7 Ways To Help The Earth

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Respecting The Planet

1. Reducing consumption is the ultimate investment in a more beautiful future. The simplest actions, such as turning off unnecessary lamps, or not purchasing products with excessive packaging, can make a profound impact.

2. Recycling is a gift to the earth, but the process isn't always clear. If your area doesn't support a community recycling program, lobby for one. Local markets may offer bottle and can recycling, particularly in states that offer incentives in the form of deposit returns. Every effort, even when small, is valuable.

3. Sustain nature. Planting a tree, a shrub, or vegetable garden, or simply nurturing a potted plant results in the blessing of pure oxygen. The National Wildlife Federation encourages people to conserve in their own backyards by creating a natural backyard habitat that is home to wild animals as well as plants. You can even have your own garden certified as a backyard habitat.

4. The average amount of waste created by one person in one day can be measured in pounds. Organic waste such as landscaping clippings, fruit and vegetable rinds, and egg shells can be used to create a compost pile of natural fertilizer. If your neighborhood contains multiple gardens, you may be able to institute a composting program.

5. Don't be drawn in by the siren song of throwaway consumerism. Disposable products not only clutter landfills, but also end up on streets, in waterways, and on beaches. Reusable items are more durable than their disposable counterparts, and often more elegant. Compare a lovely fountain pen versus a ballpoint pen.

6. Develop your own ritual of thanking the earth. Perhaps every full moon or with the change of seasons do something special to honor her.

7. The earth is our lifeblood and there are many gestures of respect that we, in gratitude, can offer. Spread the word. Take the time to not only appreciate the multifaceted wonders of nature, but also to tell others that, with awareness and effort, those wonders will be waiting for the eager eyes of generations to come.

What do you think?
Discuss this article and share your opinion

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The Secret That Gets You The Money You Want

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- By Stuart A. Lichtman

Name something you want.

It can be a weight-loss goal, a money goal, a sales quota, a new house, a relationship, etc. It's entirely up to you.

Since my book is about money, think about your money goals. How much more money are you seeking, anyway? A hundred dollars? Thousands? A million?

Now let me ask you a blunt question:

Why don't you have it yet?

Why don't you have the thinner body, or more money, or whatever it is you said you wanted?

Well?

Now let me tell you something shocking:

The fault isn't with the economy, your parents, your spouse, your neighbors, your mayor, the president or anyone or anything outside of you.

So, what's the secret to making life a joy?

What's the secret to creating more money now?

And what's the answer to why you haven't achieved your goals yet?

It's in your own mind.

No, not in your thoughts. Not in your conscious mind. The roadblock is deeper. It's where you rarely look. It's in your un-conscious.

In short, if there is something you are trying to achieve-you name it-and you aren't achieving it, chances are your unconscious holds some contradictory intentions for you.

Said another way, you want something and it doesn't.

If you are typical, you are constantly giving yourself contradictory instructions-like "I want to lose weight" and "I want that luscious piece of pie."

Notice anything odd about them?

Those statements are going in different directions. After years of such frustrating and contradictory messages, your unconscious gives up and starts to disregard what you consciously want.

In other words, you canceled out your own request. You said, "I want money," but right after that you said (or thought), "I don't deserve it" or "Money never comes to me" or some other similar limiting belief.

As a result, you usually didn't get what you said you wanted!

But I have good news for you.

All that can end now. You can learn two simple three-step processes that will put an end to the mental self-sabotage that has been holding you back. Now you'll finally be able to show your unconscious mind exactly how to let you achieve what you
consciously want.

I said "simple," but that doesn't mean "easy." It won't happen automatically, just by holding these pages in your hand or thinking beautiful thoughts. There's no magic or hocus-pocus. But there is a method. And it can be called magical.

Read on and you'll learn about a tried and tested three step process that can transform your world and bring you all the riches you've ever imagined.

I've proven this method will work by testing it on 50,000 people.

Now you can prove it will work for you.

First, let me introduce you to the basic three steps:

1. Create a Target that defines what you want, one that is clearly understood by all aspects of your un-conscious mind.

Think of the bull's eye of an archery target with its concentric circles enclosing a central red circle. Your unconscious mind needs something as clear as that circle, a target that indicates exactly what you want.

2. Prioritize your Target -Flag it so that you will remain unconsciously focused on it while you get on with your normal activities.

Imagine a large crowd of people, all dressed alike in gray. Now picture one of them holding up your highly graphic bull's eye target with the bright red center. Chances are, the target is what will catch your eye. That's what happens in your unconscious mind when you have appropriately prioritized your target.

3. Resolve any self-defeating un-conscious habit patterns that can prevent you from achieving your target.

Your unconscious habits govern what you normally do in a situation.

The most efficient way to go through life is to do a lot of things on automatic - except when those automatic habit patterns get in the way. In other words, most people have unconscious mechanisms that sabotage their desire to hit the target. When you clear those, you are free to hit the mark.

Think about driving a car.

Most of what you do requires little conscious attention. You attend to the traffic, what's on the radio, the time, etc. You don't pay much attention to the numerous minor steering corrections, evaluating your distance from the cars on your right or left, slowing to adjust to the car in front of you, etc.

Now, remember what it was like when you first learned to drive. Every single thing required a conscious decision. Remember how tiring that was? Didn't your palms sweat? Didn't you hold your breath a lot?

The difference is that now, through repetition, you have created unconscious habit patterns that operate automatically, making things much easier. Those unconscious habit patterns persist, seemingly forever. That's why we say, "You never forget how to ride a bike." You're never going to forget how to drive a car,
are you?

But driving a car is a simple example. And you've already accomplished it, most likely.

But what about the things you want-like more money-that you don't yet have? What keeps stopping you from achieving that goal?

Some of your persistent, unconscious habit patterns don't work well for you any more. They can automatically block you from getting what you want. They are probably even operating right now, keeping you from getting more money (or any other target).

For example, an infant learns to cry when it is hungry. Crying is very effective for an infant. Cry, and someone pretty quickly comes to meet your needs. But this automatic response loses its effectiveness as we grow older. Think of someone you've seen in your business life. They're frustrated because they're not getting what they want. Their voice gets louder, they get red in the face, maybe they even wave their arms around or pound on a table.

Just like an infant when it is frustrated.

Why? The unconscious habit pattern they learned as an infant is still working - but now it's working against them.

For you to be successful at things that seem impossible, those inappropriate unconscious patterns have to be changed into new habits that enhance your ability to get what you want.

I call that "resolving unconscious habit patterns"- Clearing the unconscious of whatever prevents you from achieving your target. It's the third step in this magical 3-step process. It's fun. And it's very, very powerful.

There you have it!

This lesson was taken from "How to Get Lots of Money for Anything - Fast!"
- by Stuart A. Lichtman and Joe Vitale.

http://www.anything-fast.com/?fid=guroo

WHEN YOU CEASE TO DREAM, YOU CEASE TO LIVE

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If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and yourself. You can lift yourself by your thoughts, and your vision of the future will help you climb mountains.

Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, your ideal of what you long to attain...the ideal of health, efficiency, success. You'll become as small as your controlling desire or as great as your dominant aspiration.

High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.

©2005 by Max Steingart

"Live Like You Were Dyin'"

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Inspirational song lyrics by Tim McGraw

He said I was in my early 40's,
With a lot of life before me,
And a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
I spent most of the next days, lookin' at the x-rays,
Talkin' 'bout the options and talkin' 'bout sweet time.
Asked him when it sank in,
that this might really be the real end.
How's it hit ya, when you get that kind of news.
Man what ya do.
And he says,

[Chorus]

I went sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I gave forgiveness I've been denying,
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.

He said I was finally the husband,
That most the time I wasn't.
And I became a friend a friend would like to have.
And all the sudden goin' fishing,
Wasn't such an imposition.
And I went three times that year I lost my dad.
Well I finally read the good book,
And I took a good long hard look at what I'd do
If I could do it all again.
And then.

[Chorus]

Like tomorrow was a gift and you've got eternity
To think about what you do with it,
What could you do with it, what can
I do with with it, what would I do with it.

[Chorus]
Sky divin',
I went rocky mountain climbin',
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fumanchu.
And I loved deeper,
And I spoke sweeter,
And I watched an eagle as it was flyin'.
And he said someday I hope you get the chance,
To live like you were dyin'.

To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.
To live like you were dyin'.

- Tim McGraw

DON'T MAKE YOUR THOUGHTS YOUR PRISONS

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You're more important than any of your problems. What you have outside you counts less than what you have inside you.

Courage gives you the power to face your difficulties. It comes from the reserves of your mind that are more powerful than your outside circumstances.

