Choice

"The history of free men is never really written by chance
but by choice; their choice!"

*-- Dwight Eisenhower {1890-1969 34th US President}


"As we express our gratitude, we must not forget that the
highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by
them."

*-- U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

You Can Completely Alter Your Life With "Profound Knowledge" - By Saleem Rana

In the field of psychology, many people are aware of how trauma can ruin a person’s life, throwing it off-track, bringing misery and chaos in it’s wake.

But what most people are not aware of is that the opposite can happen. Something really good can happen to a person that elevates their lives to the level of greatness.

For lack of a better term, I am calling this experience “profound knowledge.”

This is something fascinating and worth exploring.

A 13-year-old-boy boy in Singapore went to an accelerated learning workshop called Super-Teen that used many of Tony Buzan’s ideas.

He went from the bottom of his class to the top of his school in academic performance in a year. He topped his “O” level examinations, scoring in the 1 percentile bracket. Then he did the same thing with his “A” level examinations and was admitted to the best university in the country. He also became a multimillionaire by the age of 26.

Today he is a leading educational and business figure in Singapore. Millions seek to learn from him how to shift their lives. His books have been on the best-seller lists.

Similarly, another boy, this one an American, went to a Summer Camp. He, too, was at the bottom of his class.

He was taking remedial learning classes in this camp, but, as usual, not doing well.

He spent his afternoons at the bottom of a swimming pool, practicing how to hold his breath.

Something remarkable happened.

This little game expanded his carotid artery, literally allowing his brain to take in more oxygen from his lungs. And he went from straight F’s to straight A’s to everyone’s amazement, including his own.

All he did was accidentally learn how to breathe in a much deeper way!

Years later, when he was a leading educational figure in America, he recalls this incident as the turning point in his life.

Today he has a doctorate in education and is creating programs and systems that teach people how to think like a genius. In fact, in his own right, he is considered a genius.

I’ll give you one more true story.

Again, this is another American boy. He loved to play baseball but was hopeless at it. He could barely bat.

His father took him to see an educational expert (the same one mentioned earlier) and after a brief session of guided imagery, the boy had an unconscious perception of how to swing the bat and connect with the ball.

From that point on he began to play well, and in a short time started to star, until he ended up becoming an MVP, a Most Valued Player, in his school district.

Sometimes, this “profound knowledge” can affect a whole culture.

When Edward Deming went to help post-war Japan recover, his ideas so impacted his audience that it made Japan one of the world’s leading manufacturers of top quality products.

Usually, this is the cycle of the reception of “profound knowledge:”

There is an upset. This happens usually in childhood, when we are more open and vulnerable, more naïve about how the world works.

Then something happens, usually by accident, that completely changes our world-view overnight.

This is a piece of information that completely solves our major problem. Someone or something happens to give us “profound knowledge.”

We then embrace this experience, “take it to heart” and it transforms our world.

Now the most interesting thing about this “profound knowledge” is that it not only starts to work immediately, but increases in “profoundness” over time, until it reaches astonishing proportions.

It does happen in adulthood as well, but rarely. This is because adults are generally less open and impressionable.

Most cases occur in entrepreneurial businesses, where one day, someone is struggling, with barely enough to eat, and then, to everyone’s surprise, they connect with “profound knowledge” and go on to make millions.

Now that you have become aware of “profound knowledge” review your own life and see if you can find any incidents that could have lifted you to another level.

Once you find this incident, see if there is a way for you to revisit it and embrace it’s silent and invisible power.

You are looking for three things: (a) an upset; (b) a receptivity; (c) exposure to profound knowledge.

If you can find this incident in your past, it will be well worth your while to see if you can nurture it and bring it into your present experience.

It may have been a course you took or a book you read or something someone said to you. It may have been a person who helped and inspired you and made you realize your own special gifts. It may have been an insight you suddenly stumbled upon while doing something quite mundane but that made you stop in astonishment.

Once you find it, see if you can evoke the mood, and also note how you just missed embracing it. Now, in the present moment, see how you can amplify it; then, make it alive enough for you to transform it into “profound knowledge.”

Saleem Rana would love to share his inspiring ideas with you. Hunting everywhere for a life worth living? Discover the life of your dreams. His book Never Ever Give Up tells you how. It is offered at no cost as a way to help YOU succeed. http://www.theempoweredsoul.com/enter.html
Copyright 2004 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass this
article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or
newsletter. It's a shareware article.

Purpose of Learning

"The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our
bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live."

*-- Morris Adler (1870-1937) Austrian Psychiatrist


"It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything
but the best, you very often get it."

*-- Somerset Maugham

Reclaim the Many Parts of Your Self - By Peri Coeurtney Enkin

There are so many parts to the self. Often we have aspects that seem to be direct opposites. The responsible self and the carefree one, the introverted, quiet self and the extraverted, expressive self, the strong and the vulnerable. None of the selves are better or worse than others although we often judge them so.

While visiting the island of Santorini, in Greece - one of my most favorite places in the world - my friend; an artist, entertainer and visionary decided to take the name Apollo for his own. With that decision he seemed to gain strength and confidence. It was as if he remembered a part of himself he had forgotten about.

On the adventure of personal empowerment we reclaim aspects of ourselves and learn to manage and balance the many varied energies inside of us. It's an awesome undertaking. Through understanding our own multi-facetted nature we have greater capacity for understanding others as well.

Here is a quick exercise to learn more about your own inner selves. Read over the following brief descriptions of the Greek Gods and Goddesses and ask yourself this question. Which part of me would like more expression in my life right now?

Choose one Greek God for your masculine nature and one Goddess for your feminine nature. Trust your intuition as you make your choices.

THE GODDESSES:

• Aphrodite: The Goddess of Sensual Love. Venus, passion, eroticism, charm, beauty, joy of physical love, sensuality, passion, generosity, all forms of partnerships and relationships, affection, fertility, continued creation, renewal.?

• Athena: The Goddess of Knowledge. wisdom, the arts, refinement, elegance, education, renewal, peace?

• Hera: Goddess of Self-Power, strength, authority, societal influence, prestige, control

• Terra: The Goddess of Inner Creativity. Nurturing, maternal, caring, protective, family-oriented, earthy?

• Persephone: Goddess of Subconscious Emotional Forces. Esoteric, mystical, magical, metaphysical, healing?

• Dianna: The Goddess of Independence. Non- conformist, wild, adventurous, nature loving, untamed

THE GODS: ?

• Apollo: God of the Sun. law, philosophy, and the arts.?

• Ares: God of War. God of creative assertiveness. God of Courage.?

• Dionysus: God of Celebration, Pleasure. ?

• Hermes: God of Communication. ?

• Poseidon: God of the Sea. Earth Shaker.

• Zeus: Chief of the Gods. Ruler of heaven and earth.

While you might not live out the full meaning of these characters your choices will provide you with insight. They will signal areas within yourself where you might want to stretch. We are not static creatures. Over the course of our lives we express many sides of our nature.

How might you reclaim and express more of your self today? Just asking the question might stimulate some ideas. If you are keeping yourself in too tight a box you might be missing some wonderful experiences.

Peri Coeurtney Enkin is the founder of The Turnaround™ Private Mentoring Opportunity and The Calm Program: A practical approach to spirituality that takes it out of your head and puts it in your hands. Pick up her complimentary report Get Unstuck Now! – Twelve Turnaround Questions to Unblock your Energy. http://www.myturnaroundnow.com

Removes a Mountain

"The person who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small
stones."

*-- Chinese proverb


"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our
thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world."

*-- Buddha

Ordinary is the New Extraordinary - By Jen Louden

Part 1

"We have become burdened with the idea that everything must be special, or exceptional, or the very best for our children...Indeed, we do our children a disservice by trying to make life extraordinary instead of ordinary. 'Inherited potential will be realized when the environmental provision is adequate. Adequate, not exceptional. In order to flourish, children don't need the best of everything. Instead they simply need what is good enough. Consider that 'good enough' can often be best for children, because when life is a bit mundane, they won't end up with expectations of themselves and those around them that can't be met on this earthly plane.'" --Kelly Scribner, head of my daughter's school, quoting Wendy Mogel from the fall issue of "Independent School."

Part 2

"Being ordinary and being nobody aren't the same thing." My literary agent said this once as we were discussing a project.

Part 3

My friend Mary is writing about a woman whose husband has passed away and her daughters are trying to get her busy, "You need to to do things, Mom." But she doesn't understand. Can't they see how busy she is? Someone has to watch the apples bud on the old tree. Someone has to notice the peach colored light as it travels across the oak floor. Someone has to walk outside in the early morning dew and taste one blueberry to see if the moment of precise firm sweetness has arrived.

Part 4

"I have often maintained that the best poet is he who prepares our daily bread: the nearest baker who does not imagine himself to be a god. He does his majestic and unpretentious work of kneading the dough, consigning it to the oven, baking it in golden colours and handing us our daily bread as a duty of fellowship. And, if the poet succeeds in achieving this simple consciousness, this too will be transformed into an element in an immense activity, in a simple or complicated structure which constitutes the building of a community, the changing of the conditions which surround mankind, the handing over of mankind's products: bread, truth, wine, dreams. If the poet joins this never-completed struggle to extend to the hands of each and all his part of his undertaking, his effort and his tenderness to the daily work of all people, then the poet must take part, the poet will take part, in the sweat, in the bread, in the wine, in the whole dream of humanity. Only in this indispensable way of being ordinary people shall we give back to poetry the mighty breadth which has been pared away from it little by little in every epoch, just as we ourselves have been whittled down in every epoch." --Pablo Neruda, from his Nobel Literature acceptance speech.

