Author : Tara Deck
1 Samuel 16:7"...The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."While I was recently on a technology imposed computer vacation, I evaluated many things about myself. I truly think this is important for every Christian to do often. The world has a tendency to affect every portion of our thoughts and actions if we don't keep them in check and in line with what the Lord wants for us. One of the things I evaluated was my own character. What exactly is character? Character is defined basically as a destinguishing mark or impression. So if you apply that to yourself, what kind of mark do you leave behind? That my friend is your character.The greatest understanding of character comes from the bible. The first occurrence I found was in Genesis. The first two humans on earth had only one promise to keep and they messed it up. Not only did they mess up, they lied about it and then blamed each other. Although they failed, Adam and Eve spent the rest of their lives trying to make it up. Character is cumulative. You aren't born with character, you die with it, it's something you create over a lifetime of difficult circumstances. All people fall short of the Glory of God and sin. Can you admit that sin? Are you able to accept responsibility for the mistakes that you make or do you place the blame on others? All of these things matter to God; He made that very clear in Genesis and through out the bible.Our characters as Christians are constantly tested. When Moses led God's people out of Egypt the Israelites were constantly tested in order to shape their character. The Desert of Sin was an immense and hostile environment. There was no water and no food, and very little faith in the people even though they had witnessed such greatness as the parting of the Red Sea. They told Moses he should have let them suffer in Egypt rather than die slowly in the desert. As always, God provided for their needs in spite of their doubts and grumblings. If you can't recognize yourself in the Israelites you aren't looking very deep. How many times does God save us just for us to turn around and complain again?It is in the testing that our true characters are defined. In 2 Chronicles, Hezekiah was a man that did "what was good and right and faithful before the Lord" during his lifetime he was struck ill and nearly died. This wasn't punishment, but testing. Sometimes in order for us to see the flaws in our own character, the Lord has to humble even his most faithful servants.I didn't really come to any conclusions about my character except to understand that I am still building it. Every day I live is another opportunity to turn to the Lord with complete faith and trust, even when I don't understand what's going on. One thing I do know is that when my casket is closed, my character will remain on earth as a testimony to my life, whether good or bad. Then, when I face my Lord at the judgment seat I will not be able to prepare a defense against the people that have hurt me or the injustices that I endured but I will be accountable for every way in which I reacted to them. That's definitely something to think about.God Bless and Happy Character Building!Romans 5:3We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.© 2005 SecretAngels.OrgAll works submitted under this copyright may be freely distributed to honor and glorify God.Secret Angels is a non-denominational, private foundation, who's mission is to uplift all women. Through counseling, mentoring and resources this organization hopes to help women become the wives and mothers that this society is so greatly in need of. Their goal is to provide positive mentoring environments and support networks as well as offering many different types of resources and assistance to aid each individual overcome the burdens and strife of modern day life. Secret Angels believes that through their efforts, women will be better able to raise strong, responsible, self-supporting families and positively effect society with greater self-esteem, confidence and faith in God.
Keyword : Christianity, Spirituality, Faith, Trust, Women, Woman, Character, Bible,
วันเสาร์ที่ 9 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2551
The Eyes of the Clown
Author : Maureen Killoran
There are few enough miracles in life, God knows. I think perhaps the circus is one of them. We pay our money, braced for boredom, and are bombarded by noise, bewitched by beauty, awed still one more time by elephants that, yes, are smaller every year. Yet something happens when we enter the big top. If we let it, we will be carried back to hopes and dreams long surrendered: hopes that something wonderful really can happen, dreams that will happen to us, maybe even now.Clowns are the prime miracle-workers in all this. There is a vision in the eyes of clowns that sees the world new-washed in daybreak's dream, the vision of a leaf returned to bud, of pretext gone and darkness only seems. Clowns are pegs on which the circus can be hung, the hooks on which the magic is begun, the eyes of God to find our soul and nudge the people we can be. Clowns tell us -- if we listen -- that something wonderful really can happen, right there, right here, right now.It is easy to forget the clowns -- spots and bangles, rubber nose, feet like ducks, outlandish clothes. It is perhaps more comfortable to miss the clowns, for they mirror ourselves, stripped of pretention, stripped of protection. There with all our naked feelings hanging out. There -- that tear, that laugh, that sigh -- don't hide it, says the clown. Let it come. Let it happen. Let it be.The clown takes the risk first, but leaves the rest of the magic up to us. We can be real, can let others know our pain, our need, our joy, our strength. If we let it, the magic really can happen, right there, right here, right now. And that's the biggest miracle of all, God knows.(c) Maureen Killoran, 2004---------------------------------------------Maureen Killoran, MA, DMin, is a Life Coach and Unitarian minister, with a passion for helping people connect their strengths with their vision. Maureen offers dynamic individual and group coaching, work team empowerment training, teleclasses, and a free monthly e-zine, "Seeds of Change."
There are few enough miracles in life, God knows. I think perhaps the circus is one of them. We pay our money, braced for boredom, and are bombarded by noise, bewitched by beauty, awed still one more time by elephants that, yes, are smaller every year. Yet something happens when we enter the big top. If we let it, we will be carried back to hopes and dreams long surrendered: hopes that something wonderful really can happen, dreams that will happen to us, maybe even now.Clowns are the prime miracle-workers in all this. There is a vision in the eyes of clowns that sees the world new-washed in daybreak's dream, the vision of a leaf returned to bud, of pretext gone and darkness only seems. Clowns are pegs on which the circus can be hung, the hooks on which the magic is begun, the eyes of God to find our soul and nudge the people we can be. Clowns tell us -- if we listen -- that something wonderful really can happen, right there, right here, right now.It is easy to forget the clowns -- spots and bangles, rubber nose, feet like ducks, outlandish clothes. It is perhaps more comfortable to miss the clowns, for they mirror ourselves, stripped of pretention, stripped of protection. There with all our naked feelings hanging out. There -- that tear, that laugh, that sigh -- don't hide it, says the clown. Let it come. Let it happen. Let it be.The clown takes the risk first, but leaves the rest of the magic up to us. We can be real, can let others know our pain, our need, our joy, our strength. If we let it, the magic really can happen, right there, right here, right now. And that's the biggest miracle of all, God knows.(c) Maureen Killoran, 2004---------------------------------------------Maureen Killoran, MA, DMin, is a Life Coach and Unitarian minister, with a passion for helping people connect their strengths with their vision. Maureen offers dynamic individual and group coaching, work team empowerment training, teleclasses, and a free monthly e-zine, "Seeds of Change."
http://www.spiritquestcoaching.com
Keyword : Miracles, clowns, personal growth, risk, being real, self development, change, hope
It's About That Time
Author : Clyde Dennis
As we've reached the half way point of the year I'm thinking this might be a good time to pull up and evaluate things. Look back over the first 6 months, and look ahead to the upcoming days and months. Get some clarity. You know?Ask ourselves some questions. Get some answers. This is also a good time to switch gears. Reach into your reserve tank a little and take the pace of things up a notch. Plan and do some of those things that you've been putting off until later. Well, it's later.I kind of had a recurring set of questions thundering around the cavernous space in my head this past week (hey, no laughing...). You know, just kind of got stuck on them. Couldn't get rid of them until I finally provided me with some answers. The answers helped a lot with clarity. Thought I might share them with you. If you answer them for yourself maybe they'll do the same for you. So here they are.Where do you stand? What do you stand for? What's going to be your legacy 20 years after you're gone? What will the world remember you for? Nothing? Something? What?Kind of goofy I know but knowing the answers to these questions sure helps me cruise through distractions. Helps me to make better, more focused decisions. And besides, we all know the best way to predict the future is to create it. First in our minds then in the realities of our daily life. We all know that right? Thought so.You see, all day everyday you're writing a book. It's called Your Life.Make it worth reading. Make it worth noting. Really make it The Greatest Story Ever Told. REALLY!"It's time you went out and did something great."Rats, is it time to go already? I was just getting warmed up.Today, this week, the rest of the year--- Do More, Be More, Have More.Live some. Love some. Learn some. Everyday.C...Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. "SmoothLee" has been bumping around on the web since 1999 and is a self described "Web Head, and Life long AVID music fan". Smooth Jazz Music in particular. In addition to writing CD Reviews for I Love Smooth Jazz.com he is also the Program Director, and can be heard during his daily radio show which airs on one of the internets most listened to smooth jazz radio stations, Smooth Jazz 24/7
Keyword : time management,self help,personal development,clyde,dennis
As we've reached the half way point of the year I'm thinking this might be a good time to pull up and evaluate things. Look back over the first 6 months, and look ahead to the upcoming days and months. Get some clarity. You know?Ask ourselves some questions. Get some answers. This is also a good time to switch gears. Reach into your reserve tank a little and take the pace of things up a notch. Plan and do some of those things that you've been putting off until later. Well, it's later.I kind of had a recurring set of questions thundering around the cavernous space in my head this past week (hey, no laughing...). You know, just kind of got stuck on them. Couldn't get rid of them until I finally provided me with some answers. The answers helped a lot with clarity. Thought I might share them with you. If you answer them for yourself maybe they'll do the same for you. So here they are.Where do you stand? What do you stand for? What's going to be your legacy 20 years after you're gone? What will the world remember you for? Nothing? Something? What?Kind of goofy I know but knowing the answers to these questions sure helps me cruise through distractions. Helps me to make better, more focused decisions. And besides, we all know the best way to predict the future is to create it. First in our minds then in the realities of our daily life. We all know that right? Thought so.You see, all day everyday you're writing a book. It's called Your Life.Make it worth reading. Make it worth noting. Really make it The Greatest Story Ever Told. REALLY!"It's time you went out and did something great."Rats, is it time to go already? I was just getting warmed up.Today, this week, the rest of the year--- Do More, Be More, Have More.Live some. Love some. Learn some. Everyday.C...Clyde Lee Dennis, a.k.a. "SmoothLee" has been bumping around on the web since 1999 and is a self described "Web Head, and Life long AVID music fan". Smooth Jazz Music in particular. In addition to writing CD Reviews for I Love Smooth Jazz.com he is also the Program Director, and can be heard during his daily radio show which airs on one of the internets most listened to smooth jazz radio stations, Smooth Jazz 24/7
Keyword : time management,self help,personal development,clyde,dennis
Basic Buddhism - Doing What is Right
Author : Stuart Malkin
I find of particular interest in the Eastern Religions many threads that survive in other, later, belief systems. Not only do they survive in textual fact, but they seem to be super relevant to New Age and reformed movements. I speak especially of Right Action, Positive Thought, Positive Action, seeing only Good in all things and all people and believing in a Oneness.And I think that a reason for the solid base of affinity to Eastern beliefs is that they represent a way of life more than they do a religion. I would have to say that Hinduism and Sikhism are exceptions, but I have maintained for years that Buddhism is a way of life and not a religion. Tao means: the way!This is not to say that this thinking is not spiritual, it is, very given to meditation, petitioning and prayer, to the Cosmic, the One, God. But what is absent from much Eastern thought are the dogmas, perversions and threats that are so much a part of some organized religions. Instead, it is free thought, choice, love of beauty and Nature, love of others, respect for humankind and, in my opinion, a monumental hope for the future.Buddhism has but one basic doctrine, which is taught by mostly all of the world's religions: Avoid what is bad, do what is good. And purify the mind. Those who learn Buddhism learn kindness, detachment from the causes of suffering, meditation, relaxation, generosity, courtesy and helpfulness. Those who practice Buddhism are happy people.Far more important than the person of Buddha is the idea of teaching. This is timeless and central to the faith. Buddha was a human being, Siddharta Gautama, who lived and taught the principle of freedom from greed, selfishness and ignorance.Excerpts from a new book, "Looking for a Better World." Read more at:
http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/description.asp?ISBN=0-7414-2134-8Dr. Malkin holds a B.Sc. in Business and a Masters and Ph.D. in Religion. He has made hundreds of visits to schools with a moving and effective motivational presentation, urging teens to do their personal best. His mentorin programs have empowered many, many children. His quest for years has been to teach the power of Right Action, working towards the goal of a better world.
Keyword : Buddhism. Religion, Right Action, Beliefs
I find of particular interest in the Eastern Religions many threads that survive in other, later, belief systems. Not only do they survive in textual fact, but they seem to be super relevant to New Age and reformed movements. I speak especially of Right Action, Positive Thought, Positive Action, seeing only Good in all things and all people and believing in a Oneness.And I think that a reason for the solid base of affinity to Eastern beliefs is that they represent a way of life more than they do a religion. I would have to say that Hinduism and Sikhism are exceptions, but I have maintained for years that Buddhism is a way of life and not a religion. Tao means: the way!This is not to say that this thinking is not spiritual, it is, very given to meditation, petitioning and prayer, to the Cosmic, the One, God. But what is absent from much Eastern thought are the dogmas, perversions and threats that are so much a part of some organized religions. Instead, it is free thought, choice, love of beauty and Nature, love of others, respect for humankind and, in my opinion, a monumental hope for the future.Buddhism has but one basic doctrine, which is taught by mostly all of the world's religions: Avoid what is bad, do what is good. And purify the mind. Those who learn Buddhism learn kindness, detachment from the causes of suffering, meditation, relaxation, generosity, courtesy and helpfulness. Those who practice Buddhism are happy people.Far more important than the person of Buddha is the idea of teaching. This is timeless and central to the faith. Buddha was a human being, Siddharta Gautama, who lived and taught the principle of freedom from greed, selfishness and ignorance.Excerpts from a new book, "Looking for a Better World." Read more at:
http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/description.asp?ISBN=0-7414-2134-8Dr. Malkin holds a B.Sc. in Business and a Masters and Ph.D. in Religion. He has made hundreds of visits to schools with a moving and effective motivational presentation, urging teens to do their personal best. His mentorin programs have empowered many, many children. His quest for years has been to teach the power of Right Action, working towards the goal of a better world.
Keyword : Buddhism. Religion, Right Action, Beliefs
How Do You Read the Bible?
Author : Steve Singleton
Here's a simple parable with an important moral.Each mirror, you see, has inspectors, who,
acting as corporate protectors, must find any scratch, every unseemly patch. They're inferior mirror detectors.The head of this group is Pierre, who trains his formidable stare
on each glass for an hour, and does he turn sour when finding some blemishes there! This man, so well-trained as a peerer, has no practical use for a mirror. His hair's such a tangle, seen from any angle. We wish that his mirror were clearer."Pierre," I repeatedly mention, "Your hair's now a bone of contention. Now, sir, you just hush! I have bought you a brush, and some spray for your hairdo's retention."Do you think that such mild conversation will effect any quick transformation? Not until he observes what is fraying our nerves:
his nightmare-hair irritation.Now we know there's been many a preacher, or a prideful, and self-proclaimed teacher, who's examined God's mirror, and cried, "Could be clearer!" but never saw what kind of creature the mirror to them has reflected. They must face what they never expected: if the glass is looked through, then so clear is the view, that the critics themselves are inspected.As James, the brother of Jesus writes, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does." --James 1:22–25 NIV* * *Copyright ©2006 Steve SingletonSteve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles. He has been an editor, reporter, and public relations consultant. He has taught college-level Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses and has taught seminars in 11 states and the Caribbean.Go to his DeeperStudy.com for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore "The Shallows," plumb "The Depths," or use the well-organized "Study Links" for original sources in English translation. Check out the DeeperStudy Bookstore for great e-books, free books, and great discounts. Subscribe to his free "DeeperStudy Newsletter" or "DeeperStudy Blog."
Keyword : bible,word of god,critic,criticism,critical,transformation,character,repentance,change,evaluation
Here's a simple parable with an important moral.Each mirror, you see, has inspectors, who,
acting as corporate protectors, must find any scratch, every unseemly patch. They're inferior mirror detectors.The head of this group is Pierre, who trains his formidable stare
on each glass for an hour, and does he turn sour when finding some blemishes there! This man, so well-trained as a peerer, has no practical use for a mirror. His hair's such a tangle, seen from any angle. We wish that his mirror were clearer."Pierre," I repeatedly mention, "Your hair's now a bone of contention. Now, sir, you just hush! I have bought you a brush, and some spray for your hairdo's retention."Do you think that such mild conversation will effect any quick transformation? Not until he observes what is fraying our nerves:
his nightmare-hair irritation.Now we know there's been many a preacher, or a prideful, and self-proclaimed teacher, who's examined God's mirror, and cried, "Could be clearer!" but never saw what kind of creature the mirror to them has reflected. They must face what they never expected: if the glass is looked through, then so clear is the view, that the critics themselves are inspected.As James, the brother of Jesus writes, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does." --James 1:22–25 NIV* * *Copyright ©2006 Steve SingletonSteve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles. He has been an editor, reporter, and public relations consultant. He has taught college-level Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses and has taught seminars in 11 states and the Caribbean.Go to his DeeperStudy.com for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore "The Shallows," plumb "The Depths," or use the well-organized "Study Links" for original sources in English translation. Check out the DeeperStudy Bookstore for great e-books, free books, and great discounts. Subscribe to his free "DeeperStudy Newsletter" or "DeeperStudy Blog."