Your obstacles will look large or small to you according to whether you are large or small.

Courage gives you the capacity to confront what can be imagined. It gives you the ability to rise above your present reality. Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.

When you recognize that you're bigger than your problems, you'll gain the courage necessary to overcome anything.

©2005 by Max Steingart

YOU DETERMINE YOUR ATTITUDE

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Your attitude is not determined by circumstances, but by how you respond to your circumstances. You can respond positively or negatively to any situation.

It's how you react to events, not the events themselves, that determines your attitude.

Any challenge facing youis not as important as your attitude towards it, for that will determine your success or failure.

©2005 by Max Steingart

Children Of Change

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Indigo Children

In times of trouble and in times of blessings, children are precious. They are innocent, pure spirits borne of the stuff of the universe: matter and energy. Every generation has something to teach the one that preceded it, but beginning in the year 1984, a new order of children began to be born throughout the world. They are the Indigo children: remarkable infants and youngsters possessing keen intelligence, sensitive souls, sharp tongues, and the will to change the world. Each year, more and more parents are blessed with children who instinctively understand that there is a better way and are not afraid to challenge accepted systems.

Indigo children (so named because of their unique indigo auras) are born into the world with clear gifts and intentions, awakening the spiritual awareness of their parents and creating an atmosphere of peace and richness in their environments. From a young age they are intuitive and intelligent, with IQ's averaging around 130, yet they possess the spirit of the warrior. They often display fiery tempers because their purpose is to dismantle dysfunctional systems, be they governmental, educational, or familial. Their sensitivity is geared toward dissecting information to find truth, and they instinctively know when they are being patronized, lied to, or manipulated. They teach without being aware of it - acting as examples and catalysts of a more enlightened and honest system of being.

Distressingly, it is because of these children's wonderfully introspective natures and emotional intensity that they are often mislabeled as having behavioral or learning disorders. Helping an Indigo child understand his or her purpose can quiet the confusion and hurt that often comes from being teased by their peers or called lazy or disordered by teachers. Letting the child experience life in their own way and encouraging them to find new boundaries or hone a skill allows them to work through difficulties on their own and to grow within their gifts. If an Indigo child becomes discouraged, which often happens when they are confronted with systems lacking creativity or dishonest people, it is important that the parent acknowledges those feelings as they would the feelings of an adult.

But truly these children exist beyond labels and are worthy of awe. In the poem Savitri, poet Sri Aurobindo describes a new race of human beings, who are "High priests of wisdom, sweetness, might, and bliss; Discoverers of beauty's sunlit ways." It may be that the appearance of Indigo children marks a new stage, a bright, pioneering and positive stage, of the evolution of the human soul.

For more information visit Experiencefestival.com

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The Power of Small

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- By Rick Beneteau

Routinely, I rise out of bed before the birds, and watch the sunlight flood my office every morning. See, I love this time of day! But what I don't love is being rudely rousted out of a deep sleep before my normal rise and shine time, and every day for the past few months I have been.

I sleep with the windows open, and at around 4:00 each and every morning, rain or shine, there has been this very obnoxious bird "somewhere" close by screeching his mating call at what seems like 130 decibels! Many times I've wearily peered out to be able to witness first hand what sounded like a pterodactyl-size creature on some kind of steroids. But never would this clever 'lil creature reveal himself!

I appreciate nature as much as the next person, but this large sound at this wee hour of the morning is not music to my ears! In one agitated state my fine-feathered foe put me in, I thought about locating a 'sportsman' in the neighborhood to take him out, but that was only wishful fantasizing. Besides, I don't believe in 'the sport of hunting.'

By now though, I've gotten pretty used to my tree dwelling alarm and looking on the positive side of this situation, could even thank him for the extra hour of work I am able to put in every day.

One day last week, I was pounding away on my laptop on the front porch swing, when lo and behold - THAT PIERCING SOUND AGAIN! And it was NEAR! Imagine my surprise when after peeking out from under the canopy, perched on the telephone line above was this teeny weenie finch, smaller than my prized canary, warbling away what was really a beautiful anthem, at least heard at this normal hour of the day.

Oh my, the power of small!

Now, may I ask: How many times in your life have you thought that you were "too small" to make a difference? How many times has this thought actually stopped you from doing something you knew in your heart was worthwhile? Perhaps something like changing careers, starting a new business, creating your own product or even buying that dream home. Like me, I bet plenty of times!

Think about this. Every great achievement in this world had its roots as a single thought in the mind of a single human being. There's no exception - the greatest inventions, the biggest corporations and the tallest skyscrapers were all borne of the single idea of one individual!

The difference between most of us and the Henry Ford's and Bill Gates of this world is the total self-belief and conviction in their ideas to just "build it!" No matter the size, no matter the scope, no matter the naysayers around them. And, knowing full well that the road to achieving their goal was going to be paved with major setbacks and failures.

Here's one of my favorite quotes about achievers:

"There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other." - Douglas Everett

You've heard many of the stories about the above 'icons' and people like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and Gandhi. Their journeys were filled with great adversity, devastating setbacks and yes, heartbreaking failures. But still, because of the sheer level of belief in themselves and what they set out to achieve, they were able to leave a legacy that today affects every one of us, every hour of every day.

There are millions everyday people who will never become household names who have made magnificent differences in their lives and the lives of those around them.

Take for instance, the single mother who was reluctantly forced onto the welfare rolls due to a deadbeat dad, and pounds the pavement until she lands a job, determined to excel, and works her way up the ladder until she ends up with a wonderful career to the benefit of herself and her family.

Or, the foreign medical student whose family sacrificed their entire lives in order to send their child to a 'free country' to get an education, who, through sheer determination graduates at the top of his class but decides not to chase the almighty big bucks that await him in the 'land of promise' and instead returns to his homeland so that he may help alleviate the dire suffering of the people in his native land.

Or, how about the countless entrepreneurs who have taken a single idea and no matter what obstacles they faced, and the many sacrifices they had to make, created successful businesses with products that impacted thousands or even millions of people?

I am privileged to know so many individuals who have accomplished great things only because of the great belief they had in themselves and their ideas. As such, I firmly believe that every human being, no matter where they believe they are at on this roller coaster ride we call life, CAN accomplish great things.

As strange as this may seem at this time, I can tell you with all the sincerity I possess, that this great universe of ours awaits your simple and sincere decision, so that it can begin to fill you with all the power you need to make your dream a reality. It's a matter of truly making that decision and then opening yourself up to receiving that invisible assistance.

"The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do." - Orison Swett Marden

Now back to my miniscule, winged friend. On cue, and still prior to daylight, he shakes me out of my peaceful slumber. He knows nothing else. No other way. He just cranks it up at enormous volume at nature's call, oblivious to the fact he is impacting me on a major scale by doing the only thing he was designed to do. How we all should be, don't you agree?

The Power of Small!

Rick Beneteau is a long-time popular author, Internet entrepreneur and co-creator of a number of highly successful programs, including the revolutionary 'Quit or Don't Pay' Quit Smoking Right Now Program and the highly acclaimed Make Every Day a Great Day program.

IT TAKES PERSISTENCE TO REACH A GOAL

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Keep trying' is the rule that must be followed to be successful at anything.

Your success will always be connected with your actions. Just keep moving towards your goal. You'll make mistakes but don't ever quit. You may even have to hang on after others have let go.

Persistence means taking pains to overcome every obstacle, to do all that's necessary to reach your goal.

In the end, the only people who fail are those that do not try. All great achievement takes time.

©2005 by Max Steingart

Calling In The One

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Healthy Selfishness

Some of us give because we can't not give. It's our way of getting by in the world. At least if I give, the thinking goes, others will like me. Better yet, they may even come to need me. Then I won't be so alone in the world. Giving becomes a kind of barter to belong-a bid for love, rather than an expression of it. This kind of giving does not allow for selfishness of any kind, and yet it is excessively selfish. Anyone who has ever been in relationship with someone who has played the martyr role knows how selfish giving can be.

Buddhism encourages us to discover selfishness, while Christianity admonishes us to "die to self". Yet, not until we've developed a fundamental self of self is it appropriate to surrender in this way. Not until we've experienced how delicious and enjoyable healthy selfishness can be, do we actually have something to present as an offering. Years ago, at one of her lectures here in Los Angeles, I remember Marianne Williamson saying, "You have to actually have an ego before you can give it up."

"Healthy selfishness" means you know your limits, and you set them. It means you prioritize self-care over caring for others. It insists that you communicate your feelings, even when your feelings are inconvenient to others. It includes the ability to rest when tired, and to ask for what you want and need, when you want and need it. It is the healthy expression of entitlement.

