Happy Halloween!

There are those who look forward to the happiness of life after death, and there are those who would prefer a happy life before it. That reminds me of the popular quote: "Live every day as though it were your last."

Happy Halloween!
Anthony White (Blanco)

Halloween Safety

By Rachael Towle

Between the Harvest Festivals, Halloween parties and social gatherings, this Halloween season could be very busy for you and your family. This is why all parents should make safety the number one priority while having fun. It also never hurts to be reminded of the precautions all Halloweeners should take while gathering candy.

Before leaving the house, every person going out to Trick-or-Treat should be dressed appropriately. Begin by making sure attire is weather appropriate. The cooler the temperature, the more layers needed to keep warm. These layers should be easily removed as not to interfere with the costume if it gets too warm. Any masks being worn should fit so that vision is not obscured in any way.

Children can't be expected to be completely safe if surroundings can't be seen easily. Batman and Darth Vader costumes are popular this year, and their dark cloaks can make seeing trick-or-treaters almost impossible after the sun has set. Take the ultimate safety precaution by purchasing reflective tape and place it on the back of the costume, which can be done without changing the appearance or effect of the costume. It also helps to add reflective tape to the side of shoes to add extra reflective surfaces. If a car approaches your child from any direction, enough reflective tape will give your child shape and the driver will be able to see the children. Glow sticks and other accessories are also great ways to make sure you and your child can be seen in the dark.

When moving from house to house, children should refrain from walking in-between parked cars and ideally, should only cross the street at crosswalks. Some neighborhoods are easier to navigate than others, but it is always better to visit houses on one side of the street at a time. Keeping on sidewalks and driveways and refraining from grass and other soft areas will help prevents slips, trips, and falls. Holes and dips in the ground are hard to see in covered areas. Blacktop and concrete surfaces should be used for navigation as much as possible.

Only visit houses that are inviting. Houses without a light at the door or front porch, or without any light from jack-o-lanterns or other means or decoration should not be included in the list of houses to visit. Not only is it not safe, but obviously the tenants do not want visitors.

Although neighborhoods with larger houses in prominent areas are more appealing, it can be tiresome for smaller children. These houses take longer to go from door to door, ultimately causing small children to tire more quickly. If you drive to a neighborhood to visit, try to pick one with houses that are closer together to make the trip more productive with less walking.

Some of the best places to trick-or-treat isn't necessarily in a neighborhood going from door to door. Churches, malls and shopping center strip-malls often offer treats to those who stop by. Churches often offer forms of entertainment like "Trunk-or-Treating," where the parking lot of the Church is filled with vehicles where drivers give out candy from their decked-out truck beds and lawn chairs next to their cars. These are wonderful places to take children because the people giving candy may already be a friend, therefore giving parents a more trusted source of treats. Parents are also able to socialize and have some fun themselves, too!

We all know of the importance of screening the candy our children receive during Trick-or-Treating. Some communities offer free screenings with X-ray devices, which is an ideal way to make sure the stereotypical metal object hasn't been inserted into your child's candy. In addition to screenings, parents should check each piece of candy thoroughly before consumption. All candy should be wrapped or packaged well without any tears or punctures. Make sure the wrapper on the candy is still secure and bags are free of puncture marks or tears. If candy looks like it has been tampered with in any way, be sure to discard immediately.

Whether you decide to stay home and give out candy, or take a stroll or drive to your favorite haunts, be sure safety is first, no matter what! Enjoy your Halloween!

Copyright 2005 by Rachael Towle, The Parent Station.

About the Author: Rachael Towle is the owner of The Parent Station, a site where Parents & Friends connect through community forums and parenting resources. http://www.theparentstation.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Joy

Joy is inside you. Not in attainment of things desired, nor in the achievement of goals made, but in the simple feeling that lies within you. Know that this joy is unaffected by outer circumstance, and joy will be yours forever.

Harness The Power Of Your Dreams

By Deanna Mascle

"If you can imagine it,
You can achieve it.
If you can dream it,
You can become it."

-William Arthur Ward

William Arthur Ward's quote should be a powerful call to action. Dreams have tremendous power. They sustain us through desperate times and drive us through difficult ones and give us hope for the future. More important-they inspire us!

Where would human beings be without dreams? Would we have explored distant places or invented the means to travel to those destinations? How many children are alive today thanks to the dreams of doctors and scientists? What works of art lift the hearts of countless masses due to the dreams of artists?

In the end so much is possible thanks to the power of dreams and yet so many people seem unwilling to free their own dreams. They shrug them off, ignore them, or reject them entirely-too difficult, impossible, ridiculous, meaningless.

But even the most frivolous dreams have meaning. If one person's life is touched by that dream-whether they are inspired, changed, or simply lightened-then that dream has power and meaning.

It is sad that in our society to be called a "dreamer" is actually an insult. In many societies, to be a dreamer was once a high calling. If we think of all that dreams have caused-from space travel to the creation of the United States of America to a polio vaccine-perhaps we can make dreaming acceptable again.

What do you do with your own dreams? Do you dare to voice them, dare to do something about them? Or do you instead spend your time finding excuses for why your dreams are impossible?

No dream is impossible! You have to believe that and you have to dare to dream, or your dream will be impossible, but there is no one to blame but yourself because you never let it become possible. Perhaps that is why so many perceive being a "dreamer" as something negative, because they view it as a passive exercise, but being a true "dreamer" is anything but passive-it requires action!

Yes, it is scary to dream, it is scary to take a leap of faith, to risk yourself. Even more frightening than failure is the knowledge that once you take that risk you will have lost your dream forever.

But do not be afraid, you can succeed, but even if THIS dream does fail, once you've become someone that dares to dream there will be others. Once you've made that change, once you've become a dreamer, there is no going back--and that is certainly a step on the road to success!

So, remember to Dare to Dream!

About the Author: Deanna Mascle is an inspirational freelance writer. You can find more inspiration at http://inspirationbydawggone.com and her inspirational ezine http://wordsofinspirationonline.com.

Source: www.isnare.com

Meditation

Sit quietly. Watch your thoughts and feelings pass in front of you. Relinquish control and the desire to get caught in them. See that nothing in life is permanent. Your thoughts, feelings, and perceptions all pass before you. If anything catches you, gently release it, and simply continue watching.

Learn How To Face Difficulty

By Deanna Mascle

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult."

-- Seneca the Younger

This is a great quote to both contemplate and to apply to your life.

How often do you hear people complain? Pick a topic-love, friendship, careers, etc. The list of issues that people complain about is endless. You and I are no different. Perhaps we don't complain about each of these things but more than likely there is something that we complain about with great regularity.

Now, sometimes complaints are simply a way to vent some frustration at the moment but we don't really want anything to change in this area. However, more often than not, someone regularly complains about one specific problem

If I had a dollar for every time I heard one friend complain about the difficulty of finding a good man I could throw her a huge wedding bash or perhaps simply buy her a husband in some small third-world country. When I thought about my friend Donna's problem and applied Seneca's quote to it a light bulb suddenly appeared above my head just like in the cartoons!

It was true! Donna is having difficulty finding a good man simply because she isn't daring enough. Sure she goes out on dates and tries to maintain an active social life, however she holds herself aloof emotionally. She isn't willing to dare much at all when it comes to her heart-so how can she hope that someone else will do so for her? Sure, there might be someone, somewhere, but she is also missing out on relationships, at least friendships, with some really great guys simply because she is too afraid to dare to care.

That is sad. We all know that love is marvelous but it is also frightening, however we have to take risks in order to experience it fully. Sometimes we might get hurt however more often than not we will find the rewards outweigh the risks. There is no guarantee that is Donna opens herself up and dares to love that she will find the love of her life-however there is certainly a guarantee that a life filled with love is more rewarding than one that is not.

I have another friend who is also afraid to dare. Jeff hates his job. No, that's not exactly right. He loves the work itself but he really hates the company that he works for. He finds the management very difficult to work for (and if even a small percentage of the stories he tells are true then he's right, it is a horrible place to work).

However, every time I suggest he look for a job somewhere else he comes up with some excuse about how difficult it would be. True the job market isn't great, but he's a skilled worker in a high-demand field so I'm sure he could find something. He's doomed his job search before he even started it because he's not daring enough.

It wouldn't be fair to share my friends' examples without pointing to my own shortcomings. Probably the greatest difficulty in my own life is within my marriage and that is simply because I don't dare enough emotionally there. I have become too complaisant and take my husband and marriage for granted. I need to dare more emotionally.

So think about the difficulties in your own life and apply Seneca's rule then decide if you can be more daring! All the best!

About the Author: Deanna Mascle is an inspirational freelance writer. You can find more inspiration at http://InspirationByDawggone.com and her inspirational ezine http://WordsOfInspirationOnline.com.

Source: www.isnare.com

The Right Place at the Right Time

You tell yourself how can you possibly take advantage of what life has to offer if you are not in the right place at the right time. But even in the right place at the right time you can miss your chance.

