well enough to pass some scrutiny.

Recently, a parcel sent to me at No 19 arrived at No 9. The postman had not bothered to read the number properly. The people at No 9 had to finish his job for him. He had not delivered the mail.

A few months ago, I came across a great account by Martin Avis of a talk given by Marlon Sanders, the great internet guru, in Birmingham, UK in January 2005. My thanks to Martin for giving me permission to copy his account of this talk.

I heard Marlon myself some years ago in London and he knows how to hold an audience. Before he even started his talk, he arranged to have the whole audience blowing bubbles. By the time he started speaking everyone was relaxed and ready to listen.

In Birmingham, Marlon told his listeners to remember:

"There's only two things that matter:

'Things is either done, or they ain't done.'

As Marlon spoke his voice became louder and louder:

"When sumthin's done you gotta product, you gotta promotion, you got sumthin' that's gonna make you money.

"When it ain't done, it don't matter if its half done or nearly done or gonna get done someday - IT AIN'T DONE."

The volume reached the point where people in the hotel next door started paying attention.

"And if it AIN'T DONE, it's jack.

"DONE equals making money, sitting on the beach, taking long vacations and havin' fun. DONE equals a smiley face.

"AIN'T DONE equals nothin'. No product, no vacation, no beach, no money and no fun. AIN'T DONE equals a sad face."

Marlon smiled and knew his point was made.

He said a whole lot more in four hours of sessions over that weekend, but from that day forward the 35 people there will always think in terms of DONE or AIN'T DONE. (Martin's account ends here.)

Simple but powerful stuff. As usual Marlon goes right to the heart of success.

Success has been described as both doing what you plan to do and also not doing what you plan not to do. It could also be described as "getting it done and not half done."

Success and failure could be summed up in the immortal words "DONE or AIN'T DONE."

Motivation By A Challenge

2008-12-30T06:08:00.000-08:00

Many humans are motivated by the thought of doing something they or others think they cannot do. They don't want to do what they already know they can do. They are also motivated, as one commentator on this article wisely mentioned, by success. Succeed and then the motivation will arrive in bucket loads.

When I studied Taekwondo, most of the best students were slim, flexible and young. I was thickset and definitely not flexible! I was also over forty! The instructor asked me with some curiosity why I had decided to do something which did not really suit my physical makeup.

I replied that there was no point in doing something I was already good at or likely to be good at. I wanted a challenge. This answer seemed to make sense to him.

People climb mountains because they are big challenges and when they reach the top they will feel they, too, have grown in stature. Jim Rohn, the great American self-help guru, tells us to make a million pounds not so much for the money but for what making a million will make of us.

In the Contender reality show where sixteen middleweight boxers are pitted against each other, the prize is a final fight at Caesar's Palace in Nevada. The winner will be given a million dollars and the glory of beating their competitors.

Some of the boxers used strategy to try to win the prize. They wanted to face the weaker boxers so that they would stay in the competition and would suffer fewer injuries. They were regarded as cowards by some of the others who proudly or recklessly chose to face the toughest boxers on their route to the top.

In the week when only 8 boxers were left, Joey Gilbert was thinking about fighting Anthony Bonsante who had an injured hamstring and was therefore vulnerable.

Jesse Brinkley was disgusted with his attitude:

"Do you want everything given to you?"

Jesse even went so far as to accuse Joey of cowardice. But then he had managed to accuse nearly everybody except himself of cowardice! Was this his strategy?

In fact, Jesse had been planning on fighting Bonsante himself. He decided to win the weekly challenge so that he could decide who would be in the next fight.

Jesse won the challenge and decided to make Joey earn his way by fighting Peter Manfredo Junior - one of the best fighters. This would leave the way open for Jesse to fight his preferred opponent - the injured Bonsante!

His corner man told Joey: "Everything you need to win is inside you. You are a winner. Don't get into 'He can do this or I can do that.' When all the chips are against you that's when you fight the best."

Peter Manfredo's dad showed up to be in his corner. Peter commented: "He'll inspire me."

Joey accepted his lot and changed his attitude:

"I came here for a challenge and I got it. Jesse's right It's better to attempt great things and fall short than it is to conquer something you know that you can already beat and this is one of those times. I know I have a hill to climb. I'm the underdog but I know I can pull it out with my heart if I dig deep."

Peter gave his thoughts before the fight:

"I'm anxious to get in there especially with my father being here. I've never lost in front of him yet and I don't want to start now. I know I'm one of the best fighters here and I guess I'm just going to go for it."

Peter won the first round with some heavy punches. Joey told his corner: "My rib is broken". Peter won the second round. Joey again commented: "My rib is gone."

In round three, Joey forgot about his rib and put up a real fight. Before the fourth round, his corner man urged him on: "Let's go baby! Let's go baby!" Joey won round four and his corner man continued to motivate:

"This is the last round for the rest of your life, son!"

His words were prophetic as Joey was accidentally head butted by Peter in round five. His head would probably need about forty stitches and the fight was stopped so that Joey could go off for treatment.