When we are authentic with ourselves by setting our limits, honoring our feelings, prioritizing our own well-being, and clearly defining our wants and needs, we identify the path we are on, making it much easier for the blessings of life to come to us. Because, as Henry Kissinger once said, 'If you don't know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.'

This is reprinted from Calling In The One: 7 Weeks To Attracting The Love Of Your Life by Katherine Woodward Thomas

For more information visit Callingintheone.com

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Carolyn 101

Business Lessons from The Apprentice's Straight Shooter
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– By Carolyn Kepcher

A Foot in the Door

To: Carolyn Kepcher [E-mail]

My friends have just been watching The Apprentice and when it ended I made a comment, saying that you seemed to be a real smart lady and I said I was sure that you were very aggressive in the business world, and that I'm sure that you worked for many top companies. My friend responded that he thought you were probably related or connected personally to Trump and that's how you got the job. How did you get the job? Please explain.

My personal agenda, going into the meeting, had just one item on it: Impress Donald Trump.

I had about thirteen minutes of face time at my first meeting with him in which to accomplish that task, make my pitch, and get out. After that, I knew the chips were going to fall where they may. Looking back, I don't recall that going to work for The Trump Organization was a serious consideration at that point; the prospect seemed too remote to contemplate. Still, in light of my brush with celebrity since my TV debut on The Apprentice, the irony hasn't been lost on me that I owe my current
high public profile to the fact that ten years ago, in my mid-twenties, I was lucky enough to land a job strikingly similar to the one nearly 215,000 young Americans competed for in the spring of 2003, during the casting call for the first season of The Apprentice.

Since The Apprentice I have become "Carolyn," as in "Don't Cross Carolyn!" To my husband's distress, public opinion has seen fit to chop off my last name for simplicity's sake. Often these days I'm stopped in the street or in hotel lobbies by people who profess to know me, which in a sense, I guess they do. I have earned a reputation (justified) as a straight shooter and a tell-it-like-it-is kind of woman. That's not an act, by the way, that's who I am. But I have also earned a fearsome reputation as a starchy hanging judge, as Donald Trump's "Ice Queen," or another personal favorite, "Donald Trump's stern taskmaster."

Some people have even charged me with being tougher on the female contestants than on the men. In a later chapter, I intend to plead not guilty to that charge - with an explanation. But my main reason for writing this book has nothing to do with softening, straightening, or correcting my image. I'm more than happy with my reputation as a businesswoman and a professional, and even happier that we at The Trump Organization have been given an opportunity to show millions of viewers that we are not just about constructing and managing glamorous commercial buildings and exclusive residential developments, spas, and golf courses. Like every true visionary I've ever met, Donald Trump is both a talented teacher and a talented student, as I think is obvious from his conduct and character on the show. Under his tutelage, I have learned to sharpen my skills as a negotiator and a deal maker, although the negotiating and deal making I do as executive vice president and senior manager of two of The Trump Organization's premier golf properties is, I admit, on a much smaller scale and lesser plane than Mr. Trump's.

I'm writing this book mainly because a number of fans - mostly but not all of them women, mostly but by no means all of them young women, and mostly but by no means all of them women in business - have inundated me with mail in recent months, asking me a variety of questions about how I got to my present position, what I think of the evolving role of women in business, how to negotiate some of the simplest yet toughest aspects of getting ahead and succeeding in professional life. We'll discuss writing a winning resume, making a successful presentation in a job interview, dealing with bosses, good and bad, employees, good and bad, and colleagues, good and bad. We'll talk about how to dress for success, how to manage a meeting, how to ask for a raise or a promotion, how to manage work and family, and how to play with the big boys (and rarely, if ever, lose).

Rather than answer all my questioners individually - although I've tried - I'm writing this book to convey in print some of the messages I've sought to communicate by both my words and my behavior on the show. My personal values, if you will, can be summed up in one sentence: Whatever you do, always remain a lady.

And for the guys, I think the same rule (with one word switched) applies nearly as well: Whatever you do, always remain a gentleman.

I also believe in leading by example. This is why rather than merely laying out a long list of rules of conduct, I've included lessons and experiences from my own career as a way of showing you, as opposed to telling you, how best to handle oneself when confronted with the wide variety of problems, challenges, and opportunities that typically present themselves in the workplace. I believe the best way to understand career success is to look carefully at the people who've achieved it.

Being the tell-it-like-it-is type, I plan to tell it like it is. I'm not planning to hand out savvy advice on how to make money (for that, see Donald Trump's “Trump: How to Get Rich”). Forget about getting insights here on where to invest, or how to become a millionaire in five seconds, five minutes, or five years. I'm thirty-five and have been working steadily since I was twelve, with a little time out, of course, to finish high school, college, and one year of graduate school. I've been on the job ever since and have risen to a senior executive position in an organization dominated by men in an industry - the golf industry - likewise dominated by men.

I'm often surprised to find very bright and well-educated people who don't have the faintest idea of how to get ahead or move to the next level of their careers. We will be training our sights on sharpening skills such as sizing up a situation, spotting opportunities for advancement, and anticipating your next move. This book is for all of you looking to push onward and forward and upward in your careers.

This is a book excerpt from Carolyn 101: Business Lessons from The Apprentice's.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK

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Your inner thoughts can cause you to be rich or poor, loved or unloved, happy or unhappy, attractive or unattractive, powerful or weak.

What you impress upon your mind, you'll inevitably become. It's a psychological law that whatever you desire to accomplish you must first impress upon your subconscious mind.

Relentless, repetitive self talk will change your self image. You'll affect your subconscious mind with verbal repetition. Constant repetition carries conviction.

When you change your values you'll change your behavior. Start thinking of yourself as becoming the person you want to be. Self suggestion will make you the master of yourself.

You can become whatever you want to be. If you believe you can, you can.

©2005 by Max Steingart

Saying Goodbye With Love

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Mourning The Loss Of An Animal Friend

Animals are amazing. Our pets, whether dogs, cats, lizards, or birds, give us constant companionship, unconditional love, and acceptance without stipulation. They alleviate loneliness and even have the ability to positively affect our health. Because they touch our hearts, when a pet becomes ill or passes on, it is often as traumatic as the sickness or loss of a family member. And when the unique bond shared by guardian and pet is no longer there, there is an emptiness in the soul that needs to be coped with. Rituals can not only encourage us to constructively deal with loss, but can also ease an ill pet's pain and ease their transition into the spirit world.

Pets cannot voice their suffering, but it isn't difficult to see when they are in pain or no longer enjoying life. Healing touch can induce deep relaxation and pain relief in an animal while easing stress. To begin, rub aromatic oil into the palms of your hands then rub your hands together until you've generated a bundle of healing energy. Place your hands on your pet and stroke its fur, giving it the healing energy you collected. Concentrate on specific areas of illness and visualize strength pouring from your hands into your pet. Healing sessions can be similarly beneficial and most animals readily accept this gentle treatment. If your pet's condition is terminal, a healing touch or reiki session is a good time to talk to your pet about the loneliness you will feel when they are gone as well as the relief that their suffering will be over.

Though society may discourage mourning for pets, the capacity to love an animal brings with it the necessity of a period of grieving. A remembrance such as a photo or special annual plant can bring comfort. If you find yourself unable to let go, you may want to make a candle altar and perform a ceremony of transition. The altar should include four candles and an item that acts as a symbol of your pet. As you light each candle, visualize your pet leaving your side and being taken to the world of spirits. After you've lit the last candle, pick up the symbolic item and bid farewell to your pet. Let the candles burn themselves out and bury the item in a special place.

It may also be helpful to hold a small funeral with friends and family. Though grieving the loss of a cherished pet can take time, rituals can help ease the most important part of dealing with the loss, which is settling your mind and heart and accepting that, in passing, every pet finds its true home.

Dedicated to Kramer, 1994-2005

For more information visit Petplace.com

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5 Minute Morning Balance

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– By Laura Lallone, Certified Life Coach

This article is dedicated to a woman that I've never met and probably never will. Tall with dark, dark hair, she was perfectly manicured in a tailored suit with high-heeled pumps. We shared a subway car in Manhattan two years ago. She was standing, holding onto the subway car strap and meticulously applying three coats of mascara as the train bumped and shifted. With my jaw dropped in reverence of her talent, I imagined this to be her morning routine because she was REALLY good at it. (I can barely put on clear lip gloss in a moving vehicle.)

We all have morning routines and daily repetition makes us experts at them. What’s your morning routine? Does it help to balance and center you for the day – or leave you feeling scattered?

I invite you to try a powerful five minute morning ritual to set your day off with awareness and consciousness, moving daily towards the balance and fulfillment you desire. The ritual is very simple, consisting only of three simple questions. The secret is to be honest, give yourself the 5
minutes… and to ask the questions.