Learn How To Motivate Yourself

By Deanna Mascle

"Motivation will almost always beat mere talent."

~ Norman Augustine

I truly believe Augustine's words are true and if you look at history you know it is true. There are many people in the world with amazing talents who realize only a small percentage of their potential. We all know people who live this truth.

We also know those epic stories, those modern-day legends surrounding the early failures of such supremely successful folks as Michael Jordan and Bill Gates. We can look a bit further back in time to Albert Einstein or even further back to Abraham Lincoln. What made each of these people so successful? Motivation.

We know this in our gut, but what can we do about it? How can we motivate ourselves? One of the most difficult aspects of achieving success is staying motivated over the long haul.

Motivation is not an accident or something that someone else can give you -- you are the only one with the power to motivate you. Motivation cannot be an external force, it must come from within as the natural product of your desire to achieve something and your belief that you are capable to succeed at your goal.

Positive pleasure-oriented goals are much more powerful motivators than negative fear-based ones. Although each is successful separately, the right combination of both is the most powerful motivational force known to humankind.

Here are some tips and methods for motivating yourself:

~ Use a past defeat as a motivator. Remind yourself you have nowhere to go except up as you have already been at the bottom.

~ Give yourself the power of responsibility. Remind yourself the only thing stopping you is yourself.

~ Make a list of your achievements toward your long-term goal and remind yourself that intentions don't count, only action's.

~ Do it today. Remind yourself of someone you know who died suddenly and the fact that there is no guarantee that tomorrow will come.

~ Let success motivate you. Find a picture of what epitomizes success to you and then pull it out when you are in need of motivation.

Reflect and experiment until you find the right combination of motivators for your personality and your personal goals. I'll leave you with this final motivating quote:

"What drives me? The thing that drives me most is the desire to find my limits--and extend them." ~ Richard Marcinko

Now go push your own limits and succeed!

About the Author: Deanna Mascle is an inspirational freelance writer. You can find more inspiration at http://InspirationByDawggone.com and her inspirational ezine http://WordsOfInspirationOnline.com.

Source: www.isnare.com

Cycle of Life

Life is a constant cycle of destruction and healing. The wisest of us are patient whatever the situation and happy in the knowledge that healing or calm will follow.

Connect The Dots! Your Roadmap For Success

By Ed Sykes

Recently, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer and Pixar Animation Studios, gave a commencement address to the graduating class at Stanford University. He talked about creating passion, life and death, and “connecting the dots.” The dots were events in his life, many challenging and many positive, which led to his many successes. He shared with the audience that being fired from Apple Computer, the computer he founded, he was able to step back and develop the idea for Pixar Animation Studios. By achieving the great success at Pixar, he was eventually asked to come back to lead Apple Computer. This eventually led him to spearhead the launching of one the most revolutionary products of the 21st century…the iPod. He feels that he would never have achieved his successes without his failures and setbacks. He was able to connect the dots to see how it all added up.

So I ask you, “Have you connected your dots?”

Here are five reasons why taking the time to connect the dots will give you a roadmap for success in your life:

1. All Dots are Good

Many times we face challenges in our life that, at that moment, look like failures. Because we are focused on the imagined “downside” of the challenge, we lose focus on the good that can come out of the challenge.

I had an ex-Navy civilian in one of my workshops on downsizing. He said he was part of a downsizing process by the Navy two years ago in Ohio. You can imagine he was hurt, upset, and concerned that he wouldn’t find another job after his twenty years in the Navy. Then he refocused himself on what he could do to make this situation positive. He started doing job research, making telephone calls, networking, and sending resumes. Within three months after his layoff, he received his dream job offer from the Navy. It was a technical job he always wanted at a pay scale much better than his previous job. The best part of his new job was that it allowed him to move back to his hometown of Virginia Beach.

All dots are good; it’s the way we look at them that lead to our success.

2. Be Willing to Go to the Next Dot

Due to past “negative” experiences, many times we avoid new challenges because we want to feel “safe.” How many times have you heard the following?

“I’m never dating again because of my past experiences with…” “I don’t want to take on the new project because it is too high profile and I might fail.” “I don’t want the promotion because of what happened the last time…”

Basing our past experiences on life’s variables that have no relation to the present will make us miss new opportunities. There is an expression I often use, “You need to go through the mud to get to the gold.” In other words, we all need to experience the “road bumps” in life to know and appreciate the real opportunities in life.

3. Accelerate the Dots in Your Life

You can speed the amount of success by continuously learning. Continuously work on your communication, career or business, and technical skills so that you can embrace opportunities that come your way.

One of the best ways to learn is by volunteering. I recently had lunch with Carol at a recent conference. She shared with me that she had started working in a school over fifteen years ago because her kids were in the school system. Because of that, she volunteered for as many school-related activities as possible that would involve her kids. She became an expert and the person to go to concerning many school subjects. Recently, an opening in the superintendent’s office came up, and her name was on the short list. Because of her vast experience and, even more important, because many people knew of her expertise, she as an easy decision for the position.

Learning accelerates your dots.

4. Bypass Dots Only with Wisdom

Many times we try to skip a step or two in life. We have heard about people who have “instant” success and then lose it all almost as fast. They never acquired the wisdom needed to maintain their success.

Take time to learn from the events in your life. Like the quote goes, “Smart people learn from their mistakes; truly wise people learn from other people’s mistakes.”

5. Go Forward and Connect the Dots

Take time to plan your future events and goals based on your past events. Analyze the positive outcomes from those events and use them to plan for the future. That is the secret to true success.

So go forward and connect the dots, and you will realize your roadmap to success.

About the Author: Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and leading expert in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site,
http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter.

Source: www.isnare.com

Being Your Own Judge

Why do we tend to be less harsh on others than we are on ourselves?

Have You Appreciated Someone Today?

By Ed Sykes

I invested some time with Mother recently and drove her to the hospital to visit with her sick sister-in-law, my aunt. While I was standing in the doorway, a nurse came by and introduced herself as Ruth and said “hello” to us and said “hello” to my aunt. This put a smile on my aunt’s face. The nurse then introduced me to the other nurses working at the nurses’ station. She let me know that these nurses are hard working and good at their jobs.

I couldn’t agree with her more. Theirs is a very difficult job with no margin for error. In many situations they know and understand the patients better than the doctors.

Realizing this, and noticing that some of the nurses looked a little tired, I asked Ruth to bring out all the nurses she had introduced me to at the nurses’ station. I reintroduced myself and explained that my aunt was the patient in room 518. Then I said the following:

“I would like to thank you for taking care of my aunt. I personally appreciate the way you make her comfortable during this difficult time, and I know that my aunt is in good hands. My family, and especially my uncle, appreciates the hard work and care you put into making her better. Thank you again and keep doing what you are doing to make a difference with not only my family, but other families.”

Well, you should have seen the looks on the nurses’ faces. First, they had a look of surprise. Then they were all smiling from ear to ear. Several faces turned red. But all of them had a look of appreciation as they said, “Thank you.”

Why did they have a surprised look on their faces? Was this the first time someone other than another nurse had acknowledged them? When was the last time someone showed appreciation to them?

It only took fifteen seconds to put a smile on their faces and have them feel good about themselves. Take the time every day to appreciate your employees, your family, and other people that are doing a good job. It might be the only appreciation they receive and will make a difference in their day.

Read my article, Appreciate to Motivate, to find out how to make your appreciation count every time. You will also feel good doing it.

About the Author: Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success coach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site,
http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint.

Source: www.isnare.com

Define Your Own Happiness

Do not compare your happiness with that of others. Happiness is that which defies comparison.

5 Goal Setting Secrets To Jumpstart Your Life

By Ed Sykes

"Plan for the future, because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life." - Mark Twain

Another year is upon us and you have your list of resolutions or goals you want to accomplish in the upcoming year. It’s time to plan your goals so that it’s not just another conversation this year, but a focused plan for success. I will share with you five goal setting techniques guaranteed to help you achieve more out of life. Use the goal setting techniques listed below to help you achieve your targets:

1. Be SMARTER with your Goals. Make your goals: Specific, Motivational, Action-oriented, Relevant to your situation, Time-bound, Encouraging, Rewarding

For example, “I will increase my sales by 15% compared to last year.” Be as specific about your goal as possible. “I will start my own catering business” is a lot stronger than “I want to go into business for myself.” Challenging goals are motivating. Set goals that will push beyond what you usually think you can accomplish. Remember to set a deadline. A goal without a deadline is simply a dream. Attach a realistic yet challenging deadline for accomplishment and post this where you can review it regularly.

2. Visualize your goals. Take 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes just before you go to bed; find a quiet place; close your eyes and relax, and visualize yourself actually achieving your goals. Remember the more senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, etc.) you can involve, the more real your visualization becomes. I ask during my seminars, “Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real that you woke up in the middle of it?” Well the reason for that is the subconscious mind is at work involving all of those senses to trick you into believing the dream is real. Well, you don’t have to wait; work at visualizing your goals today.