Keyword : bible,word of god,critic,criticism,critical,transformation,character,repentance,change,evaluation
The One Thing You Really Want
Author : Neil Millar
There is one thing you want...My guess is you want it so badly that you crave it - hunger it.And if you got it, your whole life would light up like the sky during a firework display. The thing is you don't actually know you want it - well you do, but you won't know it until you've got it, and until you get it, you'll just notice a great big void in your life. I'll explain.One thing we all love, above almost anything else, is the admiration and appreciation of our parents, partners and peers. To do something and be told, 'well done" or 'I'm proud of you' or 'I respect you for making such a great effort' just means so much. But how do you get it?Easy... give it.Giving what you want often gets you what you want. Below I'm going to retell a story one of my clients told me after a coaching session on giving appreciation."Each in turn, five of us, we all said what we thought, really speaking out from the heart.I looked at my Mum, the person getting all the attention, sitting two seats away from me at the dining table, tears welling up in her eyes and chin quivering slightly.I realised then that it had been too long since she's heard a decent, heart-felt compliment. 'I appreciate the way you put yourself out,' I said. 'I appreciate how you always make me feel welcome,' my fiancée said. 'I appreciate the way you're always there,' my dad said. And then it was the turn of her grandchildren.Her ten year-old Grandson said, 'I appreciate your sandwiches' and her four year-old Granddaughter chirped up. 'I appreciate your hair.'From that day on we decided to have an appreciation session on every birthday, every Father's Day and Mother's Day too. And I have to say these events really have taken on a new and more special meaning.On my birthday I couldn't wait to hear all the nice things people thought of me. And silly as this may sound I'd have rather had their compliments than the presents - though the presents were really nice too! But here is something I've discovered that is really powerful. Compliments are like fairy dust - magic!"What a great story. Sprinkle that fairy dust on your travels and watch the magic in your world. People smile at you, people compliment you back. Some look at you, bewildered: the grumpy cashier at the bank and the family member that might not have compliments gets complimented.About The AuthorNeil Millar is the author of Black Water, the adventure novel with personal growth, and the personal development books Greater Steps to Happiness and Be the Hero in your Own Life. He writes articles each month for Unstoppable Life along with the personal development coach, Jo Ball.Get tips, stories and ideas on achieving what you want in life in a monthly email. It's FREE and you'll even receive a copy of Greater Steps to Happiness in e-book format as a way of saying thank you for joining the subscription list.http://www.unstoppablelife.com
Keyword : appreciation,inspiration,love,kindness,self improvement
There is one thing you want...My guess is you want it so badly that you crave it - hunger it.And if you got it, your whole life would light up like the sky during a firework display. The thing is you don't actually know you want it - well you do, but you won't know it until you've got it, and until you get it, you'll just notice a great big void in your life. I'll explain.One thing we all love, above almost anything else, is the admiration and appreciation of our parents, partners and peers. To do something and be told, 'well done" or 'I'm proud of you' or 'I respect you for making such a great effort' just means so much. But how do you get it?Easy... give it.Giving what you want often gets you what you want. Below I'm going to retell a story one of my clients told me after a coaching session on giving appreciation."Each in turn, five of us, we all said what we thought, really speaking out from the heart.I looked at my Mum, the person getting all the attention, sitting two seats away from me at the dining table, tears welling up in her eyes and chin quivering slightly.I realised then that it had been too long since she's heard a decent, heart-felt compliment. 'I appreciate the way you put yourself out,' I said. 'I appreciate how you always make me feel welcome,' my fiancée said. 'I appreciate the way you're always there,' my dad said. And then it was the turn of her grandchildren.Her ten year-old Grandson said, 'I appreciate your sandwiches' and her four year-old Granddaughter chirped up. 'I appreciate your hair.'From that day on we decided to have an appreciation session on every birthday, every Father's Day and Mother's Day too. And I have to say these events really have taken on a new and more special meaning.On my birthday I couldn't wait to hear all the nice things people thought of me. And silly as this may sound I'd have rather had their compliments than the presents - though the presents were really nice too! But here is something I've discovered that is really powerful. Compliments are like fairy dust - magic!"What a great story. Sprinkle that fairy dust on your travels and watch the magic in your world. People smile at you, people compliment you back. Some look at you, bewildered: the grumpy cashier at the bank and the family member that might not have compliments gets complimented.About The AuthorNeil Millar is the author of Black Water, the adventure novel with personal growth, and the personal development books Greater Steps to Happiness and Be the Hero in your Own Life. He writes articles each month for Unstoppable Life along with the personal development coach, Jo Ball.Get tips, stories and ideas on achieving what you want in life in a monthly email. It's FREE and you'll even receive a copy of Greater Steps to Happiness in e-book format as a way of saying thank you for joining the subscription list.http://www.unstoppablelife.com
Keyword : appreciation,inspiration,love,kindness,self improvement
Your True Talent Will Set You Free
Author : Dave Czach
When you get home from work, do you feel enriched, fulfilled and empowered? Or does it seem like you just finished an uphill battle on a treadmill? Imagine being paid to do what you love. You could return home feeling as though time stood still. Being "in the zone" virtually all day. Coming home invigorated knowing you consistently live a natural high.If this doesn't describe your day, then try the simple method below to reveal your true talent. Once you identify your unique expression, you will be motivated to experience it virtually everyday. You will have a deep burning desire to feed your soul and share it with the world. When you comprehend your purpose, engage it regularly. Perhaps Albert Einstein said it best, "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."Your true, unique talent originates deep within your soul. Your heart is your direct connection to your soul. Therefore, speaking and listening to your heart will surface your true talent. Some people even say it's the reason you were put on this Earth. To experience your true nature with no boundaries and no embarrassment. To express your soul like no one else can. And to enrich other people's lives.You can discover your unique talent in only 4 steps. Here, it's crucial you follow Lord Thomas Dewar's advice, "Minds are like parachutes; they work best when open." Do the following every night for 21 consecutive nights:Place a new piece of blank paper on your night stand.Write "While I sleep tonight, I am connected with my heart and soul. I allow myself to travel with the Ultimate Spirit. I bring back to my consciousness my honest desire, life purpose and grand plan to integrate with our current society to benefit others and myself. I now release the power and intentions of these words. And this is so."Go to bed. Close your eyes. Mentally repeat the same phrase until you fall asleep.During the next 21 days, remain consciously alert for any clues to your answer.Remember, following your intuition is manifesting that first thought that is unencumbered with human influence. In other words, if a desire "pops in your mind" to do something, do it without alteration. Internally ask your heart if it's your answer. If it feels right, may the wind be at your back and propel you to a wonderful journey filled with joy, laughter, love and excitement.In conclusion, when you discover, express and make a living with your true talent, you will live in bliss. You will soar like an eagle with your unique imprint. Life will be as it was meant to be. In short, as Dr. King emotionally said, you will be "Free at last. Free at last. Free at last!"About The AuthorDave Czach is the publisher of the free and insightful email newsletter at http://iWantSelfHelp.com/news.html.This article is Copyright 2003 by Dave Czach.You may distribute this article free of charge anywhere so long as there are absolutely no modifications whatsoever and this Editor's Note section with copyright notice is included.
Keyword : motivation,self improvement,success,inspiration,spiritual
When you get home from work, do you feel enriched, fulfilled and empowered? Or does it seem like you just finished an uphill battle on a treadmill? Imagine being paid to do what you love. You could return home feeling as though time stood still. Being "in the zone" virtually all day. Coming home invigorated knowing you consistently live a natural high.If this doesn't describe your day, then try the simple method below to reveal your true talent. Once you identify your unique expression, you will be motivated to experience it virtually everyday. You will have a deep burning desire to feed your soul and share it with the world. When you comprehend your purpose, engage it regularly. Perhaps Albert Einstein said it best, "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."Your true, unique talent originates deep within your soul. Your heart is your direct connection to your soul. Therefore, speaking and listening to your heart will surface your true talent. Some people even say it's the reason you were put on this Earth. To experience your true nature with no boundaries and no embarrassment. To express your soul like no one else can. And to enrich other people's lives.You can discover your unique talent in only 4 steps. Here, it's crucial you follow Lord Thomas Dewar's advice, "Minds are like parachutes; they work best when open." Do the following every night for 21 consecutive nights:Place a new piece of blank paper on your night stand.Write "While I sleep tonight, I am connected with my heart and soul. I allow myself to travel with the Ultimate Spirit. I bring back to my consciousness my honest desire, life purpose and grand plan to integrate with our current society to benefit others and myself. I now release the power and intentions of these words. And this is so."Go to bed. Close your eyes. Mentally repeat the same phrase until you fall asleep.During the next 21 days, remain consciously alert for any clues to your answer.Remember, following your intuition is manifesting that first thought that is unencumbered with human influence. In other words, if a desire "pops in your mind" to do something, do it without alteration. Internally ask your heart if it's your answer. If it feels right, may the wind be at your back and propel you to a wonderful journey filled with joy, laughter, love and excitement.In conclusion, when you discover, express and make a living with your true talent, you will live in bliss. You will soar like an eagle with your unique imprint. Life will be as it was meant to be. In short, as Dr. King emotionally said, you will be "Free at last. Free at last. Free at last!"About The AuthorDave Czach is the publisher of the free and insightful email newsletter at http://iWantSelfHelp.com/news.html.This article is Copyright 2003 by Dave Czach.You may distribute this article free of charge anywhere so long as there are absolutely no modifications whatsoever and this Editor's Note section with copyright notice is included.
Keyword : motivation,self improvement,success,inspiration,spiritual
Escape into Reality and Find Love
Author : Steve Brunkhorst
The early months of this year brought major challenges, as well as blessings, for many folks. They certainly brought many unique challenges and blessings for me.We live through series of highs and lows. We need the good times, but with them come challenges that teach and build faith.People talk about escaping from reality when times get tough, but how about turning that around? Why not "escape into reality" instead? By escaping into reality, we can begin to see those highs and lows for what they are.So where do we find that elusive venue called reality, and how can we be sure we're escaping into it rather than from it? Here are some clues.Reality is found in many very ordinary things. We hear it in a grandparent's gentle voice and feel it in a child's big warm hug. We also experience it in compassion during adversity and see it in thrilling visions for the future. However, it is easy to confuse self-limiting beliefs with reality.Several years ago, I had a huge goal for a fund-raiser to help a local cancer victim and his family. Someone said to me, "Get real! You can't possibly do that." I smiled and said, "You're right. It seems like a lot, and it would be tough doing it alone. But I am certainly real, so if you'll help lead this, we could do even more." We did outdistance our goal because we
invited enough people to "get real" about a worthy cause.Escaping into reality can also uncover more of the happiness hiding in life's shadows. In other words, we can view situations from perspectives of love rather than fear.We can create visions of hope based on new behaviors rather than regret based on past mistakes. We can look beyond appearances to find more love and abundance in every aspect of our lives. The vision of a goal must become as tangible a reality in the mind and heart as if you had reached out and touched it with your hand.Begin by giving thanks for all you have now. Just for a moment, imagine you are a child discovering newness in everything. Then fast-forward with a child's faith, honoring what you intend to accomplish in your lifetime.An anonymous author wrote, "Happiness lies for those who cry, who hurt, who have searched, and who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of the people who have touched their lives."God has blessed us with a treasure trove of reality: His unending love for us. Love is the one true reality, and when your feelings and motives are based on love rather than fear, you'll know your escape was successful. Share the reality of God's love with someone who needs encouragement today.Looking and listening for the many small miracles in your life will reveal what is actually possible. Do you need some time away? Escape into reality today. The Creator's love will guide every step you take.© Copyright 2005 by Steve Brunkhorst. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration bringing great stories, motivational nuggets, and inspiring thoughts to help you achieve your top potential. Get the next issue by visiting http://www.AchieveEzine.com
Keyword : find love,escape,reality,highs and lows,challenges,hope,giving thanks,happiness,God's love
The early months of this year brought major challenges, as well as blessings, for many folks. They certainly brought many unique challenges and blessings for me.We live through series of highs and lows. We need the good times, but with them come challenges that teach and build faith.People talk about escaping from reality when times get tough, but how about turning that around? Why not "escape into reality" instead? By escaping into reality, we can begin to see those highs and lows for what they are.So where do we find that elusive venue called reality, and how can we be sure we're escaping into it rather than from it? Here are some clues.Reality is found in many very ordinary things. We hear it in a grandparent's gentle voice and feel it in a child's big warm hug. We also experience it in compassion during adversity and see it in thrilling visions for the future. However, it is easy to confuse self-limiting beliefs with reality.Several years ago, I had a huge goal for a fund-raiser to help a local cancer victim and his family. Someone said to me, "Get real! You can't possibly do that." I smiled and said, "You're right. It seems like a lot, and it would be tough doing it alone. But I am certainly real, so if you'll help lead this, we could do even more." We did outdistance our goal because we
invited enough people to "get real" about a worthy cause.Escaping into reality can also uncover more of the happiness hiding in life's shadows. In other words, we can view situations from perspectives of love rather than fear.We can create visions of hope based on new behaviors rather than regret based on past mistakes. We can look beyond appearances to find more love and abundance in every aspect of our lives. The vision of a goal must become as tangible a reality in the mind and heart as if you had reached out and touched it with your hand.Begin by giving thanks for all you have now. Just for a moment, imagine you are a child discovering newness in everything. Then fast-forward with a child's faith, honoring what you intend to accomplish in your lifetime.An anonymous author wrote, "Happiness lies for those who cry, who hurt, who have searched, and who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of the people who have touched their lives."God has blessed us with a treasure trove of reality: His unending love for us. Love is the one true reality, and when your feelings and motives are based on love rather than fear, you'll know your escape was successful. Share the reality of God's love with someone who needs encouragement today.Looking and listening for the many small miracles in your life will reveal what is actually possible. Do you need some time away? Escape into reality today. The Creator's love will guide every step you take.© Copyright 2005 by Steve Brunkhorst. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration bringing great stories, motivational nuggets, and inspiring thoughts to help you achieve your top potential. Get the next issue by visiting http://www.AchieveEzine.com
Keyword : find love,escape,reality,highs and lows,challenges,hope,giving thanks,happiness,God's love
The Dot
Author : Dr. Freddy Davis
We have all grown up in an age where exploration into dramatic new territory has become routine. We have had people travel into space to live for short periods of time. We have sent people to explore the moon. We have built machines to take people under the ocean to live and work. And we have even built machines, as extensions of ourselves, to go to places where we could not go physically and send back pictures and other data.There is another arena that it is possible for us to explore - one that we can do personally. It requires a "risk taker" mentality and an adventurous spirit, and I want to give you instructions on how to get there. I am going to take you on a philosophical journey beyond yourself. This may seem a bit esoteric and mysterious, but humor me for a moment.Begin by getting for yourself a clean sheet of white paper. Now, take a pencil and draw a small dot in the middle of it. For our purposes here, that dot represents something very important about you. It is the sum total of your entire life.Now for most people, what the dot represents, and the territory inside the dot, is the most important thing there is. It represents their life, their understanding of reality, and all of their experience.But there is something else on the page with the dot. Look at all of the white space. The white space represents your potential. This is where you could explore if you had a mind to. It represents all of the knowledge you don't have, all of the experiences you have never had, all of the people you don't know, and all of the activities you have never done.But most people don't ever spend much time and effort probing outside of the dot. Perhaps as many as 95% of the entire population of the planet are satisfied to live in their dot. Now, certainly, as life is lived, the dot expands some. Everyone learns new things and experiences new experiences in the course of their lives and this naturally expands the dot. But it is a relatively insignificant expansion compared to what is possible. For most people there is no intentional activity that they create to expand the dot. It just, sort of, happens.But, this need not be the case. It is possible to blast out of the dot in every direction and create a life that explodes with new knowledge, relationships, activities and experiences all the time. But, it doesn't just happen. This kind of life must be crafted and intentionally lived. It requires expending energy and effort, which few are willing to do.Five Steps for Expanding Your DotSo, how is it possible to get on this journey? There is a simple five step formula that you can use to begin this journey.1. Hopefully the dot exercise has helped you take this first step. Beginning the journey starts with a realization. You have to realize that the possibility exists to grow beyond where you are. Once you realize the possibilities, you can begin to do things to make changes.2. Realization means nothing if you don't care. The second step is ramp up the desire to expand your universe. Many people are quite content to go to the same job year in and year out, then come home after work, grab a TV dinner and sit in front of the TV until time to go to bed - and do it all over again the next day.3. Once you have the desire to explore new avenues of life, you then have to figure out, specifically, what you want to explore. There are a lot more possibilities than any one person could ever personally conquer. So the third step is to do an analysis and make a decision. Where is your life now and in what areas do you need, and want, to grow beyond where you currently are.4. The fourth step is to make a plan. There are specific steps that have to be taken to accomplish whatever it is you choose to do. You may have to study or practice or work out or make some new relationships. In other words, you have to begin to intentionality figure out what you have to do to walk your new path.5. The final procedure in the process is to work your plan. This is not a one step or even a one dimensional process. It will take time and effort. It will take re-evaluation and adjustments. But, it has to be played out in life if your dot is going to expand.There's the DoorYour dot is your life. There is no way that I, or anyone else for that matter, can expand your dot for you. If you want it to be bigger, you have to do the work.There is something that I can do though, and that is to point you toward the door. It is the door to greater significance than your life has ever known. It is the door to more excitement. It is the door to more purpose and meaning. It is the door to more knowledge and experience. But, you have to walk through it yourself. No one can do it for you. You can get guidance, insight and encouragement from a lot of places, but you have to walk your own walk. Begin now! Expand your dot.About The AuthorDr. Freddy Davis is the owner of TSM Enterprises and conducts conferences, seminars and organizational training for executives, managers and sales professionals to help develop greater effectiveness and productivity. He is the author of the book Supercharged! as well as the Nutshell Series of books for strengthening business. You can visit the TSM website at www.tsmenterprises.com, or you can contact Freddy directly at 888-883-0656 or davis@iname.com.davis@iname.com