Part 5

A New Yorker cartoon: Two men are standing in a bookstore. One stands in front of a section called "Self-Improvement," while the other browses "Self-Involvement."

Part 6

Here is what I know: If you want to write the poem that sears itself on my heart or open a bakery that makes my tongue sprout wings of compassion or give birth to a movement that reforms our jaded souls, and you do these things to prove you are special, no matter what you accomplish, it will never be enough. It will fall through your fingers like air, even as it nourishes the rest of us.

If you want to write the book or open the bakery or birth a movement because you want to make a contribution, because you are drawn, through your natural passions (NOT through an over-developed martyrdom complex) to make a contribution, your hands will be brimming with the beat of life from the beginning and you will be nourished, and by being thus nourished, you will be a light in the world.

Part 7

To be ordinary is to be available for love.

Jennifer Louden is a best-selling author of five books, including her classic, The Woman's Comfort Book, and her newest, Comfort Secrets for Busy Women. She's also a creativity and life coach, creator of the Inner Organizer, and a columnist for Body + Soul Magazine. She leads retreats on self-care and creativity around the country. Hear her live on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius Channel 112 every Sunday at 8 am Pacific, 11 am Eastern. Visit her world at: http://www.comfortqueen.com and http://www.jenniferlouden.com.

Your Previous Self

"There is nothing noble in being superior to some other man.
The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self."

*-- Hindu proverb


"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in
order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater
vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are
here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you
forget the errand."

*-- Woodrow Wilson{1856-1924 28th US President}

When It Comes To Health And Happiness, What Are You Waiting For? - By Vivian Gordon

This article is inspired by people who want all the happiness, health, and wholeness in their lives, but yet they aren't willing to make that one life changing decision in order to get it. I'm trying to understand what it is they are waiting for.

People tend to make all kinds of excuses for their decisions and to me, an excuse is something that will only hold you back. We hear so many different opinions, we listen to other peoples' advice based on their personal experinces and we hear negative feed back which keeps us sitting on the side lines and never allow us to get in the game. Jesus said He came to give us life to the fullest. He never intended for us to sit down and wait for someone else to do the job for us. If we want to get something done, we have to make up our own mind to do it, and then our heavenly Father can take us by the hand and provide us with all the things we only wish we had.

I am writing this from personal experience. While I was in the world, I sought happiness but couldn't find it in terms of fulfillment. I was still empty. This high expectation of fleeting happiness turned into negativity and that turned into defeat. I expected happiness to come from the outside, through other people, places and things. But, this only set me up for bigger let downs. True happiness, health and wholeness must come from within, through a personal relationship with Christ. Anything else is superficial and it just won't last. But Christ is forever, His promises are real and His Truth will never fail us. Once we make up our own mind to receive Him, our waiting period is over.

The Bible is full of examples that show us how people are defeated through wrong thinking and motives. People were the same back then as they are today. That's why God's Word will never go out of style. God will not leave us hanging, He always gives the answer so we may overcome defeat when the devil comes to keep us in the dark.

The example I want to use is found in John chapter 5. It describes the place where all the sick people gathered. When we expose ourselves to people that don't edify us, we will never strive to survive either. We must choose our friends carefully. If we expose ourselves to negative, sick people, we will be negative and sick also. But if we fix ourselves on positive people, our own outlook will be raised up to another level. So all these sick people were gathered together in one place, trying to out do the other people in seeing who could get into the pool first in order to be healed. In other words, they waited on someone else or something else to make them better. In this case it was the angel of the Lord. In between the appointed time that the angel of the Lord would stir up the water in the pool, they would not prepare themselves for their own healing. There are those today who are in need of healing, but are waiting for someone or something to give it to them without preparing first. Everyone needs to be ready.

"There was a certain man there who had suffered with a deep-seated and lingering disorder for thirty eight years." Jn. 5:5 (Amplified)

I know people who have been suffering a long time with the disorder of remaining unsaved. Without Christ, we will have deep-seated and lingering illnesses in our lives as well. But they prefer to sit on the side lines and wait for a miracle. They want to be convinced by an outside source. Healing begins from within. It's something that only you can decide for yourself.

When Christ saw this man in his helpless condition He stopped and said, "DO YOU WANT TO BECOME WELL?" (vs.6)

In other words, Christ confronted this man with an honest question. He will ask you the same thing too. "Do you want to get well?" It's not a difficult question.

But, here's what the man answered. Could he have been making excuses? Remember, excuses will only hold you back.

"The invalid answered, Sir, I have nobody when the water is moving to put me into the pool; but while I am trying to come (into it) myself, somebody else steps down ahead of me." Jn. 5:7 (Amplified)

Had this man prepared himself before hand to be ready to simply roll into the pool, he would've been healed a long time ago. Do you know anyone who keeps waiting in the background and won't step forward to help themselves? No matter how much they hear about the saving grace of God and what they need to do to receive it, they will still wait because of false opinions or advise from other sick people.

Christ has compassion but He showed this man "tough love." Sometimes we need a forceful shove in the right direction. We need to realize that there is no better time than now.

"Jesus said to him, GET UP! PICK UP YOUR BED AND WALK!" Jn. 5:8 (Amplified)

Once the man was given an order, not an option, he was made to realize that this was something he had to do for himself. Without Christ to be the One to have the faith and confidence, this man would never have been healed. When we choose other Christian believers to associate with, they will challenge us to come closer to Christ as well. When we have people who believe in us, we too will realize our potential. We don't have to remain on the sidelines anymore. We just have to get up and walk!

So what are you waiting for? Don't just sit there. He knows how we hate to wait for things. When we listen to Him, things will begin to change immediately. He won't make us wait. The invalid found this out and realized he had wasted 38 years of his life...just waiting.

"Instantly the man became well and recovered his strength and picked up his bed and walked. But that happened on a Sabbath." Jn. 5:9 (Amplified)

Jesus will instantly heal you too, He will give you strength to keep walking in truth. You will learn to listen to His voice and will no longer listen to negative people. But this man's healing led to a problem. Unfortuneatly, once we become healed, Satan will move right in and want to cause us problems. The Pharisees heard about this and immediately wanted to have Jesus killed. There are those who will not be happy about your walk with Christ. But this should not deter you one minute longer from coming to Christ. As I said in the beginning of this article, Jesus is true to His promises.

"Just as the Father raises up the dead and gives them life [makes them live on], even so the Son also gives life to whomever He wills and is pleased to give it." Jn. 5:21 (Amplified)

It's God's desire that all come to Christ in order to be well. One of the divine attributes of God is His Spirit of giving. He is so pleased when someone who has been sitting by the pool decides to pick up his bed and walk, His angels in heaven rejoice over them.

If this person is you, what are waiting for? Get up and walk!

When you receive Christ, God's work in you has just begun.

Vivian Gordon is led by the Holy Spirit to reach out and
give the Christian and non Christian alike something to
think about in their own lives. These articles are meant
to edify the reader and bring them deeper. They are
based on spirituality, inspiration, and today's morals
and how we need to get back to basics.

First Secret of Success

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking
that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they
have the first secret of success."

*-- Norman Vincent Peale


"What life means to us is determined, not so much by what life
brings to us as by the attitude we bring to life; not so much
by what happens to us as by our reaction to what happens."

*-- Lewis L Dunnington

Live The Life You Deserve by Ending Procrastination - By Evelyn Grazini

Why do people procrastinate? With procrastination people can put off doing something that would be a benefit, but for some reason there is more energy put forth to Not do the task than to actually do it.

Unfortunately, procrastination is just a way of putting off goals and dreams for another time; goals and dreams that you want to come true, but something is holding you back. There is a subconscious fear of failure, or fear of change, that is stronger than the goal of success. But if you want success bad enough, you need to face your fear and decide to start doing those things you have put off for so long immediately.

Here are three steps to get started today:

Step 1 – Write Down Your Excuses:

Make a list of all of the things you need to do that you have been putting off, you probably have this “to do” list already drafted in your office. Then get in a quite place where you will not be interrupted for about 20 minutes. Go through each item on the list and write down your excuse(s) for not having completed the task already. Maybe it’s a money problem, or you don’t think you have enough education or the proper qualifications. Whatever it is, just write it down and don’t worry about how it will be resolved.

Step 2 – Find Benefits in your Excuses:

Now, go through the list again and list the benefits you currently enjoy because you are procrastinating on these items. Again, just start writing and soon your subconscious will take over and you will have the answers you need. For example, if you wrote down that you don’t have enough education, then the benefit you are receiving right now by not getting an education is that you have more money then you would if you were spending it on school, and/or, you have more time to do the things you want to do because you’re not spending time in school.

Step 3 – Take Action!