Question 1: What am I grateful for?

This question holds astonishing power. If you only remember one thing from this ritual, please remember this question! Write it down and put it in at least three very visible places. Maybe you will choose your bedroom dresser, your desk or the dashboard of your car. This question has the capacity to change a mood and soften a heart in seconds.

What are you grateful for? WHO are you grateful for? What are the gifts you've been given in your life that you sometimes take for granted? What are some gifts that are so obvious that you may never even notice them?

Question 2: What are my intentions for today?

Where are you now and where do you want to be at the end of the day? Meaning, what do you want to accomplish today? Beyond the “doing,” how do you want to feel? How do you want to be or conduct yourself during the day?

Close your eyes and imagine your day is set on a theatrical stage. How do you want the audience to feel about you as they watch you “play”? What do you want them to notice about how you are being? How do you want to be if things don't go as planned?

Asking yourself this one question may be the most powerful way to achieve what you want in life. After all you can't get to where you want to be if you don't know where that is.

Question 3: What's most important today?

Keeping in mind your gratitude and intentions for the day, consider again all the aspects of your life: personal development, your intimate relationships, your family, friends, finances, career, health, recreation and spirituality.

Now, close your eyes and imagine yourself 10 years from now. What does the future you say is most important for you today? It's really easy to come up with what SHOULD BE most important (as defined by society) but resist the urge to give into that voice. Take a deep breath and listen deeper. Trust that you have all the answers inside.

Some find that it helps to ask this follow-up question: What ONE THING can I do today to significantly improve the quality of my life? Don't concern yourself with the size or magnitude of your answer. It changes. Some days it might be “apply to graduate school” and other days it might be “organize my office”.

Helpful Tips to Make It Stick

To make this ritual “stick,” create a fertile “habit-forming” environment:

1. Fly solo. Use the five minutes as valuable alone time to ground yourself. Once this ritual is second nature, then I invite you to use these three questions in conversation with your family, significant other, and even work teams.

2. Be consistent. Select a specific time and location to perform your morning ritual. For example, lying in bed from 7:30-7:35am or on your morning commute from 8:30-8:35am.

3. Take it lightly. Have fun. Unpleasant tasks don't become habits. The morning ritual isn't a task. It's a way of consciously looking out at your day. Set the intention to create a daily ritual; to create a habit. But don't sweat it if you miss a day.

4. Start small. Stick to five minutes in the beginning. Perhaps you’ll expand to 10, 15 or 30 minutes. Maybe not. A new program quickly gets abandoned when if feels like a burden, especially in the morning!

5. Keep no secrets. Tell someone about your morning ritual and ask the friend, coach, significant other or whomever to support you in keeping on track. This might sound like, "Terry, I've started a morning practice to keep myself balanced and focused on what's important during the day. It would be really helpful if you asked me how it's going every now and then. It just really helps to have you know what I'm up to."

Experiment and have fun. I’d love to hear how you’ve experienced the ritual and any other morning ritual ideas that work for you!

Cheers!
Laura

© Copyright Shicka Boom Inc. 2004 unless otherwise indicated

About the Author

Laura Lallone is the creator of the 5-point Shicka Boom coaching system proven effective for those who deal with high personal risk, daily pressure and uphill battles. For more information on coaching and workshops, email contact@shickaboom.com or go to http://www.shickaboom.com. Don’t forget to sign up for Sheer Balance, the ezine dedicated to greater balance for women!

More on creating rituals.

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO LIVE YOUR DREAMS

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The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuses, that's the day you start moving down the road to success.

No one else can do it for you. Only you can make it happen. You're the only one that has to live your life.

Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility. It's up to you to choose the thoughts and actions that will lead you to success.

Your life will be what you make of it. Nothing will ever happen by itself. Success will come your way once you realize that you have to make it come your way by your own actions.

The power to succeed is yours alone.

©2005 by Max Steingart

A Tree With Many Branches

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Achieving Oneness

The world is filled with individuals. Not simply individual people, but unique things, experiences, and thoughts. Thus, the idea of achieving oneness, or connectedness with all things, can seem improbable or even impossible. We are surrounded by an astounding diversity of perception that might be called distractions on the path to oneness. But oneness does not mean same-ness, nor does it seek to homogenize the universe. Instead, oneness is an opportunity to see diversity as the palette of colors from which the universe is painted. It is also a powerful method of dispelling loneliness, despair, isolation, and the feeling that you are all alone because, when you are one, you are not only in the universe, but also the universe is within you.

The cause of so much loneliness and so many feelings of separation is simply that too often we fail to understand the interrelationship of all living things. Each of us is an indispensable part of the universe and all life has emerged from the same vital energy and material elements. We breath the same air, eat the same food, drink the same water, and traverse the same emotional paths. What blocks our ascendancy into oneness with creation, what acts as the barrier, is self-importance, the desire to accumulate, egocentricity, and consciousness of the body. Yet common factors unite us all. We thrive in security, in peace, in times of abundance, and when we accept that all living things are dependant on other living things. Oneness is an expression of an ever-lasting relationship that can awaken and fulfill because comprehending your part of universal unity can free you from the limitations of isolation.

Existence grows upward and outward like a tree, with each of us representing individual blossoms on humanity's branch, and nature represented by innumerable branches. We diverge as we grow, but remain parts of a united whole. Achieving oneness means stretching out your consciousness with humility to accept and be lovingly accepted by the great stock of diversity which makes up that whole.

For more information visit Workingwithoneness.org

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HAPPINESS LIES IN THE JOY OF ACHIEVEMENT

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Happiness is a byproduct. You cannot pursue it by itself.

You were built to conquer your environment, solve problems, and achieve goals. You'll find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve.

Happiness is in activity. It's a running river not a stagnant pond. Happiness is not in having or being, it's in doing something you love.

The secret of happiness is in having something to do.

©2005 by Max Steingart

Personal Power

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By Margaret Paul, Ph.D.

All of us would love to have personal power – the power to manifest our dreams, the power to remain calm and loving in the face of fear, the power to stay centered in ourselves in the face of attack.

Our society often confuses personal power - “power within” - with “power over,” which is about controlling others. There is a vast difference between personal power and control.
Personal power comes from an inner sense of security, from knowing who you are in your soul, from having defined your own intrinsic worth. It is the power that flows through you when you are connected to and feel your oneness with a spiritual source of guidance. It is the power that is the eventual result of doing deep inner emotional and spiritual work to heal the fears and false beliefs acquired in childhood.

Without this inner work to heal the beliefs that create our limitations, we are stuck in our egos, our wounded selves. The very basis of the ego is the desire for control, for power over others and outcomes.

Our ego is the self we created to attempt to have control over getting love, avoiding pain, and feeling safe. We created our ego self in our attempt to protect ourselves from the losses we fear – loss of self, loss of other, loss of security, loss of face. As children, when we didn’t get the love we needed, we decided that our true Self must be unlovable. In our attempt to feel safe, we buried our true Self and created the false self – the ego, our wounded self. The ego self then went about learning how to feel safe through trying to control others and outcomes. The ego believes that having control over how people see us and feel about us, as well as over the outcome of things, will give us the safety we seek.

Even if you do manage to have some control through anger, criticism, judgment, or money, this will never give you personal power. This will never fill you with peace and joy and an inner sense of safety. Control may give you a momentary sense of safety, but it will never give you the deep sense of safety that comes from knowing your intrinsic worth, the worth of your soul. As long as your safety and worth are being defined by externals which can be temporary – your money, your looks, your performance, your power over others – you will feel anxious. We feel anxious when we attach our worth and happiness to temporal things rather than to eternal qualities, such as caring, compassion, and kindness.

For example, Walter is a man who has tremendous power over others but no personal power. Walter has made millions as the president of a large investment company. He has a lovely wife, three grown children, and two beautiful homes. Yet Walter is often anxious. He worries about losing his money. He is easily triggered into anger when things don’t go his way and people don’t behave in the way he wants. Because his heart is not open, he is a lonely man.

Walter operates totally out of his ego self, believing that having control through anger and money will bring him the happiness and safety he seeks. Yet he has achieved everything he believed would bring him happiness and safety and what he feels most of the time is anxious and lonely. Walter is empty inside. He has no sense of his true Self, no sense of the beauty within him, no sense of his lovability and intrinsic worth. His life is based on externals rather then on the spiritual values of love, compassion, honesty and kindness.