Keyword : self improvement,inspiration,innovation,motivation,success,leaders,mentors
We have all grown up in an age where exploration into dramatic new territory has become routine. We have had people travel into space to live for short periods of time. We have sent people to explore the moon. We have built machines to take people under the ocean to live and work. And we have even built machines, as extensions of ourselves, to go to places where we could not go physically and send back pictures and other data.There is another arena that it is possible for us to explore - one that we can do personally. It requires a "risk taker" mentality and an adventurous spirit, and I want to give you instructions on how to get there. I am going to take you on a philosophical journey beyond yourself. This may seem a bit esoteric and mysterious, but humor me for a moment.Begin by getting for yourself a clean sheet of white paper. Now, take a pencil and draw a small dot in the middle of it. For our purposes here, that dot represents something very important about you. It is the sum total of your entire life.Now for most people, what the dot represents, and the territory inside the dot, is the most important thing there is. It represents their life, their understanding of reality, and all of their experience.But there is something else on the page with the dot. Look at all of the white space. The white space represents your potential. This is where you could explore if you had a mind to. It represents all of the knowledge you don't have, all of the experiences you have never had, all of the people you don't know, and all of the activities you have never done.But most people don't ever spend much time and effort probing outside of the dot. Perhaps as many as 95% of the entire population of the planet are satisfied to live in their dot. Now, certainly, as life is lived, the dot expands some. Everyone learns new things and experiences new experiences in the course of their lives and this naturally expands the dot. But it is a relatively insignificant expansion compared to what is possible. For most people there is no intentional activity that they create to expand the dot. It just, sort of, happens.But, this need not be the case. It is possible to blast out of the dot in every direction and create a life that explodes with new knowledge, relationships, activities and experiences all the time. But, it doesn't just happen. This kind of life must be crafted and intentionally lived. It requires expending energy and effort, which few are willing to do.Five Steps for Expanding Your DotSo, how is it possible to get on this journey? There is a simple five step formula that you can use to begin this journey.1. Hopefully the dot exercise has helped you take this first step. Beginning the journey starts with a realization. You have to realize that the possibility exists to grow beyond where you are. Once you realize the possibilities, you can begin to do things to make changes.2. Realization means nothing if you don't care. The second step is ramp up the desire to expand your universe. Many people are quite content to go to the same job year in and year out, then come home after work, grab a TV dinner and sit in front of the TV until time to go to bed - and do it all over again the next day.3. Once you have the desire to explore new avenues of life, you then have to figure out, specifically, what you want to explore. There are a lot more possibilities than any one person could ever personally conquer. So the third step is to do an analysis and make a decision. Where is your life now and in what areas do you need, and want, to grow beyond where you currently are.4. The fourth step is to make a plan. There are specific steps that have to be taken to accomplish whatever it is you choose to do. You may have to study or practice or work out or make some new relationships. In other words, you have to begin to intentionality figure out what you have to do to walk your new path.5. The final procedure in the process is to work your plan. This is not a one step or even a one dimensional process. It will take time and effort. It will take re-evaluation and adjustments. But, it has to be played out in life if your dot is going to expand.There's the DoorYour dot is your life. There is no way that I, or anyone else for that matter, can expand your dot for you. If you want it to be bigger, you have to do the work.There is something that I can do though, and that is to point you toward the door. It is the door to greater significance than your life has ever known. It is the door to more excitement. It is the door to more purpose and meaning. It is the door to more knowledge and experience. But, you have to walk through it yourself. No one can do it for you. You can get guidance, insight and encouragement from a lot of places, but you have to walk your own walk. Begin now! Expand your dot.About The AuthorDr. Freddy Davis is the owner of TSM Enterprises and conducts conferences, seminars and organizational training for executives, managers and sales professionals to help develop greater effectiveness and productivity. He is the author of the book Supercharged! as well as the Nutshell Series of books for strengthening business. You can visit the TSM website at www.tsmenterprises.com, or you can contact Freddy directly at 888-883-0656 or davis@iname.com.davis@iname.com
Keyword : self improvement,inspiration,innovation,motivation,success,leaders,mentors
The Family
Author : Wayne Mitchell
Direct Answers - Column for the week of January 19, 2004I grew up in a very abusive family. Physical, mental, and emotional abuse were the norm. My father was the most abusive, but my mother echoed his sentiments and couldn't see why we were unhappy with what he was doing to us. Add to this sexual abuse suffered at the day care center they dumped me at, and I was hurt, confused, and losing myself.After one particularly nasty fight I told my father I had enough. He couldn't hit me anymore without me going to the police. He turned it all on me by saying my parents never wanted to have kids, and I was getting what I deserved. By 19, I felt so awful about myself I attempted suicide and thought about locking myself away in an institute to be safe from my family.I moved to Australia to study and met a nice boy. I'm 23 now, engaged, and we are planning a 2004 wedding. Since moving I've attended counseling, and I'm taking antidepressants. But my parents still run my life from thousands of miles away. They send me the most hateful e-mails and told me unless I get married at the family home, they will not consider me family.This they then retracted, but they call incessantly--which I don't answer--and criticize me over and over. Without asking they send money that I hate accepting, but it seems they always seem to know when I need more. They're honestly destroying my life. I feel so much guilt and sadness inside I am getting a facial twitch. My doctor told me my stress levels are rocket high, and that I'm slowly killing myself.My partner is very supportive and his family as well. They've suggested severing ties with my family since I am suffering so much stress and since I'm an otherwise bright, funny, and bubbly person. But I feel obligated to my family to solve their problems and make them happy with me.How do I stop the guilt? What if my family hates me? I'm 23. I can't imagine going my whole life without them. Even if they're completely worthless, they are still my family.LynneLynne, some people have an allergy to shellfish so severe eating shellfish will kill them. The only safe thing is to give up shellfish totally. But what if a person can't see living their life without eating shellfish? Then shellfish will kill them.Andrew Vachs, an attorney and child welfare advocate, said something we believed in long before we heard it. He said, "Family should be an operational term, not a biological term." To say it more simply, a man is your father because he acts like a father. A woman is your mother because she acts like your mother.Some people are born in poverty; some people don't get a chance for an education; some people grow up in homes with severe abuse. Wishing things were otherwise changes nothing. For people who grow up with severe abuse, the only way to save themselves and have a decent life, may be to walk away from their abusers.In the final Godfather movie, Michael Corrleone tries to escape from organized crime, but he finds it impossible. "Just when I thought I was out," he says, "they pull me back in." Your family is trying to pull you back into the cycle of abuse. In your own words, "They're honestly destroying my life."The behavior we would never tolerate at the hands of a stranger is sometimes routinely accepted inside the family.Your father was abusive in every way, and your mother supported him. Unlike Michael Corrleone, you have a choice. You now have people in your life who support you, care about you, and love you. Delete the e-mail and change your phone number. Choose the people who deserve to be in your life.Wayne & TamaraAbout The AuthorAuthors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.
Keyword : inspiration,coaching,self improvement,counseling,goals,motivation
Direct Answers - Column for the week of January 19, 2004I grew up in a very abusive family. Physical, mental, and emotional abuse were the norm. My father was the most abusive, but my mother echoed his sentiments and couldn't see why we were unhappy with what he was doing to us. Add to this sexual abuse suffered at the day care center they dumped me at, and I was hurt, confused, and losing myself.After one particularly nasty fight I told my father I had enough. He couldn't hit me anymore without me going to the police. He turned it all on me by saying my parents never wanted to have kids, and I was getting what I deserved. By 19, I felt so awful about myself I attempted suicide and thought about locking myself away in an institute to be safe from my family.I moved to Australia to study and met a nice boy. I'm 23 now, engaged, and we are planning a 2004 wedding. Since moving I've attended counseling, and I'm taking antidepressants. But my parents still run my life from thousands of miles away. They send me the most hateful e-mails and told me unless I get married at the family home, they will not consider me family.This they then retracted, but they call incessantly--which I don't answer--and criticize me over and over. Without asking they send money that I hate accepting, but it seems they always seem to know when I need more. They're honestly destroying my life. I feel so much guilt and sadness inside I am getting a facial twitch. My doctor told me my stress levels are rocket high, and that I'm slowly killing myself.My partner is very supportive and his family as well. They've suggested severing ties with my family since I am suffering so much stress and since I'm an otherwise bright, funny, and bubbly person. But I feel obligated to my family to solve their problems and make them happy with me.How do I stop the guilt? What if my family hates me? I'm 23. I can't imagine going my whole life without them. Even if they're completely worthless, they are still my family.LynneLynne, some people have an allergy to shellfish so severe eating shellfish will kill them. The only safe thing is to give up shellfish totally. But what if a person can't see living their life without eating shellfish? Then shellfish will kill them.Andrew Vachs, an attorney and child welfare advocate, said something we believed in long before we heard it. He said, "Family should be an operational term, not a biological term." To say it more simply, a man is your father because he acts like a father. A woman is your mother because she acts like your mother.Some people are born in poverty; some people don't get a chance for an education; some people grow up in homes with severe abuse. Wishing things were otherwise changes nothing. For people who grow up with severe abuse, the only way to save themselves and have a decent life, may be to walk away from their abusers.In the final Godfather movie, Michael Corrleone tries to escape from organized crime, but he finds it impossible. "Just when I thought I was out," he says, "they pull me back in." Your family is trying to pull you back into the cycle of abuse. In your own words, "They're honestly destroying my life."The behavior we would never tolerate at the hands of a stranger is sometimes routinely accepted inside the family.Your father was abusive in every way, and your mother supported him. Unlike Michael Corrleone, you have a choice. You now have people in your life who support you, care about you, and love you. Delete the e-mail and change your phone number. Choose the people who deserve to be in your life.Wayne & TamaraAbout The AuthorAuthors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.
Keyword : inspiration,coaching,self improvement,counseling,goals,motivation
Embracing Your Wildness
Author : Sibyl McLendon
As small children, we were all wild. Not unlike the wolf pup in the den, we ran when we felt like it, sniffed or tasted things to see what they were, yelled when the mood struck us and danced at the drop of a hat. We loved to dig in the earth, heave a rock into a pool, roll and tumble on the ground and run naked whenever we could. We loved ourselves and we loved our bodies. We knew no fear.Of course, we were also taught to give that all up. "Act your age!" "Don't be such a wild thing!" our parents told us. Grow UP. The list of unacceptable behaviors got longer and longer, until the wild part of us just went to sleep.But the wildness is still inside of us, and we all need to make the connection to it to be a whole, happy person. It is there for a reason, and when we can find it, wake it up and make it a working part of our psyche, we are all the better for it.The wildness holds our deeper intuition. That sniffing and tasting to discover what a thing was… it kept us out of a lot of harmful situations! We knew instinctively when something or someone should be avoided. As small children, that instinct was not fully developed, of course, but as adults we can use that wildness to guide us in ways that we need. When we allow our wild side to remain buried and asleep we are a lot more likely to blunder into situations and relationships that are not good for us!The wildness allowed us to have fun and to connect to the rhythms of the universe at lot more easily. We can all use a good roll on the ground from time to time. A good long howl at the moon when we are sad can really go a long way to making us feel better. Heaving a rock into a pool is very therapeutic when angry.Women especially have lost that wild nature. They complain long and hard about men being so free with their bodily functions, and the fact that they are acting like "little boys" all the time. Well, ladies, I strongly suggest that you give it a try! Women need to let go of all the civilization once in awhile. We have had all the wildness bred out of us, and it is unhealthy! Many women feel a yearning as they grow older to dig in the earth (gardening), act a little silly or wild from time to time, and yet they are so frightened… what will the neighbors (mates, parents, friends, strangers) think?Ha! Who cares? I would rather be known as that sort of strange lady who lives down the block than I would be frustrated and pent-up. No chemical hair dye and plastic surgery for me.An excellent book about this is "Women Who Run With The Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I have a sort of goal to get every woman on earth to read this book! Cast off your pantyhose and dance… let loose the wildness and howl at the moon! You have nothing to lose but your ulcers, your unhappiness, your fear and your yearning.You will gain your personal power, your joy, your connection and your intuitive self.I hope to bump into you some night, running under the full moon… in the wild.About The AuthorSibyl McLendon is 1/2 Navajo, and is a personal spiritual coach for Circle Of Grace http://www.circle-of-grace.com.Circle Of Grace is a unique blending of Native American spirituality and holistic wellness coaching. Sign up for a free coaching session!Sibyl can be contacted at sibyl@www.circle-of-grace.com
Keyword : creativity,brain,thinking,mind,psychology,learning,self improvement,goals
As small children, we were all wild. Not unlike the wolf pup in the den, we ran when we felt like it, sniffed or tasted things to see what they were, yelled when the mood struck us and danced at the drop of a hat. We loved to dig in the earth, heave a rock into a pool, roll and tumble on the ground and run naked whenever we could. We loved ourselves and we loved our bodies. We knew no fear.Of course, we were also taught to give that all up. "Act your age!" "Don't be such a wild thing!" our parents told us. Grow UP. The list of unacceptable behaviors got longer and longer, until the wild part of us just went to sleep.But the wildness is still inside of us, and we all need to make the connection to it to be a whole, happy person. It is there for a reason, and when we can find it, wake it up and make it a working part of our psyche, we are all the better for it.The wildness holds our deeper intuition. That sniffing and tasting to discover what a thing was… it kept us out of a lot of harmful situations! We knew instinctively when something or someone should be avoided. As small children, that instinct was not fully developed, of course, but as adults we can use that wildness to guide us in ways that we need. When we allow our wild side to remain buried and asleep we are a lot more likely to blunder into situations and relationships that are not good for us!The wildness allowed us to have fun and to connect to the rhythms of the universe at lot more easily. We can all use a good roll on the ground from time to time. A good long howl at the moon when we are sad can really go a long way to making us feel better. Heaving a rock into a pool is very therapeutic when angry.Women especially have lost that wild nature. They complain long and hard about men being so free with their bodily functions, and the fact that they are acting like "little boys" all the time. Well, ladies, I strongly suggest that you give it a try! Women need to let go of all the civilization once in awhile. We have had all the wildness bred out of us, and it is unhealthy! Many women feel a yearning as they grow older to dig in the earth (gardening), act a little silly or wild from time to time, and yet they are so frightened… what will the neighbors (mates, parents, friends, strangers) think?Ha! Who cares? I would rather be known as that sort of strange lady who lives down the block than I would be frustrated and pent-up. No chemical hair dye and plastic surgery for me.An excellent book about this is "Women Who Run With The Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I have a sort of goal to get every woman on earth to read this book! Cast off your pantyhose and dance… let loose the wildness and howl at the moon! You have nothing to lose but your ulcers, your unhappiness, your fear and your yearning.You will gain your personal power, your joy, your connection and your intuitive self.I hope to bump into you some night, running under the full moon… in the wild.About The AuthorSibyl McLendon is 1/2 Navajo, and is a personal spiritual coach for Circle Of Grace http://www.circle-of-grace.com.Circle Of Grace is a unique blending of Native American spirituality and holistic wellness coaching. Sign up for a free coaching session!Sibyl can be contacted at sibyl@www.circle-of-grace.com
Keyword : creativity,brain,thinking,mind,psychology,learning,self improvement,goals
Long Odds
Author : Wayne Mitchell
Direct Answers - Column for the week of March 31, 2003I don't drive and have health problems. I have a friend who runs an under-the-table errand service. She is one of my closest friends so I rely on her. I always give her sufficient money for her time, and she has helped me out in many situations.There have been two times in a row where she has blown me off. Both times she was to take me to a doctor appointment. The first time she did not call me in advance as she always did, so I called her. She said, "I can't talk, I'm running out the door." She hung up before I got to say a word. She called me back at midnight and said she was really sorry, she forgot.I thought she probably did and went on with my business, though she ruined my plans and I ended up in a jam because of it. Last week I had a very important doctor's appointment. I called her well in advance, and she confirmed it twice during the week. But the time came when she was supposed to call and pick me up, and she never called.So I called her. There was no answer. Today she basically blamed the whole thing on me, saying, "I was home sitting around waiting for your call. I don't understand why you didn't get through."The long and the short of it is I don't know if I am being naïve, or is this just two strange coincidences. I don't want to accuse her of anything, but assessing the situation, I wonder if she doesn't want to do it and won't tell me directly. That would not offend me. I would make other arrangements. What do you think?ZetaZeta, some years ago two basketball teams from the state of Ohio were contending for the national championship. The fans from Ohio State thought their team was better than the University of Cincinnati, and they were shocked when the other school won the national basketball title.For a year the Ohio State fans claimed it was a fluke that Cincinnati won. But guess what? The next year the University of Cincinnati won again. That inspired some Cincinnati fans to rent a billboard near the Ohio State campus. The message on the billboard read, "Well, what do you know? Two flukes in a row!"Why would you expect up-front behavior from someone working under the table? It's time to make other arrangements. Two flukes in a row are a message.WayneConvictionIf a woman has not found her soul mate by age 30, she might as well give up! It is all very nice to talk about "not giving up early" as you do, when you are in a strong, loving, and respectful marriage.Men have it easier. Men's idea of marriage is to have someone to abuse. They find a sweet, nice, gentle girl like I once was and expect her to just take it. Women are supposed to be so grateful some man, any man, would have them.God does not in reality care about those of us who are heartsick.YvetteYvette, for most people the good things in life don't happen until later. Our local newspaper publishes the age of people applying for marriage licenses. In today's paper, more than 60 percent of both the men and the women are over 30.Tennyson wrote, "How dull it is to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished, not to shine in use!" The aim of life, he said, is "to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."Most of our problems come from the six inches between our ears. Once you believe something is true, it is true. For you. Paradoxically, we cannot change until we believe we can, and once we've changed, we won't need belief. We know it is true.TamaraAbout The AuthorAuthors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.