Now that you have your lists in front of you, take a short break and then come back and look at the list with fresh eyes. Look at all of the reasons you have listed as excuses for procrastinating, and the benefits you are receiving. Do these still make sense? For most people, when it’s all on paper it just doesn’t look right – the benefits that are being received just do not outweigh the results that could be achieved with a little planning. This is the time to sit down again and make a Plan – a plan that you will stick to and not put off for any longer. Now is the time to make a “to do” list that you will actually do! Write down a list of things you will do to make your dreams a reality while they are in your thoughts. Then, go through the list again and put them in the proper order that they need to be done (example: Do you need to get a loan to go to College?) Also, write down the date that you will complete each item.

At this point, you know exactly what you need to do to make your dreams a reality. Now, Are you ready to stop procrastinating or are you going to put if off a little longer? The choice is yours.

Evelyn Grazini is the Author of "Directed Dreaming, Success From the Subconscious.” Her Specialty is Dreaming, Hypnosis and Stress Relief. Free reports at:
http://www.reawakener.com/free_gifts.htm

Make a Commitment

"You need to make a commitment, and once you make it, then life
will give you some answers."

*-- Les Brown {American Motivational Speaker, Author & Trainer}


"You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done.
It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message,
therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the
present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it.
Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating
ways means you've lost them forever."

*-- Dr Wayne Dyer {American Psychotherapist, Author & Lecturer}

Passion + Purpose = Action or How to Light a Fire Under Your... - By Kammie Kobyleski

Wanna really turn up the heat in your life? Then use the crucial ingredient essential to turning dreams into reality – that’s action. Without placing a cake in the oven, all the mixing, folding and combination of ingredients won’t get you a finished cake. It’s ACTION that produces the final results. Let’s focus in on taking the action steps necessary to live our lives full of passion and purpose.

Talk is Cheap

“A little less conversation, a little more action”…well they didn’t call Elvis the King for nothing. He knew about action (in more ways than one, but that’s not the point). He understood talk and action were different. It can be easy to get caught up in the “what if” syndrome. I used to have a bad case of the “what if’s” myself. What if I wrote a book? What if I took this class? What if I pursue my passion? What if it doesn’t work? We all do it. It’s human nature. We talk to our friends, annoy our co-workers, and wear-out our families! Talking about something isn’t getting us any closer to the finish line than we already are. In fact, talking about it keeps us stuck.

What keeps us talking? FEAR. In The Aladdin Factor, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen remind us, “If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got.” This is otherwise referred to as the definition of insanity. They also refer to the wise words of Stan Dale, “Comfort zones are plush lined coffins. When you stay in your plush lined coffins, you die.” Let’s stop the chitchat, step out of our cushy coffins and get busy living.

Dream vs. Do

“So you say I’m a dreamer. Well I’m not the only one.” John Lennon was a dreamer, but he also understood that living our dreams requires action. Honestly, if you can dream it, you can do it. But dreaming alone can find us in Fantasy Land. We sit and spin the story in our minds. We envision living a life of grand proportions. Waking up each day and stepping into the “perfect life”. There is no perfect (I’m a recovering perfectionista too, so I speak from experience), only an original screenplay written and directed and starring our im-perfect selves. The beauty of dreams is that we CAN manifest the things we see in our minds eye. We just need to get over the “Yeah, but how?”

In Good to Great, Jim Collins shares, “We’ve allowed the way transitions look from the outside to drive our perception of what they must feel like to those going through them on the inside. From the outside, they look like dramatic, almost revolutionary breakthroughs. But from the inside, they feel completely different, more like an organic development process.” Let’s stop freaking ourselves out with negative self-talk and “how could I?” scenarios. Change does require action – but it’s not our job to know exactly how we’ll get from A-Z. Set your intention on the goal and trust that the Universe wants you to have everything your heart desires and then some. Don’t worry about the details - just set the wheels in motion.

Do vs. BE

Multi-tasking has become the norm. We get so caught up in the doing of everyday life. We get up, rush to eat, fly out the door, get to office, more multi-tasking ensues, race home, whip up or pick up some food - if we eat at all, spend some quality time with a friend, spouse, partner, kids, the TV, or the Internet and then hit the hay…beat down!

Doesn’t sounds like the secret to success, huh? Let’s flip that switch. We’re human BEING’s not human DOING’s. How might we re-frame our lives to start BEING the unique, and creative individuals we were designed to be? First, we must SLOW down. I know…crazy talk, right? You’re saying…how can I slow down? I’ve got too much on my plate as it is. Well you really CAN’T do it all. So clean up your stuff, commit to what you really want and take the required baby steps to get there.

Grab a notebook and start asking questions. What three things would I like to incorporate into my day that I am not doing right now? What three things could I eliminate in order to do those other things? What do I really want my days to look like?

What would you do with 30 more minutes a day just for you? What if you got up just 30 minutes earlier? If you’ve got kids and a spouse, let them know that you are off limits. Would you read? Journal? Work out? Meditate? Have a conversation with God? Take a walk? Have coffee outside and listen to the sounds of a new day dawning?

I understand we’re not all morning people. But are those extra 30 minutes you’re hitting the snooze button, quality sleep anyway? Let’s stop complaining that there aren’t enough hours in the day and re-arrange the 24 we’ve already got. If living your life your way requires getting up 30 minutes earlier, wouldn’t it be worth it? How could it NOT be? Be’ers become who they are intended to be. Do’ers die with overflowing in-boxes. Each and every day we have a choice. Which path do you choose? (Yes, sometimes I choose to snooze, but more often than not, I choose to nurture myself).

Imperfect Perfection

According to Deepak Chopra in, The Book of Secrets, “There is no limit to how far your influence can reach, but to find that out you must engage life with passion. When you do anything with passion, you express every aspect of who you are. Passion releases all the energy you posses. At that moment you put yourself on the line, for if you throw everything you have into a pursuit, weaknesses are also exposed. Passion brings up everything.

This inescapable fact discourages many people, who dislike the negative parts of themselves so much, or are so intimidated by them, that they hold their passion in check in the belief that life will be made safer. Perhaps it will, but at the same time they are greatly limiting their understanding of what life can bring.” “The willingness to reach inside every part of yourself opens the door to total understanding. When you hold some part of yourself in reserve you deny it exposure to life; you repress its energy and keep it from understanding what it needs to know.”

Wow! Have you ever experienced feeling like that? I have. I was a mess as I was about to launch my website. I was worried about being judged and over-exposed. That people would see all of me. The dark and the light. The good, the bad and the indifferent. The highs and the lows. Me at my finest, as well as, imperfect. I have reached a new level of understanding regarding perfection. I now know that we are ALL whole, complete and perfect AS IS. Right now. It doesn’t get any better than this, only different. I appreciate the ebb and flow of my moods more and don’t freak out when I’m feeling funky (OK, I still freak a little, but I’m working on reveling in my funkiness).

My clients have found greater success when they allow themselves to be whole and not just good. One of my clients recently got over her “good girl” complex, and her world just opened up! Try watching babies. They’ve got this down to a science. One minute they are peaches and cream and the next oil and vinegar. Are they any less beautiful when they are crying than when they are laughing? No. Simply different. Go ahead, revel in your imperfect perfection, it’s your birthright.

Karma-chameleon

Taking action requires being flexible. You might set out to move forward in one way and then events fall into place and opportunities knock on doors you didn’t even know existed. Be flexible and open to the synchronicities that play out in your life. If you open up your heart and ask the Universe to help guide you to your higher purpose, or your desired goal, you have to be open to the way these opportunities will arrive. Don’t be so fixated on “It has to look like this”, or “It needs to play out like that”.

Synchronicity is the Universal communication system. Example, yesterday I was in a colleague’s office and noticed the book, Good to Great on his desk. I commented that I’d heard about this book in an article I’d read recently. Picked the book up, gleaned it over and went back about my business. 10 minutes later, I received an e-mail from a friend with this book listed as a great resource. Hmmm, let’s count…that’s three times that book came into my awareness in about a 3-day window. I decided the universe was trying to tell me something. That book had a message for me and it was time to investigate.

I’m still reading it, but I gained a valuable and relevant quote to share with you all. Maybe that’s all I was supposed to get out of it. I’m not sure. Either way, I got the tap on my shoulder and interpreted it as, “Hey Kam. Time to pick up this book”. Had I been completely fixated on the copy I’d written prior to finding that book, this article might not have had as big of an impact. Moral to the story, stay flexible and chameleon-like. You never know when intuition will ask you to make a right instead of a left. That voice could save you from a traffic accident and it could also get you to where you need to be easier and more efficiently than you could on your own.

Jump

“There’s only so much you can learn in one place. The more that you wait. The more time that you waste.” Ahhh, that controversial genius Madonna. She is the perfect example of being chameleon-like. If she’d gotten stuck in the same sound, same look, same accent, she never would have had the successful career that’s spanned decades.

Ask yourself what you’re willing to do to move forward. Are you willing to jump? What would it take for you to courageously leap forward? What action is necessary for you to live life by design instead of by default? To live out loud and passionately and on purpose? To BE present and trust that from moment to moment you’ll get “there”. As Peter N. Zarlenga said, “Action conquers fear.” What are you waiting for? Get busy!