Peter won by split decision. He was quietly elated:

"Tonight was a great night. My heart goes out to Joey and his family. Joey is an awesome kid. He has a heart of gold. He kept coming. He wanted to win. I give him all the credit in the world. I've won two fights - I've got one more to go. I won't celebrate till I go to Caesar's.

Joey was upset but not too despondent:

"I fought for five rounds with one of the best in the world, Peter Manfredo Junior. I might even have been able to beat him had I finished that fifth round. Part of me always knew that I was capable of competing at this level but part of me doubted it because I had always been told that I was a college boxer and couldn't compete with pro boxers. But I learned that I can do it."

Joey continued his extensive reflections on the fight:

"A champion's heart is made of gold and it means you don't quit and it means that you fight on and I tried to show the heart of a champion and I never quit and I never gave up because I could look right and see my family and see my father. I didn't want to let them down. My grand father used to say that your family is the most important thing you have in your life and I can definitely say that's true for me. The tournament, the Contender, for me was one of the toughest challenges I've ever put myself through. It's done and it's one of the best times in my life. It's something I'll never forget as long as I live."

Sugar Ray Leonard was impressed by Joey's performance: "If you look up the word 'heart' in the dictionary you'll probably see Joey Gilbert's photo!"

Boxing is all about motivation and the readiness to face challenges. It is about having the heart to persist in the face of mind numbing pain. Boxers have much to teach the rest of us.

Motivation as a Result of Feedback

2008-12-30T05:59:00.000-08:00

A common challenge leaders and managers face in today’s work place is the question of; "How do I keep my team motivated?" Over the past seventy years motivation has been the topic of much research. From Maslow’s needs-hierarchy to Skinner’s reinforcement theory, the question has remained the same. "How do we as leaders create a feeling of interest, a reason for doing something or behaving in a certain way?"

Many factors have been taken into consideration when looking at motivation theory. However, the general conclusion has been, motivating factors vary from one person to the other. Something that highly motivates one individual may be of no concern to another individual. None-the-less, I have chosen to discuss one motivating factor that seems to be fairly uniform in the work place. This factor is feedback.

In most facets of life people seek to feel valued, and it should come as no surprise that the work place is not an exception to this phenomenon. Thus, leaders must know how to properly bestow feelings of value in their employees through the use of feedback. In order for feedback to be effective the message must be relevant, specific, timely, valuable, and accurate. To provide a basic example, have you ever tried to train a puppy? If so then these five aspects of effective feedback should not seem foreign to you. When the dog performs the desired behavior, reward or feedback must be specific, relevant, accurate, and timely to insure that Fido is still aware of why he is being rewarded. We also want the reward or feedback to be valuable, meaning the feedback is something that Fido finds gratifying. Due to our effective use of feedback, the next time we tell Fido to sit, he is going to be much more motivated to repeat the action. Let’s not get confused; human beings are much more complex creatures than animals. However, very similar principles apply when it comes to using effective feedback with people.

Let’s now look at an example in the work place. Jane Smith is a valuable asset to your team. She is always on time, exteriorly creative, gives exceptional customer service, and has great employee relation skills. You, as Jane’s manager, recognize Jane’s exceptional work and determine she should receive a "pat on the back". How do you insure that this "pat on the back" is indeed effective feedback? First identify exactly which area of Jane’s exceptional work you are going to commend. A statement such as, "Jane, you are doing a great job" is not nearly as motivating as "Jane, you really set the bar with your customer service. You received six compliments from customers this week!" Next, provide the feedback soon after Jane has acted in a commendable manner. Finally, provide the feedback in a genuine style that you have determined to be valuable specifically to Jane. Jane has now received relevant, specific, timely, valuable, and accurate feedback. She can now return to work feeling appreciated, motivated, and prepared to continue working at a commendable level.

In short, feedback can be a very powerful motivator as long as it is administered effectively. Although each industry is going to be different it is still beneficial for employees to know their work is noticed and appreciated. When feedback is used motivation should increase thus, so will productivity.

Motivation And Your Personal Vision - An Unbeatable Force

2008-12-30T05:58:00.000-08:00

Motivation can take you far, but it can take you even further if you first find your vision. Your vision will motivate and guide you on your journey to success and personal fullfillment. Trying to succeed at anything without first having a clear vision of what it is you want to accomplish will only lead to you going around in circles and eventually giving up in frustration.

To develop your vision, you must look inside yourself. Vision comes from within, from the spirit or subconscious, whatever you choose to call it. Every one has a vision that is uniquely their own, and you are no different. the hard part comes in understanding your personal vision and how it applies to your personal motivation plan.

Your vision will most likely not come suddenly like some bolt of lightning out of the sky. Instead, it will grow from your experiences, talents, dreams, and desires, so don't try to rush it. Instead, keep your motivation and allow your vision to reveal itself through you.

Here are five steps you can use to effectively find your vision:

1. Learn to listen to your inner voice. Since your vision starts from inside you, you should learn to listen and feel what your mind and heart truly desire. What stirs you? What is your greatest desire? What kind of dreams do you have? If what you think you want does not really come from the inner depths of your heart and soul, then you will find it difficult, if not impossible, to not give up before you achieve it.