Keyword : inspiration,coaching,self improvement,counseling,goals,motivation
Direct Answers - Column for the week of March 31, 2003I don't drive and have health problems. I have a friend who runs an under-the-table errand service. She is one of my closest friends so I rely on her. I always give her sufficient money for her time, and she has helped me out in many situations.There have been two times in a row where she has blown me off. Both times she was to take me to a doctor appointment. The first time she did not call me in advance as she always did, so I called her. She said, "I can't talk, I'm running out the door." She hung up before I got to say a word. She called me back at midnight and said she was really sorry, she forgot.I thought she probably did and went on with my business, though she ruined my plans and I ended up in a jam because of it. Last week I had a very important doctor's appointment. I called her well in advance, and she confirmed it twice during the week. But the time came when she was supposed to call and pick me up, and she never called.So I called her. There was no answer. Today she basically blamed the whole thing on me, saying, "I was home sitting around waiting for your call. I don't understand why you didn't get through."The long and the short of it is I don't know if I am being naïve, or is this just two strange coincidences. I don't want to accuse her of anything, but assessing the situation, I wonder if she doesn't want to do it and won't tell me directly. That would not offend me. I would make other arrangements. What do you think?ZetaZeta, some years ago two basketball teams from the state of Ohio were contending for the national championship. The fans from Ohio State thought their team was better than the University of Cincinnati, and they were shocked when the other school won the national basketball title.For a year the Ohio State fans claimed it was a fluke that Cincinnati won. But guess what? The next year the University of Cincinnati won again. That inspired some Cincinnati fans to rent a billboard near the Ohio State campus. The message on the billboard read, "Well, what do you know? Two flukes in a row!"Why would you expect up-front behavior from someone working under the table? It's time to make other arrangements. Two flukes in a row are a message.WayneConvictionIf a woman has not found her soul mate by age 30, she might as well give up! It is all very nice to talk about "not giving up early" as you do, when you are in a strong, loving, and respectful marriage.Men have it easier. Men's idea of marriage is to have someone to abuse. They find a sweet, nice, gentle girl like I once was and expect her to just take it. Women are supposed to be so grateful some man, any man, would have them.God does not in reality care about those of us who are heartsick.YvetteYvette, for most people the good things in life don't happen until later. Our local newspaper publishes the age of people applying for marriage licenses. In today's paper, more than 60 percent of both the men and the women are over 30.Tennyson wrote, "How dull it is to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished, not to shine in use!" The aim of life, he said, is "to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."Most of our problems come from the six inches between our ears. Once you believe something is true, it is true. For you. Paradoxically, we cannot change until we believe we can, and once we've changed, we won't need belief. We know it is true.TamaraAbout The AuthorAuthors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.
Keyword : inspiration,coaching,self improvement,counseling,goals,motivation
Fear Factor
Author : Roy Klienwachter
What is it that stops you from jumping off a 5 story building, is it the fear of falling, the sudden stop at the bottom or knowing that you cannot fly?As a youngster you lay in bed at night fearing to let you leg or arm drop over the side of the bed lest the bed monster gets you. You knew there was a monster in your closet waiting to attack you the moment you built up enough courage to move out of your position.Again you felt that natural fear when you went into water over your head. What was it that allowed you to finally give way and jump into the water, what happened to the fear?These were not natural fears; they were a learned response since you were an infant. A baby has only two natural fears; they are for loud noises and being dropped. The rest of the fears come from training, those taught to us by others and personal experience.We do not know about monsters or drowning until we see them on TV or hear about someone drowning, or our parents tell us about the dangers. We forget that babies are natural swimmers and we don't know about monsters but we can relate to them because of our natural fear of the unknown.Fear is a caution light; it is built in for our protection so that we do not rush into something that is beyond what we believe to be our own limitations. We do not jump because we know that we cannot fly or we cannot swim.Fear is the greatest enemy of mankind and especially the fear of the unknown, the unproven, and the untamed. Fear has such a strong grip that it can make us physically ill the second we contemplate moving out of our box and it is fear alone that holds us back.There is one thing only that can overcome fear and it is absolute, there is nothing that can equalize or neutralize it. Faith, trust, and believing pale in the light of "knowing." It is "knowing," that is the great manifestor, the creator of all that is and when we get into the position of knowing, fear is not a factor. If you know that you can fly, you will have no fear of jumping. If you know that you can swim, you will have no fear of going in over your head. When you get into the position of knowing a thing you are as God, you are the creator of what it is you desire. When you say you know you can do this and it is your truth, the deed shall be done and nothing can change that until you know something else.Man's greatest fear is in moving out of his religious box. Men of great minds and conviction treble at the thought of angering a vengeful God. Wise men fall to their knees and whimper for forgiveness should they question the word of this God. There is no greater fear than that of crossing the will of God.As antiquated as this thought is, humanity has been acquiescing to an old God for centuries and by man's own definitions of what God is and what he may or may not demand of him. Humankind has evolved in all areas but this one. He still carries the paper chains of fear the bind him. These chains would drown him if he jumped in deep water. He would hit the street very quickly should he carry them with in off the building. Although man has evolved, his God has not. Man fears any change in God and he does this because it is he who defines God and he defines God in his own image. His God has not evolved because man's image of God has not evolved and this is because this image is cocooned in a web of fear.Man's greatest "fear factor," is, that should he redefine a new God, God would retaliate and condemn him evermore to damnation.God is "life," the words are interchangeable and life is constantly changing by definition, and therefore God must change. To say otherwise, is to say that God is not life. Mankind fears God because man is God in human form and humanity fears itself, therefore if this is to be believed, God must fear man. The fear is unfounded and inappropriate for this time in our evolution; it no longer works for us. It is time to question the whole image we have of God. It is time to know a new God and with that "knowing," fear does not exist. The fear can not be overcome until we "know" the God that is within us—is us! For it is just as certain that we can not jump into the deep water until we know that we can make it.Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. A student of NLP, ordained minister, New Age Light Worker and Teacher. Roy has written and published five books on New Age wisdom. Roy's books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.You may not always agree with what he has to say. You will always come away with a new perspective and your thinking will never be the same.Roy's style is honest and comes straight from the heart without all the metaphorical mumble jumble and BS.Visit Roy at: http://www.klienwachter.com
Keyword : fear,fear factor,unconditional love,empowerment,inspirational,healing,power,path,journey,
What is it that stops you from jumping off a 5 story building, is it the fear of falling, the sudden stop at the bottom or knowing that you cannot fly?As a youngster you lay in bed at night fearing to let you leg or arm drop over the side of the bed lest the bed monster gets you. You knew there was a monster in your closet waiting to attack you the moment you built up enough courage to move out of your position.Again you felt that natural fear when you went into water over your head. What was it that allowed you to finally give way and jump into the water, what happened to the fear?These were not natural fears; they were a learned response since you were an infant. A baby has only two natural fears; they are for loud noises and being dropped. The rest of the fears come from training, those taught to us by others and personal experience.We do not know about monsters or drowning until we see them on TV or hear about someone drowning, or our parents tell us about the dangers. We forget that babies are natural swimmers and we don't know about monsters but we can relate to them because of our natural fear of the unknown.Fear is a caution light; it is built in for our protection so that we do not rush into something that is beyond what we believe to be our own limitations. We do not jump because we know that we cannot fly or we cannot swim.Fear is the greatest enemy of mankind and especially the fear of the unknown, the unproven, and the untamed. Fear has such a strong grip that it can make us physically ill the second we contemplate moving out of our box and it is fear alone that holds us back.There is one thing only that can overcome fear and it is absolute, there is nothing that can equalize or neutralize it. Faith, trust, and believing pale in the light of "knowing." It is "knowing," that is the great manifestor, the creator of all that is and when we get into the position of knowing, fear is not a factor. If you know that you can fly, you will have no fear of jumping. If you know that you can swim, you will have no fear of going in over your head. When you get into the position of knowing a thing you are as God, you are the creator of what it is you desire. When you say you know you can do this and it is your truth, the deed shall be done and nothing can change that until you know something else.Man's greatest fear is in moving out of his religious box. Men of great minds and conviction treble at the thought of angering a vengeful God. Wise men fall to their knees and whimper for forgiveness should they question the word of this God. There is no greater fear than that of crossing the will of God.As antiquated as this thought is, humanity has been acquiescing to an old God for centuries and by man's own definitions of what God is and what he may or may not demand of him. Humankind has evolved in all areas but this one. He still carries the paper chains of fear the bind him. These chains would drown him if he jumped in deep water. He would hit the street very quickly should he carry them with in off the building. Although man has evolved, his God has not. Man fears any change in God and he does this because it is he who defines God and he defines God in his own image. His God has not evolved because man's image of God has not evolved and this is because this image is cocooned in a web of fear.Man's greatest "fear factor," is, that should he redefine a new God, God would retaliate and condemn him evermore to damnation.God is "life," the words are interchangeable and life is constantly changing by definition, and therefore God must change. To say otherwise, is to say that God is not life. Mankind fears God because man is God in human form and humanity fears itself, therefore if this is to be believed, God must fear man. The fear is unfounded and inappropriate for this time in our evolution; it no longer works for us. It is time to question the whole image we have of God. It is time to know a new God and with that "knowing," fear does not exist. The fear can not be overcome until we "know" the God that is within us—is us! For it is just as certain that we can not jump into the deep water until we know that we can make it.Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. A student of NLP, ordained minister, New Age Light Worker and Teacher. Roy has written and published five books on New Age wisdom. Roy's books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.You may not always agree with what he has to say. You will always come away with a new perspective and your thinking will never be the same.Roy's style is honest and comes straight from the heart without all the metaphorical mumble jumble and BS.Visit Roy at: http://www.klienwachter.com
Keyword : fear,fear factor,unconditional love,empowerment,inspirational,healing,power,path,journey,
A Global Empathy Deficit- 2 Lessons
Author : Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D.
"...We've got a budget deficit that's important, we've got a trade deficit that's critical, but what I worry most is our empathy deficit." – Interview in O Magazine with Barack Obama.Perhaps this is not only a US national concern but a global crisis: people are dividing into camps and fighting one another with no mention of sitting down to dialogue.We, as global human beings living on a shrinking planet, have to stop the insanity, start talking, and stop the fighting.The fighting is not only among warring nations. It goes on in corporations, small businesses, between entrepreneurs, in schools, in neighborhoods, and in families. There is a lack of talking, listening, and empathizing between people. This is especially true when they are different from us in some way.We lose patience with others not like us or not of the same viewpoint. We stop listening. And consequently, we lose our ability to understand and find solutions.We are missing opportunities for talking and dialoguing about what really matters. Dialoguing of course means listening and hearing what the other person is saying. It is not a monologue. It requires more than listening—it requires empathy.Lesson # 1 in EmpathyEmpathy has several ingredients. Most people understand empathy to be "walking in someone else's shoes." It is more than that. Information when communicated to us by another human being is processed through the limbic system in the brain, the center for emotions and memory.The trick here is not to get lost in our own memories and emotions. This requires self-management so quick that it is out of our awareness. We sense that the reason we feel sad that our neighbor is telling us that their dog died is that we have also experienced loss and know what it must be like for them.To summarize, lesson #1 of empathy has several parts:Take in informationProcess your personal emotional reactionsReorient yourself to the person and what they are sayingSelf-manage personal reactions and memoriesAsk questions such as, "Tell me more," and "How does that feel for you?"Don't assume that what they are feeling and experiencing is similar to your experiencesAsk more open-ended questions, such as, "And…?" or, "What else?"Just listenRefrain from trying to fix things before step #2Lesson #2 of EmpathyPeople usually have a tendency to jump in and want to do something to help too soon. They want to get out of their own discomfort by solving the problem. Often they don't take the time to really understand what the real problem is before offering solutions. This is how many people come across as NOT being empathetic, when they actually are. They respond too quickly with the wrong solutions.So, the next important step after lesson #1 (feel the feelings and just listen), is to communicate back to the person that you are hearing them on a deep and personal level.Simply state back to the person some of what you've heard, without interpretation or distortion. This communication requires a deep and honest caring about how other people feel, avoiding judgments and any attempts to minimize the importance of feelings or offering advice.Like so much, empathy begins with developing ourselves individually, permeates our families and is taught to our children, and then must be communicated with the leaders we entrust to deal with other countries. A continued lack of empathy will result in global degradation.© 2004 Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D.
Customized Newsletter ServicesAbout The AuthorThis is a synopsis of a longer article available for your use with full reprint rights upon purchase. This synopsis is only available when you include the resource box:Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., CBC, is a psychologist, executive coach, and writer. She customizes newsletters for life and executive coaches, providing both content and PDF and HTML ezines for busy professionals. Patsi lives and works from Ajijic, Mexico where she plays tennis daily, and enjoys other creative activities with her husband Rob and two Maine Coon cats, Huey and Dewey. Email patsi@customizednewsletters.com.For more articles, subscribe to Newsletter Nuggets and BizBook Nuggets, at http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=86914.For more information visit http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=86911.For notes, quotes & tips on writing coach ezines, visit Patsi's weblog: www.coachezines.com.Secrets of Successful Ezines available for immediate download at www.customizednewsletters.com.
Keyword : self esteem,self help,confidence,coaching,success,motivation,inspiration,positive thinking,empathy
"...We've got a budget deficit that's important, we've got a trade deficit that's critical, but what I worry most is our empathy deficit." – Interview in O Magazine with Barack Obama.Perhaps this is not only a US national concern but a global crisis: people are dividing into camps and fighting one another with no mention of sitting down to dialogue.We, as global human beings living on a shrinking planet, have to stop the insanity, start talking, and stop the fighting.The fighting is not only among warring nations. It goes on in corporations, small businesses, between entrepreneurs, in schools, in neighborhoods, and in families. There is a lack of talking, listening, and empathizing between people. This is especially true when they are different from us in some way.We lose patience with others not like us or not of the same viewpoint. We stop listening. And consequently, we lose our ability to understand and find solutions.We are missing opportunities for talking and dialoguing about what really matters. Dialoguing of course means listening and hearing what the other person is saying. It is not a monologue. It requires more than listening—it requires empathy.Lesson # 1 in EmpathyEmpathy has several ingredients. Most people understand empathy to be "walking in someone else's shoes." It is more than that. Information when communicated to us by another human being is processed through the limbic system in the brain, the center for emotions and memory.The trick here is not to get lost in our own memories and emotions. This requires self-management so quick that it is out of our awareness. We sense that the reason we feel sad that our neighbor is telling us that their dog died is that we have also experienced loss and know what it must be like for them.To summarize, lesson #1 of empathy has several parts:Take in informationProcess your personal emotional reactionsReorient yourself to the person and what they are sayingSelf-manage personal reactions and memoriesAsk questions such as, "Tell me more," and "How does that feel for you?"Don't assume that what they are feeling and experiencing is similar to your experiencesAsk more open-ended questions, such as, "And…?" or, "What else?"Just listenRefrain from trying to fix things before step #2Lesson #2 of EmpathyPeople usually have a tendency to jump in and want to do something to help too soon. They want to get out of their own discomfort by solving the problem. Often they don't take the time to really understand what the real problem is before offering solutions. This is how many people come across as NOT being empathetic, when they actually are. They respond too quickly with the wrong solutions.So, the next important step after lesson #1 (feel the feelings and just listen), is to communicate back to the person that you are hearing them on a deep and personal level.Simply state back to the person some of what you've heard, without interpretation or distortion. This communication requires a deep and honest caring about how other people feel, avoiding judgments and any attempts to minimize the importance of feelings or offering advice.Like so much, empathy begins with developing ourselves individually, permeates our families and is taught to our children, and then must be communicated with the leaders we entrust to deal with other countries. A continued lack of empathy will result in global degradation.© 2004 Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D.
Customized Newsletter ServicesAbout The AuthorThis is a synopsis of a longer article available for your use with full reprint rights upon purchase. This synopsis is only available when you include the resource box:Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., CBC, is a psychologist, executive coach, and writer. She customizes newsletters for life and executive coaches, providing both content and PDF and HTML ezines for busy professionals. Patsi lives and works from Ajijic, Mexico where she plays tennis daily, and enjoys other creative activities with her husband Rob and two Maine Coon cats, Huey and Dewey. Email patsi@customizednewsletters.com.For more articles, subscribe to Newsletter Nuggets and BizBook Nuggets, at http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=86914.For more information visit http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=86911.For notes, quotes & tips on writing coach ezines, visit Patsi's weblog: www.coachezines.com.Secrets of Successful Ezines available for immediate download at www.customizednewsletters.com.