3. Phrase your goal in the present tense and assume success. Don't say, “I want to.” Say, “I will.” This subtle technique tells your subconscious that you have already achieved your goal, which means it will work at helping the goal become a reality. It will attract the people, places, and situations you need to achieve that goal.

4. Put your goals in writing. This simple act helps you clarify your goals and will allow you to visualize them more effectively. I recommend that you record each goal on a separate index card and review them twice a day – once in the morning (when you first wake up) and again before you go to bed. Post index cards where you spend the most time; on the bathroom mirror, on the frig., on your nightstand, etc. This process reinforces your goals, acts as a reminder, and drives your goals deep into your subconscious. In fact, this is one of the most powerful strategies you can use to achieve your targets.

5. List the benefits you intend to receive by achieving each goal. This will keep you focused and strong, particularly when you face the inevitable roadblocks and barriers. In June, when I chose to lose 20 pounds, I listed 12 benefits, and when I had the urge to put butter on my veggies or help myself to a second serving of food, I would review this list to help me get past that craving. I lost the 22 pounds and two inches around my waistline to date. I think I will go for another 10 pounds. This was not a diet, just a lifestyle change. The more benefits you can list for your goals, the more motivating those goals will become.

So my challenge to you to is to take the time to plan your goals. Start with one goal and visualize it, write it down, and act on it. As I always say, “If you don’t invest the time to set goals then someone else will do it for you. And I guarantee you won’t like their goals.” Invest the time, start today!

About the Author: Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success coach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint.

Source: www.isnare.com

We All Leave a Legacy

The gardener who was happy to plant the tree he would never see grown provided the shade that keeps us comfortable.

Adversity: Your Seed Of Greatness (Three Secrets To Using Adversity To Become Great)

By Ed Sykes

From our first day on earth until our last, we face different levels of adversity. Adversity may be sickness, a property loss, or the loss of a family member. It may be a lost career promotion or a business setback. How we handle these adversities defines how we achieve greatness in our lives.

Let me share the story of James Blake, who overcame multiple adversities -- more than most of us would ever experience in a lifetime -- and yet achieved greatness. James Blake is a world class professional tennis player enjoying fame and making a six-figure income. However, in his childhood, he developed a rare disease that required him to wear a body brace for years. Other kids teased him, calling him “Iron Man” from the Marvel Comic Books, and he felt left out. During this time, he concentrated on his academics, read a wide variety of books, and developed himself as a well-rounded person. He also developed a heightened awareness for others who are going through difficult times.

Once he had the brace removed, he learned to play tennis with an intense passion not exhibited by many other tennis players, because he appreciated the opportunity to finally play tennis. He didn’t take this opportunity for granted. He attended Harvard and became the #1 player on their tennis team.

As a promising professional player, adversity struck again. In 1994, while practicing for a major tournament, he slipped and fell forward striking his neck against the metal pole that holds the tennis net. James’s doctor said that had James not slightly turned his head, James would have broken his vertebra and become paralyzed from the neck down. Instead, he was hospitalized with a fractured vertebra, blurred vision, and dizziness.

While in the hospital, James did much soul searching. Many family members and friends came by to offer encouragement, advice, and support. His coach was a constant bedside companion and finally asked James, “Do you want to play tennis again?” James said “yes,” and they developed a plan to start his comeback.

With the support of family, friends, and his coach, James started his comeback step by painful step. At first when he tried to play tennis, he still had to overcome his blurred vision and dizziness. He had doubts whether he would ever handle the 125 mph plus serves of his opponents.

Then he suffered another setback. During his rehabilitation, his father, with whom he had a very close relationship, developed cancer and passed away. During his father’s sickness, James was by his side. After his father passed away, James was devastated. However, he regrouped and carried on with the support of his mother, family, friends, and coach.

He returned to playing professional tennis, and there were many more losses than wins. But he stayed focused and determined and progressively improved. He began playing the top professional players competitively, and he began winning against the top players. Then he once again started winning tournaments. After this long journey, James became one of the top players in the world.

What can we learn from James Blake’s journey through adversity to greatness? The following are three keys to making adversity work for you:

1. If it Doesn’t Kill You, It Makes you Stronger

Many times we face adversities and say, “If only I can make it through this.” It may be a sickness, loss of a loved one, job loss, etc. By remaining focused, determined, and concentrating on the positive, many times you can become stronger.

Parents are now sheltering their children against any little adversity for fear it might be painful. I say allow your children to “grow up” and stop sheltering them from adversity. Teach them how to make adversity work for them. These adversities and the way they handle the adversities will define who they are and prepare them for challenges in the future. Some of our greatest business leaders, scientists, engineers, inventors, humanitarians, and sport heroes became the people they are because they overcame adversity.

2. Adversity Often Develops Unknown Talents

Once the door of adversity closes one opportunity to you, the door of greatness often opens another. James Blake, first during his sicknesses and then after, developed his awareness of helping other unfortunate people. Now he runs free tennis programs for disadvantaged children. Before his sickness, James was not known for his concentration and focus on the tennis court. After his sickness, he developed and became known for his mental toughness. When experiencing adversity, ask yourself, “What positive thing can come out of this?”

3. Adversity Rallies Your Resources

While James was sick, many resources arrived to help him. First, he had the time to step back to reflect on his life, goals, mission, and values. Second, he was able to obtain sound advice from family, friends, and others that he might not have been able to receive while traveling on the road. His setbacks allowed him to take time to summon resources (advice, help, etc.) he would not have realized if he had been traveling non-stop. He made his “downtime” work for him.

When adversity comes, don’t avoid it; attack adversity with all your resources. The way you manage adversity will define who you are and ready you for future opportunities, because adversity can be your seed of greatness.

About the Author: Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success coach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for his
newsletter, OnPoint.

Source: www.isnare.com

Making the World a Better Place

When you speak, utter gentle words that touch the heart. Be truthful. Express kindness. In your own way, make the world a better place.

And The Meaning Of Life Is...?

By Andre Best

I find myself continuing to be drawn back into thoughts about the meaning of life.

Now this is not an article trying to presuppose the meaning of existence of humanity.

Rather this is an article about one man trying to sort out the thoughts that are recently running through his brain regarding what one's purpose here on Earth is. That is, while we are given our own allotment of time on this physical plane.

Perhaps it's my own version of a mid-life crisis where my mind is perhaps maturing enough to be able to actually ask these types of questions without spontaneously imploding on itself in an extended bout of black depression.

Nevertheless, I'm still stuck when it comes to even trying to answer a question, or conundrum, like this.

Basically, I think it will all boil down to that I don't know the answer to this question because the part of me that is asking the question is also the part of me that is trying to answer it. And if I knew the answer then I wouldn't be asking the question right now. I hope that makes sense.

But, even still, I find recently that to determine what one's purpose in life is is a rather befuddling pursuit.

For me, I walk to work in the mornings along a sunny Arizona sidewalk and I find myself thinking that I'm just starting off into another day of the same-ol' same-ol'.

And out of this thought arises the question 'But really what should one be doing with their days?'
What would be the ultimate thing or activities that I could do with my time here today that would make this day, each day, worthwhile?

And of course this spawns off into other questions such as 'worthwhile to whom?' and 'what kind of activities?' and other stuff like that.

Let me imagine that I have all the money I need and I no longer have to pursue the elusive goal that everyone else now pursues. Financial freedom. The light at the end of the tunnel.

But just for the sake of this example let's state that I don't have to worry about survival anymore. I have enough money to satisfy whatever craving I have or need for my family.

Then what?

What would I do with my day?

Would it be to form a multi-billion dollar company that feeds the needy and takes care of every homeless child in the world?

Would it be to work in a daycare and work with toddlers stuck in abusive households?

Would it be to clean the bathrooms at the local superstore or gigantic warehouse store?

What would give my life meaning right now?

You see, that's a tough question to answer.

But, let me step back a bit and slow down.

And let's start at the beginning.

When we're all very young human beings we have no choice what happens to us as we exist. Whatever happens to us in our parents' household is their doing, not ours. Pretty much all we do is spend our days fluctuating between going to school and not going to school.

When we get older and graduate from school we go out into the big, wide world and look to get ourselves that ubiquitous j.o.b. That's what we do with our days.

Over the years perhaps we decide to throw into the mix a spouse, some expensive possessions, and some fancy vacations to exotic paradises.

And then we may even decide to get our own house filled up some more with our own personal priceless treasures. Kids, to be exact.

But what are we doing on a daily basis at this physical age in our lives?

What are we doing? We're 'earning a living'.

But beyond that, as we trudge off to work each day, or stay home with the kids, what are we doing each and every day that's of consequence in the scheme of things?