Kammie Kobyleski has been having coaching conversations her whole life. After working in corporate communications, marketing, training & development, and higher education, Kammie made the shift into life & career coaching and consulting. Her life’s mission is helping people fall in love with life. The integration of mind, body, spirit and personal empowerment are Kammie’s passionate focus. For free resources, articles and information visit http://www.passionmeetspurpose.com or for a complimentary 30 minute call, e-mail kammie@passionmeetspurpose.com

Inner Satisfaction

"No pleasure philosophy, no sensuality, no place nor power, no
material success can for a moment give such inner satisfaction
as the sense of living for good purposes, for maintenance of
integrity, for the preservation of self-approval."

*-- Minot Simons


"Let's honor our mistakes by allowing them to teach us. Let's
consider our failings to be gifts, and share them humbly with
others. Let the cracks in our perfect facades let in light and
air so that new life can grow through them."

*-- Molly Gordon

Positive Comments that Motivate You More - By Josh Stone

I've always believed in giving positive feedback whenever someone accomplishes something or performs a job well done. Do you know someone who has a fitness goal? Did they lose weight/pack on muscle and achieve their personal goals successfully?

If yes, then it would be good if you tell that person so! Depending on what they've achieved, tell them that they look good/have lost weight/are looking healthier, etc. We all know it isnt easy to shape up!

Even if it may be a stranger at the gym, positive comments always help - it further motivates and reassures that person that what they've been striving for all this while has not gone to waste. Wouldn't you feel good if someone came up to you and said something nice? I know I'm normally on top of the world when someone says something nice about me!

On the other hand, negative comments should be handled more carefully. Only if you know the person really really well enough - only then would it be okay for you to tell them if they look like they've strayed from their fitness goals or else you'll only be asking to be hit on the face.

For a little amusement and reading pleasure, below are some of the comments I've personally received - before (when I used to be in bad shape 6 - 7 years ago) and after (now).

Before

1. Those love handles look awful man

2. What are those??

3. What's happened to you? Why don't you exercise? Look at me, I'm healthy (points to his biceps which I swear resembled ping-pong balls)

4. You better do something about your weight or you'll develop health complications when you're older

5. I can do 5 push-ups - how many can you do?

6. Fatso

7. You look like an overweight girl

After

1. Why did you lose all that weight? (stupid comment coming from the same person who said i needed to lose weight.. what a moron)

2. Hey, which gym do you go to?

3. Mentioned to my mom : Wow, you've got such a handsome son! Heh heh ;)

4. Your arms are huge! (actually they're not la but most people especially the women think so *hint hint*)

5. How much is the cover charge? (Got mistaken for a club bouncer cos I was standing with arms folded at the entrance - but honestly I'm nowhere cllose to being that big)

6. Are you on steroids?

7. Oh God! Why are you boiling so many eggs?

Indeed there's a huge contrast between the two. And now, where I am today, looking back - all I can do is smile at the awful comments I used to get.

And guys... just one more thing about giving comments - the least you can do is be honest about them! Don't tell a girl she's lost weight unless she really has. There are other times and ways to pull-off a corny pick-up line.

Josh Stone, also known as DM, is the author behind the site http://www.dailymuscle.com which offers the author's personal views on real-life fitness, bodybuilding, sports nutrition, cardio, fat loss, training information, and on all things that surrounds fitness.

Motivated by Goals

"When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by
dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing,
then we truly live life."

*-- Greg Anderson


"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what
we give."

*-- Norman MacFinan

What Do You Believe? - By Robin J. Elliott

Rika told me about a famous film star who lived with her family in a trailer in Bellingham, WA, and then in a car in Hollywood, while her mother called casting agencies from public phones. Her Mom believed that it was possible for her daughter to become a famous film star, even if she was living with her family in a car. When she acted on that powerful belief, she achieved her goal.

The really good news is that, as James Allen said, “The outer conditions of a person’s life will always reflect their inner beliefs”. That means that we created precisely what we currently have in life with our beliefs. And we can change our circumstances FAST if we know how to change our beliefs. The recipe is coming up.

Change can happen much faster than most people believe, precisely because of their beliefs! If you believe that “It takes a long time and a lot of hard work to make lots of money”, it will take lots of time and hard work. Change your belief by looking at evidence that is contrary to that debilitating belief. All you need is different evidence in order to change your beliefs. Only yesterday, I told a man yesterday that he could earn a lot of money by making phone calls from home and getting me onto radio talk shows. He didn’t believe me, so he’s not doing it. But I do believe it, because I’ve done it! I will simply find someone who believes it and they will certainly make money. How much will they make? That depends on what they believe! It’s that simple, folks. I’m not going to try and change this man’s belief system – that’s up to him. He needs to ask himself a simple question: “Is this belief that is robbing me of financial well-being and dignity, true? What evidence can I find to turn it around?” And that goes for every belief we have.

Listen to this:
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have hard it or because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” The Buddha said that. Change your beliefs and you’ll change your life.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. When I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it, even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.” Amazing, but true. Winners win because they look for reasons why they will succeed. They gather evidence to believe they will win. And they win! Find someone who is doing what you would like to do and achieving goals that you would like to achieve and believe what they believe about themselves (yourself), life, business, people and reality. Model their beliefs and choices, TAKE ACTION, and you’ll be amazed how fast your life will change

About Robin J. Elliott

For more than 19 years, Robin J. Elliott has worked with thousands of businesses in over 49 industries across the United States, Canada, and Africa. He specializes in helping small business entrepreneurs build wealth and gain access to new markets and profit centers through Joint Ventures. Through his Joint venture Seminars across North America he has thought thousands how to create increasing, multiple streams of income without cost or risk and very little time.

Get Robin J. Elliott's FREE: "How To Grow Serious Wealth Using Joint Ventures" Mini-Course, and The Prophet of Profit e-Zine along with video blogs, world class articles, free video, and access to top Joint Venture Partners at http://www.jvwisdom.com.

Joy of Our Life

"Kindness is an inner desire that makes us want to do good
things even if we do not get anything in return. It is the
joy of our life to do them. When we do good things from this
inner desire, there is kindness in everything we think, say,
want and do."

*-- Emanuel Swedenborg {1688-1772 Swedish Scientist}


"Compassion does not mean to be solicitous to someone who
appears to be stray, imperfect, or needy. It means to see
that person as we see ourselves, as unique human beings
with wants, hopes, needs, dreams, and desires."

*-- Gail Pursell Elliott - "The Dignity and Respect Lady"

The Power of an Impossible Mission - By Brad Swift

I was sitting on one of the park bench at the top of Little Glassy Mountain at Connemara, Carl Sandburg's former home, when it hit me. I'd been reading excerpts from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich and Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, and was pleasantly surprised to find a connection between Hill's "definiteness of purpose" and Goldberg's essay on the power of our obsessions.

It reminded me of what I've come to know as my "Impossible Mission" that came to me years ago during another time of contemplation -- "To deeply and profoundly touch and contribute to at least 1% of the world's population by assisting people to clarify their life purpose and live true to it." I realized that I'd not taken this Impossible Mission seriously. After all, 1% of the world's population is over 60 million people and I'm just one guy.

So I wrote, "I turned 57 years old about a week ago. Only God knows how much longer I will be an active player here on Earth -- 1 day, 1 year, 10 years, 25 years or more? Perhaps. Anyway, it appears I'm behind on my mission. Ok, so what if I were willing to play full out. To have a 'definiteness of purpose' that might even border of an obsession, how might I go about it. That's when it struck me -- A breakthrough in thinking that has resulted in the Impossible Mission becoming 10 times easier. It came from asking myself the question, "How many people will one person who has identified their life purpose likely to deeply and profoundly touched and contributed to?

I figure conservatively the number would be at least 10, those being family members, friends, and co-workers. So, each time we assist one person to clarify their life purpose and live true to it, we're really enhancing a total of at least 11 people's lives. And suddenly the 60 million people we need to directly impact drops down to a mere 6 million, give a take a few hundred thousands.

Now, I know 6 million is no small potatoes but when compared to 60 million, the Impossible Mission suddenly looks...well, doable. After all, popular TV shows are often viewed by over 6 millions. Some best selling authors sell that many copies of a book, or more.'

FROM A LIFE ON PURPOSE TO A WORLD ON PURPOSE

How do we create a World On Purpose? The same way that you eat an elephant; one bite at a time. Of course, in this case, a bite is by helping one person at a time to clarify their life purpose, or 5 people or 10 or 100 people at a time. Of course, as anyone in business knows, it's important to let as many people as possible know what you're up to so they can decide if what you're offering is of value to them. Life On Purpose Institute's primary 'product' is enhancing life through purpose. But how do you capture and share the essence of such an apparently intangible product? Well, one of our graduates, Wayne Marshall, has done a marvelous job capturing it through the Life On Purpose Movie (http://www.lifeonpurposemovie.com). Ready to be inspired and turned on by the possibility of a life on purpose. Then click on over.

WHAT'S YOUR IMPOSSIBLE MISSION?

Are you ready to be inspired out of bed each morning? Pulled forth from the warmth of your bed by a bold, perhaps even impossible mission? What could that be for you? There are plenty to choose from, of course: Ending hunger, ending child abuse, building nurturing environments to encourage creativity, bringing a lasting peace to the world. The list goes on. Of course, I'd recommend you tie your impossible mission to your life purpose so you can tap into that inner strength and power of purpose.