Keyword : self esteem,self help,confidence,coaching,success,motivation,inspiration,positive thinking,empathy
Living Authentically in a Masked World
Author : Delores Williams
Humanity seems to be the only species that never seems pleased with its own. People tend to spend the majority of their life living up to an illusion that no one has ever been able to attain. It is the illusion of perfection. The problem is, that is a course that is marked with failure and pain. Someone came up with the concept that people should be wafting through the fields picking lilies and singing songs of the angels. If you stay on this course you will never measure up. You were not meant to.There are too many people walking around under condemnation by this illusion. They feel they have failed at the game of life. It is not true. You have not failed. You cannot fail at something that is unattainable. Instead, you should be pleased that you got as far as you did. There are many that check out of this life because they refuse to fail at anything. Lets talk about how you can live authentically with the life you have.One, you must make the decision to live in the moment. We have too many who are living in the past, with its mistakes, or in the future, with its uncertainties. In order for you to be authentic, you are going to have to take the proverbial bull by the horn and live in the here and now. We all know that we cannot change the past, yet many of us have set up camp there in hopes that we can make sense of it. Then there is the other group that is off to a time that hasn't happened yet. Neither group is useful. Life is happening now.So, how do you live now? Start by taking off the mask. Admit that life hasn't been what you expected and then forgive yourself and God. Yourself, for chasing an illusion, and God, for blaming Him when it didn't happen as you expected.Second, Be honest with yourself. Honesty is a lost commodity in the era we live in. People love to lie. The only problem is that you take your lies internally and they judge you. You might say, "I don't lie." Let's take a short quiz.1. Do you make promises to yourself that you don't keep? (I'm going on a diet.)2. Do you make promises to others that you don't keep? (I'll be on time.)3. Do you tell others what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear out of fear of repercussions?4. If you asked your closest friend if you were an honest person how would they answer?We lie without thinking about it because that is what we are conditioned to do. We soften them by calling them little white lies. A lie is a lie. Of course, there are the other extremists who lack tact in their honesty. They try to belittle people. Both sides are not good. As you start living authentic you must make honesty your priority. Why? How can you be honest with someone else if you are not honest with yourself? Further, you project it onto other people. By projection, I mean that you put the burden on another person to be what you cannot be. You will find fault with the person who is just a mirror of yourself. Since you do not have the compassion to love the shadow of yourself, you will not have compassion on the other person. Let me give you an example, I have a friend that is a procrastinator to a fault. It used to aggravate me until I saw I was the same way. When I dealt with that aspect in myself her procrastination no longer bothered me.Jung says, "Man turns a blind eye to the shadow-side of human nature. Blindly he strives against the salutary dogma of original sin, which is yet so prodigiously true. Yes, he even hesitates to admit the conflict of which he is so painfully aware."Third, is what I call the peel and reveal method. You have to go down into the depth of your soul and find the parts of you that you thought were not good enough to exist. This is intense, but the only way I know of to let you know that the world is waiting for the person you were originally created to be. That person has something to offer humanity, not the person that you pretend to be.Many of you are so miserable that you go home and cry through the night. You are holding on by a thread because you don't know if you can keep this illusion going for much longer. I promise you if you will do the work it will be worth it. I have been where you are, so I know from whence I speak.How do you peal and reveal? I recommend you get a journal that is for your eyes-only. Write down the five things that you hate about yourself. For example, angry, hostile, pessimistic, etc. Then write down what is good about those aspects. This will take some searching, but I promise you there is a hidden gift. Part of it is just the idea of admitting that you hate something about yourself. When you get rid of the secret you get rid of its hold on you. What is hidden will ultimately be revealed, so why not reveal it on your terms. There is a saying, What you don't own will own you. We all have heard of the guy who is real sweet but sometimes beats up his wife. This is what hiding anger does. It comes out explosively and towards someone else.Some people recommend that you ask your friends and family to help you with this project. I do not advocate this for most people because some people have lived their lives based on what others will think or have thought of them. It is time for you to come face to face with you. Besides, in the end it really only matters what you think of you. Others can project, but you must accept it. So peal back the mask and see yourself for who you really are.Fourth, forgiveness is an essential part of living authentically. You have to forgive yourself for lying. This is tough to do especially when you know some do not deserve our forgiveness. The strange thing about forgiveness is that it is not for the other party, but for you. I like to live by the premise of keeping short accounts. What offense is worth your peace? The biggest revelation to me was that there was very little that I was willing to lose my peace for. I want to be better not bitter. Make that your goal as well. Bitterness is a cancer that needs to be cut out or it will destroy you.Forgiveness does not mean that you have to let the individual have the same relationship with you as before the offense. It does mean that you will not hold it against them. Over time some will earn the privilege of being a friend again, but trust must be earned. For example, If a dog bites you, you may forgive it, but that doesn't mean you want it around.Finally, authentic living requires letting go. You must let go of the illusions, the past, the lies, and the audacity. The audacity to believe that there is something wrong with everyone, but you. All of it has to go. Deep down you know the truth. You are afraid that somehow you will give away your secret or worse, that someone else will expose you. What is the secret? You are a fraud. You are pretending to be something you are not and denying who you are.Authentic living is tough. It requires you to go into yourself and pull out the junk, so you can find the precious stone. It is not for the weak or those who are looking for a quick fix. Authentic living is a lifestyle and it takes time to develop.So don't be afraid of failing or missing it, because the only time you fail is when you have the information yet choose to remain the same.Delores Williams is a freelance writer living in Oklahoma City. Her writing is taken from different aspects of her life, or those close to her. She can be reached at delwilliams@gmail.com
Keyword : life, mask, relationships, delores williams
Humanity seems to be the only species that never seems pleased with its own. People tend to spend the majority of their life living up to an illusion that no one has ever been able to attain. It is the illusion of perfection. The problem is, that is a course that is marked with failure and pain. Someone came up with the concept that people should be wafting through the fields picking lilies and singing songs of the angels. If you stay on this course you will never measure up. You were not meant to.There are too many people walking around under condemnation by this illusion. They feel they have failed at the game of life. It is not true. You have not failed. You cannot fail at something that is unattainable. Instead, you should be pleased that you got as far as you did. There are many that check out of this life because they refuse to fail at anything. Lets talk about how you can live authentically with the life you have.One, you must make the decision to live in the moment. We have too many who are living in the past, with its mistakes, or in the future, with its uncertainties. In order for you to be authentic, you are going to have to take the proverbial bull by the horn and live in the here and now. We all know that we cannot change the past, yet many of us have set up camp there in hopes that we can make sense of it. Then there is the other group that is off to a time that hasn't happened yet. Neither group is useful. Life is happening now.So, how do you live now? Start by taking off the mask. Admit that life hasn't been what you expected and then forgive yourself and God. Yourself, for chasing an illusion, and God, for blaming Him when it didn't happen as you expected.Second, Be honest with yourself. Honesty is a lost commodity in the era we live in. People love to lie. The only problem is that you take your lies internally and they judge you. You might say, "I don't lie." Let's take a short quiz.1. Do you make promises to yourself that you don't keep? (I'm going on a diet.)2. Do you make promises to others that you don't keep? (I'll be on time.)3. Do you tell others what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear out of fear of repercussions?4. If you asked your closest friend if you were an honest person how would they answer?We lie without thinking about it because that is what we are conditioned to do. We soften them by calling them little white lies. A lie is a lie. Of course, there are the other extremists who lack tact in their honesty. They try to belittle people. Both sides are not good. As you start living authentic you must make honesty your priority. Why? How can you be honest with someone else if you are not honest with yourself? Further, you project it onto other people. By projection, I mean that you put the burden on another person to be what you cannot be. You will find fault with the person who is just a mirror of yourself. Since you do not have the compassion to love the shadow of yourself, you will not have compassion on the other person. Let me give you an example, I have a friend that is a procrastinator to a fault. It used to aggravate me until I saw I was the same way. When I dealt with that aspect in myself her procrastination no longer bothered me.Jung says, "Man turns a blind eye to the shadow-side of human nature. Blindly he strives against the salutary dogma of original sin, which is yet so prodigiously true. Yes, he even hesitates to admit the conflict of which he is so painfully aware."Third, is what I call the peel and reveal method. You have to go down into the depth of your soul and find the parts of you that you thought were not good enough to exist. This is intense, but the only way I know of to let you know that the world is waiting for the person you were originally created to be. That person has something to offer humanity, not the person that you pretend to be.Many of you are so miserable that you go home and cry through the night. You are holding on by a thread because you don't know if you can keep this illusion going for much longer. I promise you if you will do the work it will be worth it. I have been where you are, so I know from whence I speak.How do you peal and reveal? I recommend you get a journal that is for your eyes-only. Write down the five things that you hate about yourself. For example, angry, hostile, pessimistic, etc. Then write down what is good about those aspects. This will take some searching, but I promise you there is a hidden gift. Part of it is just the idea of admitting that you hate something about yourself. When you get rid of the secret you get rid of its hold on you. What is hidden will ultimately be revealed, so why not reveal it on your terms. There is a saying, What you don't own will own you. We all have heard of the guy who is real sweet but sometimes beats up his wife. This is what hiding anger does. It comes out explosively and towards someone else.Some people recommend that you ask your friends and family to help you with this project. I do not advocate this for most people because some people have lived their lives based on what others will think or have thought of them. It is time for you to come face to face with you. Besides, in the end it really only matters what you think of you. Others can project, but you must accept it. So peal back the mask and see yourself for who you really are.Fourth, forgiveness is an essential part of living authentically. You have to forgive yourself for lying. This is tough to do especially when you know some do not deserve our forgiveness. The strange thing about forgiveness is that it is not for the other party, but for you. I like to live by the premise of keeping short accounts. What offense is worth your peace? The biggest revelation to me was that there was very little that I was willing to lose my peace for. I want to be better not bitter. Make that your goal as well. Bitterness is a cancer that needs to be cut out or it will destroy you.Forgiveness does not mean that you have to let the individual have the same relationship with you as before the offense. It does mean that you will not hold it against them. Over time some will earn the privilege of being a friend again, but trust must be earned. For example, If a dog bites you, you may forgive it, but that doesn't mean you want it around.Finally, authentic living requires letting go. You must let go of the illusions, the past, the lies, and the audacity. The audacity to believe that there is something wrong with everyone, but you. All of it has to go. Deep down you know the truth. You are afraid that somehow you will give away your secret or worse, that someone else will expose you. What is the secret? You are a fraud. You are pretending to be something you are not and denying who you are.Authentic living is tough. It requires you to go into yourself and pull out the junk, so you can find the precious stone. It is not for the weak or those who are looking for a quick fix. Authentic living is a lifestyle and it takes time to develop.So don't be afraid of failing or missing it, because the only time you fail is when you have the information yet choose to remain the same.Delores Williams is a freelance writer living in Oklahoma City. Her writing is taken from different aspects of her life, or those close to her. She can be reached at delwilliams@gmail.com
Keyword : life, mask, relationships, delores williams
All Is Going Well?
Author : Catherine Pulsifer
The true test in life does not occur when all is going well. The true test takes place when we are faced with challenges. Some people have a positive attitude towards life only when all is well. However, when the going gets tough, their attitude changes instantly, and they become very negative or are consumed with self pity."I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom." George S. PattonChristopher Reeve is an example of someone who had faced challenges. Here was a person who was very successful and active, however, he had a riding accident that left him paralyzed. He could have felt sorry for himself. Instead, after his accident he raised money for research on paralysis, directed a film, and wrote his autobiography, Still Me.I recently talked with someone who was having difficulties; part of the problem was they were sitting around just feeling sorry for themselves. My advice to them was "do something productive" rather than sit and think!Be conscious of your attitude. Work extra hard at keeping your attitude positive in all kinds of weather, through all the challenges of life.A good quote to reflect on when you are facing challenging times:
"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude towards it, for that determines our success or our failure." Norman Vincent PealeCatherine Pulsifer is one of the editors of Words of Wisdom 4 U, http://www.wow4u.com.
The true test in life does not occur when all is going well. The true test takes place when we are faced with challenges. Some people have a positive attitude towards life only when all is well. However, when the going gets tough, their attitude changes instantly, and they become very negative or are consumed with self pity."I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom." George S. PattonChristopher Reeve is an example of someone who had faced challenges. Here was a person who was very successful and active, however, he had a riding accident that left him paralyzed. He could have felt sorry for himself. Instead, after his accident he raised money for research on paralysis, directed a film, and wrote his autobiography, Still Me.I recently talked with someone who was having difficulties; part of the problem was they were sitting around just feeling sorry for themselves. My advice to them was "do something productive" rather than sit and think!Be conscious of your attitude. Work extra hard at keeping your attitude positive in all kinds of weather, through all the challenges of life.A good quote to reflect on when you are facing challenging times:
"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude towards it, for that determines our success or our failure." Norman Vincent PealeCatherine Pulsifer is one of the editors of Words of Wisdom 4 U, http://www.wow4u.com.
You will find a collection of motivational and inspirational thoughts, stories, quotes, poems, smiles, proverbs, and more at Words of Wisdom 4 U!
Keyword : challenges,positive,attitude,self-pity,success,difficulties,failure
Naomi and the 5 Life Lessons
Author : Ronnie Kimball
Not long ago, I attended a seminar that featured
Naomi Judd, half of the legendary country music duo,
The Judds. Naomi, with her talented daughter,
Wynonna, set the standard for country music by
selling millions of albums, performing to 'sold out'
audiences, and winning numerous awards.The Judds had just finished a whirlwind reunion tour
after a decade of not appearing on stage together.
During that time Wynonna pursued a successful career
as a solo artist while Naomi recovered from illness.
Incidentally, Naomi's youngest daughter, Ashley, is the
talented actress, one in the same.Naomi talked about the early days of being a single
Mom and raising her 2 daughters and having a dream
to "make it" in the music business.She worked as a nurse and actually secured a record
deal with a record company executive while a member
of his family was a patient.She said that her daughters didn't always appreciate
her disciplinarian ways. In fact, the girls' favorite
saying was, "If it ain't one thing, it's your mother!"
But she was disciplining them for what would lie ahead
for their futures.Naomi taught her girls 5 important life lessons:(1) Change is the true nature of the world.-She insisted that security is superstition.
The only true security comes from within.(2) Choices are sacred.-You always get to choose. Just learn to question
every choice that presents itself in your life.(3) Honor your intuition, or inner wisdom.-Be defined from within. Silence and solitude
can be helpful and are creativity's best
friends. Live by your inner wisdom. "Your
gut gets it before your head figures it out."(4) Take risks.-Risks can be fun. They help you out of your
comfort zone. You were actually BORN TO WIN.
But "any kind of success without personal
fulfillment is still failure."(5) Peace of mind is the goal.-It gives you the ability to deal with "stuff."She remarked that shutting out background noise,
such as the TV, is essential. There was a period of
time when her and her kids didn't have a TV for
entertainment. In fact, there wasn't any electricity,
telephone, or running water.As a result, Wynonna improved her singing and guitar
playing, while Ashley honed her acting skills and
became a voracious reader.It's evident that Naomi has complete confidence
in her inner wisdom. She paced confidently back
and forth on the stage, making eye contact with
every listener in the audience.Naomi Judd is living proof that adopting these 5
life lessons can help to enrich your life and
fulfill your dreams.http://www.naomijudd.com/
Not long ago, I attended a seminar that featured
Naomi Judd, half of the legendary country music duo,
The Judds. Naomi, with her talented daughter,
Wynonna, set the standard for country music by
selling millions of albums, performing to 'sold out'
audiences, and winning numerous awards.The Judds had just finished a whirlwind reunion tour
after a decade of not appearing on stage together.
During that time Wynonna pursued a successful career
as a solo artist while Naomi recovered from illness.
Incidentally, Naomi's youngest daughter, Ashley, is the
talented actress, one in the same.Naomi talked about the early days of being a single
Mom and raising her 2 daughters and having a dream
to "make it" in the music business.She worked as a nurse and actually secured a record
deal with a record company executive while a member
of his family was a patient.She said that her daughters didn't always appreciate
her disciplinarian ways. In fact, the girls' favorite
saying was, "If it ain't one thing, it's your mother!"
But she was disciplining them for what would lie ahead
for their futures.Naomi taught her girls 5 important life lessons:(1) Change is the true nature of the world.-She insisted that security is superstition.
The only true security comes from within.(2) Choices are sacred.-You always get to choose. Just learn to question
every choice that presents itself in your life.(3) Honor your intuition, or inner wisdom.-Be defined from within. Silence and solitude
can be helpful and are creativity's best
friends. Live by your inner wisdom. "Your
gut gets it before your head figures it out."(4) Take risks.-Risks can be fun. They help you out of your
comfort zone. You were actually BORN TO WIN.