What is it that makes each day meaningful? Is it raising the kids until they too become adults and repeat the process all over?

Is it to become successful at that j.o.b. we work at or with that business we own? Or is it to make ourselves as happy as we can by watching all our favorite television shows and movies and eating out at nice restaurants and chatting with our best friends. And only doing the things we like to do and take the vacations to places that only we want to go to.

But then there comes 'old age'. What then? Hopefully we've saved up enough money to be financially set so that we don't have to worry about 'earning a living' anymore.

We can sit back. Relax. Maybe go fishing or on other vacations to remote paradises. Or play lawn bowling down at the local community center or play chess in the park. Whatever.

But still, what have we done with our day besides make it 'busy'? What are we doing with our days as we sit there in our recliner flicking away with the remote controls for the plasma television and surround sound home theater system?

What are we doing that's of consequence?

If we were to die the very next day, what have we done with our existence since we were little babies? As I documented above, perhaps we did the odd thing that helped other people. Or we served in an organization that helped the needy. Or perhaps we were just darn good parents and raised 'two wonderful children'. Or perhaps we did the right things and now are grandparents too.

But really, as we're about to die what is it that we could say we did with our life? With our existence?

Can you see that for the most part, without over-generalizing, we pretty much just 'did' things all along the years from birth to death.

Is that what we're meant to do?

Is that all there is?

Or somewhere in that mix, somewhere along the way, the path to the grave, we may be so lucky to have our days of existence sprinkled with wondrous events that change us inside and elevate our spirits. Be they sights, sounds, memories, happenings, or spiritual teachings.

But, nevertheless, what I've described is how generation after generation after generation of human beings go through their time on this planet as part of the human race.

And what does each generation have to show for their time here?

Advances in technology?

More wondrous scientific discoveries?

New breakthroughs in medicine?

Another global war where millions die?

Higher Intelligence?

Another spiritual world leader?

In all seriousness, what do we leave as a legacy for those who follow us along the time-path of human existence?

And what do we do, as individuals, that adds to that human existence path?

And to return to where I started all this questioning…for me, what am I doing that is giving meaning to my existence on this plane and along this physical time-line?

That is the question that needs to be answered and thought about.

And beyond the teachings I've read about from some of the spiritual masters - all I've culled is that one's sole purpose in existence is to become a perfect human being. That's it. That's all.

But I'm not trying to minimize this statement because becoming 'perfect' is a very tall order for most of us. Lifelong, usually.

But, really, think about it. Think of any of the 'great' people who've existed before us.

Buddha. Lao-Tse. Mozart. Tolstoy. Einstein.

What are they known for? What did they do with their lives?

What did they leave us? Great spiritual teachings? Music? Science?

In the scheme of things these brilliant people were only able to leave as their legacy what they 'did' or 'discovered' for the rest of us to learn from.

That's it. Not in a minimizing way. But really, that's it.

Even the greatest minds and spirits in the world were not able to leave us more than what they were able to personally realize or do in their gifted area of calling.

So, is there any more? Is there anything beyond just 'doing life'?

I surmise that there isn't.

I think that it is true. That all we can do is be the best person we can be as we grow older. We live each day to the best of our abilities for that day. We continue to grow in whatever manner we're able to positively do. And then it all ends for us someday.

But we made the most of this existence. We made the most of our time here on this plane.

We made the most of our allotted days here.

We didn't just grow old, we grew up too.

Is there really anything more?

After writing this I don't think there is.

Perhaps others will vehemently disagree and start spouting off about The One and all that stuff. That's okay. Each to their own.

But for me, I truly still sit here and wonder what there is for me to do on a daily basis as I await my calling to the other side, where we all began and will go to again.

What can I do to make my existence as meaningful to me as is possible?

That is something that I'm still figuring out. And I surmise it will continue to change as I described above. Does that make any one meaning less than any others? No. But it does mean that my meanings will change as my days do.

And right now my primary meaning in life is to be the best father I can be to my boys. And I do this by being the best human being I can be in the world.

But as for tomorrow...

Time will tell.

About the Author: Written by Andre Best, President, Ultimate Results, Inc. http://www.andrebest.com 'Learn About Life From Another Perspective'

Source: www.isnare.com

Humility

The way of the earth is to empty that which is full, and fill that which is empty. True humility brings great fortune.

What End Result Do You Want?

By Thea Westra

Ever noticed that when you have swags of time to complete a task then it takes much more time to complete it than is necessary?

I'm aware of a similar phenomenon with money. When I have my mortgage or health insurance debited from an account before funds are paid through to me, it's amazing how that amount is not missed and I easily live within the amount that I receive. Yet when provided my total funds available first, how hard it is to pool the amount needed to pay that mortgage and insurance?

The thoughts in my mind and the gift that is my life, are not unlike these two scenarios. When I leave such vacuums in my mind and my life, they will be filled for me. Moment by moment and usually with other people's agendas. My points of focus are then not my own. The distractions that can fill the voids are endless.

The first thing that I work on with clients is "What end result do you want?”

This one question can be such a struggle. In fact, some people never begin working with me because they cannot answer that question - not recognising that a coach will first work with you to crystallise your vision. Often the initial responses given are, what we think that others think that we should want for ourselves. Sometimes the answer is even what ‘we think' that we think we want!

If I can give no authentic response to that question then I must be living from someone else's agenda. It cannot be any other way. My thoughts and activities cannot have been allocated a specific focus if I find myself aimlessly bobbing on the waves.

My mind operates like a filter and also as radar. With all the stimulus coming at me then what is my brain filtering out, and on what is my mind focused?

If I feel that I have fewer options in life and am experiencing overwhelm then I have not got clear with what I really want and my life will be an expression of survival or chaos. When there's no mental image... expect total confusion!

I am much more inspired when firmly grounding my goals in what I want and where I ultimately want to go rather than basing my goals on what I have or what I have done.

The other thing to recognise here, is that there is no right or wrong answer to the question "What end result do you want?". There is also not always a single answer nor multiple answers. That is completely personal.

How do you come about the answers for you? There are a miriad of ways to get access to what touches your heart and what would fulfil your life. It's one of the reasons that I load this e-zine up with so many "triggers" for you.

Working one to one with a coach over a period allows for setting aside time for focused conversation; exploring many avenues and then gradually exposing the desired outcomes that "fit like a glove" for you.

This quote may be a good place to begin your enquiry:

"View life as a series of movie frames, the ending and meaning may not be apparent until the very end of the movie, and yet, each of the hundreds of individual frames has meaning within the context of the whole movie. View your life from your funeral, looking back at your life experiences, what have you accomplished? What would you have wanted to accomplish but didn't? What were the happy moments? What were the sad? What would you do again, and what you wouldn't?" ~Victor Frankl~

About the Author: ©2005 Thea Westra is an international life coach who resides in Perth, Australia. She is editor and publisher of a free, monthly newsletter which you can receive by going to her website http://www.forwardsteps.com.au She also publishes a blog called Triggers http://forwardsteps.blogspot.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Value in the Experience

If we could have everything that lay along our path in advance, we might never set out on our journey. What a loss that would be.

10 Tips For Spiritual Growth

By Remez Sasson

Spiritual growth is the process of inner awakening, and becoming conscious our inner being. It means the rising of the consciousness beyond the ordinary existence, and awakening to some Universal truths. It means going beyond the mind and the ego and realizing who you really are.

Spiritual growth is a process of shedding our wrong and unreal conceptions, thoughts, beliefs and ideas, and becoming more and more conscious and aware of our inner being. This process uncovers the inner spirit that is always present, but hidden beyond the ego-personality.

Spiritual growth is of great importance for everyone, not only for people who seek spiritual enlightenment and choose to live in far away or secluded places. Spiritual growth is the basis for a better and more harmonious life for everyone, a life free of tension, fear and anxiety.

By discovering who we really are we take a different approach to life. We learn not to let outer circumstances influence our inner being and state of mind. We manifest composure and detachment, and we develop inner power and strength, all of which are very useful and important tools.

Spiritual growth is not a means for escaping from responsibilities, behaving strangely and becoming an impractical person. It is a method of growing and becoming a stronger, happier and more responsible person.

You can walk on the path of spiritual growth, and at the same time live the same kind of life as everyone else. You do not have to live a secluded life in some far away place. You can raise a family, work or run a business, and yet at the same time engage in practices that lead to inner growth.

A balanced life requires that we take care not only of the necessities of the body, feelings and mind, but also of the spirit, and this is the role of spiritual growth.

10 tips for spiritual growth:

1. Read spiritual and uplifting books. Think about what you read, and find out how you can use the information in your life.

2. Meditate for at least 15 minutes every day. If you do not know how to meditate, it is easy to find books, websites or teachers who can teach you meditation.

3. Learn to make your mind quiet through concentration exercises and meditation.

4. Acknowledge the fact that you are a spirit with a physical body, not a physical body with a spirit. If you can really accept this idea, it will change your attitude towards many things in your life.