Dr. Brad Swift founded Life On Purpose Institute in 1996 with the vision of creating a World On Purpose by assisting people like yourself to clarify their life purpose & live true to it. Determine how on or off purpose your life is with the fun & insightful Self Test at:
http://lifeonpurpose.com/_forms/self-test.php?source=ezart
Inspire yourself with a fr.ee subscription to Purposeful Pondering Ezine:
http://lifeonpurpose.com/index.php?dir=_ezines&task=view-ezines

Vision with Action

"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision
just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world."

*-- Joel A. Barker {American Businessman, Consultant & Author}


"When you face your fear, most of the time you will discover
that it was not really such a big threat after all. We all
need some form of deeply rooted, powerful motivation -- it
empowers us to overcome obstacles so we can live our dreams."

*-- Les Brown {American Motivational Speaker, Author & Trainer}

Burn the Ships - By Rachelle Disbennett-Lee

One of the keys to reaching your goals is to eliminate any escape routes. It is tempting to retreat to safety and comfort when challenges and difficulties arise. To avoid turning around and abandoning your goals, you must make going forward more compelling then going back.

When striving towards a goal, you must focus on what you want to obtain and avoid the impulse to go back to what you know and to what is comfortable. When Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez landed in Mexico, one of his first orders to his men was to burn the ships. Cortez was committed to his mission and did not want to allow himself or his men the option of going back to Spain. By removing this option, Cortez and his men were forced to focus on how they could make the mission successful.

Eliminating an escape route creates a compelling reason to focus on the goal and to keep moving forward. However, it is important to keep in mind that although Cortez had his men burn the ships, he did not have them burn the food and supplies. Cutting off an escape route to increase motivation and create the desire to press on where you might otherwise give up is totally different from throwing caution to the wind and taking undue risks. Reaching your goals still requires prudent planning and managing. All goals contain a certain degree of risk, but it isn't necessary to create undue risk and stress by not properly planning and thus lacking the necessary tools and supplies to achieve your goal. Take risks, but don't be careless or foolish and simply hope that everything will be okay.

Before you decide to burn your ships, make sure you have the supplies and tools necessary to achieve the goal. Something like quitting your job might sound like a good way to close the escape route, but it might also be a fast way to bankruptcy if you don't have resources to carry you through. Creating a savings account balance or having a journey job (a job that is a stepping stone to what you really want) allows you to take the risk of leaving your current job without creating undue risk. I once took a six-month leave of absence from a job while I was deciding if I wanted to move to a different state. Although it was difficult making the transition as I was very homesick, once I found a job in my new location, I resigned from the job I had waiting for me because I knew it would be too tempting to go back.

Close off the escape routes and make sure that you have a compelling reason to move forward. However, at the same time, make sure that you plan for the risk and have the tools, supplies and resources you need to achieve your goals. You can't eliminate risk but you can plan for it. Don't just jump in without thinking through the process and having a solid plan for moving forward.

Coach Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD, is a Certified Master Coach specializing in working with business owners and professionals in being more profitable and productive while staying sane and balanced. Coach Lee is the publisher of the award winning e-zine, 365 Days of Coaching. Her first book, 365 Days of Coaching – Because Life Happens Every Day (Universal Publisher, 2004) was named a finalist for Best Book 2004 by Publish.com and has a five star rating on Amazon.com.

Action to be Effective

"Action to be effective must be directed to clearly conceived
ends."

*-- Jawaharlal Nehru {1889-1964 Indian Statesman}


"The value of action is that we make mistakes; mistakes show
us what we need to learn."

*-- Peter McWilliams

Those Who Have, Get More! - By Patricia Nordman

"To the man who has, more will be given; and he who has not, will lose even the little he thinks he has" (Luke 8:18).

This certainly seems unfair. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Perhaps Jesus is telling us here that truth that is not understood and made applicable in our lives will be lost. The proverb, "If you don't use it, you lose it," is so true. Neglect and misuse of a gift, whether truth or youth, means we not only lose the blessing inherent in the gift but we also lose the greater opportunities that would have come our way had we used the gift properly.

We have a very practical God who knows what is best for us. He invests us with abilities and opportunities and the courage to use them. He wants us to light this poor dark world with whatever aptitudes he graciously gives us. If we don't take advantage of the opportunities, we will wake up one day and discover that we have wasted time, talent and breaks--and both God and we will be broken-hearted.

“Luke 8:18 lays down the universal law that the man who has will get more; and that the man who has not will lose what he has. If a man is physically fit and keeps himself so, his body will be ready forever greater efforts; if he lets himself go flabby, he will lose even the abilities he has. The more a student learns, the more he can learn; but if he refuses to go on learning, he will lose the knowledge he has. This is just another way of saying that there is no standing still in life. All the time we are either going forward or going back. The seeker will always find; but the man who stops seeking will lose even what he has” (William Barclay).

Focused on the Path

"A vision keeps the Wealthy Soul focused on the path and not
on the boulders."

*-- Michael Norwood (Author of the Wealthy Soul series)


"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice;
it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

*-- William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925 American Politician}

Stop Waiting On Your Life - By Kathy Gates

This week I was sitting on the phone with tech support, and over and over again, I thought of things I could have done while I sat there -- waiting -- not living my life.

Are you “on hold” in your life?

Are you waiting for a spouse to come along, or for him/her to act better towards you? Are you waiting on the motivation to get your home organized? Are you waiting on a great job to fall into your lap? Are you waiting on winning the lottery to plan your retirement?

Stop waiting on your life! The only difference between you and the people who are getting what they want, is that they kept moving and you didn’t. Here are some ideas to help get you started again.

Focus on the who, not the what.

If you find that you’ve been stuck in a goal for a while, try restating it in “who am I” terms instead of “what I want” terms. For example, instead of saying “I want to lose 30 lbs.”, say “I am someone who takes care of herself by keeping my weight around XXX which is a healthy range for my height and age.” Be as specific as possible. Notice that “I want to be someone who helps others” could mean anything from a clerk in the grocery store to a heart surgeon. Focus on who you want to be. Then ask yourself what actions would be fit with your desire “to be” instead of “get”.

Analyze it.

Did you know that a full 80% of your problems come from 20% of your life? It’s true! Determine what that 20% is that’s affecting so much of your life, and start working to make it happier, more efficient, more satisfying.

Assign Value.

A big mistake I see in my coaching clients is not assigning a true value to your time, to your energy, to your money, and to the “real estate” (space) of your home or office. Realize that for each thing you say Yes to -- from a pair of shoes to watching a movie -- you have said No to something else. Always ask yourself - is this *valuable* enough to me to crowd my life with, or even to bump something else from my closet, my schedule, my money?

Establish routines.

I know you have “pizza night”-- so why not “bills night” or “clean your room night” as well? Like the pizza night, routines show up in all kinds of ways in your life. While they sound boring and confining, routines are actually freeing. The same way you don’t have to think about dinner on pizza night, instead of being worried and anxious on Monday morning wondering if you remembered to pay the car insurance, you’ll feel calm knowing that you always go to the bank on Friday afternoon and pay bills on Wed. evening. Routines take the stress out.

Accept Control-ability.

We’ve all heard about deniability from political spin doctors. I’d like to introduce the concept of ‘controlability’ in your daily life. You can’t control world politics, but you can vote. You can’t control terrorism, but you can be prepared in your own home. You can’t control the construction crews on the freeway, but you can control how much time you allot for a trip. Knowing what you can control and exercising that, and letting go of what you can’t, puts you in the driver’s seat of your life.

Feeling good about yourself will come naturally when you stop waiting and start creating the life you really want to live. Stress and frustration will be reduced as you make choices instead of being pushed around. You’ll experience a higher sense of self acceptance, and the self improvement will become easier and easier.

Stop waiting, Start today!

Ready to narrow that gap between the life you have and the life you want? Kathy Gates is a Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach in Scottsdale Arizona. If you’re ready for something happier in your life, her Success Programs are an excellent resource for you. She will coach you via email or telephone, your choice. Take a look at http://www.reallifecoach.com

Accumulate a Deposit

"Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to
keep it for yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a
deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible."

*-- Norman Vincent Peale


"Reflect upon you present blessings, of which every man has
many--not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.

*-- Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English Novelist

Keep on Keeping on... - By Cristina Diaz

We all have felt at times like if the world crumbled upon ourselves. We've felt in a hole, a dark bit of reality, caused by negative feelings. It can be disappointments, bad news, a difficult moment in a relationship, failures, you name it.

At those times we don't really know the way out. We only know it's necessary to get out, for our own sake (the realisation can come after a while). How do you put yourself together? What do you decide it's important and you're going to hang on to? What would be the best frame of mind to have?

Whenever you want to get out of a real-feeling-bad situation you just need to realise that the answer is in yourself. Give yourself importance. Realise that there's nobody else that can be you better than you, right now, or ever.

You just need to turn to yourself and focus. Forget about what caused you to be in the bad-feeling situation and forget about all your feelings. Focus on who you are and what you want - to achieve, to become, to have... If you have a clearly defined goal, focus on it.

Concentrate on how it would feel to achieve what you want. Feel good. Enjoy feeling good. Use this energy as strength to go ahead. Whenever you start feeling bad, come back to what makes you feel good and light the fire.