2. Prepare yourself mentally. Your vision begins in your mind and heart. It is something that burns within your soul. it should be greater than your all of your past memories, mistakes, and accomplishments. If you know what your vision is, you will have a purpose and won't get lost on your journey. Discouragement is the outcome of not having a ditinct vision. If you don't know where you're going or how to get there, the journey will seem a lot
longer and harder.

In order to seek your vision, retreat to a quiet and tranquil place, a place that will allow your mind to think creatively and concentrate on your vision.

3. Seek out other motivated vision seekers. Greatness breeds greatness, and it is for this reason that you should seek out the company of others who can appreciate and support your vision. Hang with the winners and it will keep your motivation high.

4. Keep a notebook and pen handy. All too often, when seeking a vision, it is easy to forget that it is 90 percent inspiration, as American inventor Thomas Edison said. With that in mind, you never know when your vision is going to come to fruition, so keep a small notebook with you at all times, even on your nightstand when you sleep, and write down whatever comes to mind, no matter how silly it seems at the time. You may write down a hundred crazy ideas but number one hundred and one just might be the vision you were searching for. Don't try to edit right now, just write down everything that comes to mind.

5. Don't try to fully understand your vision. The vision you are seeking will most likely come to you in ways that you won't fully understand at the moment. That's okay. Just follow as much of your vision as you can right now, and more will be revealed to you as time goes on.

All truly successful people have a vision that they follow, no matter what challenges they may face, to it's eventual outcome. Begin following the above steps to seek your vision today and remember that true, lasting success will never come to you until you know what your vision is and how you will follow it. And you will be unstoppable if you combine your personal vision with a healthy dose of motivation.

MOTIVATION, THE HEART OF SELF IMPROVEMENT

2008-12-30T05:55:00.000-08:00

Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunked grades make us realize that we need to study. Debts remind us of our inability to look for a source of income. Being humiliated gives us the ‘push’ to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.

With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Try on the tips I prepared from A to Z…

A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

B - Believe in your self, and in what you can do.

C – Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D – Don’t give up and don’t give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E – Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F – Family and Friends – are life’s greatest ‘F’ treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.

G – Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

H – Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.

I – Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people – the kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.

J – Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K – keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self improvement.
L – Learn to love your self. Now isn’t that easy?

M – Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

N – Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O – Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they want things to be, and how they should be.

P – Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.

Q – Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

R – Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.

S – Stop procrastinating.

T – Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.

U – Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second.

V – Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.

W – Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self improvement.

X – X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Y – You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.

Z – Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!

Find more self-improvement related info and similar "program" at http://www.selfimprovement.thegreat.info .

Motivation - The Driving Force In All Of Us

2008-12-30T03:48:00.000-08:00

What is it that makes you get out of bed in the morning, stumble to the shower and get dressed for work? The answer is motivation. This is what keeps us going through life, coping with all the daily stresses, pain and suffering. We are constantly motivated to make our lives better by doing whatever we can to make improvements.

That's fine for adults, but what motivates children, you might ask. Just think back to the days when you were in elementary school. What was it that made you go to school each day, besides your parents waking you up and making you go? The motivation of meeting your friends and socializing was one of the reasons. The other is that even then you knew that you needed an education to get you through life. The promise of a new bike or the teacher's praise kept you working at your studies and passing the tests.

The type of motivation we have depends on what you want to do in life. This is the reason we have so many different occupations. It accounts for the people who do the mundane tasks that make our lives better and for those who aspire to greatness by inventing new technologies and medicines to improve the world as a whole. Every person works together to make the world a better place and each one is motivated in different ways. Even if you are working at a job you don't like, the fact that you receive a paycheck at the end of the month to help pay your bills keeps you going.

The pay off for motivation comes when you reap the benefits of hard work. If you have extra pounds, the sight of a new suit in the department store may spur you to action. You want to fit into this suit for a special occasion and therefore you start a regimen of diet and exercise as a method of self-improvement. When you do achieve a goal, you enjoy an immense feeling of satisfaction. In the end however, the only true motivation comes from inside.

Motivation - The Defining Moment Of Self-Improvement

2008-12-30T03:47:00.001-08:00

For any aspect of self-improvement, there has to be a reason for you to start and keep going. That is your motivation - the reason for doing what you do. In order to attempt any sort of improvement in your life, you need to be motivated in some way to get started. Strategies for self-improvement start with defining what it is you want to achieve and then charting a course through which you can effect the improvements or changes. These do not have to be drastic changes - they could be something as simple as making time for yourself to write in a journal each day or something to improve your health, such as quitting smoking.

Motivation comes from within. It is something that you want to do for you. This is what keeps you going, getting up each day and going off to work. Children are often the motivating force behind parents saving money, when they would ordinarily blow it on something frivolous. You know that you will need money for your children's higher education or to give them the extras that they want, such as toys and brand name clothing. This is the reason that you work each day, maintain a home and spend time enjoying each other.