But "any kind of success without personal
fulfillment is still failure."(5) Peace of mind is the goal.-It gives you the ability to deal with "stuff."She remarked that shutting out background noise,
such as the TV, is essential. There was a period of
time when her and her kids didn't have a TV for
entertainment. In fact, there wasn't any electricity,
telephone, or running water.As a result, Wynonna improved her singing and guitar
playing, while Ashley honed her acting skills and
became a voracious reader.It's evident that Naomi has complete confidence
in her inner wisdom. She paced confidently back
and forth on the stage, making eye contact with
every listener in the audience.Naomi Judd is living proof that adopting these 5
life lessons can help to enrich your life and
fulfill your dreams.http://www.naomijudd.com/
http://www.askmen.com/women/7_ashley_judd.htmlDEAR FRIENDS WITH HEPATITIS C
(Special Letter from Naomi)
http://www.wynonna.com/judds/naomi_letter.htman update from Naomi
http://www.naomijudd.com/Pages/hepc.html© 2005 - Ronnie KimballRonnie Kimball is a co-publisher of REACH HIGHER,
The Good NewsLetter. To get the Good NewsLetter and
hear samples of Ronnie's CD, REACH HIGHER, go to:
http://www.reachhigher.com
Keyword : Naomi Judd, Wynonna, Ashley Judd, country music, women of country, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis, Nashville
The Monkey With The Wooden Apples
Author : Steven Gillman
There once was a happy monkey wandering the jungle, eating delicious fruit when hungry, and resting when tired. One day he came upon a house, where he saw a bowl of the most beautiful apples. He took one in each hand and ran back into the forest.He sniffed the apples and smelled nothing. He tried to eat them, but hurt his teeth. They were made of wood, but they were beautiful, and when the other monkeys saw them, he held onto them even tighter.He admired his new possessions proudly as he wandered the jungle. They glistened red in the sun, and seemed perfect to him. He became so attached to them, that he didn't even notice his hunger at first.A fruit tree reminded him, but he felt the apples in his hands. He couldn't bear to set them down to reach for the fruit. In fact, he couldn't relax, either, if he was to defend his apples. A proud, but less happy monkey continued to walk along the forest trails.The apples became heavier, and the poor little monkey thought about leaving them behind. He was tired, hungry, and he couldn't climb trees or collect fruit with his hands full. What if he just let go?Letting go of such valuable things seemed crazy, but what else could he do? He was so tired. Seeing the next fruit tree, and smelling it's fruit was enough. He dropped the wooden apples and reached up for his meal. He was happy again.Letting Go Of Wooden ApplesLike that little monkey, we sometimes carry things that seem too valuable to let go. A man carries an image of himself as "productive" - carries it like a shiny wooden apple. But in reality, his busyness leaves him tired, and hungry for a better life. Still, letting go seems crazy. Even his worries are sacred apples - they prove he's "doing everything he can." He holds onto them compulsively.This is a hard thing to see. We identify so strongly with our things even, feeling pain when our cars are dented. How much more powerfully do we identify with our beliefs and self-ideas? Yet they don't always feed our souls, do they? And we become tired of defending them.How else could the story end? The monkey might be found dead of hunger, under a beautiful tree, with fruit within reach, but still grasping his wooden apples. I chose to end it with him letting go, because only with open hands can we recieve.Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can visit his website, and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at: http://www.TheMeditationSite.com/newsletter.html
Keyword : letting go,let go,how to let go,identification
There once was a happy monkey wandering the jungle, eating delicious fruit when hungry, and resting when tired. One day he came upon a house, where he saw a bowl of the most beautiful apples. He took one in each hand and ran back into the forest.He sniffed the apples and smelled nothing. He tried to eat them, but hurt his teeth. They were made of wood, but they were beautiful, and when the other monkeys saw them, he held onto them even tighter.He admired his new possessions proudly as he wandered the jungle. They glistened red in the sun, and seemed perfect to him. He became so attached to them, that he didn't even notice his hunger at first.A fruit tree reminded him, but he felt the apples in his hands. He couldn't bear to set them down to reach for the fruit. In fact, he couldn't relax, either, if he was to defend his apples. A proud, but less happy monkey continued to walk along the forest trails.The apples became heavier, and the poor little monkey thought about leaving them behind. He was tired, hungry, and he couldn't climb trees or collect fruit with his hands full. What if he just let go?Letting go of such valuable things seemed crazy, but what else could he do? He was so tired. Seeing the next fruit tree, and smelling it's fruit was enough. He dropped the wooden apples and reached up for his meal. He was happy again.Letting Go Of Wooden ApplesLike that little monkey, we sometimes carry things that seem too valuable to let go. A man carries an image of himself as "productive" - carries it like a shiny wooden apple. But in reality, his busyness leaves him tired, and hungry for a better life. Still, letting go seems crazy. Even his worries are sacred apples - they prove he's "doing everything he can." He holds onto them compulsively.This is a hard thing to see. We identify so strongly with our things even, feeling pain when our cars are dented. How much more powerfully do we identify with our beliefs and self-ideas? Yet they don't always feed our souls, do they? And we become tired of defending them.How else could the story end? The monkey might be found dead of hunger, under a beautiful tree, with fruit within reach, but still grasping his wooden apples. I chose to end it with him letting go, because only with open hands can we recieve.Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can visit his website, and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at: http://www.TheMeditationSite.com/newsletter.html
Keyword : letting go,let go,how to let go,identification
My name is Smarty Jones -- Embracing God's Glory
Author : Greg Ryan
Our deepest fear us not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that
most frightens us…..We are born to manifest the
glory of God that is within us….And as we let our
own light shine, we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same.Nelson MandelaToday more than ever we live in times of public
murder via internet and the awareness of the dirty
little secrets of wartime interrogation. Yet, this
weekend we as a country got a breathe of fresh air
by watching a little horse letting go of his
inadequacy's and race around a dirt track looking
for his one shot at Glory. If a nation is so
hungry for winners by getting behind a horse named
Smarty Jones, then who are we not to embrace the
Glory of God and share it with others?Not long ago I read a quote in the book, "Jesus -
Life Coach" that read, "Are you living your life
like you only have six healthy months to live? I
answered NO! and then I asked myself, why? I
didn't have an answer. Did I fear inadequacy? Or
did I fear, what if God blessed me beyond measure?
Could I handle being in the spot light? Could I
live up to the world's expectations of me or my
expectations of myself? I really don't think it's
our place to decide what we can handle and not,
it's God's. Yet, it is our desire to live by
Faith. The bible says, "with God who can be
against us." Our feelings of inadequacy is just
another way of Satan trying to trick us into
thinking we are not worthy of God's glory or even
living a life full of happiness and love down here
on earth.Smarty Jones is similar to the legend Sea biscuit
in which the only thing both horses needed was
someone to believe in them. We have that to within
us just waiting to be manifested. Jesus Christ
lives in us just waiting to shine. I challenge you
this week to not live your life in the dark, but
embrace the Glory of God that glows within you.
It's nothing to be frightened of. Who knows we may
only have six healthy months to live, what are we
going to do with them? Is your name Smarty Jones
or just another running around in circles with no
game plan in life? Who knows, by embracing God's
Glory someone may get behind you and follow you
around the track all the way to the cross.Greg Ryan is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT series. A powerful five step plan to better your life, get healthier, and have more energy!
For FREE mini Course click here! http://www.resolutions.bz
Keyword : horses, smarty jones, faith, god
Our deepest fear us not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that
most frightens us…..We are born to manifest the
glory of God that is within us….And as we let our
own light shine, we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same.Nelson MandelaToday more than ever we live in times of public
murder via internet and the awareness of the dirty
little secrets of wartime interrogation. Yet, this
weekend we as a country got a breathe of fresh air
by watching a little horse letting go of his
inadequacy's and race around a dirt track looking
for his one shot at Glory. If a nation is so
hungry for winners by getting behind a horse named
Smarty Jones, then who are we not to embrace the
Glory of God and share it with others?Not long ago I read a quote in the book, "Jesus -
Life Coach" that read, "Are you living your life
like you only have six healthy months to live? I
answered NO! and then I asked myself, why? I
didn't have an answer. Did I fear inadequacy? Or
did I fear, what if God blessed me beyond measure?
Could I handle being in the spot light? Could I
live up to the world's expectations of me or my
expectations of myself? I really don't think it's
our place to decide what we can handle and not,
it's God's. Yet, it is our desire to live by
Faith. The bible says, "with God who can be
against us." Our feelings of inadequacy is just
another way of Satan trying to trick us into
thinking we are not worthy of God's glory or even
living a life full of happiness and love down here
on earth.Smarty Jones is similar to the legend Sea biscuit
in which the only thing both horses needed was
someone to believe in them. We have that to within
us just waiting to be manifested. Jesus Christ
lives in us just waiting to shine. I challenge you
this week to not live your life in the dark, but
embrace the Glory of God that glows within you.
It's nothing to be frightened of. Who knows we may
only have six healthy months to live, what are we
going to do with them? Is your name Smarty Jones
or just another running around in circles with no
game plan in life? Who knows, by embracing God's
Glory someone may get behind you and follow you
around the track all the way to the cross.Greg Ryan is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT series. A powerful five step plan to better your life, get healthier, and have more energy!
For FREE mini Course click here! http://www.resolutions.bz
Keyword : horses, smarty jones, faith, god
Aim High
Author : Lee Down
Change is difficult for many people. Often times our whole identity is wrapped up in what we've learned as children will work for us when dealing with people, allowing us to survive, thrive and fit in. While some people have had to learn to thrive in the midst of change and learned to be adaptable by being open to new ideas and embracing change, many others have had to fight for survival and every table-scrap that came their way. Behavior is learned and it takes work to unlearn and dismantle these old beliefs.The truth of the matter is that win-win is always possible. When you are able to see beyond the ego and recognize the abundance that is available, people, minds, and ideas come together and can create amazing changes that improve the current scenarios for many, many people. When you work with people who have this abundant and generous attitude, you are uplifted, the team soars, and amazing energy and creativity is unleashed. This is much harder to do, to sustain, and to elevate within others when you encounter individuals driven by the thought of scarcity and competition.People like Steve Jobs are visionaries that have sought to bring about such shifts in society and in business. One thing I've learned along the way is that it is often better to take the high road. This isn't about judging others as wrong or seeing yourself as better than others. This is about recognizing your truth as to how you wish to BE in the world. Don't compromise your integrity. Don't get caught up in the competition. See the vision, see the outcome, feel the purpose and passion you're driven to offer the world, and give it freely. We all die. You can't take anything from this life with you. So give what you have to offer the world. What is not given is lost forever.If your goal is to truly bring about a positive change and serve others, how it is accomplished becomes less important and seeing it accomplished becomes more important. While it may be a blow to your ego when others criticize your inspiration, or someone takes the credit for something you've introduced, holding fast to the benefits for everyone will often soften the sting. You do need to pick and choose those places where you'll offer yourself, the key is to evaluate whether it is serving a common good. When you're getting compensated for your contributions, gratitude would serve you spirit of peace. If you continually feel abused and stomped on, maybe it is time to move on to a more collaborative team, as well as a more receptive and appreciative audience.Knowing that you are accomplishing your purpose and living your passion will be reward. In time, it will be recognized. Imposters will eventually be seen and heart & soul will always outlast the mind & ego. Along the way, through the journey that is your life and career, you will need to hold fast to the true inner qualities and nature of the brilliance that is you. Don't allow these negative experiences to become something that undermines your value. You are not the negative experience. Often times, the negativity we experience from others, is more a reflection of them and less about who you are.We all have different lenses, different gifts, different wiring, and different experiences. Difference is not something to be judged, it is a gift of diversity that brings the pieces of the puzzle of life together and creates a society, a solution, a technology, etc., together for the benefit of us all. Don't doubt yourself when others cannot see the vision you see. Keep true, keep your intentions, and you will attract the right support, the right people, and the right opportunities. Lower the ego and aim high the vision.Best wishes, LeeMake a DifferenceLee Down is a Professional Coach, Trainer/Facilitator, Speaker, & Writer of One Man Can Human Capital Development that focuses on relationships, the key foundation to success in business and life. With more than 15 years professional experience and a thirst for truth and understanding, he focuses on the human spirit and human capacity.Working with clients, he facilitates the breaking down of beliefs, barriers or obstacles that bring clients forward on their journey of discovery with spirit, energy, abundance, passion and purpose, integrating the mind and body experience. Working with business, he brings visionary leadership and relationship skills to the forefront that witnesses an empowered culture evolve and develop directly impacting the improvement to the bottom-line.
Keyword : change,transition,inspiration,integrity,ethics,vision,purpose
Change is difficult for many people. Often times our whole identity is wrapped up in what we've learned as children will work for us when dealing with people, allowing us to survive, thrive and fit in. While some people have had to learn to thrive in the midst of change and learned to be adaptable by being open to new ideas and embracing change, many others have had to fight for survival and every table-scrap that came their way. Behavior is learned and it takes work to unlearn and dismantle these old beliefs.The truth of the matter is that win-win is always possible. When you are able to see beyond the ego and recognize the abundance that is available, people, minds, and ideas come together and can create amazing changes that improve the current scenarios for many, many people. When you work with people who have this abundant and generous attitude, you are uplifted, the team soars, and amazing energy and creativity is unleashed. This is much harder to do, to sustain, and to elevate within others when you encounter individuals driven by the thought of scarcity and competition.People like Steve Jobs are visionaries that have sought to bring about such shifts in society and in business. One thing I've learned along the way is that it is often better to take the high road. This isn't about judging others as wrong or seeing yourself as better than others. This is about recognizing your truth as to how you wish to BE in the world. Don't compromise your integrity. Don't get caught up in the competition. See the vision, see the outcome, feel the purpose and passion you're driven to offer the world, and give it freely. We all die. You can't take anything from this life with you. So give what you have to offer the world. What is not given is lost forever.If your goal is to truly bring about a positive change and serve others, how it is accomplished becomes less important and seeing it accomplished becomes more important. While it may be a blow to your ego when others criticize your inspiration, or someone takes the credit for something you've introduced, holding fast to the benefits for everyone will often soften the sting. You do need to pick and choose those places where you'll offer yourself, the key is to evaluate whether it is serving a common good. When you're getting compensated for your contributions, gratitude would serve you spirit of peace. If you continually feel abused and stomped on, maybe it is time to move on to a more collaborative team, as well as a more receptive and appreciative audience.Knowing that you are accomplishing your purpose and living your passion will be reward. In time, it will be recognized. Imposters will eventually be seen and heart & soul will always outlast the mind & ego. Along the way, through the journey that is your life and career, you will need to hold fast to the true inner qualities and nature of the brilliance that is you. Don't allow these negative experiences to become something that undermines your value. You are not the negative experience. Often times, the negativity we experience from others, is more a reflection of them and less about who you are.We all have different lenses, different gifts, different wiring, and different experiences. Difference is not something to be judged, it is a gift of diversity that brings the pieces of the puzzle of life together and creates a society, a solution, a technology, etc., together for the benefit of us all. Don't doubt yourself when others cannot see the vision you see. Keep true, keep your intentions, and you will attract the right support, the right people, and the right opportunities. Lower the ego and aim high the vision.Best wishes, LeeMake a DifferenceLee Down is a Professional Coach, Trainer/Facilitator, Speaker, & Writer of One Man Can Human Capital Development that focuses on relationships, the key foundation to success in business and life. With more than 15 years professional experience and a thirst for truth and understanding, he focuses on the human spirit and human capacity.Working with clients, he facilitates the breaking down of beliefs, barriers or obstacles that bring clients forward on their journey of discovery with spirit, energy, abundance, passion and purpose, integrating the mind and body experience. Working with business, he brings visionary leadership and relationship skills to the forefront that witnesses an empowered culture evolve and develop directly impacting the improvement to the bottom-line.
Keyword : change,transition,inspiration,integrity,ethics,vision,purpose
Do You Still Have This Type of Dreams?
Author : Elisha Goodman
Jesus says in Matthew 13:25"But while men slept, his enemy came and
sowed tares among the wheat and went his
way"The greatest danger that we face in the
spiritual world happens when we sleep.There are 40 kinds of "tares" i.e. problems
that can be introduced into a person's life
while she's asleep.If you've had any of these dreams, it's
time to take action:1. do you eat or drink in the dream?2. do you have sex in the dream?3. do you swim in the dream?4. are you being chased or bitten by
cats or dogs5. do you get shot at in the dream?6. do you have accidents in the dream?7. has anything been stolen from you
in the dream?"I don't dream, or I don't remember what
I dream if I do."That's a feedback I've been getting from an
overwhelming number of people.But what has God to say?In Job 33:14-18, we read:"For God speaks once, yes twice,
yet man perceives it not.In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls upon men,
in slumberings upon the bed, then He
opens the ears of man, and seals their
instructions, that He may withdraw man
from his purpose, and hide pride from man.He keeps back his soul from the pit,
and his life from perishing by the sword."So everyone dreams. Even scientists agree.In my new ebook, "40 Common Dreams People
Have and 101 Prayers to Deal with Them,"
(due for release shortly), I tell this
true story of a newly-wedded
woman in England.She dreamt that a blonde woman she'd
never seen before walked into her home,
made straight for her closet and grabbed
her wedding gown. She was gone
before you could say, "Jesus is Lord."At breakfast the following morning, she told her
husband about it. He just laughed it off.Tell you what?On that exact, same date two months
later, the husband filed for divorce.
He packed up and moved in with - you guessed
it - the blonde woman who first appeared
in the dream!Dreams in the BibleThere are at least 28 accounts of dreams in the
Bible. A few of them are:(i) Joseph had a dream (Gen.20)(ii) Pharaoh had a dream(iii) Solomon had a dream(iv) The wise men had a dream(v) Joseph was warned in a dream to run away
with Baby Jesus(vi) Pilate's wife had a dreamSources of dreamsYour dreams can come from 3 sources:- God
- Satan
- The fleshWhen a dream is from God, it- Encourages
- Assures
- Comforts
- Directs
- Instructs
- Guides
- Corrects
- RevealsWhen a dream is from the enemy, satan, it is- Absurd
- Mysterious
- Unreasonable
- Confusing
- TerrifyingWhen it comes from your flesh, it generally mirrors
what's been occupying your thoughts throughout the
day, e.g.- Negative news from the media
- Idle conversationsDanger of NOT dreamingIf you feel you don't dream at all,
the real problem is that of recall.
If you cannot recall your dreams when
you wake up, you face a double danger:- If God wants to speak to you, you will not hear.- The enemy's presence and activities in your life willremain largely undetected.The Result?1. you'll be clueless about the things happening toyou, your finances, health and marriage.2. you may end up living from crisis to crisis, andwondering why your prayers are not working.More PointersHere are more of those dreams that have serious
spiritual implications:- going back to your childhood days or to your old
schools
- strong winds blowing against you or your kids
- carrying strange baby
- wearing tattered clothes
- finding yourself naked
- losing your certificates
- sitting for exams and not able to complete it
- seeing strange creatures laughing at you (even
when you call the name of Jesus)
- discussing with dead relativesWhat's this all mean?Bible says in James 1:22:"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves."Let's find out what some of these dreams really
mean and what to do about them.Dream #1 - sex in the dreamIt is a disaster to have any form of sexual
intercourse in the dream. This is the work of
a spirit called spirit husband or spirit wife.Their main purpose is to control, rule, dominate,
abuse, manipulate, plunder and dispossess the victim
of every good thing earmarked for her/him by God.By their activities, one's marital, social, business
and financial life will be in shambles!Yes, they have that kind of power. And if you allow
this in your life, they will neutralize your prayers
on legal grounds - because you're married to them,
whether you know it or not! Please don't be deceived
that they sometimes take on the appearance of your
husband or wife.What to doYou have to rebuke him/her in the name of the LORD.
Attack this spirit with all the weapons you know
about. Bind and stop the spirit from visiting you again.Please be sure that you are NOT engaged in the sin
of fornication or adultery - even in your heart.
These 2 sins act like magnets, helping to attract
them to you.Dream #2 - one recurring dreamIf you have discovered that anytime you want to
touch or start something good, a partcular dream
comes up which always results in rendering all your
efforts futile, you are suffering from what we call "The
Demonic Stabilizer."This dream stabilizes you and keeps you at the same
level. You must use the weapon of praying and
fasting.This stabilizing influence may not affect your entire
life, but it is a hindrance to your progress and
fulfilment in life. You need to break the yoke
behind it and set yourself free.Dream #3 - wedding dressIf you dream of people stealing your wedding dress, or
soiling it (like stained with blood or in rags), it is a
vicious attack on your marriage.You must go into fasting and prayer very quickly and
command the wedding gown to be returned. Then go
ahead and claim God's promises for your marriage.Dream #4 - being nakedIf you find yourself naked in the dream, it is a sign of
disgrace or insecurity (i.e. the enemy is planning to
disgrace you publicly).You must ask the Holy Spirit to clothe you and remove
any object of disgrace from your life.Dream #5 - traffic jamIf you drove your car in the dream in a traffic jam
which stood still until you woke up, it is symbolic of a
major plan to hinder you from getting what God
wants to give you. This is the kind of dream that
shows you the devil's strategy against your life.Ask the Holy Spirit to send His troopers there
and clear the way for you.Dream #6 - funeral serviceIf you frequently see yourself in funeral services, the
enemy is pursuing you with the spirit of death, period.What to doYou have to disband the funeral service and 'deal
with the priest who is conducting it. You should also
withdraw yourself from the service. It is not of God.