Personal power comes from embracing spiritual values rather than just earthly values. It comes from making love, kindness and compassion – toward oneself and others – more important than power over others. It comes from doing the inner work necessary to allow the soul to have dominion over the body, rather than allowing the animal instincts of fight or flight – the instincts of the body – to have dominion over our choices. When the soul has dominion over the body, you have the power to manifest your dreams, to stay centered in the face of attack, to remain loving in the face of fear. When the soul has dominion over the body, you have tremendous personal power.

About Author
Margaret Paul, Ph.D.
Website: Innerbonding.com
Email: margaret@innerbonding.com

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course. Phone sessions available.

Click Here For Books About Personal Power.

REALITY FORMS AROUND YOUR COMMITMENTS

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Intense anticipation will transform your possibilities into reality. Strong desires will in time externalize themselves into concrete fact. Your desires are the precursors of the things which you are capable of having and doing.

Weak desires will bring you weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat. The intensity of your desire governs the power with which your energies will be directed.

When you care enough for a given result, you'll almost certainly attain it. All of your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them.

Reality forms around your commitments. Desire is the starting point for success.

©2005 by Max Steingart

WANTING TO WIN IS EVERYTHING

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The most important quality essential to success is perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.

Success is connected with continuous action. It's largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. You're not finished when you're defeated, you're only finished when you quit.

You can have a fresh start any time you choose, for "failure" is not in the falling down, but in the staying down. It's not over until it's over.

If you've got the courage to stick it out, you'll attain your goal. Winning isn't everything, but wanting to is.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again.

©2005 by Max Steingart

A Matter of Taste

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by Matthew Sutherland

I have now been in this country for over six years, and consider myself in most respectswell-assimilated. However, there is one key step on the road to full assimilation which I have yet to take, and that's to eat BALUT. The day any of you sees me eating balut, please call immigration and ask them to issue me a Filipino passport. Because at that point there will be no turning back. BALUT, for those still blissfully ignorant non-Pinoys out there, is a fertilized duck egg. It is commonly soldwith salt in a piece of newspaper, much like English fish and chips, by street vendors usually after dark, presumably so you can't see how gross it is. It's meant to be an aphrodisiac, although I can't imagine anything more likely to dispel sexual desire than crunching on a partially-formed baby duck swimming in noxious fluid. The embryo in the egg comes in varying stages of development, but basically it is not considered macho to eat one without fully discernable feathers, beak, and claws. Some say these crunchy bits are the best. Others prefer just to drink the so-called 'soup', the vile, pungent liquid that surrounds the aforementioned feathery fetus...excuse me, I have to go and throw up now. I'll be back in a minute. Food dominates the life of the Filipino. People here just love to eat. They eat at least eight times a day. These eight official meals are called, in order: breakfast, snacks, lunch, merienda, pica-pica, pulutan, dinner, and no-one-saw-me-take-that-cookie-from-the-fridge-so-it-doesn't-count. The short gaps in between these mealtimes are spent eating Sky Flakes from the open packet that sits on every desktop. You're never far from food in the Philippines. If you doubt this, next time you're driving home from work, try this game. See how long you can drive without seeing food and I don't mean a distant restaurant, or a picture of food. I mean a man on the sidewalk frying fish balls, or a man walking through the traffic selling nuts or candy. I bet it's less than one minute. Here are some other things I've noticed about food in the Philippines. Firstly, a meal is not a meal without rice-even breakfast. In the UK, I could go a whole year without eating rice. Second, it's impossible to drink without eating. A bottle of San Miguel just isn't the same without gambas or beef tapa. Third, no one ventures more than two paces from their house without baon and a container of something cold to drink. You might as well ask a Filipino to leave home without his pants on. And lastly, where I come from, you eat with a knife and fork. Here, you eat with a spoon and fork. You try eating rice swimming in fish sauce with a knife. One really nice thing about Filipino food culture is that people always ask you to SHARE their food. In my office, if you catch anyone attacking their baon, they will always go. "Sir! KAIN TAYO!" ("Let's eat!"). This confused me, until I realized that they didn't actually expect me to sit down and start munching on their boneless bangus. In fact, the polite response is something like, "No thanks, I just ate." But the principle is sound-if you have food on your plate, you are expected to share it, however hungry you are, with those who may be even hungrier. I think that's great. In fact, this is frequently even taken one step further. Many Filipinos use "Have you eaten yet?" ("KUMAIN KA NA?") as a general greeting, irrespective of time of day or location. Some foreigners think Filipino food is fairly dull compared to other Asian cuisines. Actually lots of it is very good: spicy dishes like Bicol Express (strange, a dish named after a train); anything cooked with coconut milk; anything KINILAW; and anything ADOBO. And it's hard to beat the sheer wanton, cholesterholic frenzy of a good old-fashioned LECHON de leche feast. Dig a pit, light a fire, add 50 pounds of animal fat on a stick, and cook until crisp. Mmm, mmm... you can actually feel your arteries constricting with each successive mouthful. I also share one key Pinoy trait ---a sweet tooth. I am thus the only foreigner I know who does not complain about sweet bread, sweet burgers, sweet spaghetti, sweet banana ketchup, and so on.. I am a man who likes to put jam on his pizza. Try it! It's the weird food you want to avoid. In addition to duck fetus in the half-shell, items to avoid in the Philippines include pig's blood soup (DINUGUAN); bull's testicle soup, the strangely- named "SOUP NUMBER FIVE" (I dread to think what numbers one through four are) and the ubiquitous, stinky shrimp paste, BAGOONG, and it's equally stinky sister, PATIS. Filipinos are so addicted to these latter items that they will even risk arrest or deportation trying to smuggle them into countries like Australia and the USA, which wisely ban the importation of items you can smell from more than 100 paces. Then there's the small matter of the blue ice cream. I have never been able to get my brain around eating blue food; the ubiquitous UBE leaves me cold. And lastly on the subject of weird food, beware: that KALDERETANG KAMBING (goat) could well be KALDERETANG ASO (dog).... The Filipino, of course, has a well- developed sense of food. Here's a typical Pinoy food joke: "I'm on a seafood diet. "What's a seafood diet?" "When I see food, I eat it!" Filipinos also eat strange bits of animals---the feet, the head, the guts, etc., usually barbecued on a stick. These have been given witty names, like "ADIDAS" (chicken's feet); "KURBATA" (either just chicken's neck, or "neck and thigh" as in "neck-tie"); "WALKMAN" (pigs ears); "PAL" (chicken wings); "HELMET" (chicken head); "IUD" (chicken intestines), and "BETAMAX" (video-cassette-like blocks of animal blood). Yum, yum. Bon appetit.

Amusing Names - Filipino Style "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches" --(Proverbs 22:1) WHEN I arrived in the Philippines from the UK six years ago, one of the first cultural differences to strike me was names. The subject has provided a continuing source of amazement and amusement ever since. The first unusual thing, from an English perspective, is that everyone here has a nickname. In the staid and boring United Kingdom, we have nicknames in kindergarten, but when we move into adulthood we tend, I am glad to say, to lose them. The second thing that struck me is that Philippine names for both girls and boys tend to be what we in the UK would regard as overbearingly cutesy for anyone over about five. "Fifty-five-year-olds colleague put it. Where I come from, a boy with a nickname like Boy Blue or Honey Boy would be beaten to death at school by pre-adolescent bullies, and never make it to adulthood. So, probably, would girls with names like Babes, Lovely,
Precious, Peachy or Apples. Yuk, ech ech. Here, however, no one bats an eyelid. Then I noticed how many people have what I have come to call "door- bell names". These are nicknames that sound like - well, door-bells. There are millions of them. Bing, Bong, Ding, and Dong are some of the more common. They can be, and frequently are, used in even more door-bell-like combinations such as Bing-Bong, Ding-Dong, Ting-Ting, and so on. Even our newly-appointed chief of police has a doorbell name Ping.. None of these door-bell names exist where I come from, and hence sound unusually amusing to my untutored foreign ear. Someone once told me that one of the Bings, when asked why he was called Bing, replied "because my brother is called Bong". Faultless logic. Dong, of course, is a particularly funny one for me, as where I come from "dong" is a slang word for... well, perhaps "talong" is the best Tagalog equivalent. Repeating names was another novelty to me, having never before encountered people with names like Len-Len, Let-Let, Mai-Mai, or Ning-Ning. The secretary I inherited on my arrival had an unusual one: Leck-Leck. Such names are then frequently further refined by using the "squared" symbol, as in Len2 or Mai2. This had me very confused for a while. Then there is the trend for parents to stick to a theme when naming their children. This can be as simple as making them all begin with the same letter, as in Jun, Jimmy, Janice, and Joy. More imaginative parents shoot for more sophisticated forms of assonance or rhyme, as in Biboy, Boboy, Buboy, Baboy (notice the names get worse the more kids there are-best to be born early or you could end up being a Baboy). Even better, parents can create whole families of, say, desserts (Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Honey Pie) or flowers (Rose, Daffodil, Tulip). The main advantage of such combinations is that they look great painted across your trunk if you're a cab driver. That's another thing I'd never seen before coming to Manila -- taxis with the driver's kids' names on the trunk. Another whole eye-opening field for the foreign visitor is the phenomenon of the "composite" name. This includes names like Jejomar(for Jesus, Joseph and Mary), and the remarkable Luzviminda (for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, believe it or not). That's a bit like me being called something like "Engscowani" (for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Between you and me, I'm glad I'm not. And how could I forget to mention the fabulous concept of the randomly inserted letter 'h'. Quite what this device is supposed to achieve, I have not yet figured out, but I think it is designed to give a touch of class to an otherwise only averagely weird name. It results in creations like Jhun, Lhenn, Ghemma, and Jhimmy. Or how about Jhun-Jhun (Jhun2)? How boring to come from a country like the UK full of people with names like John Smith. How wonderful to come from a country where imagination and exoticism rule the world of names. Even the towns here have weird names; my favorite is the unbelieveably- named town of Sexmoan (ironically close to Olongapo and Angeles). Where else in the world could that really be true? Where else in the world could the head of the Church really be called Cardinal Sin? Where else but the Philippines! Note: Philippines has a senator named Joker, and it is his legal name. No kidding!