Know that there is nothing to fear and you will never be alone, for there will always be someone at eath time for you. Decide to have a positive attitude no matter what.

Besides, there is nobody or anything bigger than you. You are perfectly capable of enjoying a good life withing yourself, and you do not need anybody else to help you do so.

Have the courage to be yourself and do what you have to in order to reach what you want. The strength that you need is just within yourself. Remind yourself of your goals. Don't ever give up.

Feel good with yourself and keep on keeping on!

Cristina Diaz is a writer, and the editor and publisher of The-Benefits-Of-Positive-Thinking.com. She has published ezines over the internet with useful and sound advice. She currently lives in London and devotes her time to transmit her knowledge through The Benefits Of Positive Thinking, and to write short fiction tales in Spanish.

Your Instincts

"Follow your instincts. That's where true wisdom manifests
itself."

*-- Oprah Winfrey


"The action required to sustain human life is primarily
intellectual, everything man needs has to be discovered by
his mind and produced by his effort."

*-- Ayn Rand

Double Whammy: The Effects of Procrastination - By Deon Du Plessis

Procrastination, like all of your behaviours carries consequences. Whether your behaviour is conscious or unconscious, you will eventually have to deal with the effects. The effects of procrastination are something that we all have to confront and deal with from time to time. It's only natural to procrastinate at times but, the way you deal with your procrastination patterns will determine what effects procrastination has on your life.

One of the most obvious effects of procrastination is the failure to reap the rewards that would come from taking action. When you procrastinate you simple fail to take action on the very things you know will bring you the rewards that you desire. Although you know what you want and even what you need to do to get it, you still have to take action and it's usually at this point where procrastination sets in.

Because the results that you desire are often something bigger and better than what you currently have, you must step outside your comfort zone to get it. You might have to take actions that you are not comfortable with to which your unconscious mind reacts by "protecting" you against that which is uncomfortable. Although the short term effects of procrastination might seem as "positive" the long term effects are almost always negative.

Failing to reap the rewards of taking action can have many knock on effects. Taking action on your ideas and desires is one of your most empowering gifts. It is the process by which you can make the intangible tangible. Through your actions and your behaviour you create or un-create your life. It's not only the direct results of your actions that creates you outcomes, but often the very fact that you are actually consciously affecting the conditions of your life. It not just your actions, but rather your failure to take action that will have a greater effect on the rewards you reap from life. From this point of view the effects of procrastination is not just a direct but also an indirect loss of rewards. Every action is a cause set in motion that affects and build on past and future events to the point where we can never really determine the actual effect of one specific action. More than anything else, action opens you up to opportunity.

Opportunity is rarely the result of you waiting for it. When you put yourself in line with what you want most through your conscious action you expose yourself to opportunity. It's never a case of whether you have opportunities but rather are you noticing the opportunities? But even more importantly, are you using the opportunities or are you procrastinating? One thing is for certain and that is when procrastination becomes a habit you won't even notice all the opportunities on your doorstep. You will live your life in distraction, constantly looking for short term "pleasures" to avoid the real challenges that will cause you to reap the real results. You will always "turn a blind eye" to the real opportunities. Thos who succeed are rarely the people with the most or the most splendid opportunities. They are the people who saw an opportunity where no one else saw it and then they took action to realize it.

Out of all the negative effects of procrastination and indecision the failure to spot and act on opportunity is probably the saddest. So many people with so much talent fail to live up to their true potential because of procrastination. The rewards you reap from life will be either a direct or an indirect result of your actions or your inactions. Not only will procrastination prevent you from reaping the rewards but your inaction will prevent you from even being exposed to opportunity. Opportunity is knocking but you have to take action and at least open the door. Don't let the effects of procrastination stand between what you are and what you can become. As the famous entrepreneur and businessman Victor Kiam once said: "Procrastination is opportunity's assassin."

This article is published with the permission of the author, Deon Du Plessis. He is the founder of The Self Improvement Gym, and author (in)action, a groundbreaking new action guide on eliminating procrastination. For more of his in-depth insights into personal development and access to his free self improvement library visit http://www.The Self Improvement – Gym.com

Achievements in Life

"Your achievements in life are dependent on a simple two step
process: 1) think positive achievement thoughts, and 2) take
positive actions toward those thoughts. Don't wait another
second, start the process right now.

*-- Greg Werner {Strength & Conditioning Coach}


"The thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint
the canvas of our lives."

*-- Louise Hay

Fire in your Belly: Embracing the Instinctual Self to Release Impediments - By Muhammed Khan

There is a growing epidemic in today's society: social anxiety. I've lived with it most of my life, and recently I have noticed it in other young men that I have encountered. It's tragic, it is at a time when young men should really be living, being reckless at times, making mistakes, and then learning from those mistakes, in turn growing, maturing as people.

It surprises me at times, the number of young guys I meet who have social anxieties and who share their problems and stories with me ... in the past it felt like I was the only who had this problem, I had nobody to confide in ... now I'm being approached and befriending people who share their problems with me, at a time when I'm coming into my own. Some might call this coincidence; however I don't believe in coincidence, I believe in synchronicity.

At a certain point of my life, I took it upon myself to seek teachings, methods, ways to empowerment to overcome social anxiety. I had to first go back in time, see how I was like when I was a child. Up to the age of about ten, I was a bit of a nightmare, a little terror you could say. I was naughty, I was loud, I was energetic. I felt immense delight in breaking things. Now this may seem like unacceptable behavior from an adult's point of view, but I had something precious within me, a spark, that was soon to die out.

During the next few years I moved to a new neighbourhood, started a new school, and endured a lot of bullying, negative remarks, and ridicule. The kids were very different in this new school and neighbourhood, a lot rougher and aggressive. The years passed as I became increasingly detached from my playful spontaneous nature, I started to read a lot more, watched a lot more television, became reclusive and very introspective. While my school work improved at this time, I lost any ability to actively engage in play with other children. I formed the belief that if I expressed my genuine playful nature, I would be punished with a physical beating.

This belief carried through later years, and severely affected my ability to socialize and interact with others of my age group. The few friends that I did have undermined my characteristics, crushing my self esteem.

I was living in my head, unable to relate to others, always in my own world, and lacking in physical vitality. At one point I relinquished all my friends at the time, decided to look at ways to improve myself. I got involved in New Age spirituality, had some interesting experiences, but it did not solve my issues. In fact, it made things worse, as I thought too much about morals and was afraid to anjoy myself. I read countless self-help books, such as those of Tony Robbins; I started reading the news a lot more, keeping up to date with pop culture, trends, media, so I could have things to talk about. I tried to modify my personality, appear more confident, more extrovert.

However, those techniques could only take me so far. I was missing something. I then started to study Oriental philosophy and martial arts. I have never actually joined any martial arts classes, but I came upon a technique that turned things around for me. I learned that inside us there a vital point of energy known as the hara or tantien. It is located two inches below the navel. All energy emanates from that source. I learned focussing one’s awareness on that point with meditation and deep breathing grounds your awareness, giving one stability, poise and confidence in daily reality. I learned meditation through the New Age, but there I was taught to focus on the third eye, the point of the brow between the eyes, to awaken psychic abilities. However, I realise now the importance of learning to ground your awareness first.

The best technique I have come across for grounding your awareness is chi breathing. You sit or kneel comfortably, focus your awareness on your tantien for a minute, then breath deeply through your nose, for between 5 - 10 seconds, hold your breath for three seconds, then exhale slowly for 10 seconds, or exhale for 5 seconds if you cannot manage 10. Try doing this for at least 10 minutes while at the same time keeping your focus on your tantien. After ten minutes or so, breathe normally for about five minutes, keeping your focusing in the same area, two inches below the navel.

You might be thinking the relevance of this exercise to the main issue I’ve been discussing, all I can say from experience is that it grounds you into your instinctual self, the playful carefree child in all of us. Plus this meditation has many health benefits as well.
Look around at diverse self-help marketplace, you’ll find gurus and courses teaching you to think positively, or instil characteristics which are not of your true nature for some measure of personal, social or corporate success, or teach very shallow personality and social skills and techniques.

But I would like to put forward that we need to get a hold of that child-like instinctual self … be a bit naughty or reckless if need be, for those who have trouble talking to people or socialising, the words are already there … you used to blabber them as a free spirited kid. I don’t care how awful or repressed anyone’s life might have been; we were all free spirited kids at one time who knew exactly what to say.

It’s not so much an innate lack of social skills; rather that some of us live in a system where certain standards prevail, and our genuine expression is suppressed.

But that’s enough talk on this matter. I suggest you do this exercise every night, it will take some practise and discipline. It will take your awareness out of your head and into your body, which to me is where it belongs.

Muhammed Khan

http://unleash.myhypnotic.info

Helping Yourself

"Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at
the end of your arm ... As you grow older you will discover that
you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for
helping others."

*-- Audrey Hepburn


"When we extend ourselves to another human being in any way
at all, when we positively touch the life of one person, we
benefit the whole of humanity."

*-- Gail Pursell Elliott, "The Dignity and Respect Lady"

It Changed My Life! - By Michael A Verdicchio

You’ve heard people tell you, “It changed my life!” You’ve heard commercials promise, “It will change your life!” Someone once told me that a movie changed her life!