5. Look often into yourself and into your mind, and try to find out what is it that makes you feel conscious and alive.

6. Think positive. If you find yourself thinking negatively, immediately switch to thinking positively. Be in control of what enters your mind. Open the door for the positive and close it for the negative.

7. Develop the happiness habit, by always looking at the bright side of life and endeavoring to be happy. Happiness comes from within. Do not let your outer circumstances decide your happiness for you.

8. Exercise often your will power and decision making ability. This strengthens you and gives you control over your mind.

9. Thank the Universe for everything that you get.

10. Develop tolerance, patience, tact and consideration for others.

Spiritual growth is the birthright of everyone. It is the key to a life of happiness and peace of mind, and the manifesting the enormous power of the inner spirit. This spirit is equally present within the most material person, and within the most spiritual person. The level of the manifestation of spirituality is dependent on how much the inner spirit is close to the surface, and on how much it is covered and hidden, by thoughts, beliefs and negative habits.

About the Author: Remez Sasson teaches and writes about positive thinking, creative visualization, success, motivation, mind power, self-improvement, inner power and strength, peace of mind, spiritual growth and meditation. He is the author of several books about the above subjects, and the publisher of the ezine "Consciousness and Success". Visit his website, Success Consciousness, and find articles, advice, guidance, ebooks and quotes! Website: http://www.SuccessConsciousness.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Direction

You don't have to go forward, you can go sideways or upward, just don't go backward.

Are You Lost Or Are You Found?

By Debbie Friedman

It was one of those nights where the clock wasn't in sync with my schedule. As I was finishing getting ready to go out for the evening, the clock was telling me I should already be there. Maybe you've experienced them - those time warps where great chunks disappear and no one lets you in on the secret until it's too late.

So, I started out late and traffic was heavy. I was confident heading to downtown Los Angeles. After all, this IS my city and I'm at home here.

As I took my exit and tried to get to The Standard to celebrate my magnificent friend Elsa, I ran into one obstacle after another. All kinds of roads were barricaded and blocked. I didn't realize the city was set up for the Marathon the next day and, frankly, at that point I didn't care. After several failed attempts, I felt lost even though I could see the neon lights of the restaurant shining bright. Friendly traffic people were out waving me on to go in directions I didn't want to go. I have to be honest here and admit that I waved back at a few of them with a gesture that I haven't used in years.

I was confused and lost, feeling blocked from my destination. It was right there and I knew it, but the traffic gods weren't on my side this night and I was about to give up and go home.

So close and, yet, so far away.

Now, the truth is that I persisted and was guided to the party that night. But as I looked back on this experience, I was amused to see that it was a great metaphor for life.

Sometimes we get lost and confused. We know we're REALLY close to our destination or goal. We can feel it, see it, taste it. We're excited about it and yet, for whatever reasons, our way seems to be blocked and we feel we are being forced to take endless detours.

The simple truth is that sometimes we need to ask for and be willing to receive help. Sometimes we need to be willing to be guided and shown the way. Sometimes we need to be open to the idea that there is a different, better way for us to receive our great good. Sometimes we need to remember to stay teachable.

Our goal, our destination, our success IS right there waiting for us. Though we may be confused, we are never really lost. We just may need to take a deep breath and be willing to go a different way than we had originally planned.

Delay is not denial. Barricades are not impenetrable barriers. We just need to open our eyes to see things from a different perspective, to seek the solution instead of focusing on the problem. We need to have people around us who have been where we're going and are willing to show us the way.

Sometimes on the road of life we become frustrated, angry, and confused. We may be ready to give up on our dreams and just turn back to the familiar. In those moments we are almost blinded by the haze of illusion that blocks us from seeing the truth.

We can always make a different choice. When we're on the road of life and are about to give up, that's the precise moment when we may need to take a deep breath, relax, and ask for help or guidance. We can acknowledge that we feel confused, admit when we feel lost, and yet stand firm in the certainty that our perfect path, our ideal solution, will be found. Holding our vision strong, we can then stand in the faith that we are fully supported and that everything we need will be provided. Absolutely everything.

Because while we know what lies behind us, without the courage to move forward we will never know the miracles and the magic that lies ahead.

Don't leave before the miracles happen. YOU deserve them!!!

About the Author: Debbie Friedman, M.S., C.Ht., is the Manifesting Maven who helps people consciously create the life they love to live. She is the creator of the popular Cleaning Out the Closet of Your Mind for Wealth series. http://www.CleaningOutTheCloset.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Good Samaritan

Don't be so intent upon your own journey that you forget to stop and help others along the way.

The High Cost Of Living Unconciously

By Debbie Friedman

Have you ever heard of the term “Highway Hypnosis”? It’s a term that’s been coined for what goes on in major metropolitan areas every day. Your conscious mind becomes overloaded by information from your body, environment, subconscious mind, and conscious mind, so that your subconscious mind takes over and moves into the driver’s seat.

We all know the high cost of driving unconsciously. You can slam into someone’s car and not know how you got there.

Here’s the real question, though: What’s the cost of being unconscious on the highway of your life? Are you bumping into obstacles that you don’t need to bump into? Could you be navigating a much more effective path? Are you tuned out to the road signs that could make your life a smoother journey?

When your subconscious mind slides into the drivers seat of your life, what goes on? Is your mind full of negative self talk, thoughts of worry and doubts, fears that you’re not good enough or that it’s not going to work out, and conversations you could or should have had with people days before? Are you working yourself into a state of stress and fear based on old beliefs and programming?

The truth is that 90% of what you think, say, and do is based on the subconscious mind and the information it has stored. If you aren’t conscious, you slip back into letting your subconscious mind take over and much of that is based on old beliefs, ideas, experiences, programming and limitations from the past.

That’s what happens in life and it can hold you back from success. And the cost of this is high, often times painful, sometimes leading to a life of quiet desperation or death.

Cleaning out the closet of your mind to eliminate limiting beliefs is a powerful step towards ending this cycle. We all know that your thoughts lead to your emotions, which lead to your actions, and lead to the results that you see in your life.

To avoid the high cost of living unconsciously, the key is to become conscious in your daily life so that you can choose the thoughts that will lead you to the destiny of your dreams. By consciously choosing to create new thought habits that are filled with powerful, positive beliefs, your highway of life becomes a smooth, easy, joyful adventure.

If you become aware that you’re not present in the moment, that your mind has drifted, that there is a high cost of living unconsciously that you are no longer willing to pay, and sense that your subconscious may be in the driver’s seat of your life, here are five practical steps you can use:

1. Create a fist with one of your hands and “count yourself out” by extending one finger at a time as you say “1-2-3-4-5, eyes open, wide awake!” Repeat this until you are in the present moment and consciously aware. If you’re driving, be sure to keep one hand on the wheel at all times.

2. Pay attention to your body, mind, and spirit. If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, take a walk, take a break, take a nap, and give yourself a moment to step off the Stress Express.

3. Be conscious of your surroundings and stay focused on one thing at a time. Be fully present in the moment with whatever is in front of you.

4. Create a dialogue with yourself that is positive and that allows you to anticipate the day ahead, verbally acknowledge and celebrate all that good things that are happening, and express gratitude for everything in your day including the fact that you have the gift of creating your dream.

5. Focus on what is right in your life and your vision of the life you choose to live. Give attention to what’s not working smoothly only long enough to correct your course through your actions, thoughts, or emotions. Learn the lesson, gain the wisdom, and move on.

Then, consciously choose the life you desire. YOU deserve it!!!

About the Author: Debbie Friedman, M.S., C.Ht., is the Manifesting Maven who helps people consciously create the life they love to live. She is the creator of the popular Cleaning Out the Closet of Your Mind for Wealth series. http://www.CleaningOutTheCloset.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Confront Your Unhappiness

Once you are able to confront the things that make you unhappy, they will begin to lose their power.

Creating Magical Moments

By Debbie Friedman

In my life as a biologist, I studied hummingbird behavior. In fact, my master’s thesis was on hummingbirds, and I videotaped and analyzed the data on more than 13,000 feedings! Best yet, my experimental design was so successful that it ended up attracting more than 500 feedings per hour during the peak periods of the study.

I love hummingbirds – their magical movements, their speed, and their sense of humor! (You have to BE with them for a while to catch on to that one, I think.) In the last few weeks there’s been a lot of hummingbirds as the migratory visitors are in to breed, and I had the chance to watch them often from the balcony area where I meditate. I began to miss them, remembering how fun and exciting it was to watch them up close. So I took action.

I put out two feeders with my special recipe (the secret is at the end of this article) and they began to come in droves, fighting, playing, what I think of as “singing”, and generally just amusing me as I watched. When I was doing my thesis research, they used to dive down and play with my hair or even peck on my red toenail polish. So far, several of them have been coming to “visit” by hovering about six inches from my face to check me out.