by Matthew Sutherland

Embracing The Goddess

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Goddess Movement

Thousands of years ago, before the dawn of written history, feminine energy was an important part of people's lives. Clans venerated wise mother goddesses, dark destroyer goddesses, and cyclical fertility goddesses, of which women were the natural embodiment. But as politics evolved, these goddesses were forgotten or relegated to positions as wives or concubines, and their energy was lost to time. But, as some people are discovering, contemporary people need the guidance of the goddess more than ever. The goddess movement seeks to recapture that energy and to bring civilization back into touch with its history of feminine power.

Members of the goddess movement believe that goddess energy emanates from many aspects, which exist both as all-inclusive deities as well as individual goddesses such as Isis, Inanna, Demeter, and Kali. Throughout history, the goddess has taken on the role of mother, virgin, warrior, creator, destroyer, hunter, artist, lover, witch, and healer. Goddess spirituality is diverse, incorporating both the loving and the terrible, the dark and the light, the maiden and the crone. It is because of this that it can be conservative or radical, feminist, celebratory, or simply the recognition for nature's purity.

The common factor, however, is the balance sought by the goddess movement. The goddess is an emblem of wisdom, creativity, and individual evolution. Her divine nurturing energy is alive, ever-changing, and the perfect counterpoint to the energy of the divine male. With it, we satisfy the need for strong female role models and expressions of female prowess to help us tap into our own feminine energy. Embracing the goddess can take many forms, from building a personal meditation space or alter to the goddess, to participating in goddess festivals and group rituals, yet all are valid. It is never too late to begin a new tradition.

Many cultures throughout the world continue to honor the goddess. Buddhism, Hinduism, Native American traditions, and African religions each pay homage to the divine feminine. But each seeker in the goddess movement is encouraged to find their own personal goddess, and to recapture the potent energy embodied by feminine spirituality in order to experience first hand a greater personal fulfillment and to discover the goddess within.

For more information visit Soulfulliving.com

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The Success Principles

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How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
– By Jack Canfield, with Janet Switzer

Principle One: Take 100% Responsibility For Your Life

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.” – Jim Rohn, America’s foremost business philosopher

One of the most pervasive myths in the American culture today is that we are entitled to a great life -- that somehow, somewhere, someone (certainly not us) is responsible for filling our lives with continual happiness, exciting career options, nurturing family time, and blissful personal relationships simply because we exist.

But the real truth -- and the one lesson this whole book is based on -- is that there is only one person responsible for the quality of the life you live.

That person is you.

If you want to be successful, you have to take 100% responsibility for everything that you experience in your life. This includes the level of your achievements, the results you produce, the quality of your relationships, the state of your health and physical fitness, your income, your debts, your feelings -- everything!

This is not easy.

In fact, most of us have been conditioned to blame something outside of ourselves for the parts of our life we don't like. We blame our parents,our bosses, our friends, the media, our coworkers, our clients, our spouse, the weather, the economy, our astrological chart, our lack of money -- anyone or anything we can pin the blame on. We never want to look at where the real problem is -- ourselves.

There is a wonderful story told about a man who is out walking one night and comes upon another man down on his knees looking for something under a streetlamp. The passerby inquires as to what the other man is looking for. He answers that he is looking for his lost key. The passerby offers to help and gets down on his knees and helps him search for the key. After an hour of fruitless searching, he says, "We've looked everywhere for it and we haven't found it. Are you sure that you lost it here?"

The other man replies, "No, I lost it in my house, but there is more light out here under the streetlamp."

It is time to stop looking outside yourself for the answers to why you haven't created the life and results you want, for it is you who creates the quality of the life you lead and the results you produce.

You -- no one else!

To achieve major success in life -- to achieve those things that are most important to you -- you must assume 100% responsibility for your life. Nothing less will do.

One Hundred Percent Responsibility For Everything

As I mentioned in the introduction, back in 1969 -- only 1 year out of graduate school -- I had the good fortune to work for W. Clement Stone. He was a self-made multimillionaire worth $600 million at the time -- and that was long before all the dot-com millionaires came along in the '90s. Stone was also America's premier success guru. He was the publisher of Success Magazine, author of The Success System That Never Fails, and coauthor with Napoleon Hill of Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude.

When I was completing my first week's orientation, Mr. Stone asked me if I took 100% responsibility for my life.

"I think so," I responded.

"This is a yes or no question, young man. You either do or you don't."

"Well, I guess I'm not sure."

"Have you ever blamed anyone for any circumstance in your life? Have you ever complained about anything?"

"Uh ... yeah ... I guess I have."

"Don't guess. Think."

"Yes, I have."

"Okay, then. That means you don't take one hundred percent responsibility for your life. Taking one hundred percent responsibility means you acknowledge that you create everything that happens to you. It means you understand that you are the cause of all of your experience. If you want to be really successful, and I know you do, then you will have to give up blaming and complaining and take total responsibility for your life -- that means all your results, both your successes and your failures. That is the prerequisite for creating a life of success. It is only by
acknowledging that you have created everything up until now that you can take charge of creating the future you want.

"You see, Jack, if you realize that you have created your current conditions, then you can uncreate them and re-create them at will. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

"Are you willing to take one hundred percent responsibility for your life?"

"Yes, sir, I am!"

And I did.

*** BOOK EXCERPT: The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are
to Where You Want to Be – By Jack Canfield, with Janet Switzer ***

Click Here For More Books By Jack Canfield

SUCCESS IS DETERMINED ON THE DRAWING BOARD

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It isn't enough to just want to be successful. You've got to ask yourself: "What are you going to do to get the things in life you want?"

Your problem is to bridge the distance which exists between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach. Planning brings your future into the present so you can do something about it now.

Somewhere there is a map of how it can be done. All you need is a good plan, and the courage to press on to your destination.

A well built house started with a definite purpose and a set of blueprints. Your plan should provide the pattern for the actions you'll take.

Take time each day to study, think and plan. Plan your steps, then implement your plan, then review your results. Do this frequently and make the appropriate alterations to your plan, and you'll develop the power that will bring you to success.

No one was ever lost on a straight road.

©2005 by Max Steingart

Friday Story

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Seeing With the Heart

One of the most difficult and devastating losses one can experience is that of physical disability. Of these one of the ones that is most feared is blindness, due to its impact on major life functions.

In the past year I have had ample opportunity to learn about this first hand as I have experienced acute visual loss due to medical errors. Ironically, while the diagnosis for my condition was made at the same medical center that caused the vision loss, no rehabilitation services exist there for visual loss as such services are not reimbursed by health insurance. Instead a referral was made to the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI). Through their efforts and those of so many other "angels" in my life I have been able to learn to see in new and different ways, to be healed both physically and spiritually, one day at a time.

My first guide on this journey was a cheerful, empathic social worker who stirred the cocoon of my isolation and apprised me of the many services available to attend to daily life functions, to communicate and move freely and independently. Through her kind ministrations, she helped me sort through the confusion and organize and chart the course of my rehabilitation.

My next visitor was a vision rehab specialist who assessed my home from top to bottom, customizing appliances, labeling clothing, and procuring such helpful devices as a talking watch. As I had been an avid reader, she introduced me to Braille and low vision magnifying devices. As the weeks passed I slowly and laboriously worked my way up from nursery rhymes, to Aesop's fables and now today am working through a full length novel.