If you don't have something to look forward to or see some sense of gratification in what you do, then there is no motivation to get doing it. Just meeting with colleagues helps you get a sense of who you are and your place in the world. Socialization, confidence and improvement are three main aspects of life. When you enjoy life, you can be motivated to achieve great things. Achievement does not have to be something that everyone recognizes. It can be something as simple as learning to make a quilt or to use a saw to create beautiful woodwork. The end result is the feeling of accomplishment that you have in yourself.

Motivation – How to Build Trust at Work

2008-12-30T03:45:00.000-08:00

You may be a skillful, effective employer but if you don’t trust your personnel and the opposite, then the chances of improving and expanding the business you deal with, are extremely limited.

It’s not critical for the employees to like the boss, but they have to trust him or her. If not, he won’t be able to lead them and the workers will have little motivation at work.

Truth and trust are connected together. You could be honest for years but one lie can destroy the trust you have built all this time and there is no doubt that regaining that trust is very difficult.

You have to be honest. Do not say “I don’t know” when you know. Be straight and say exactly what you have in mind. When you say “No” mean it. We have to realize that the work place is not a popularity contest . Tasks need to be completed and work’s goals should be accomplished with success.

Therefore, trying to be pleasant all the time will build obstacles to your job and disorientate you from your real goals at work.

Open your ears and accept criticism from employees or colleagues. It’s hard for every person to accept comments – especially negative – but in order to lead you will have to. Always listen to other ideas, suggestions and encourage open discussions. That doesn’t mean, in case you are the manager that you don’t decide according to your facts.

Demonstrate the trust. Just saying “I trust you” is not enough. You have to show it by assigning responsibilities and providing all the tools they need in order to succeed in the tasks you assign to them. When we say tools we mean training, information e.t.c

Recognize the well done job. People need to be appreciated especially at work. When an employee is productive, and finishes the assignment successfully show your appreciation directly. People need the approval to be in public and the negative comments in private. It’s in human nature, we can’t change it, and so it is important to follow that rule.

Recent research analyzes that workers do not care only about the money. They want to be educated at work, to take initiatives and also play a part in resolving problems that occur.

To sum it up, you have to do what you preach, and be clear with your actions. When you say “No” or “Yes” mean them, and of course you have to give the example. If you enforce a rule at your company but you are the only one who breaks it, don’t expect the rule to last for long. Especially the trust will vanish, and leading your team will become extremely difficult task.

Mix Business with Pleasure? There's a Safe Way

2008-12-30T03:43:00.000-08:00

Want to drastically cut the workload in your business, reduce the emotional drain to nearly nothing, and inject more pleasure into your work day?

Here's a secret -- check your client list.

Got customers who often call you in the middle of the
night with emergencies (real or imagined)?

Or demand you work every weekend to keep their rocks
out of the fire?

Or consistently pay late, though they refuse to wait
for your services?

Well, here's the executive summary: troublesome clients will -- if you let them -- account for a disproportionately large part of your workload and emotional strain.

Meanwhile, they'll account for a surprisingly small proportion of your profits. The 80/20 rule says that 20% of your clients will be the source of 80% of your profits, and vice versa. Guess which side those problem clients are lined up on?

This means you're probably spending more than three-fourths of your time servicing hard-to-please, money-draining customers who are unlikely ever to contribute to your retirement (may even be interfering with it). Furthermore, they are also draining away energy you could be directing to more appreciative customers. So what do you need the problem clients for?

Short answer: think about it.

Of course, we've heard all the marketing gurus tell us that we MUST give top-notch, world-class service to our clients... that our business is all about our customers... that it's important for us to feel genuine loving concern for every one of those with whom we do business.

If we don't, they say, our business is headed for the scrapheap while other, more caring professionals will zoom right past us.

Well, they're right, but let's call a brief time out and take a closer look at this advice.

First, without taking sides one way or the other, let's acknowledge that some clients, like some autos, require more maintenance than others do.

Now, if you find yourself with a car that's shaping up to be a lemon, do you nurse that car endlessly, or do you eventually realize you're in a situation of diminishing returns? Sometimes the most economically feasible thing is to dump the clunker and move on, right?

But that's cars. What about people? Isn't it important to invest our very best in every single person we deal with in life? Aren't we supposed to treasure others and seek to see in them the highest potential possible?

After all, if you've been reading my lessons for a while, you know that I'm the guy who says that with the right mental attitude you can change anything to your favor. So how can I now be going on about difficult clients, and about dumping problems and moving on?

Okay, we're still in time out, so let's dig into this.

Let's go back to why you're in business. I assume you have a mission statement, or something resembling one. And that mission statement probably says something like you're "helping clients solve a particular type of problem, and thereby making their world a better place for them." Does that pretty well sum up why you're in business?

If you're nodding your head yes, you're wrong.

You're in business to make YOUR life better, and the life of those you're emotionally close to. You're doing this for a profit. YOUR profit.

OLD CHINESE PROVERB: No profit, no point.

The improvement you bring to your clients' lives is your STRATEGY for buying improvements in your own life.