I remember a number of years ago when a young lady told me that the movie she had seen recently changed her life. I thought that it must be a pretty powerful movie if it is changing people’s lives. I didn’t realize at the time that there is no movie that can change your life.

As a matter of fact, there is no book, no course, no quote, no, not even a movie that can change your life.

You may be inspired and motivated by something you hear, or read, or see. And, as a result you decide to change the way you think. When you decide to change what you are thinking, that is when your life will start to change. That’s why; nothing or no one else is ever going to change your life except you.

Yes, you! You can change your life!

That's not just some positive reinforcement statement to give you some courage to try. The reason you can do it is because of how the Creator designed our brains to work.

It is no secret that there are some people are successful and there are some people who are not? Is that just fate or chance, or, as some would have you to believe, predestination? Are some people just destined to succeed, while others are destined to fail? No. As hard as it may be to face it, your current situations and circumstances are directly related to your thoughts.

You may not be all too thrilled about where your life is right now. But just as your thoughts got you where you are today, it will be your thoughts, and your thoughts alone, that will determine where your lifewill be tomorrow.

Most people just float through life. They take what comes at them and just hope for the best. Far too many people simply do not take charge of their lives. But you really can take charge of your life by taking charge of your thoughts.

Have you noticed that people who are consistently negative think totally different thoughts than people who are consistently positive? And have you noticed that the results in their lives are also totally different. Wow - is that an amazing coincidence? No.

What about goals? Some people who reach their goals and others do not. Are those who reach their goals just lucky? Do you ever wonder just what is going on in their brains? Well, what's going on in your brain? That is absolutely vitally important because it will determine your success or failure.

If you don't like where your life is right now, then start
changing your thoughts.

It may take a little effort and you may feel awkward at first. But be assured, just like the law gravity works no matter who tries it, our brains work with the same accurate precision. We are all a product of our own thoughts.

If you are waiting for some special course, or a dynamic book, or even a movie to change your life, you’ll be waiting a lifetime.

I am highly in favor of motivation and inspiration. They can help you by pointing you in the right direction. They can show you how to think successful thoughts. They can show you where your thoughts are defeating you. But no one can think your thoughts except you. And that takes a decision on your part. Make the right decisions and you will indeed change your life!

Want To Get Motivated And Stay Motivated?
Michael A Verdicchio has produced, “Inspirational
Pep Talks.” Daily audio messages that come right
to your PC! It’s 3 to 5 minutes of inspiration and
motivation every Monday through Friday. For a
FREE Pep Talk and more info, Click
the following link: http://www.InspirationalPepTalks.com

Play and Enjoy Life

"It is essential to our well-being, and to our lives, that we
play and enjoy life. Every single day do something that makes
your heart sing."

*-- Marcia Wieder


"The worst thing that one can do is not try, to be aware of
what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent
hurt wondering if something could have materialized -- and
ever knowing."

*-- David Viscott {American Author, Speaker & Trainer}

The 3 P's To Success - By Terry Poster

Hello everyone, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far and everything is coming together with your business. I was thinking the other day about some of the key ingredients one must use to succeed in our business and ironically most of them seemed to start with the letter P. I want to share 3 of those with you today.

First and foremost I believe is PASSION. You have to love what you are doing and why you are doing it. You have to love your product and that must ooze out of you day in and day out. It must be easy for you to talk about and share. You have to live it and think about it day and day out. Your business must really be a part of you. It must seem like second nature, like the hours fly by when you are involved in it.

If this is how it feels for you, you are definetly in the right business. If you dread sitting down at your desk, making those phone calls, sending those emails, getting on those conference calls. Then you might want to look at another business or job. People that have the most success in this industry, jump out of bed and can't wait to get at it. They can't wait to tell others about how their life has been changed by their amazing product and/or service. This is crucial.

Second, you need patience. Success rarely happens overnight. When you find the right business stick with it. Make adjustments, seek advice, but don't give up. You should give your business your all for at least 18 months before you decision to quit or put your efforts elsewhere. Too many people quit without realizing a simple adjustment here or there or gaining advice from someone who had been through something similiar would have got them over the hump. Worse yet, they quit when they were so close to turning it around. Think Patience.

Third, is Perserverance. You are going to have good days and bad days, but that is life. You can't know good without bad and vice versa. Look at your business as a growing process. Just think of what you will become by perservering and experiencing all the successes and failures. This experience will make YOU so much more.

I have a sign on my office wall here that reads "Any Dream Worth Having, is a Dream Worth Fighting For." Dream BIG, practice the 3 p's daily. Prosper.

God Bless,

Terry A. Poster

Terry Poster is a former Herbalife President's Team member who earned a six figure income in 18 months using techniques discussed in his articles and blog. Currently he is involved in several network marketing opportunities, the primary being Success University. Find out more about the author at his blog, http://spaces.msn.com/visioncast Join the team, we are exploding. http://terry.successuniversity.com

What a Man or Woman Knows

"The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is
what the man or woman is able to do that counts."

*-- Booker T. Washington

I Met Mr. Fear and Won - By Jack Marinchek

Last night I met Mr Fear. It’s funny now. But, believe me, last night it was anything but funny. Mr Fear came from nowhere. Before I knew it I was in a cold sweat.

Pressure

The first attack was around 9pm. I was working under a deadline and there were some articles I needed to hammer out and have ready by the following morning.

The subject I was dealing with dealt with a problem that I personally had for many years. Emotionally it was very challenging. During the process of trying to finish this writing job, pictures of failure kept flashing before my mind.

That old Black Magic

I was getting hammered, “You can’t do this thing. Who do you think you are?” Stuff like that. I was really feeling like “little me”, if you get my drift.

Before I realized it, it was 11:55 pm and I had only one lousy paragraph written. Sweat began running down my face. Yeah, you have it..I was scarred. Mr Fear, I have no doubt, was really getting off on my situation. Because, he kept giving it to me!

Took a Break

So what did I do? Well, I tell you what I did. I left my desk and walked over to a comfortable chair and stretched out. I did some free dive breathing. That’s right, Free Diver. If you want to go deep into the water for a good distance you have to preserve your oxygen. I am talking about diving without an oxygen tank. Yeah, just using your own breath…Counting 1-4-long slow breaths. Slows down the heart rate.

Then I did dynamic positive visualization. I pictured myself “doing” this thing, the project I was trying to finish. Then I said to myself,”The heck with it..just do it”.

I got up from the chair and went back to my desk and started pounding the type keys. Guess what? Before I knew it I had the ?!!’’-??!!c thing done. And, if I don’t say so myself, this piece I did was one of the best articles I had written in a long time.

Keep pushing!

Sometimes, when you are forced to push the edge of the envelope, it pays to just put your head down and blast away. The power of your subconscious normally will provide the end result you want ,if you don’t hold back and let fear cripple you. I met Mr. Fear and won.

You can use this strategy for just about anything you want to do. I don’t care who you are, depending on your confidence level, there are times when you will be hit with self-doubt and fear. This is what we mean by busting out and leaving your comfort zone. It’s these small victories that add up to giving you a shot at really going after your- larger than life- big goals.

Jack Marinchek is publisher of the site Stand for Your Greatness. Helping people win the challenge of personal and professional transformation.

Develops From Within

"The abundant life does not come to those who have had a lot
of obstacles removed from their path by others. It develops
from within and is rooted in strong mental and moral fiber."

*-- William Mather Lewis


"Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life."

*-- Sophia Loren {Italian Actress}

Demotivation - It Happens To Everyone - By Josh Stone

You've all heard my views on motivation... well now, get ready for my take on demotivation.

Ever been SO demotivated that you just can't find yourself doing anything productive? No mood to work, no mood to get up in the morning, no mood to dress up and look good to face the day... a demotivation so strong that even when youre in the midst of seeing actual results of your hard work, (losing fat fast, muscle definition, strength gains) but yet - you're just not able to motivate yourself to drag yourself to the gym. Sounds pretty bad, doesnt it?

Ever had this feeling before? The feeling that just makes you want to give the gym a pass and to just stop bothering with your healthy meals and the importance of your protein intake and just wanting to get home and crawl under your blanket and hope that everything passes as quickly as possible. Basically.. it's almost 'giving up'. I find demotivation of this extent to be bad.. really really bad. It happens... it's happened to me before, and it could happen to anyone else. Something like this would also only get worse unless you tackle the root of the problem, and the problem most of the times, may not be something as simple as getting enough rest, eating right, or changing your workout routine. What causes this kinda demotivation then, you ask?

I've written before about not being motivated after a long day at work, but that deals with factors that are pretty much in your hand, which you are able to manipulate to affect the end result. To me, demotivation of this extent happens when you're faced a something such as perhaps a loved one has passed away... or you just lost your job... lost your family, your car got stolen... your pet dog died... your partner left you for another person... the list long - but I think you get what I'm trying to say. It's the matters of the heart that could cause such an impact in your life. Who would have thought that it would also interfere with your fitness goals?

Don't get me wrong... I'm not saying this is a good thing, or that you should 'accept' this feeling when it happens. When I am motivated and feel good about everything in life - I'm almost always able to have razor sharp focus and desire and drive in everything I do. Most people would be able to do the same.