One challenging facet of physical disability is the isolation imposed. This problem was attended to by a marvelous mobility instructor. Her cheerful, can-do attitude was infectious. Again, very slowly, I learned with my long cane to perceive changes in pavement gradients, develop echo location skills and solidify an inner compass with other senses to assess direction, obstacles, etc.. My efforts were reinforced by a bevy of friends who patiently guided me as I repeatedly walked familiar byways to form mental maps of my surroundings.

One major lifeline for those with disabilities are the advances in technology. With training sessions at the ABVI and the efforts of the Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped, I received adaptive computer equipment. Through the loving encouragement of friends I kept in continuous contact via email, the Internet and began writing my experiences reflectively.

Throughout the process of acquiring these new skills, I was sustained and propelled by the loving encouragement of family and friends who cheered on the small, incremental achievements, sent cards, gifts, took me with them to dinners, movies, etc.. These let me know that while physical disability may change one's life, it does not end it.

As I have progressed through my rehabilitation I have had the opportunity to learn much. Through the caring support of the ABVI staff, my faith, my family, friends, former colleagues and most of all, a loving husband, I have learned that while visual loss can have a major effect on one's life; there are many different ways to see. For each new skill acquired confers restoration of confidence and self-worth. With my long cane I have explored the nuances of how and where that sidewalk ends, inhaled and received inspiration and guidance from the scent of a rose, shared the interpretation of a novel with its reader and caressed an author's words with my fingertips. While I do not for one minute minimize the problems physical disability can pose, I also know that there is only one truly profound disability - that of the spirit. It is also one that each of us has the capacity to cure - through seeing and speaking to each other lovingly with our hearts - to look within ourselves and to one another each and every day.

-- Catherine Alfieri

Catherine Alfieri can be contacted at: calfieri@rochester.rr.com

Playing Your Part

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Law Of Leela

You can learn a lot about life by spending time with the children in your life. Children are always in the process of learning from the world around them, but they rarely do it in a conscious, methodic way. While sliding at the park or watching a worm crawl under a rock, kids make connections and understand things. Their artwork is often amazingly bold and complex, as they use their informal learning to be productive. Watching children, we are actually watching the law of Leela, one of the spiritual truths taught in Hinduism. The law of Leela states that maximum productivity or efficiency is gained when our minds are relaxed and playful. When we let go of our adult defenses, we can make room for self-exploration and creative expression.

In Indian tradition, the creation of the world is a form of divine play - Leela. Likewise, our entire existence in the world is mired in illusion. It may help to think of it in terms of a stage play in which we are all actors. Just as a play begins and ends, so does life. What matters most is how we "act" during the course of the production. Instead of wishing for the best part, we would do better to accept our karma and play our own part using all our resources. Understanding that there is an illusionary aspect to the world, helps us have a sense of detachment from our lives. Following the law of Leela, we don't expend too much energy facing challenges and problems. Instead, we feel that 'the show must go on' and we return to our playful natures. When we feel ourselves return to this state, we are most able to accept our fate and create our lives.

Leela is the practice of playing the game of life consciously. You can connect to the law of Leela by becoming aware of your own playful nature. Getting involved in theater, musical expression or any forms of dance can allow you to enter into a space for creative expression. Working with or caring for children will also allow you to drop those grown-up defenses and relax your mind. Simultaneously a form of relaxation and a method of enlightenment, connecting to the Leela in the world may help you face challenges in a new and satisfying way.

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Strive or Strife?

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by Nicholas Dixon

That is the question I have been asking myself since the first day of this year dawned. Prosperity and adversity is experienced each day by everyone but how can we keep the former in our lives?

The successful among us know and use certain traits in order for them to achieve their goals. Now some persons believe that these people were born this way when in fact they had to develop their winning traits.

Strivers have an eye for opportunity as they are quick to grasp the situation as it presents itself. In other words they more easily see the solution to a common need. Strifers fail to see these opportunities as they are busy complaining about life. They are the ones who are usually left behind.

Strivers know how to discipline themselves in order for them to reach their goals. While the strifer is out enjoying himself at the bar or in front of the television, the striver is busy putting his latest move in motion. Yet, he stills know the importance of downtime.

Strivers have a need to achieve. They are always looking forward to the next move or conquest. Strifers are satisfied with the mundane activities of day to day life.

Strivers have an appetite for work. They willingly put in long hard hours even if the returns are not immediate. Strifers are the ones who give up more easily in the quest to find success. They rarely use the power of persistence to their advantage.

Strivers know how to make stress work for them in a positive way. They often focus on the end result and not the process of reaching there. All the strifer can see is the obstacles and roadblocks to which he makes a hasty retreat.

Strivers know how to think for themselves. They may seek out the advice of others but after analyzing all the information they make their own decisions. The strifer is easily swayed by the opinions and thoughts of others.

Strivers normally like to be independent. They cherish being their own boss and the freedom it brings whether financially or personally. Many strifers are content with receiving a paycheck every fortnight of month. Which would you prefer wages or profits?

Strivers like to maintain a healthy cash flow. They know that profits are the measure of their business success. Since strifers fail to use their winning traits they have more of a cash trickle than a flow.

Do you have what it takes to be a striver? It takes time and work. The good thing is that if you are a strifer you can evolve into a striver. All it takes is the passion to develop the traits which will make you strive.

Copyright © Nicholas Dixon

Nicholas Dixon is a writer and webmaster from Jamaica. Visit his
website http://WWW.Oceanroc.com for articles, free courses and
information about a cool island town.

NEVER SAY NEVER

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There is no such thing as no chance. Don't think about the things you can't do. Think about the things you can do.

No matter what the level of your ability is, you have more potential than you can ever develop in a lifetime.

You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations to what you can do except the limitations of your own mind.

Your range of available choices right now is limitless. Look at things as they can be.

©2005 by Max Steingart

Happiness Realized

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What Is Success?

Wealth. A lofty position in society. Luxurious possessions. Power. These are the benchmarks by which many people define success. A big bank account is too often valued over intelligence, kindness, fulfillment, or generosity. But what is real success? Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that it is "To laugh often and much...To appreciate beauty...To give of one's self" and "To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation." His striking words hold a deeper meaning about the unique relationship between the path to success and the eventual destination. The most successful people, those who feel most accomplished, are simply those who have taken the necessary steps to do that which they have always wanted to do.

The tendency to encapsulate success can make it seem unattainable. We dream of becoming wealthy, embarking upon the perfect career, or owning a second home. But while success involves both desire and achievement, it is also touches every aspect of our lives. As one goal is fulfilled, more rear up to take its place and success can seem no closer. Earnest feelings of success cannot be hinged on one dream because success includes all areas of our lives: family, community, career, relationships, charity, and personal enjoyment.

Taking the first step toward a better future, showing the world to a child, or learning something new can all inspire feelings of success. As such, success cannot be gauged by the accomplishments of others for each individual has their own idea of success. Ask yourself: Am I useful to those around me? Do I live in the present, enjoying what life has to offer? Am I free in my heart to embark upon new ventures? If you are satisfied with your own striving, focusing on what you want to do, and working to be the best you can be, there is no need to be better than those around you.

As human beings, we require spiritual fulfillment as well as material gain. Like all things of value, the search for success requires hard work, a positive attitude, will power, and determination. But while true success comes when we pursue meaningful goals and explore new challenges, the path to success has many branches.

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Is the truth always true?

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-- By Bruno Gideon

We are bombarded with information, 24/7. It comes at us from all-day radio and television newscasts, daily newspapers, and, of course, that ever-expanding external brain, the Internet. The problem is that many of us believe all the stuff we read and hear. Why is that a problem? Because most information is biased and much of it masks a negative motive. Today, as never before, we need the courage to evaluate what is coming at us and the strength of mind to develop our own interpretation of it. Otherwise, we are always at risk of falling into the trap of hearsay. And that will keep us from developing an outlook on the world that is right for us.

We read the world wrong and say that it deceives us.
– Rabindranath Tagore

The most erroneous stories are those we think we know best
– and therefore never scrutinize or question.
– Jay Gould

No negative thinking, just prudence. “Who benefits from it?” is the most important question to ask of any information. You go shopping and are told that a certain sweater looks especially good on you. Is it mere coincidence that it is the most expensive one in the store? Your dog has already been to the vet and seems to be back to full health. Why is the vet telling you that it needs yet another blood test? Somebody wants you to invest, promising you higher returns than the rest of the finance industry. What makes this person more skillful than everyone else? Don’t believe blindly what you are told. I like a statement made by Stanislaus I of Poland in the 18th century: “To believe with certainty we must begin with doubting.”