That mission statement is HOW you've chosen to make your profits. It's HOW you're going about deserving the pay that you want to receive from other people. Not why.

Of course, you won't receive YOUR profits unless you're providing good, solid, honest value to others. You've got to give value to receive value.

Then why do so many people in business think it's necessary to give value patiently, endlessly, while failing to insist on receiving equal value in return? The truth is, if you're in a relationship with a client who consistently takes more than he gives, you're dealing with a swindler. An unwitting thief perhaps, but a thief nonetheless. And you're unthinkingly abetting that theft of your own services.

Not only that, you're an accomplice in the cheating of your family, your employees, and others who are dependent on you or have joined their life energies to yours.

In other words, not everybody is willing to make a fair exchange. They'll want to receive from you, but won't be interested in giving fair value in return.

Not everybody you call a client or customer really is one.

Some are thieves in disguise. Oh, most of them don't know that's what they are, but if it walks like a thief, and quacks like a thief....

It doesn't make them bad people. Just unprofitable.

Are you ready to make your job more pleasant, more efficient and more profitable?

Choose your business associates as carefully as you do your personal friends. In both cases, stay away from those not going the same direction you are. This is just another way to raise your awareness and your mental vibrations, so that more positive things can manifest in your life.

Analyze what you're doing, who you're spending your time on, and decide which activities are moving you toward profit. Eliminate the rest -- or as many of them as you can arrange to dump. If the activity is un-dumpable, like doing your bookkeeping or sweeping the floors, take your earliest opportunity to delegate it.

Now, I know that, as a freelancer or self-employed business person, you can find it hard to turn away business. You've been in operation for a while, but you've never forgotten those hungry first days. So when a client calls, no matter how difficult they are, the temptation is to grit your teeth, accept the work and count the money.

You CAN grow as a business person, however, and unless you DO grow you'll never get past that hungry phase. Truth is, the only way to outgrow it is to start while you're still in it. Right now.

Just start consciously rating every prospective client who calls. Find out about them, evaluate their qualifications to work with you. And if they don't qualify, decline their business. This alone will give you an enormous amount of power over your business life.

Got an existing client who's giving you a hard time? Same thing. Evaluate them and decide -- in or out. Keep or discard.

Of course you don't want to make snap judgments and act too impulsively. Build a cooling down period into your system. After all, your own moods can vary from day to day, coloring your judgment more than you may realize at the time. But if, after careful, deliberate examination, a client doesn't measure up, send him on his way so he can find someone he's better suited to.

So yes, it's true that the business is all about your clients. But you get to decide who's a client and who isn't.

And those who are not -- well, your business isn't about them at all.

Mind Power: The Ultimate Success Formula

2008-12-30T03:41:00.000-08:00

What does it take to be successful?

Ask around and you will find different answers to the formula of success. The truth is, success leaves clues and you can achieve the success in the area you desire by observing the common qualities and principles. They are simple and considered to be common sense but most people simply do not follow them.

Let me share with you one of my favorite quotes:

“There are no secrets to success. It is the results of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure” Colin Powell

As stated in that quote, there are three key factors to achieve massive success in your life:

1.Preparation

You don’t have to wait for everything to be perfect. Start with the first step and keep moving. Success doesn’t happen over night. Prepare, prepare, and prepare. You must be ready to receive the success you desire. Set your sight to the destination that you want to achieve, then work and prepare for the moment when the opportunity knocks your door.

2.Hard Work

Success needs hard work. Don’t listen to these ‘get rich quick’ schemes. You need to build your character and work hard on yourself and your business to achieve greatness. Work hard and work smart. Do the right things and do them in the right way. Don’t procrastinate. Take bold actions. Work long hours and craft your legacy.

3.Learning from failure
Successful people do not see failures as failures. They see them as important learning lessons. Lessons that are capable of giving them insights to prevent such mistakes from happening again. By adopting this mindset of turning each failure into a learning lesson or opportunity, you can never fail until you yourself quit.

Preparation, hard work and learning from your failures are the fundamentals to building your bright future.

Mind of a Champion

2008-12-29T06:55:00.000-08:00

How many times did you hear a true champion speak with doubt? How many times did you hear a boxer say, “It will be a tough fight, we will just have to wait until Saturday and see how it all works out”? Never, because doubt will knock you out before you even begin.

The athletes that are remembered are always those that performed memorably during times of pressure. I say memorably because they could be remembered for choking or rising to the occasion. Anyone who has played competitive sports knows that there is a different feeling during a play-off game, but as with all things in life, that by itself is not a bad thing, it is all in the way you handle it.

People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them-- Epictetus 200AD

If you let self-doubt enter your mind, anxiety is sure to grow. Once you start to doubt whether you are capable of winning you’re on your way to disaster because the mind can only hold one thought at a time. You are either thinking of winning, and visualizing what winning will be like, or you are worrying about what happens if you don’t win. You can only hold one picture at a time. Sure some athletes waver back and forth, but at any given time you can only be holding one thought.