The people who are there are only pretending to be
your relatives or church members. They are all satanic
agents.Dream #7 - eating in the dreamIf you find yoursef eating in the dream (no matter
what it is) it shows you that your spiritual life is being
poisoned. You may even be eating human flesh (Ps
27:2) without knowing it. This is how terrible diseases
are introduced into the lives of people - when they
are asleep and maybe even spiritually dull!What to doYou have to ask the Holy Spirit to purge you
immediately. This is where you need to learn to
activate the cleansing power in the blood of Jesus,
and use it aggresively!Next StepsListen carefully. If you are a child of God, you
should NOT experience these kinds of dreams. But most
Christians are still having them as a result of
ignorance, carelessness or prayerlessness.You may be asking: "But I've had these types of
dreams for so many years without doing anything
about it. Can I still rectify things and undo what
Satan has done?"I have good news for you. The answer is: "Yes, you
can!"Watch out for my emails like a hawk. Because very
shortly, I will show you a little spiritual device in
the Bible. It will give you a glorious opportunity in
the spiritual world. You will be able to use
the ONLY weapon that God has graciously made
available to His children to use against these
kinds of challenges.Prayer HomeworkI usually give some homework after this kind
of teaching. I'm seeing powerful praise reports
from some of those who are praying.A woman prayed and reported that she saw how
certain problems entered into her life.Another even saw the glory of God for the first time
in her life. Powerful stuff!Here's 4 prayer points to pray before you sleep:1. Let every strange fire introduced into my
body in the dream, be quenched by the blood of
Jesus, in Jesus' name.2. Every destiny demoting dreams, be
destroyed in Jesus' name.3. (Lay your right hand on your head as you
pray this one) Every mask of darkness working
against my destiny, die in the name of Jesus.4. O Lord, reveal beneficial secrets to me, in
Jesus' name.There are 40 common prayers people have... every night.
And there are 101 prayers to deal with them.To learn more, visit:http://www.firesprings.comBe blessed!Prayer coach Elisha Goodman helps busy people get quick results
through prayer. Learn more about his two golden key secrets that guarantee answers to your prayers at http://www.firesprings.com.Check out his ebook packed with tips and strategies on how to attract a car, house, spouse or anything else you desire through prayer - almost everytime you pray at http://www.firesprings.com/prayer.htm
Keyword : jcommon dream,meaning of dream,dream interpretation,joyce meyer,t d jakes,dream,dream symbol,prayer
Jesus says in Matthew 13:25"But while men slept, his enemy came and
sowed tares among the wheat and went his
way"The greatest danger that we face in the
spiritual world happens when we sleep.There are 40 kinds of "tares" i.e. problems
that can be introduced into a person's life
while she's asleep.If you've had any of these dreams, it's
time to take action:1. do you eat or drink in the dream?2. do you have sex in the dream?3. do you swim in the dream?4. are you being chased or bitten by
cats or dogs5. do you get shot at in the dream?6. do you have accidents in the dream?7. has anything been stolen from you
in the dream?"I don't dream, or I don't remember what
I dream if I do."That's a feedback I've been getting from an
overwhelming number of people.But what has God to say?In Job 33:14-18, we read:"For God speaks once, yes twice,
yet man perceives it not.In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls upon men,
in slumberings upon the bed, then He
opens the ears of man, and seals their
instructions, that He may withdraw man
from his purpose, and hide pride from man.He keeps back his soul from the pit,
and his life from perishing by the sword."So everyone dreams. Even scientists agree.In my new ebook, "40 Common Dreams People
Have and 101 Prayers to Deal with Them,"
(due for release shortly), I tell this
true story of a newly-wedded
woman in England.She dreamt that a blonde woman she'd
never seen before walked into her home,
made straight for her closet and grabbed
her wedding gown. She was gone
before you could say, "Jesus is Lord."At breakfast the following morning, she told her
husband about it. He just laughed it off.Tell you what?On that exact, same date two months
later, the husband filed for divorce.
He packed up and moved in with - you guessed
it - the blonde woman who first appeared
in the dream!Dreams in the BibleThere are at least 28 accounts of dreams in the
Bible. A few of them are:(i) Joseph had a dream (Gen.20)(ii) Pharaoh had a dream(iii) Solomon had a dream(iv) The wise men had a dream(v) Joseph was warned in a dream to run away
with Baby Jesus(vi) Pilate's wife had a dreamSources of dreamsYour dreams can come from 3 sources:- God
- Satan
- The fleshWhen a dream is from God, it- Encourages
- Assures
- Comforts
- Directs
- Instructs
- Guides
- Corrects
- RevealsWhen a dream is from the enemy, satan, it is- Absurd
- Mysterious
- Unreasonable
- Confusing
- TerrifyingWhen it comes from your flesh, it generally mirrors
what's been occupying your thoughts throughout the
day, e.g.- Negative news from the media
- Idle conversationsDanger of NOT dreamingIf you feel you don't dream at all,
the real problem is that of recall.
If you cannot recall your dreams when
you wake up, you face a double danger:- If God wants to speak to you, you will not hear.- The enemy's presence and activities in your life willremain largely undetected.The Result?1. you'll be clueless about the things happening toyou, your finances, health and marriage.2. you may end up living from crisis to crisis, andwondering why your prayers are not working.More PointersHere are more of those dreams that have serious
spiritual implications:- going back to your childhood days or to your old
schools
- strong winds blowing against you or your kids
- carrying strange baby
- wearing tattered clothes
- finding yourself naked
- losing your certificates
- sitting for exams and not able to complete it
- seeing strange creatures laughing at you (even
when you call the name of Jesus)
- discussing with dead relativesWhat's this all mean?Bible says in James 1:22:"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves."Let's find out what some of these dreams really
mean and what to do about them.Dream #1 - sex in the dreamIt is a disaster to have any form of sexual
intercourse in the dream. This is the work of
a spirit called spirit husband or spirit wife.Their main purpose is to control, rule, dominate,
abuse, manipulate, plunder and dispossess the victim
of every good thing earmarked for her/him by God.By their activities, one's marital, social, business
and financial life will be in shambles!Yes, they have that kind of power. And if you allow
this in your life, they will neutralize your prayers
on legal grounds - because you're married to them,
whether you know it or not! Please don't be deceived
that they sometimes take on the appearance of your
husband or wife.What to doYou have to rebuke him/her in the name of the LORD.
Attack this spirit with all the weapons you know
about. Bind and stop the spirit from visiting you again.Please be sure that you are NOT engaged in the sin
of fornication or adultery - even in your heart.
These 2 sins act like magnets, helping to attract
them to you.Dream #2 - one recurring dreamIf you have discovered that anytime you want to
touch or start something good, a partcular dream
comes up which always results in rendering all your
efforts futile, you are suffering from what we call "The
Demonic Stabilizer."This dream stabilizes you and keeps you at the same
level. You must use the weapon of praying and
fasting.This stabilizing influence may not affect your entire
life, but it is a hindrance to your progress and
fulfilment in life. You need to break the yoke
behind it and set yourself free.Dream #3 - wedding dressIf you dream of people stealing your wedding dress, or
soiling it (like stained with blood or in rags), it is a
vicious attack on your marriage.You must go into fasting and prayer very quickly and
command the wedding gown to be returned. Then go
ahead and claim God's promises for your marriage.Dream #4 - being nakedIf you find yourself naked in the dream, it is a sign of
disgrace or insecurity (i.e. the enemy is planning to
disgrace you publicly).You must ask the Holy Spirit to clothe you and remove
any object of disgrace from your life.Dream #5 - traffic jamIf you drove your car in the dream in a traffic jam
which stood still until you woke up, it is symbolic of a
major plan to hinder you from getting what God
wants to give you. This is the kind of dream that
shows you the devil's strategy against your life.Ask the Holy Spirit to send His troopers there
and clear the way for you.Dream #6 - funeral serviceIf you frequently see yourself in funeral services, the
enemy is pursuing you with the spirit of death, period.What to doYou have to disband the funeral service and 'deal
with the priest who is conducting it. You should also
withdraw yourself from the service. It is not of God.
The people who are there are only pretending to be
your relatives or church members. They are all satanic
agents.Dream #7 - eating in the dreamIf you find yoursef eating in the dream (no matter
what it is) it shows you that your spiritual life is being
poisoned. You may even be eating human flesh (Ps
27:2) without knowing it. This is how terrible diseases
are introduced into the lives of people - when they
are asleep and maybe even spiritually dull!What to doYou have to ask the Holy Spirit to purge you
immediately. This is where you need to learn to
activate the cleansing power in the blood of Jesus,
and use it aggresively!Next StepsListen carefully. If you are a child of God, you
should NOT experience these kinds of dreams. But most
Christians are still having them as a result of
ignorance, carelessness or prayerlessness.You may be asking: "But I've had these types of
dreams for so many years without doing anything
about it. Can I still rectify things and undo what
Satan has done?"I have good news for you. The answer is: "Yes, you
can!"Watch out for my emails like a hawk. Because very
shortly, I will show you a little spiritual device in
the Bible. It will give you a glorious opportunity in
the spiritual world. You will be able to use
the ONLY weapon that God has graciously made
available to His children to use against these
kinds of challenges.Prayer HomeworkI usually give some homework after this kind
of teaching. I'm seeing powerful praise reports
from some of those who are praying.A woman prayed and reported that she saw how
certain problems entered into her life.Another even saw the glory of God for the first time
in her life. Powerful stuff!Here's 4 prayer points to pray before you sleep:1. Let every strange fire introduced into my
body in the dream, be quenched by the blood of
Jesus, in Jesus' name.2. Every destiny demoting dreams, be
destroyed in Jesus' name.3. (Lay your right hand on your head as you
pray this one) Every mask of darkness working
against my destiny, die in the name of Jesus.4. O Lord, reveal beneficial secrets to me, in
Jesus' name.There are 40 common prayers people have... every night.
And there are 101 prayers to deal with them.To learn more, visit:http://www.firesprings.comBe blessed!Prayer coach Elisha Goodman helps busy people get quick results
through prayer. Learn more about his two golden key secrets that guarantee answers to your prayers at http://www.firesprings.com.Check out his ebook packed with tips and strategies on how to attract a car, house, spouse or anything else you desire through prayer - almost everytime you pray at http://www.firesprings.com/prayer.htm
Keyword : jcommon dream,meaning of dream,dream interpretation,joyce meyer,t d jakes,dream,dream symbol,prayer
Surrender, Complete Healing, and the Garden of Eden
Author : Julia Rogers Hamrick
In 1982, I found myself in Eden. What I found out from my brief visit there is that the Garden of Eden is not a piece of real estate, but a state of being—the reality matrix in which human beings were designed to thrive. While such forays into extraordinary states is the goal of spiritual aspirants, I did not gain entrance to the Garden via a conscious desire to—nor through discipline, self-sacrifice, meditation or fasting—I reached it because of something I did when I came up against a problem I couldn't solve in the ordinary human way. When my back was against the wall, I gave up. I surrendered. I "let go," as the saying goes, and "let God."The situation that triggered my ascent to Eden was a rapidly progressing case of that viciously painful, crippling disease, rheumatoid arthritis. I was 27 years old when I was diagnosed with it, and just months before, I had started a job teaching art in an international school in Japan, halfway around the world from home. I was virtually alone in Japan, without my family and longtime friends, I had only a rudimentary Japanese vocabulary, and I had big plans that did not include a serious illness. When I kept having odd aches and pains, sometimes excruciating, I went to see the Japanese doctor that all the teachers from my school used as a primary care physician for no better reason than that he spoke English. When he announced that my blood test results had come back "positive" for R.A., my initial reaction was to go numb, and I hightailed it to that zone named "denial" just as fast as I possibly could."There is no cure," he pronounced with a long, sad face, "but if you're lucky, and undergo modern medical treatment, you ought to be able to take care of yourself for as much as ten years before you become totally dependent on others to care for you." I left that day with five or six different medications—something that, at the time, I didn't question. After all, he had told me that my only hope was to submit to medical treatment and I hadn't yet jolted awake and realized that his reality and my reality did not have to be the same—indeed, that they were completely incompatible. Though I still had pain and stiffness, the medicine seemed to be preventing my decline into helplessness, the specter of which was always present just beneath my consciousness.I took the three-times-daily handful of pills for about 7 months before the first signs of problems became undeniable. I had "moon face"—the classic side-effect of corticosteroids usage. I had not even known I was taking such a powerful and destructive drug, such had been the passion with which I adopted the ostrich method of abdicating all responsibility. I was instructed to immediately cease taking the little pink pill in the battalion of medications I had religiously taken since they were first prescribed, and obediently, I did that. Within 36 hours, I was in a crisis. Among numerous other symptoms, I was unable to lift my arms or bend my legs, every joint was on fire, and I experienced mild psychosis. You see, if you've been taking steroids at what turns out to have been the high dosage I was, for as long as I had, your adrenal glands, whose hormonal secretions regulate a mind-boggling number of your bodily and mental functions, have simply gone on vacation—sometimes permanent vacation.That last bit is what I found out when I read Paovo Airola's classic book There Is a Cure for Arthritis—my beacon in the darkness when I could finally stay in denial no longer. But all my newly found hope was shattered when I read that high dosages of steroids taken over protracted periods could so burn out your adrenals, you may be unable to heal.That was rock bottom for me. By the time I read that, I had visited many of the most highly-noted rheumatologists in Japan, consulted with doctors back in the U.S., had tried several unsuccessful, painful programs to get off the steroids, and had finally come to the realization that I was at the end of the line. It seemed that nothing I, nor anyone else could come up with, could save me from my descent into a physical nightmare with no apparent end. So I did the only thing I could: I sobbed, I wailed, and I pleaded with the god of my Protestant Sunday school days to please, PLEASE help me! I had always considered this god the ace up my sleeve—the last-resort option in case I ever got completely desperate, and I was, by then, completely desperate. The sound of my pleading morphed from the voice of an anguished young woman into that of a terrified young child beseeching an omnipotent parent to help her. After a time, the pleading and wailing diminished and I was left with stillness—what can only be described as "the peace that passes understanding." Nothing about my situation had changed outwardly, but everything had changed.Starting the very next day, remarkable events began to transpire, including the catapulting of my faith into the stratosphere. Solutions to every challenge appeared as if by magic, and in a few months, I found myself at a famous Swiss clinic for natural healing. There, I was able to get off all medication, including the steroids, and become symptom-free within 3 weeks. Though I could barely walk when I arrived at the clinic, I was, after those few short weeks, able to climb to the top of a mountain, which is where I found the Garden Gate and slipped through—where I was able to experience cosmic consciousness—and the Oneness of our origins.It took me over two decades to fully understand why and how that happened. I now know that my surrender to Spirit catapulted me up in frequency—up to the frequency level where Paradise manifests. It shot me up to the frequency level where there is no disease, no pain and suffering, and there is only harmony and bliss. When I hit rock bottom, it became my "launching pad" to the sublime, higher-frequency reality of Eden. My life since has been a quest to not only return, but to make sure everyone else knows how to get there, too.©2005 Julia Rogers HamrickJulia Rogers Hamrick has been a spiritual-growth facilitator for over two decades, and is the author of Recreating Eden: The Exquisitely Simple, Divinely Ordained Plan for Transforming Your Life and Your Planet, which further chronicles her remarkable healing experience and the insights it blessed her with. Julia writes about and leads seminars on proactive joy, and the relationship between frequency and experience. For more information on Julia and on recreating Eden, visit http://www.recreating-eden.com To read about Julia's own dance with Spirit, ego, and frequency, read Julia's blog, accessible from her website.