It’s been fun, it’s been delightful, it’s been downright entertaining. In fact, it’s been magical watching all the birds that have been drawn to my home. (Don’t even get me started on the Hooded Orioles!). It’s taken me back to a time that was magical and playful.

I realized the importance of remembering what has given us joy in the past and finding ways to relish the simple pleasures in our daily life. So often, we may pass up the opportunity to create good feelings for ourselves and others because we get caught up in the busyness of life and living.

So my question to you is this: Is there something you would enjoy doing that you have been putting off?

Better yet, ask yourself this: What is one thing I can do TODAY to feel good and create joy in the world for myself or others?

It may be simple. It may be inexpensive. It doesn’t have to take a great deal of time. But it can create magical moments and an incredible feeling of joy inside you that will move through your life to attract even more.

We know that what we focus on expands, and when we create excitement, fun, laughter, and delight we are sure to experience even more. Most of us have gotten pretty good at doing the “have to’s” in life, but some of us have forgotten the importance of the “love to’s” as well.

Give yourself the gift, starting today, to open yourself up to the childlike joys of being alive! Give yourself the gift of magical moments! Allow yourself to experience the feelings of joy, laughter, play, and ecstatic excitement! As you do, you will be creating an irresistible energy field that will naturally attract to you incredibly wonderful moments that will delight you!

We are here to enjoy this amazing playground of life in a way that is full and fulfilled with all of our heart’s desires. Life is meant to be magical, to excite and delight us! There is a limitless supply for us all if we only open ourselves to receive.

Begin to take actions today that will bring more love, joy, laughter, freedom, and just “feeling great” into your life. The pay off will be tremendous as you experience more of the magic in your life, knowing that you can create it at any moment.

And remember, YOU deserve it!

About the Author: Debbie Friedman, M.S., C.Ht., is the Manifesting Maven who helps people consciously create the life they love to live. She is the creator of the popular Cleaning Out the Closet of Your Mind for Wealth series. http://www.CleaningOutTheCloset.com.

Source: www.isnare.com

Mental Spring Cleaning

On your journey in life, find a handful of things about yourself that you are happy with, and keep them. Find a handful of things about yourself that you are unhappy with, and throw them away.

Positive Thinking And Paradigms

By Grant Pasay

Positive thinking is a conscious, deliberate action.

For example, positive thinking might look like this: Max decides that every morning he will say to himself, "Every day in every way, I am getting better and better."

In contrast, paradigms are unconscious, automatic thought structures.

For example, Max might have a paradigm that covertly informs him that everything is getting worse and worse, literally falling apart due to the law of entropy that tells us things are getting increasingly chaotic all on their own.

As you can see from the examples above, Max's positive thinking ("getting better and better") is in direct contrast with his paradigm ("getting worse and worse").

What I'm hoping Max understands is that his positive thinking won't achieve its conscious, deliberate goal as long as there's a deeper, unconscious paradigm that stands in opposition.

Let's look at a more detailed example:

Max has always gotten by financially, but he's also always wanted more. Finally growing tired of not having as much cash as he'd like, he deliberately and consciously decides to think the following positive thought: "I am rich."

But Max grew up hearing that rich people are snobs, and that information turned itself into an unconscious paradigm. As a result, whenever Max thinks "I am rich," his unconscious paradigm says, "I hear you, Max, but I also know you don't want to be a snob. So, let's not get rich." And he doesn't. This "hidden" paradigm also explains why he's never gotten rich before this point either -- being rich just doesn't mesh with his money paradigm.

Then positive thinking doesn't work? No. Positive thinking does work.

But when it appears as though positive thinking isn't working, that's the time for Max to see if there isn't an opposing paradigm lurking about in his unconscious. And if he doesn't find any unconscious paradigms right away, no worries, because the positive thinking will help him flush them out, and here's how.

As long as Max chooses positive thoughts that oppose one of his paradigms, he'll feel discomfort. This is understandable, seeing as he has two mutually exclusive messages inside him at the same time. Now, the positive thinking might not appear to be working the magic Max is looking for, but that's because it's first job is to expose and/or weaken any opposing paradigms in its way.

As long as Max keeps up the positive thinking ("I am rich"), his paradigm will resist ("You don't want to be a snob, Max"). As long as his paradigm resists, he'll feel discomfort. It isn't an easy thing to keep doing, but if Max plugs away, and pays attention, he'll eventually see the underlying paradigm that's standing in his way.

He'll remember something his parents told him about rich people being snobs, or a movie he saw where the rich people were snobs. He'll remember promising himself he'd never be like that. Something will leak up from deep down inside, and suddenly his unconscious, automatic paradigm will become exposed -- and vulnerable.

For once we're aware of our paradigms (once we're conscious of them), they can be replaced by -- you guessed it, Max -- the positive thinking.

Sometimes the paradigms instantly and permanently dissolve the moment they move from the unconscious to the conscious. Sometimes it takes years of positive thinking to replace the old thoughts with the new.

Either way, once Max's unconscious, automatic paradigms are exposed by the light of conscious awareness, it's a whole new ball game. And that's when the power of positive thinking really becomes visible.

The things for Max to remember, then, are these:

** If positive thinking doesn't seem to be doing anything, he probably has an unconscious, automatic paradigm that's opposing his positive thoughts.

** If Max has an opposing paradigm, he should keep up the positive thinking while paying attention, knowing it will weaken and/or expose the opposing paradigm, bringing it up from the unconscious.

** Once the paradigm is exposed, it will be far easier (if not effortless) to replace the old paradigm with a new paradigm that is in harmony with the positive thinking.

** And then, well, look out Max!

Copyright (c) Grant Pasay 2005. All rights reserved.

About the Author: Grant Pasay is a writer, musician, moviemaker, and author of the new eBook, "The Internet Is Like A Refrigerator: And Other Weird Comparisons That Make it Easy to Understand Everything From AOL to Zip Files." Check out Grant at: http://grantpasay.com/ Check out Grant's free/brandable ebook at: http://grantpasay.com/refrigerator/

Source: www.isnare.com

The Journey

Understand that the journey is as important as the destination. Enjoy every moment, and live life fully.

6 Ways To Lead The Best Life You Possibly Can

By Dan Preston

For most of us our daily lives seem to repeat day after day with little or no noticeable change. In the morning you get up, commute to work, come home, go to sleep exhausted and then start the whole process over again the next day.

The only thing really happening is we're all getting older.

While preoccupied with our daily routines, we sometimes fall into a trap where we really don’t care or realize that there is a world full of excitement just waiting to be discovered.

It is now time to change your outlook and pull yourself out of the daily rut called life...

1) Face Your Fears – There are not many people in this world that like to do things outside of their comfort zone.

Whether it be a fear of pain, fear of failure or whatever it may be, in order to grow as a person we all need to step out of that comfort zone and push ourselves to do more so we can become more as an individual.

2) Treat Others As You Would Like To Be Treated – This is such an old saying that has been repeated time and time again, but unfortunately its one that is not practiced often enough. Far too often we lash out at others because something is not happening in our favor or we let greed get the best of us.

So the next time you're about to let off steam or do something you know is wrong, try to pause for a second and just think how you would feel if someone were about to do the same to you. It is hoped that you will see more clearly and choose a more compassionate approach when dealing with problems.

3) Don’t Blame Others For Where You Are In Life – As hard as it may be to accept, everyone is where they are in life because of the decisions they make from day to day. It is far too easy to put the blame on others for our troubles and misfortunes when in fact we are in certain predicaments because we have allowed ourselves to be pulled into them in the first place.

The next time you're looking to pin the blame on someone else for the troubles you are having, try and be constructive in your thoughts to overcome the obstacle in front of you and accept the situation at hand as a learning experience.

4) Look For And Bring Out The Good In People – When involved with people in our daily lives it is way too easy to pick out a persons faults or wrong doings which in turn always seem to overshadow the good.

The next time your dealing with someone that you really just don’t care too strongly about and for whatever reason it may be, try changing your attitude to a positive one and attempt to shift the mood by being kind and courteous to them in hopes they will see their faults and in turn give you the same respect that you deserve.

5) Be A Giver – A person’s greatness is measured by what they do or give to other people in need, while not expecting anything in return.

No matter if you just give your time, knowledge, or a helping hand, the gratification of knowing you did a good deed should be reward enough for someone who is a true giver.

6) View Life As A Giant Classroom – Everyday you wake up treat it as if it were your last chance to learn about the things you want to know about.

View the people you work or interact with as your classmates and no matter how little it may seem, all have some kind of life lesson you can use to develop into the person you want to be.

About the Author: As a firm believer that people should grasp every opportunity to learn, Dan Preston has been running a digital book store called "The Online Book Store" for over 3 years that offers a wide variety of how-to books to help answer all your need to know questions. To visit his site just click the link http://online-book-store.net

Source: www.isnare.com

Prosperity

Prosperity is not in what you have attained, but rather in what you give away... For it is only when you become empty that you can be filled with something greater.