What the mind sees, feels, and thinks, it works towards. The mind needs to be given direction and then it works towards making that given destination a reality. The mind is constantly working towards results, the trouble is what directions are we giving the mind. When you learn how to control your mind, greatness is achievable. Learning how to think like a winner is the first step towards becoming a winner.

To Become a champion, you must first look and act like a champion. -- Muhammad Ali

Some people say you cannot control what comes into your mind. I believe with the proper training… you can. Regardless of whether or not you can or cannot control what enters your mind, you can definitely control how long you hold any thought that does enter your mind. If a seagull decides to have a bowel movement while flying overhead, you cannot exactly control that… but you sure the heck can control how quickly you clean yourself off.

It is the same with your mind. When a negative thought enters, clean it out with a flood of positive images. Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Focus on winning, not on not losing. Begin to daydream, make this daydream the ideal outcome. Not what you will settle for, but what would be perfect.

It's not what you are that holds you back, it's what you think you are not. -- Denis Waitley

Make Procrastination Work for You

2008-12-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

Everyone, to some degree, procrastinates. We all put off things that we don't want to do. That doesn't mean we do nothing. Au contraire! Most procrastinators get plenty done; it just isn't what is most important or urgent. Procrastination is the art of doing something else when there are more important things to do. There is a way to make procrastination work for you. Since all of us have this skill to varying degrees of proficiency we might as well put it to use.

The act of delaying is the true gift of procrastination. Until now you might not have thought of it as a gift, but it is. Many people get overbooked and overload their schedules with activities and commitments they don't want to do because they said yes before they really thought about it. Delaying is a great way to prevent over- scheduling and saying yes to things you should decline. When someone asks you to do something, respond that you need to check your schedule. Ask for a day or two to think about it and tell them you will get back with your answer. Use procrastination as a tool to prevent yourself from getting overbooked.

Procrastination will also assist with getting a lot done. I know it sounds strange, but it works exceptionally well. The trick is to have a major project that needs completion, but that you don't want to do it. My house was never cleaner than when I was working on my dissertation. My husband actually caught me outside cleaning the kitchen garbage can with a toothbrush. When he asked what I was doing I replied, "Avoiding working on my dissertation." I knew exactly what I was doing and it worked. I got a lot accomplished including my dissertation. The key is to leverage the advantage of procrastination. Let it move you to complete all the jobs you want to get done. You will still have time to complete the big job you have been avoiding.

Procrastination has a bad reputation, but the truth is that it can help you accomplish a great deal. Use procrastination to your advantage. Use it to delay saying yes to everything. This way you will give yourself time to think, and you won't get overbooked. It will also help you get things done because, when you are procrastinating, you aren't just sitting around. You are doing any task to avoid doing what you need to be doing. That is fine, and actually you will get twice as much done. So stop beating yourself up and enjoy perfecting the art of procrastination.

Make It Your Destiny To Accomplish Great Things In Your Life

2008-12-29T06:52:00.001-08:00

From this moment on, choose not to let your past dictate your future. What is gone is gone – forever. Now is the time to move on, to do and become what you want: to be the best in any area that you choose, so you may design your own destiny.

Here are a few helpful suggestions that you may take on board, and below you will find a couple of simple tips that can quickly move you in the direction of manifesting your destiny to accomplish many great things in your life.

To join ranks with the most successful people in the field of your choice, or merely to achieve your dreams quietly, for yourself, you will need to take the journey toward a better more enlightened future; toward a more empowered and motivated you, toward a life that you will design and achieve. You will live your life as you want it. And you will become that person you have been dreaming of becoming.

Invest in life – in your life. No more wavering dreams, staring out the window and wishing and hoping. No more sleepless nights worrying about your future as you only see where you are now.

This time it is for real. What you are dreaming of will happen, and in abundance. From today, you will move forward in your life in a dramatic way. You will do what is required of you to accomplish your daily goals, big and small, and you will always expect to succeed at everything you do.

Embrace your unlimited power and build a life of excellence. Success is your one and only option. Fill all of your days with accomplishments, no matter how small you may think they are. It is important, at this point, to realise that most successes stem from your ability to feel certain that you can set out to achieve what it is that you desire – to accomplish great things in your life. And for you to feel certain, you need to become confident.

One of the principle prerequisites to achieving almost anything in life is confidence. Confidence is an indispensable requirement to your success and further development or betterment, be it for your personal or professional needs. Confidence is the doorway to success and fulfilment. With confidence you will have the courage, strength and motivation to tackle and overcome all life’s setbacks and challenges.

The great news is that confidence is a learned skill, and anyone can learn the skills to having awesome and unstoppable confidence.

As promised, here are just a couple of confidence tips that I believe are easy to do and are extremely effective. By repeating the simple tips daily, they will retrain your thinking and become an automatic part of your new successful and confident habit. They will become your new way of life.

Challenge your thoughts that have been holding you back and stretch your mind to raise your limits to unlimited heights.

At the end of each day, put yourself into a confident and resourceful state of mind by jotting down in your diary or daily journal, all of the day’s achievements, no matter how small.