Is somebody trying to convince you of something right now?

-- Bruno Gideon

Click Here For More About Bruno Gideon

YOU CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING YOU IMAGINE

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Picture yourself in your minds eye as having already achieved your goal. See yourself doing the things you'll be doing when you've reached your destination.

Your imagination is your mental workshop where all your plans are fashioned. Visualize your goals and you'll get your subconscious to work toward making your mental pictures come true.

Olympic medalists use the art of mental rehearsal or visualization. They mentally run through important events before they happen.

Decide what you want out of your life. Sense it before you have it. See it, feel it, taste it, smell it and imagine the emotions associated with the attainment of your goal. Pre-live it in your mind before you have it. Your vision will become a powerful driving force in your life.

See the things you want as already yours, and one day, they will be yours.

©2005 by Max Steingart

Wooded Wisdom

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Learning From Trees

The trees are our teachers. Their silence speaks of wisdom and patience for these ancient spirits have persevered the centuries, witnessing human evolution. Take the giant Sequoia, for instance. Not only has this 'big tree' - the most massive of all living forms - been around for more than 135 million years, some of the living ones are believed to be close to 4000 years old. Trees - they are sturdy, poised, determined, and resilient. They always seem to know where they stand. They exist in the present and radiate presence. They express themselves with ease. These are just a few of the lessons that these wooded creatures have to impart.

The tree as an image of illumination and life has made its way to the center of many tales. The Buddha reached enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. According to Norse mythology, Odin became the God of Wisdom by hanging on Yggdrasil, the world ash tree that unites heaven, earth, and hell. And both the Kabalah and Bhagavad Gita describe a tree that grows upside down, with its roots in heaven and its branches in the world.

Trees show us how to strive. They connect with all the levels of the cosmos, simultaneously and harmoniously. Their roots burrow deep into the soil, boldly penetrating the unknown world of Under. Their trunks belong to Mother Earth. And their branches reach up, up, swaying fluently in the sky. May we also stand firmly grounded, bending effortlessly with the winds of change; always growing toward the light. In addition, the leafy guardians represent generosity: they regulate the magnetic field of the earth; they offer us shade, absorb our carbon monoxide and offer us fresh air. May we too try to nourish, shelter and protect one another as well as our fellow forests.

Next time you are in the presence of a magnificent trunk, thank it for its beauty and its teachings. Perhaps try placing your hands on its bark and breathing deeply - you may just feel its calm and ageless energy coursing through you.

For more information visit Treesaregood.com

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THE TOP 10 THINGS to REMEMBER ABOUT HAPPINESS

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- Diana Robinson, Ph.D.

Almost all of us want to be happy. Being happy is not a skill taught in school. If we are lucky, our parents taught us about happiness, either by example or by shared wisdom. For the rest of us, there are some important things to remember about happiness, and the art of being happy.

1. It is OK to want to be happy. It is not unduly selfish, or materialistic, or self-centered. Wanting to be happy is normal.

2. To pursue happiness is an inalienable right - to be happy is not. Some people seem to believe that they have a right to be happy, that other people should make them happy, that when they are not happy they have a right to complain about it and that complaining will cause them to be happy. All three premises are false.

3. No one owes you happiness. Assuming you are an adult, your happiness is not anyone else's problem. If you are a person who spreads happiness, then others will probably want to contribute to your happiness. This is their choice, not your right.

4. Happiness comes from attitude, from within. We become happy when we cultivate an attitude of appreciation and gratitude, when we focus on the good stuff. One way to do this is by keeping a regular gratitude journal. This gets us in the habit of looking for what is good in our lives, and when we focus on that we are likely to
be happy.

5. Owning more things does not make you happy. Advertisers would like to make us believe that we can buy happiness, but we cannot buy happiness by buying more things. Wanting things goes back to our heritage as hunter-gatherers. It was important to hunt, and to gather, but that was for reasons of survival. For most of the people reading this, our 'wants' rarely relate to our survival.

6. Happiness is more a process than it is a goal. When I get... when I reach... when I am... we may think that happiness is something that will come, or will happen, one day. Eventually, we will probably find that happiness is the journey, and that if we focus only on the destination we will never get there.

7. Talking about unhappiness does not make you happy. It is true that we all need to vent at times. The purpose of venting is to express our dissatisfaction with something so that we can move on. If we vent just to let others know how badly used we are and how awful something is, nothing new will happen. If we keep our mental attic filled with unhappy stuff, there will be no room for anything else. We need to get rid of it so as to make room for the happy thoughts to move in.

8. Happiness is more often accompanied by accomplishments than by
compliments. Certainly it is nice to be appreciated, and we all need to receive encouraging words from others. But they need to be based on fact. The empty words that are just intended to 'raise self-esteem' ring hollow when we know that we have truly done nothing to deserve them. It is when we have worked and achieved that we can know that the words ring true, and can really feel good about them and ourselves.

9. Memories of happy times can be stored up for retrieval during the bad times. Very few of us will never feel unhappy, will never fall into 'the slough of despondence.' A major help then is to remember the times when we were happy, and the fact that we have those memories 'in the bank.' They are a part of us, they can remind us that we are capable of happiness, and that the world is not always out to make us miserable. When you are happy, consciously store up the memories - they will serve you well.

10. Happiness comes from sharing happiness. There are few joys as complete as those that involve bringing joy to someone else. Happiness defies the laws of economics in that it is notsomething that we have less of when we give it away. It is something that grows greater for the giver as it is given. The more you give, the more you have.

Copyright 97, 98, 99, 00, 2001 CoachVille. This content may be forwarded in full, with copyright, contact, and creation information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit context. For other uses, permission in writing from CoachVille is required. Questions: email topten@coachville.com

About the Submitter:

This piece was originally submitted by Diana Robinson, Ph.D., Personal & Career Coach, who can be reached at Diana@ChoiceCoach.com, or visited on the http://www.choicecoach.com/

Diana Robinson wants you to know: As a Coach, I work with clients who are ready to grow and change, who know that there is more to life than they are presently experiencing, and who are eager reach out for it. I offer a free e-mail newsletter, Work in Progress, and a free half-hour phone coaching session. I'd love to hear from you.

Click Here To Read More Books About Attaining Happiness.

RICHES LIE INSIDE YOU, NOT IN MATERIAL POSSESSIONS

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Wealth without enjoyment is little consolation. Your real prosperity lies in being thankful. Your real riches are riches of the head and heart. Satisfaction comes from appreciating what you have.

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.

It's not how much you have, it's how much you enjoy.

©2005 by Max Steingart

Tibetan Relaxation

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Kum Nye

You are determined to meditate this morning. You close your phone and get comfy on your yoga mat. You try to relax your body and slow your breathing. But, still a million thoughts run through your head. Suddenly, your leg itches. Remembering some tasks you have to complete by noon, you begin to feel a headache coming on. Does this scenario sound familiar? For many people, meditation can feel just as stressful as the rest of life. Kum Nye (pronounced Koom Nyay) is a series of simple but effective exercises that not only promote holistic health but can also prepare your body for meditation. When performed with vigor, they are very useful for releasing physical and emotional tensions that you may not even realize you are holding inside.

Tibetan Buddhists, who used Kum Nye to heal diseases caused by energy blockages and to relieve fatigue, developed it around the 8th century. It has recently become increasingly popular as a discipline that can teach you how to achieve complete relaxation by connecting your emotions to your physical essence. In Tibetan "Kum" means the subtle body and "Nye" means massage or interaction. Kum Nye movements are generally very slow and gentle but if performed properly, they can induce physical tremors, which are the body's way of releasing inner tensions. When these tensions are converted into physical energy, you are ready for inner calm and meditation.

Consisting of eight key positions, the system is designed to work on different areas of your body, contributing to strength and flexibility. Physical stretching blends with breathing exercises and massage to help you feel revitalized and centered. Taking a few minutes to do the exercises upon waking each morning may help you avoid the feelings of fatigue that some people encounter later in the day. In this practice, called Flying, you start by sitting quietly for a few minutes to rest your mind and body. Then stand up straight with your feet hip width apart unlocking your knees almost but not bending your knees, allowing your arms to rest at your sides, keeping them fairly straight but not locked. Allow your arms to reach above your head and then slowly down again. After repeating this exercise a few times, for about five to fifteen minutes, return to a sitting position until you are ready to resume regular activity.

Kum Nye practices such as this one can also help counter the feelings of restlessness and mental distraction that goes with a job that requires you to be seated . Adding some Kum Nye exercises to your daily routine may help you uncover your body's natural healing energy and prepare you for increased peace.

For more information visit Metta.org.uk

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