Changing The Way You Act... to Change The Way You Feel

By Dan Preston

No matter how big or small throughout our lives we are faced with various situations that require us to make decisions on how to react.

Not only can our decisions affect the people around us, but how we react and view the obstacles we face day to day can greatly influence how good we feel about ourselves.

Its time to stomp your foot and decide from now on that you will try to only focus on the good and divert your attention from the bad.

1) Influence By Others – If you allow yourself to be negatively criticized or believe the bad things people may say about you, then you have allowed yourself to become controlled by what they think.

If you’re on the receiving end of some flak or are the subject matter of some gossip, just remember that no matter what anybody says, you are special in many ways that they are unable to comprehend.

2) Think Success – By altering your thinking into believing in your self and that you will be successful is what you need to do before a change for the better can occur.

3) Move Outside Your Comfort Zone – The only way you will excel in life is by going beyond your normal routines and by reaching for your goals.

By striving for and obtaining the goals you have set, you will feel good about yourself, will have grown, and will feel the need to accomplish bigger and better things in life.

4) Laugh - Take time out of your daily schedule to read something funny, view a funny movie, or spend a night out with some friends. By laughing you are actually doing something healthy and positive, which can be a great way to relieve stress also.

5) Don’t Fear Failure – Take pride in what you do and be sure to put forth the best attempt you can.

No matter who you are we all fail at some point. If you look at each failure as a learning experience then the fear of failure should never be a concern.

Also by facing your fears you will soon learn that there really is no need to fear anything whatsoever.

6) Help Others – One of the best ways to lift your spirits and feel good is by helping those in need. No matter how big or small we’ve all needed help at one time or another and as good as it feels to receive help, by giving back the favor you will experience a feeling of goodness about a deed well done.

7) Be Grateful – Whether talking about family, friends, food, shelter or health, no matter where you are in life you have things to be grateful for.

Keep from looking at the things you don’t or wish you did have, but look at the things that you do have instead and be thankful for those things.

8) Don’t Be Negative – Dwelling on negative things only brings more negativity into your life.

We all possess the strength to change our attitude from negative to positive and by doing so you will be a much happier person.

About the Author: Dan Preston has been in the digital book business for over 3 years and has enjoyed every moment of it. His website "The Online Book Store" offers a variety of digital books big enough to answer almost anyone's how-to questions. Visit his site at http://online-book-store.net

Source: www.isnare.com

Patience

Walk too fast or be too impatient and you will miss much.

Creative Thinking - A Different Way To Think

By Terje Ellingsen

Since we started at school and evolved up the levels and grades, we have been familiar with a certain way of thinking. This way of thinking is called “critical” thinking and it emphasizes the skills of analysis rather than creative thinking and creative problem solving. Our formal education systems are using teaching models that are focused on how to understand claims, follow logical arguments, figure out the answer, eliminate the incorrect paths and finally finding the correct ones.

There is however, another type of thinking, which is much more focused on exploring ideas, which has the possibility of searching for and generating several great answers rather than just one. This is the creative way of thinking. Both of these ways of thinking are crucial to a successful career or working life, relationship issues and self improvement. The strange thing is that the latter tends to be ignored and neglected in the education system; the system that should prepare us for the real life.

What distinguises the Creative way of thinking from the critical way?

While the critical way of thinking...

- is analytic by nature
- aims to provide you 'the answer'
- is convergent, fact or standard oriented
- is stricktly focused
- is validated by judgment
- belongs to the left side of the brain
- consists of a line of deductions
- has an objective nature
- empazises probability - which can be quantified
- is based upon reasoning
- is verbal

the creative way of thinking ...

- is more generative; it's purpose is to generate new answers for already known problems.
- is aimed to give you one or more possible answers among a set
- is divergent, which is the opposite of the former
- is more diffused
- only functions when judgment is suspended
- belongs to the right side of the brain
- is more associative which means it can make ideas by associating other ideas
- is much more subjective
- is more focused on what is possible whether it can be quantified or not.
- is based upon richness and novelty
- is visual

When we try to solve problems, both ways of thinking are required. The process of problem solving utilizes an alternation between the creative and critical way of thinking. - they operate together. Another good thing about our fantastic brains are that we don't have to think too hard about when to use which method – the brain takes care of it automatically.

About the Author: Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and Sociologist who runs
http://www.1st-self-improvement.net/.
He writes about self help issues like self confidence, see
http://www.1st-self-improvement.net/self_esteem_improvement.htm
and career issues , see
http://www.1st-self-improvement.net/take_command_of_your_career.htm.

Source: www.isnare.com

Power of Music

Let a happy song find a path through your sad heart.

Breaking Through Uncertainty - Welcoming Adversity

By Jim McCormick

We all question our ability at times. Uncertainty plagues us. It is even more intense if the ability we are questioning relates to something we have never tried or not succeeded at in the past.

Set backs are common, but we rarely welcome them. We are inclined to respond negatively to adversity. It may be time to revisit that reflexive response.

I had an experience recently that caused me to reconsider whether a negative response to adversity is always justified when I was confronted with a life-threatening situation.

It was mid-morning on a warm and pleasant Saturday. I was in the midst of my first skydive of the day. It was my 2,123th jump since having taken up the sport fifteen years ago.

After about one minute of freefall and 5,000 above the ground, I parted ways with my fellow jumpers to get far enough away from them to open my parachute safely. I initiated opening around 3,000 feet above the earth.

My parachute opened with some twists in the lines between the parachute and me. This is not that uncommon. What was different this time was that I was not able to clear the twists.

The twists in the lines caused my parachute to take on an asymmetrical shape. Receiving asymmetrical inputs, the canopy did what it is designed to do and initiated a turn -- that's how it's steered. The problem occurred when the turn quickly became a rapid, diving downward spiral that was spinning me a full 360 degrees about once every second. This was a problem.

I looked up to assess my canopy and saw something I don't often see - the horizon clearly visible ABOVE the trailing edge of my canopy. This meant my canopy and I were now on roughly the same horizontal plane. In that I could see the horizon behind it, I was actually above my parachute and it was leading our fast spinning parade rapidly towards mother earth.

My first need was to acknowledge that I was not going to be able to solve this problem. This is not as easy as it seems. Having successfully completed over 2,100 jumps without having to resort to my second parachute, it was hard for me to believe I had really encountered a problem I could not solve. I had a natural inclination to assume I could fix this problem as I had all those in the past.

Sound familiar? It's always easy to lapse into denial when confronted with a problem. Until we acknowledge the problem and our possible inability to solve it - or to use the methods we have used in the past - we don't have a chance of making things better.

Fortunately, the urgency of this situation caused my hard-headed nature to yield much quicker than usual. That decision probably took a second or two.

The next step, having accepted the need to follow a different course than in the past, was to determine the course. Fortunately fifteen years of training and practice before every day of jumping took hold.

I looked straight down at the two handles on either side of my chest - one to release me from my malfunctioning canopy and one for deploying my reserve parachute - and realized I needed to quickly get them in my hands. I could not help but notice when I made eye contact with them, as had been ingrained in me during my First Jump Course way back in 1988, that by now the rapid spins had turned me back to earth and there beyond my toes was once again the horizon. This was bad!

Time was of the essence at this point not only because I was now rapidly progressing toward the horse pasture below me, but also because the centrifugal force I was starting to experience would soon make it impossible to get my hands to those two handles.

With my hands now securely on the handles, I was confronted with a bothersome question, "Now, which one goes first." The wrong order could cause my reserve parachute to deploy into my spinning main parachute which would result in an incurable entanglement.

Fortunately, ingrained training once again took over and I pulled them in the right order. First the handle on the right side which released me from my spinning main parachute followed by the handle on the left side to deploy my reserve parachute.

This brought on a wonderful experience. My malfunctioning black, teal and magenta canopy was replaced with a bright, yellow never before used reserve parachute. What a lovely sight! And all this by 1,700 feet - plenty of time to spare.

Many years ago, I read a book about the challenges and responsibilities of Secret Service agents. One of the sad aspects of that profession is that agents who never have the chance to validate their years of training by responding to a threat sometimes struggle severely in retirement. They are faced with not knowing - with certainty - how they would respond when faced with the paramount challenge their career can deliver. For this reason, agents who have faced such a challenge successfully are admired within the culture of the Service.

That Saturday morning, I had the privilege of facing a similar, life-threatening and I now realize life-defining challenge. I faced what Secret Service agents call "the dragon."

For all of us the greater dragon is not the external threat, whether it be an assassin's bullet, the unforgiving and fast approaching earth or another challenge. The real dragon is the self-doubt we carry within us.

For those few splendid moments after landing safely, I was able to put my foot firmly on the neck of the dragon ... and it felt great.