Benefit: The mere act of writing them down reinforces the idea of success and confidence. It is extremely beneficial and motivating for you to feel the successes from deep within so your mind acknowledges them as confident achievements.

Just before going to bed, conceive and initiate your ideal day. Once you have gone through your diary and planned your next day, sit back and take a few minutes to imagine and visualise the entire day, from beginning to end. See it unfolding exactly how you would want it to be, in every situation. Feel the confident emotions that come from success, with the feeling that you have accomplished all that you wanted.

Benefit: When you go to sleep, your unconscious mind will work all night on ways to bring about that which you have just visualised.

Truly make it your destiny to accomplish many great things in your lifetime by adopting a vital ingredient to success, and that is confidence. With confidence you discard worry, hesitation and fear. With confidence you rise above challenges and failures. With confidence you have unlimited motivation and unrelenting persistence.

Do not underestimate the immense power of confidence. Go ahead, reap the rewards and accomplish many great things in your lifetime.

Maintaining a Positive Attitude Is Good For Business

2008-12-29T06:48:00.000-08:00

And the end result of managing your time properly should be fostering the right attitude for business. Here are six ways to build a positive attitude.

1. Be Committed It took me a couple of years to reach the point I’m at now. I could have given up any time before I got here and I had a million different reasons for doing so. But I knew what I wanted and stuck it out. That’s the first key to success.

2. Accept Challenges Being your own boss and owner of your own online business can be scary and a bit intimidating. It takes guts to leave a 9 to 5 job and start your own online empire. It takes guts to have a dream and to go for it. You ultimately determine whether your business succeeds or fail.

3. Be In Control. Keep your mind focused on important things. Set goals and priorities for what you want to do and accomplish. Develop a strategy for dealing with potential problems—and when those problems surface, feel confident in your ability to handle them. The worst you can do is fail.

4. Don’t be too Critical

There is no use criticizing yourself once you’ve made a mistake. Saying “I should have landed that account or handled that situation differently” is not going to make any difference at all. It’s just going to drain you of your energy and discourage you. Simply learn from your mistakes and move on.

5. Practice Makes Perfect

And stop worrying about getting everything right. It’s not going to happen. If Time Warner can buy AOL, you can create a website that bleeds cash. Just keep trying.

6. Ask for Help

You want to work for yourself not by yourself. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Don’t think you’re incompetent simply because you can’t do it all. Professionals hire other professionals to do the job properly. Don’t be afraid to bring in a specialist when you need it.

If I have to warn you that there’s nothing more important than getting the work/family balance right, then the chances are you’re going to learn the hard way. I went into this for the money. But there’s no question that the greatest benefit my business has given me is the extra free time I have to spend with my family. I’m sure if I put that time into building more websites or creating more products, I’d make more money.

But there’s more to life than money.

You can also see that the following myths are simply untrue:

Your site has to have millions of page views to make money.

It doesn’t. Small sites with good conversion ratios can make more cash than large sites with lots of click-through traffic.
Ad revenue and affiliate revenue don’t make money.
It’s easy to make money: just put up a website and the money will roll in.

They do, if you know how to use them.

If only that were true! Making money on the Web takes time, effort and investment.

Love Yourself Like Your Neighbor: Turn Self-Criticism into Self-Confidence

2008-12-29T06:47:00.001-08:00

Self-confidence is important to all of us. In the stress literature, it's one of the characteristics of the hardy professional, the professional that remains healthy in the face of the high stress of constant change. It's important, but how do you build and maintain a viable and realistic self-confidence?

One way to look at self-worth is to see it as an inference from what you to say to yourself privately about yourself. It's estimated that you make between 300 to 400 self-evaluations per day. Unfortunately, for the majority of us, those evaluations are far from kind. Most major in self-criticism. Research suggests that for the average person 80% of their self evaluations are negative; only 20 percent are positive.

A good mistake can often be worth 45 minutes of self-whipping-"That was stupid. I can't believe I said that. And they were all watching me. They're probably going home tonight and talking about me!" If that's not bad enough, we have an old file clerk in the back of our brain that responds to our attack and goes back to check the evidence-"Just a minute, boss. Let me check the 'stupid' file here. Why yes, you are stupid! In fact, you're getting worse. This reminds me of the time you..." Most of us are good at making ourselves feel worse, not better.

Even when you do give yourself the luxury of feeling good about something you did, it seldom lasts long. We discount our successes-"I was lucky!" "It's about time; I should've done this weeks ago!" "They could've done better!" When was the last time you lost sleep over a good day? Never!

Even though self-critical, we put our best food forward publicly. We present ourselves as being 95% effective and admit making an occasional mistake to be human. You may fool others, but you don't fool yourself. When you compare what you know about yourself with everyone else's public image, you lose badly. When you major in the self-critical, you end up searching for loved ones, parents, friends, and bosses who will affirm you and make up for your own lack of self-esteem. Unfortunately, when you have to have the support of others, they control your confidence. By withholding approval they can leave you feeling less effective, less confident and more dependent.