Keyword : surrender, healing, ascension, rheumatoid arthritis, spiritual healing, disease, paradise, Eden
In 1982, I found myself in Eden. What I found out from my brief visit there is that the Garden of Eden is not a piece of real estate, but a state of being—the reality matrix in which human beings were designed to thrive. While such forays into extraordinary states is the goal of spiritual aspirants, I did not gain entrance to the Garden via a conscious desire to—nor through discipline, self-sacrifice, meditation or fasting—I reached it because of something I did when I came up against a problem I couldn't solve in the ordinary human way. When my back was against the wall, I gave up. I surrendered. I "let go," as the saying goes, and "let God."The situation that triggered my ascent to Eden was a rapidly progressing case of that viciously painful, crippling disease, rheumatoid arthritis. I was 27 years old when I was diagnosed with it, and just months before, I had started a job teaching art in an international school in Japan, halfway around the world from home. I was virtually alone in Japan, without my family and longtime friends, I had only a rudimentary Japanese vocabulary, and I had big plans that did not include a serious illness. When I kept having odd aches and pains, sometimes excruciating, I went to see the Japanese doctor that all the teachers from my school used as a primary care physician for no better reason than that he spoke English. When he announced that my blood test results had come back "positive" for R.A., my initial reaction was to go numb, and I hightailed it to that zone named "denial" just as fast as I possibly could."There is no cure," he pronounced with a long, sad face, "but if you're lucky, and undergo modern medical treatment, you ought to be able to take care of yourself for as much as ten years before you become totally dependent on others to care for you." I left that day with five or six different medications—something that, at the time, I didn't question. After all, he had told me that my only hope was to submit to medical treatment and I hadn't yet jolted awake and realized that his reality and my reality did not have to be the same—indeed, that they were completely incompatible. Though I still had pain and stiffness, the medicine seemed to be preventing my decline into helplessness, the specter of which was always present just beneath my consciousness.I took the three-times-daily handful of pills for about 7 months before the first signs of problems became undeniable. I had "moon face"—the classic side-effect of corticosteroids usage. I had not even known I was taking such a powerful and destructive drug, such had been the passion with which I adopted the ostrich method of abdicating all responsibility. I was instructed to immediately cease taking the little pink pill in the battalion of medications I had religiously taken since they were first prescribed, and obediently, I did that. Within 36 hours, I was in a crisis. Among numerous other symptoms, I was unable to lift my arms or bend my legs, every joint was on fire, and I experienced mild psychosis. You see, if you've been taking steroids at what turns out to have been the high dosage I was, for as long as I had, your adrenal glands, whose hormonal secretions regulate a mind-boggling number of your bodily and mental functions, have simply gone on vacation—sometimes permanent vacation.That last bit is what I found out when I read Paovo Airola's classic book There Is a Cure for Arthritis—my beacon in the darkness when I could finally stay in denial no longer. But all my newly found hope was shattered when I read that high dosages of steroids taken over protracted periods could so burn out your adrenals, you may be unable to heal.That was rock bottom for me. By the time I read that, I had visited many of the most highly-noted rheumatologists in Japan, consulted with doctors back in the U.S., had tried several unsuccessful, painful programs to get off the steroids, and had finally come to the realization that I was at the end of the line. It seemed that nothing I, nor anyone else could come up with, could save me from my descent into a physical nightmare with no apparent end. So I did the only thing I could: I sobbed, I wailed, and I pleaded with the god of my Protestant Sunday school days to please, PLEASE help me! I had always considered this god the ace up my sleeve—the last-resort option in case I ever got completely desperate, and I was, by then, completely desperate. The sound of my pleading morphed from the voice of an anguished young woman into that of a terrified young child beseeching an omnipotent parent to help her. After a time, the pleading and wailing diminished and I was left with stillness—what can only be described as "the peace that passes understanding." Nothing about my situation had changed outwardly, but everything had changed.Starting the very next day, remarkable events began to transpire, including the catapulting of my faith into the stratosphere. Solutions to every challenge appeared as if by magic, and in a few months, I found myself at a famous Swiss clinic for natural healing. There, I was able to get off all medication, including the steroids, and become symptom-free within 3 weeks. Though I could barely walk when I arrived at the clinic, I was, after those few short weeks, able to climb to the top of a mountain, which is where I found the Garden Gate and slipped through—where I was able to experience cosmic consciousness—and the Oneness of our origins.It took me over two decades to fully understand why and how that happened. I now know that my surrender to Spirit catapulted me up in frequency—up to the frequency level where Paradise manifests. It shot me up to the frequency level where there is no disease, no pain and suffering, and there is only harmony and bliss. When I hit rock bottom, it became my "launching pad" to the sublime, higher-frequency reality of Eden. My life since has been a quest to not only return, but to make sure everyone else knows how to get there, too.©2005 Julia Rogers HamrickJulia Rogers Hamrick has been a spiritual-growth facilitator for over two decades, and is the author of Recreating Eden: The Exquisitely Simple, Divinely Ordained Plan for Transforming Your Life and Your Planet, which further chronicles her remarkable healing experience and the insights it blessed her with. Julia writes about and leads seminars on proactive joy, and the relationship between frequency and experience. For more information on Julia and on recreating Eden, visit http://www.recreating-eden.com To read about Julia's own dance with Spirit, ego, and frequency, read Julia's blog, accessible from her website.
Keyword : surrender, healing, ascension, rheumatoid arthritis, spiritual healing, disease, paradise, Eden
In the Eyes of a Child
Author : Rachelle Arlin Credo
It was way past 10:00 pm when I came home from a grueling day of schoolwork and extracurricular activities. The wind was rustling about overhead as I paced through the door of our humble abode. I moved towards the nearest couch and plumped myself to rest. Defeat and exhaustion filled my frame as I laid back against the soft cushions. I was about to close my eyes when I remembered our Hematology project which was due the next day. I stood up and set out for the personal computer situated on the other side of the room. Just then, my brother Michael dashed out of his room and went straight at me."Ate, can you help me with my assignment? It's about the seven wonders of the world," he blurted out while staring at the paper in his grasp.My brother's words didn't seem to filter through my mind at first. My attention was so riveted at the computer screen that my brother had to nudge me and pull the tip of my blouse just to get my attention."Look, not right now! I'm very busy," I yelled while ticking on the keyboard."You're always busy! You're always like that!" he wailed back as he turned on his heels and stomped back to his room.For a moment, Michael's words fiddled in my mind. I felt a twinge of guilt as his words lingered in my thoughts. But the urgency of my work seemed more important to me than my brother's. I sighed a few times and continued to polish my school work.The next day, I went home late again. I went straight to my room and quickly changed my clothes. When I was about to turn off the lights, I heard a pounding noise on the door. I went to see who it was. It was Michael."I know you are busy but there's something I wanna show you," he began. "I was just wondering if my classmate was right when he said that my assignment was wrong."Without saying a word, I snatched the paper from him and pored over his written assignment. I really didn't care what he was saying. All I wanted was to get rid of him and finally get to rest. Suddenly, my eyes widened in surprise as soon as I saw what he'd written. There, he wrote in gothic letters:The Seven Wonders of the World1. Love
2. Friendship
3. Peace
4. Joy
5. Wisdom
6. Fun
7. FamilyI froze dead on my tracks as the words registered in my brain. I could not believe what my brother just scribbled on paper. I was completely transfixed. How could such an innocent little child fathom such things in life, I thought to myself. As I was trying hard to push back my emotions to the farthest recesses of my mind, I didn't notice that tears were already swelling up in my eyes and started flowing down my cheeks."Ate why are you crying? Is it really wrong?""No, baby brother, it's not. This is the other set of answers most people don't know," I said as I whisked the trickling droplets from my cheeks. I hugged him tight then gestured him towards his room. He didn't say a word and did as he was told. I paused for a while and thought for a moment. Then I closed the door and went to sleep.© 2005 Rachelle Arlin Credo. All rights reserved.Rachelle Arlin Credo is a freelance writer and web columnist from the Philippines. She writes on a variety of topics for print and online publications. Feel free to check her website at http://www.rachelle.co.nr
Keyword : seven, wonders, kid, michael, seven wonders, story
It was way past 10:00 pm when I came home from a grueling day of schoolwork and extracurricular activities. The wind was rustling about overhead as I paced through the door of our humble abode. I moved towards the nearest couch and plumped myself to rest. Defeat and exhaustion filled my frame as I laid back against the soft cushions. I was about to close my eyes when I remembered our Hematology project which was due the next day. I stood up and set out for the personal computer situated on the other side of the room. Just then, my brother Michael dashed out of his room and went straight at me."Ate, can you help me with my assignment? It's about the seven wonders of the world," he blurted out while staring at the paper in his grasp.My brother's words didn't seem to filter through my mind at first. My attention was so riveted at the computer screen that my brother had to nudge me and pull the tip of my blouse just to get my attention."Look, not right now! I'm very busy," I yelled while ticking on the keyboard."You're always busy! You're always like that!" he wailed back as he turned on his heels and stomped back to his room.For a moment, Michael's words fiddled in my mind. I felt a twinge of guilt as his words lingered in my thoughts. But the urgency of my work seemed more important to me than my brother's. I sighed a few times and continued to polish my school work.The next day, I went home late again. I went straight to my room and quickly changed my clothes. When I was about to turn off the lights, I heard a pounding noise on the door. I went to see who it was. It was Michael."I know you are busy but there's something I wanna show you," he began. "I was just wondering if my classmate was right when he said that my assignment was wrong."Without saying a word, I snatched the paper from him and pored over his written assignment. I really didn't care what he was saying. All I wanted was to get rid of him and finally get to rest. Suddenly, my eyes widened in surprise as soon as I saw what he'd written. There, he wrote in gothic letters:The Seven Wonders of the World1. Love
2. Friendship
3. Peace
4. Joy
5. Wisdom
6. Fun
7. FamilyI froze dead on my tracks as the words registered in my brain. I could not believe what my brother just scribbled on paper. I was completely transfixed. How could such an innocent little child fathom such things in life, I thought to myself. As I was trying hard to push back my emotions to the farthest recesses of my mind, I didn't notice that tears were already swelling up in my eyes and started flowing down my cheeks."Ate why are you crying? Is it really wrong?""No, baby brother, it's not. This is the other set of answers most people don't know," I said as I whisked the trickling droplets from my cheeks. I hugged him tight then gestured him towards his room. He didn't say a word and did as he was told. I paused for a while and thought for a moment. Then I closed the door and went to sleep.© 2005 Rachelle Arlin Credo. All rights reserved.Rachelle Arlin Credo is a freelance writer and web columnist from the Philippines. She writes on a variety of topics for print and online publications. Feel free to check her website at http://www.rachelle.co.nr
Keyword : seven, wonders, kid, michael, seven wonders, story
Survival
Author : Dorothy Lafrinere
Survival is one of the most demanding and challenging issues that we face as humans!Survival challenges us through many different issues such as: child abuse, sexual abuse, birth, death, job loss, health problems, low self-esteem, relationship ups and downs, parenting, deceptions, breakdowns, poverty, natural disasters, education, addictions and even our own desires to be strong.Survival comes in little packages and it comes in enormous boxes. It appears when we least expect it, never letting us prepare for the battle. It hides around corners, waiting to pounce on us. It is constantly testing our inner powers and strength.To live is to survive and without survival you have no life. Survival is a choice. If you choose to survive, you must fight hard. If you choose to not survive, you will die. Simple!Survival will change who you are many times. How you deal with your challenge and how drastic the challenge is will determine how much of yourself you manage to keep safe.A couple of common phrases that we run into many times in our day is, "Only the strong survive" and, "What does not kill us will only make us stronger". These are very good survival attitudes to practice. We need to be strong to survive. It takes pure GUTS to survive and move forward in any situation. It takes having total control of your thoughts, which is one of your best weapons in the battle of survival. It demands consistent striving to reach your goals, stopping at nothing to meet your destiny.I emphasize the importance of strength, when battling the war of survival.To be strong is:to be able to stand your ground and hold onto your inner beliefs, which will be your best strategy to win the game.
to be born into the survival game without knowledge or understanding of the rules, and still overcome all the obstacles.
to be able to clean the skeletons out of your closet that have been haunting you from your past.
to take control of your life and deal with the monsters, whether it be through telling a story or confronting the monster face to face.
to be able to look back at the reasons for your pain and suffering and wave at it as if it were just a car going by.
to be able to smile at a happy memory of a loved one that was taken from you without reason.
to be able to say NO to drugs and misuse of alcohol.
to be able to forgive, forget and let the waters flow under the bridge.
to feel physical pain every minute you are awake, yet be able to smile and ease that pain with positive thoughts.
to look in the mirror and know you are the best, and to believe who you are.
to let go of hate and resentment, when your heart has been deceived or broken.
to push forward when all the negative forces feel like they are pushing you backwards.
to continue tearing down walls of negative thinking, and replace them with positive openness.
to open your heart to another after it was forced to close.
to keep searching for answers to a better you, even when all you want to do is quit.
to look to tomorrow for the sunshine, when the rain refuses to stop.
to give birth to a child, and raise him/her with love and respect.
to embrace growing old and never regretting it.
to study hard and achieve all the knowledge that the world has to offer you.
to not allow the material world to confuse you as to what is really important in life
to be a hugger, not a judger.
to smile when you want to cry.
to Live, Love and Laugh.
********************************************************"We are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun."William Glasser"Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, society will face tremendous difficulties; the survival of humanity will be endangered."Dalai LamaDorothy Lafrinere
Owner/Operater
Website- http://www.womensselfesteem.com
Survival is one of the most demanding and challenging issues that we face as humans!Survival challenges us through many different issues such as: child abuse, sexual abuse, birth, death, job loss, health problems, low self-esteem, relationship ups and downs, parenting, deceptions, breakdowns, poverty, natural disasters, education, addictions and even our own desires to be strong.Survival comes in little packages and it comes in enormous boxes. It appears when we least expect it, never letting us prepare for the battle. It hides around corners, waiting to pounce on us. It is constantly testing our inner powers and strength.To live is to survive and without survival you have no life. Survival is a choice. If you choose to survive, you must fight hard. If you choose to not survive, you will die. Simple!Survival will change who you are many times. How you deal with your challenge and how drastic the challenge is will determine how much of yourself you manage to keep safe.A couple of common phrases that we run into many times in our day is, "Only the strong survive" and, "What does not kill us will only make us stronger". These are very good survival attitudes to practice. We need to be strong to survive. It takes pure GUTS to survive and move forward in any situation. It takes having total control of your thoughts, which is one of your best weapons in the battle of survival. It demands consistent striving to reach your goals, stopping at nothing to meet your destiny.I emphasize the importance of strength, when battling the war of survival.To be strong is:to be able to stand your ground and hold onto your inner beliefs, which will be your best strategy to win the game.
to be born into the survival game without knowledge or understanding of the rules, and still overcome all the obstacles.
to be able to clean the skeletons out of your closet that have been haunting you from your past.
to take control of your life and deal with the monsters, whether it be through telling a story or confronting the monster face to face.
to be able to look back at the reasons for your pain and suffering and wave at it as if it were just a car going by.
to be able to smile at a happy memory of a loved one that was taken from you without reason.
to be able to say NO to drugs and misuse of alcohol.
to be able to forgive, forget and let the waters flow under the bridge.
to feel physical pain every minute you are awake, yet be able to smile and ease that pain with positive thoughts.
to look in the mirror and know you are the best, and to believe who you are.
to let go of hate and resentment, when your heart has been deceived or broken.
to push forward when all the negative forces feel like they are pushing you backwards.
to continue tearing down walls of negative thinking, and replace them with positive openness.
to open your heart to another after it was forced to close.
to keep searching for answers to a better you, even when all you want to do is quit.
to look to tomorrow for the sunshine, when the rain refuses to stop.
to give birth to a child, and raise him/her with love and respect.
to embrace growing old and never regretting it.
to study hard and achieve all the knowledge that the world has to offer you.
to not allow the material world to confuse you as to what is really important in life
to be a hugger, not a judger.
to smile when you want to cry.
to Live, Love and Laugh.
********************************************************"We are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun."William Glasser"Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, society will face tremendous difficulties; the survival of humanity will be endangered."Dalai LamaDorothy Lafrinere
Owner/Operater
Website- http://www.womensselfesteem.com
Weblog- http://www.justblogme.com/Dorothy
Forum- http://womenselfesteem.proboards29.com
email- dorothy@womensselfesteem.com
Keyword : Women,woman,esteem,self,confidence,jealous,issues,help,group,free,abuse,sexuality,beauty,survive
Life Lesson: Giving
Author : Joan Pasay
Every time I look around it seems like someone is asking for help with something. Whether it is a world disaster relief group or the local hockey team asking for bottle returns everybody needs something.I know there are a lot of people out there always asking you to
donate money to various causes so I purposed to not give you a
specific charitable donation request. I am simply going to ask you to take sometime to think about the concept of giving.-People or organizations ask you to give them something because
they need something you have. Usually the need is there because the person or organization asking doesn't have enough.-The fact that you qualify to be asked means you are living with a greater level of abundance than you require. This, in itself, is something to take note of. You have more than enough!-Every time you give of your abundance you are:1.Helping another fulfill the dream of having enough.2.Planting a seed to get more abundance coming back to you.3.You are confirming to yourself, and others, that you have more
than enough.So the next time you hear someone asking you for something - money,help, prayers, a break or even just a request to hold a door open think about sharing your abundance.There is always someone who needs something you have - consider
giving this week as you go about your business.Joan Pasay is a dynamic e-marketing coach & the author of:Email Marketing Made Easy: How To Get Your Customers To Give You More Of Their Money. For online and offline businesses.Check out Joan here: http://www.EmailMarketingMadeEasy.comEmail Joan here: joanpasay@EmailMarketingMadeEasy.comFeel free to send this article to anyone you wish.Copyright - Joan Pasay 2005
Keyword : giving, abundance, charity, help, prayer, sharing, planting a seed
Every time I look around it seems like someone is asking for help with something. Whether it is a world disaster relief group or the local hockey team asking for bottle returns everybody needs something.I know there are a lot of people out there always asking you to
donate money to various causes so I purposed to not give you a
specific charitable donation request. I am simply going to ask you to take sometime to think about the concept of giving.-People or organizations ask you to give them something because
they need something you have. Usually the need is there because the person or organization asking doesn't have enough.-The fact that you qualify to be asked means you are living with a greater level of abundance than you require. This, in itself, is something to take note of. You have more than enough!-Every time you give of your abundance you are:1.Helping another fulfill the dream of having enough.2.Planting a seed to get more abundance coming back to you.3.You are confirming to yourself, and others, that you have more
than enough.So the next time you hear someone asking you for something - money,help, prayers, a break or even just a request to hold a door open think about sharing your abundance.There is always someone who needs something you have - consider
giving this week as you go about your business.Joan Pasay is a dynamic e-marketing coach & the author of:Email Marketing Made Easy: How To Get Your Customers To Give You More Of Their Money. For online and offline businesses.Check out Joan here: http://www.EmailMarketingMadeEasy.comEmail Joan here: joanpasay@EmailMarketingMadeEasy.comFeel free to send this article to anyone you wish.Copyright - Joan Pasay 2005
Keyword : giving, abundance, charity, help, prayer, sharing, planting a seed
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