Keep this in mind the next time you are confronted with adversity. On the far side of the experiences the adversity presents, there could be a valuble gift - a renewed confidence and certainty.

(c) 2005, Jim McCormick

Permission to publish or post this article is granted provided copyright is attributed to Jim McCormick and the above information about the author is included in its entirety.

About the Author: Jim McCormick draws on his engineering degree, MBA and experience as a Chief Operating Officer of an international design firm to help organizations improve performance. He is co-author of Motivational Selling, editor of 365 Daily Doses of Courage and author of the forthcoming book Seize Opportunity - A Practical Guide to Taking Advantage of Opportunities. Jim can be reached at http://www.TakeRisks.com or 970.577.8700.

Source: www.isnare.com

Lighten Your Load

Regrets and recriminations are too heavy a load to bear.

Have You Given Up On Yourself?

By Graham and Julie

Have you given up on yourself? Have you decided to take the easy road and coast for the rest of your life? Have you come to the decision that you have done all you could possibly be expected to do in your life now it is someone else’s turn? As you get older you may not be able to run as fast, swim as far, hit the ball as hard or even concentrate as long as you used to but is that the reason to give up? Surely your aim should be to be the best you can at whatever age you
are.

“Navratilova wants to be as good a player as she can possibly be at the age of 47, just as she wanted to be the best she could possibly be at 19, at 25, at 35”. (Nick Pitt).

Whether you are like Navratilova and still working or retired and hitting a golf ball around or focussed on the garden or the grand children, nothing is stopping you from being the best you can.

Dennis has been retired for about eighteen years and still hankers back to the old days when he was….. and capable of doing……. Although he is an avid gardener he continually gripes about the length of time things take and ‘when I was younger’. The result has been a gradual, deterioration of his health over the recent past and since his wife died, about five years ago, the world has owed him a living and he appears to have got angrier and angrier with the world and people around him.

Michael, on the other hand, also retired about eighteen years ago and took the opportunity to improve his golf. When his wife died about seven years ago, after a period of mourning and self reflection, he made the conscious decision that he had to get on with his life and decided to do two things. Firstly, he decided to continue with his golf and make an effort to play at least twice a week and be the best he could. This, in his terms, means not to let anyone down and do his best in every competition.

Secondly, Michael decided that there were a lot of places in the world that he would like to visit before he died and he set about visiting Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Canada, and many other countries with the result that he is totally unaware of and unrestricted by, his age. He is good company and always willing to enter into a conversation about the present and what is going on in his life.

Last year he severely damaged his knee playing golf and had to undergo emergency surgery which resulted in many hours of physiotherapy and six months plus in the lounge chair. ’Confined to barracks’s’ is how Michael described it. But he took it all in his stride putting the same endeavour into getting well as he put into the other areas of his life.

As both these men are members of our family it never ceases to amaze us how different these two characters are. They both had similar life experiences but when you compare and reflect on their current situation there is one thing that stands out. Michael is determined to be the best he can be at 83, just as he wanted to be the best he could be at 40, 50 and 60. He rarely, if ever, talks about the past. He always focuses on what’s happening now. He has not given up on himself.

Just to show you how amazing the human mind is:

The following text gives a good insight into the way your mind works. It may appear a bit difficult at first but please stick with it. Don’t give up on yourself.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was raednig!

THE PAOMNNEHAL PWEOR OF THE HMUAN MNID Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh? (Unfortunately we do not have the originating site.)

Your mind does have phenomenal power. If you start with the thought; to be the best you can possibly be and continually follow it with sincere action you may get a bit jumbled up from time to time but it will always see you through. There may be some unintended consequences but to have an enjoyable and rewarding life the aim must always be; to get the best out of yourself.

The point is don’t give up on yourself. Be the best you can now, at whatever age you are.

Good Luck

Graham and Julie

http://www.desktop-meditation.com/

About The Author

To see more of our work please go to:

http://www.desktop-meditation.com/

graham@desktop-meditation.com

source: ArticleCity.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Learning

Never think that you have finished learning.

What is Your Recovery Rate?

By Graham and Julie

What is your recovery rate? How long does it take you to recover from actions and behaviours that upset you? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? How long? The longer it takes you to recover the more influence that incident has on your actions, the less able you are to perform to your personal best. In a nutshell the longer it takes you to recover the weaker you are and the poorer your performance.

Just ask yourself:

How many times have I got upset with my spouse or partner for something the children did hours ago?

How many times have I missed an opportunity because I was still focussed on an upset and all I could say was ‘NO’ to everything?

How many times have I driven my car erratically because I was still thinking of an incident that made me angry?

The point is: a poor recovery rate affects your health. A poor recovery rate affects your well being. A poor recovery rate stops you from living to your potential.

You are well aware that you need to exercise to keep the body fit and, no doubt, accept that a reasonable measure of health is the speed in which your heart and respiratory system recovers after exercise. Likewise the faster you let go of an issue that upsets you, the faster you return to an equilibrium the healthier you will be. The best example of this behaviour is found with professional sportspeople. They know that the faster they can forget an incident or missed opportunity and get on with the game the better their performance. In fact, most measure the time it takes them to overcome and forget an incident in a game and most reckon a recovery rate of 30 seconds is too long!

How long does it take you to recover and overcome and forget and incident at work or at home?

A method that I and many others use to help us reduce the recovery time is the method of the FULL STOP.

Imagine yourself to be an actor in a play on the stage. Your aim is to play your part to the best of your ability. You have been given a script and at the end of each sentence is a full stop. Each time you get to the end of the sentence you start a new one and although the next sentence is related to the last it is not affected by it. Your job is to deliver each sentence to the best of your ability. Now think about your life. Imagine life is no more than a play, a drama and we each have a role to play in that drama. Your job is to play your part to the best of your ability and the better you play your part the more chance that you will inspire others around you to improve their performance. Each incident you face is a new sentence. Just put a full stop behind it and start again. Accept that every time you meet someone or have a conversation with a person on the telephone or even send an email it is a new incident. You have both moved on since you last met, so remembering the last occasion only keeps you in the past and stops you moving forward. Stops you seeing new opportunities. The next time you see the person that upset you, or you upset, is a new occasion there is nothing to be gained by continuing from where you left off. The incident has finished. You are both in a different place now. It is a new sentence so start again.

My grandmother used to call it destiny. “Accept what has happened as part of your destiny and live with it”, was a favourite phrase of hers. You cannot change what has happened. Sulking or Brooding will not help. Analysing will only give you a headache and keep it fresh in your mind. In the same way that you cannot enter the same river twice, you will never face the exact same incident again so why analyse that one? You can however notice whether you have a habit or thought pattern that clicks in in certain circumstances and stops you performing to your best. You can then look at the habit and decide how you can change it.

The secret to a better life is be like the sportsperson, ask yourself:

Did I recover quicker today than I did yesterday?

Did I recover quicker this time than the last occasion I faced a similar incident?

Did I allow myself to be average today?

Did I equal or improve on my personal best today?

Don’t live your life in the past! Learn to live in the present, to overcome the past. Stop the past from influencing your daily life. Don’t allow thoughts of the past to reduce your personal best. Stop the past from interfering with your life. Learn to recover quickly.

What we are suggesting is not an easy path. To work on your recovery rate and make changes in your thoughts, behaviour and attitudes requires a great deal of effort. However, the rewards are also great. It is important that you don’t force yourself to work on your recovery rate because you think you ought to or must or because you feel it will ‘make you a better person’. There's no benefit in that because you will not stick to the task. You will make a great deal of effort at the beginning but when you are not achieving the results you want you will stop or look for another technique. Only when you really feel you want to change . When you realise life is not working for you at the moment using the methods you are using will you put in the effort to change your behaviour to improve your recovery rate. You can only improve your recovery rate when you can see that there is great benefit for the self.

Once you decide you wish to improve your recovery rate, you will start to check and change your thoughts and behaviour and make effort to perform to your personal best. You can check your progress by measuring the speed in which you are able to apply a full stop. The time it takes you to let go. The time it takes before you are functioning at or near your personal best again.

Check yourself:

What was my recovery rate after the argument with my partner?

What was my recovery rate after I lost a sale?

What was my recovery rate after I received a ticket for speeding?

What was my recovery rate after I heard a friend was ill?

What was my recovery rate after I got frustrated with myself over………?

But remember; Rome wasn’t built in a day. Reflect on your recovery rate each day. Every day before you go to bed, look at your progress. Don’t lie in bed saying to yourself, ‘I did that wrong’. ‘I should have done better there’. No. Look at your day and note when you made an effort to place a full stop after an incident. This is a success. You are taking control of your life. Remember this is a step by step process. This is not a make-over. You are undertaking real change here.

Your aim: reduce the time spent in recovery.

The way forward?

Live in the present. Not in the precedent.

Graham and Julie

www.desktop-meditation.com

Source: www.isnare.com