You would not talk to others the way you talk to yourself! "You did that? You're stupid! Did anyone see you? They saw you! Do they know I know you? I mean it reminds me of the time you...." Who needs friends like that! If a manager talked to an employee the way you talk to yourself, he could file a grievance and win. You deserve the same if not better treatment than what you would give a friend. Learn to make room for your mistakes as learning experiences.

Since mistakes are a part of life in the fast lane, we need to find ways to be self-critical without majoring in self-whipping. Start by looking at criticism as course-correction data that helps us get back on track in our journey to success. The goal is not conviction or blaming; it's providing future-focused feedback that allows you to be more effective tomorrow!

Scott Adams, the Dilbert Cartoonist, put these insights into practice in dealing with a novice tennis partner: "Once at a tennis tournament, I was paired with a woman who had just learned how to play. Every time she missed a shot, she immediately turned to me, expecting that I would be disappointed or frustrated. Instead, I talked to her about our strategy for the next point. By doing so, I sent a very important message: The past doesn't matter. I didn't encourage her with empty praise-that rarely works. But I know that if she dwelled on a mistake, she was more likely to repeat it, and that if she focused on how we were going to win the next point, she was more likely to help us do just that. Over several days, her abilities improved dramatically and we ended up winning the tournament."

Treat yourself the same way. Life is like a moving vehicle with no brakes. If you spend too much time in the rearview mirror, you will hit a tree out the front window. In fact, that is why your rearview mirror is smaller than your front window. Get out of your rearview mirror and start focusing on driving to a desired future. Try letting go of the general self-attacks; use specific feedback. What did you do that you did not handle well?

Remember, it is easier to admit you made a mistake than to admit you are one. I'm not rude, but I've had moments on the freeways of Los Angeles that I'm not proud of. I know they weren't appreciated either; the other driver didn't even wave with all his fingers.

After identifying a specific mistake, focus on the future by asking two key questions: First, what can you do to rectify the problem? If any constructive action or apology could help rectify the problem, schedule a time to do just that. And secondly, and most importantly, how would you handle the same situation if it should occur again? If you have a valued colleague or friend, use them as a sounding board. If not, write down your thoughts or use these questions to help focus your self-criticism. When you've learned from the past and focused on a new strategy, get back into the game of life.

Self-confidence begins when you can learn from errors, and then move beyond them to consistently improve. Welcome to the challenge of turning your mistakes into stepping stones to making change work for you and your organization. To really make a difference add the habit of ending the day by catching yourself being effective; use your calendar to record one success. You may be winning and not know it if you're not keeping score!

Copyright © 2006 by Terry L. Paulson. All Rights Reserved

Living in the Now: Use it to Enrich Your Life

2008-12-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

At about this time of year, some months after New Year’s resolutions have been made and kept, or made and neglected, one thing is undeniable: we have a chance to learn and grow every day, no matter what we did not do yesterday or neglected to do last week.

Make Use of This Moment

Making use of this moment, of the NOW, is a principle that stress management experts, psycho-therapists, meditators, and many authors such as Dr. Wayne Dyer, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Eckhart Tolle have been talking and writing about for years.

The only moment, the only life we have is in the NOW. What happened a few moments or several years ago is gone, what will happen this evening, or next month when we go on holidays is not here yet. Thus, if we live our lives thinking about past events or future possibilities, we are literally not living our life.

Developing Flow

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote a wonderful little book “Finding Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” which addresses the issue of the importance of remaining in the moment, of the inestimable value we can find in those activities that cause us to “go into flow”, or lose our sense of time.

When you discover what those activities are in your life, they need to be developed. Is it music, writing, or painting, or another creative activity? Is it being outdoors and practicing some kind of sport? Is it working on your computer or editing digital movies? Perhaps you are an avid reader, observer of documentaries about the hunch-backed camel, or participant in the Dakar rally and spend all year preparing. Whatever it is, cultivate it, make it expand in your life, and use it to enrich yourself. These activities are priceless ways of being – and remaining - in the now.

But that is not all.

Nurture the Now at All Times

Being in the now needs to be nurtured at all times. The more time you spend in the now, the more you actually live your life. Yesterday – and even just one short hour ago – is gone. Tomorrow is not yet here. Now is what we have. Now is the time of our life. Now is the time for living.

Start by gently bringing yourself to this moment more and more often on a daily basis. If you are at work, with your partner or family, or simply running errands, become aware of what you are doing, actually participate consciously in your daily activities … don’t just get through them in order to be able to do something else later on. Doing that means that you have lost this moment forever.

Stay in the Now

By staying in the now, notice how you seem to have more time. Notice how you feel less stressed. Notice all that is potentially enjoyable, positive, or could be a latent learning experience in the now moment. Even if you are going through a difficult situation, remain aware and in the now in order to better understand what is happening and in order to get to know yourself more intimately by observing your feelings, thoughts, and possible reactions.

Live here rather than in the past or the future. The more you practice, the more it will become a habit, and the more you will truly live your life, rather than just live on memories of past glories or future hopes and plans.