But when we're demotivated, we're all only human.. and our heart affects our mind, which in turn will affect our physical behaviour. Can you imagine yourself at the gym just days after a loved one has passed away? Or imagine yourself in the gym after a breakup? Do you think you're going to be able to focus on your workout 100%? What do you think is going to be running through your mind as you rest in between sets?

Unfortunately, this is also a feeling you can't overcome easily just by consuming a pre-workout stimulant either. I don't think that even a full serving of NO-Xplode could help you now. If you're thinking of alcohol.. well that only serves as temporary relief as although it IS an antidepressant (a pretty effective one too), the feelings do come back once you stop consuming it. The only way is to consume it constantly... and that's only going to wreak havoc in your body. Trust me, I've tried it before and don't ever wanna go down that path before.. and neither should you.

Well, what's interesting is that everything mentioned above is totally the opposite of being 100% motivated. You'll find yourself being in a state of absolute bliss, and simply enjoy doing every single thing, every single workout, every single meal. Amazing indeed. I wish I could feel this way 24 hrs/day, 365 days/yr.

So.. is there hope for the demotivated athlete? As ironic as it may sound, one way to actually feel better is to do the one thing you're dreading the most right now - hit the gym and exercise. Why? Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins - which give you a natural 'high', an improved feeling of well being. In fact, there have been many runners who swear by a 'runner's high'.. a feeling of euphoria after having run a certain distance. Go look it up.. my write-up is already long enough so I wont talk about runner's high much.

So now you know why you almost always feel good and have a feeling of 'satisfaction' after a workout. I guess there are many other ways to refresh your senses and get back in track while being demotivated... you could go shopping (retail therapy helps), buy that pair of shoes you've always wanted, get new perfume (smelling different all the time can heavily affect the way you feel), or perhaps get a haircut, colour your hair, cook your favourite meal, and so on.

Just remember that we all get demotivated at times.. but no one has to wallow in this state. It's your choice what you do with your feelings... but it also wouldnt hurt to look at it as a sign that it’s time to sharpen yourself.

We're only human... and so am I.

Josh Stone, also known as DM, is the author behind the site http://www.dailymuscle.com which offers the author's personal views on real-life fitness, bodybuilding, sports nutrition, cardio, fat loss, training information, and on all things that surrounds fitness.

A Temporary Condition

"Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up
is what makes it permanent."

*-- Marilyn Vos Savant, American Columnist and Writer

Work Less, Accomplish More and Enjoy It Fully by Letting Go - By Reggie Odom

Part I: Letting Go

What if there was a way or ways to take the work out of work, out of relationships, out of life itself, while having more of what you want in all areas of your life? Imagine for a moment that you have simply let go of struggle, intense effort or hard work, and have what you really want in your life with greater ease than you ever imagined. You might find that difficult to imagine, or wonder what planet I live on where such a thing is possible. “Letting go” is the operative idea here.

Let’s take a look at those two words, “letting go,” for a moment. Letting go simply means giving up attempts to control or force experience or outcomes. To appreciate letting go, it is useful to experience its opposite. Clench both of your fists very tightly and hold them that way for a few moments. Feel the tension that spreads out from your hands, up through your arms and into your body, into your head so that even your brain feels tight. Have you ever felt that way when you were intensely working, maybe struggling to make a deadline or complete your “to do” list for the day, or make some person listen to you or get that new client that you want?

Now simply open your hands, palms up and let them relax. You might notice the tension created by your tight fists simply melt away, and your body and mind relax. Now you are in a state of receptivity, of allowing. Letting go allows things to come your way, allows what you really want to happen. What comes may be in the form of ideas, people, places or things. As long as you are holding on tightly, you’ll spend a great deal of time trying to make things happen that usually don’t, or if they do, there is no joy and little, if any, real satisfaction and fulfillment.

There is a story about catching monkeys in India that highlights the ills of holding on. When monkey hunters go out to catch monkeys, they use coconuts and the psychology of holding on. First they cut a hole in one end of a coconut, just large enough for a monkey’s hand to go through, and place a banana in the coconut. They then drill holes through the “eyes” of the coconut, attach a wire through the holes and sit behind a tree with the other end of the wire in their hands and wait for a monkey. Sure enough, a monkey always comes, delighted to find a ripe, juicy banana just waiting for the taking. The monkey thrusts its hand into the coconut and grabs the banana. There’s only one problem, and a pretty big one? When the monkey’s hand is tight in a fist around the banana, it is now too big to pull back through the hole. The monkey tries and tries but no matter how hard it tries, it cannot get its hand out of the coconut with the banana. There is a really simple solution which you might have already noticed - letting go of the banana. But the monkey never does that and as a result it is captured. The only thing standing between the monkey and freedom is “letting go.”

What are you holding on to that is standing between you and your freedom? We can hold on to people or things we love as well as those that we do not. Holding on is a form of resistance. Sometimes holding on can squeeze the life out of something very beautiful. Holding on is generally based in fear. You can rest assured that anything that is naturally yours will still be after you release your hold on it. In fact, it may be really yours for the first time since it will be yours in freedom. Letting go allows the truth to emerge, and the best course to follow.

Abraham, one of my favorite teachers, said last week that not a single action that is not an action of joy comes to any good. An action that is taken in a “holding on” frame of mind is not an action of joy but of fear. The reverse of that is also true - actions done with joy are auspicious actions, boding well for good things to come.

Letting go allows you greater access to your natural brilliance and passions, to the deepest truths of who you are and to what you “really” want.

Remember, you are a natural! You are brilliant! You are magnificent! Simply by being you. Won’t you let your light shine?

Tips:

1. Write down the things you are holding on to in your life.

2. Now look at your list and simply open your hands.

3. Practice opening your hands many times throughout the day, especially when you are feeling tight or tense.

4. Check in with yourself before taking action. Ask yourself, "Am I taking this action in joy, or in fear?" If in joy, enjoy! If in fear, stop for a few moments and open your hands before proceeding.

Reggie Odom LICSW, CPCC, PCC founder of Inspired Works, is a Life Coach, inspirational speaker, and lecturer at the Simmons College School of Social Work. She is considered a master teacher and unforgettable speaker. Reggie coaches professionals and small business entrepreneurs who want more joy and greater aliveness. She can be contacted at (617) 524-6153, reggie@reggieodom.com or you can visit her website at http://www.reggieodom.com.

Unlocking Our Potential

"Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the
key to unlocking our potential."

*-- Winston Churchill

The Ins And Outs Of Ups And Downs - By Maureen Staiano

Every aspect of life is a series of ups and downs. You have summer and winter, day and night, work and play.

You clean the house and all of a sudden the dust has built up again. The laundry is clean and then you look and the laundry basket is full again.

You get a job and you may lose it. You fall in love and then back out of love. One day may be full with energy, another full of challenge just to get out of bed.

That is the dependability of life; it is full of ups and downs. How you handle them is up to you. It is easy to deal with the ups in life. They are enjoyable and inspiring at times.

You anticipate with excitement the prospect of an upcoming trip. You will have time off from work. You are visiting a destination you have never seen before with lots to do and see. You absorb every minute of the trip and it flies by. The day comes when you awake to find it is the last day of vacation. It’s time to return to the job, the house and the day to day activities. You have just experience the up, the vacation, and the down, returning to every day life.

Would you have missed the up of the vacation just not to experience the possible down of retuning to everyday life? Probably you would not have. You know that a day or two back into your everyday life and you will be back on track. Life will have leveled off a bit until the next up and down cycle.

There is a popular saying when challenging times appear. “This too shall pass.”
Well this is just as appropriate when the wonderful things of life come. Life has ebb and flow to it. It is never static.

So how does one approach the ups and downs of life?

1. When you are in one of the up times enjoy it, absorb it and learn from. Affirm to yourself that you are truly deserving of good things and stay present to what is happening.

2. Do not project onto the future with thoughts of “this is too good to be true, it’s going to turn bad any moment.” Don’t waste time trying to look for signs of a down time approaching. Definitely be aware of your surroundings but looking for demons when they are not there wastes time and energy.

3. When you realize you are in one of the down times of life, a lost job, a failed romance, or even just a plain old singing the blues kind of day, take solace. You have experienced good times before. That is your best evidence that you will experience them again.

4. Take a realistic look at the situation. Are there adjustments you can make? Can you take steps to regain your equilibrium? In the most basic cases you just may need to take care of the cleaning, shopping or laundry again. In a tougher case you may find your self updating a resume or brushing up on your networking skills. Assess and correct wherever possible and then take a breath and try to relax.

5. Remember that experiencing a down time in your life does in no way mean that you are living a bad life. You are not a victim nor do you have a black cloud over your head.

6. Step back and take an overall view of your life. The greater majority of folks asked will acknowledge that their lives have contained a mix of ups and downs and that they have learned from both perspectives. It is in experiencing the downs of life that we gain greater enjoyment from the ups in life. In experiencing the ups of life we gain the assurance that we can withstand whatever the downs in life may bring.

Maureen Staiano is a Life Coach specializing in working with women and the unique and challenging transitions we face in our lives. Her mission is for the advancement of all women. Please visit Maureen at: http://www.achieveyourdreamcoaching.com/