Make Others Feel Important

"The fastest way to improve your relationships is to make others feel important in every way possible."

*--Brian Tracy


"You may search my time-worn face,
You'll find a merry eye that twinkles.
I am NOT an old lady
Just a little girl with wrinkles!"

*--Edythe E. Bregnard


"When it comes to environments in which people live, work, and learn
try thinking of creating not a ‘culture’ but a ‘biosphere.’ By
definition, the biosphere is the part of the earth’s crust that supports life. The
concept of a ‘biosphere’ has to do with subscribing to an ethic that goes
beyond ‘culture.’ It promotes individuality, creativity, imagination,
inspiration, respect, understanding, awareness, and above all – peace."

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

Bust Out of Your Box - By Claudette Rowley

"Turning points announce themselves through a variety of vague symptoms: deep restlessness, a yearning with no name, inexplicable boredom, the feeling of being stuck." - Gloria Karpinski

Do you

- feel restless, agitated and/or bored?

- notice you have developed a serious case of the "blahs"?

- experience tremendous resistance to doing what you need to do?

- have thoughts such as "What’s the point?"

If you answered YES to two or more of these questions, your box may be too small. It’s time to bust out! (For all of you who are thinking "What is she talking about?" – here’s the explanation.)

Your box is a metaphor for the beliefs, rules and circumstances (aka BRCs) in your life that no longer work for you. You carry BRCs around despite that fact that they no longer serve your growth and development, and that it’s in your best interest to discard them. For instance, my client Joanie was afraid to join a gym (even though she desperately wanted to) because she was concerned that she’d only use it for a month or so. If that happened, she’d feel like a failure and foolish in front of her friends and family. After reflecting, she recognized that she was hauling around an outmoded belief that it actually mattered how others perceived her decisions about whether or not she worked out.

Over time, these BRC’s accumulate around us, brick by brick, walling us off from the awareness of what we want as well as the ability to act on what we want. I usually know that I’m in my box when I can’t remember the last time that I had fun, or when someone asks what I do for fun, and my response is "Huh?" or something along those lines. As an entrepreneur and a mother, I’m busy and I work hard. It’s easy to get trapped in my box of BRCs – to move from one responsibility to next without considering what’s best for me. And sometimes having fun is best gift I could give myself.

Ways to bust out of your box:

- Ask yourself, "What have I outgrown?"

- Eliminate the thought that you need to feel better before taking action. For example, it’s a common belief that feeling fear indicates that you shouldn’t take action. Actually, the reverse is true. Most of the time, the only way to decrease fear is to do what you need to do.

- Shift your perspective. Do one thing differently. This could be as simple as wearing purple socks if you usually wear black. It could be thinking, "Today, the glass is half full."

- Consider what you might be avoiding in your life and ask yourself, "Why?" Make sure you answer that one honestly.

Identifying the need to "bust out of your box" is a wake up call, a warning that either your comfort zone has gotten too narrow or that you need to listen to yourself. The next time you feel restless or bored, develop a case of the "blahs" or feel resistance, capitalize on this opportunity to take a closer look at your beliefs, rules and circumstances. It might be time to shake ‘em up.

Claudette Rowley is a professional coach, speaker and author who helps savvy professionals like you identify their true purpose and calling and mobilize the courage to pursue it. Sign up for her free monthly ezine "Insights for the Savvy" at http://www.metavoice.org or contact her directly at info@metavoice.org.

Like What You Do

"Like what you do, if you don't like it,
do something else."

*--Paul Harvey


"I think that my biggest attribute to any success
that I have had is hard work. There really is no
substitute for working hard."

*-- Maria Bartiromo


"I've never seen a monument erected to a pessimist."

*--Paul Harvey

Become the Person you Dream to Be - By Joseph C Lee

Are you the person of your dreams? Who do you want to be? What do you want out of life? Do some soul searching and really be honest with yourself. The first step to growing as a person is getting to know yourself. You need to be sure of who you before you can decide who you will become. If you are looking for personal development, this quick read can help.

Once you take a close look at what you want, who you are, and what you can improve upon, you need motivation. The most effective way to get motivated is to be inspired by yourself. Being human, other people may not always supply the motivation you need to succeed, so it's up to you to set your goals and reach for them with determination. There are many inspirational quotes and motivational messages out there if you need a jump start in this department. There are books, tapes or CDs, and websites. If you are blessed, you have close loved ones who will encourage and support you in whatever you choose.

After you have examined yourself, set your goals, and are ready to take action, you need a plan. List each goal and take the time to write out steps towards those goals. What are the obstacles? How can you get around them? Don't restrain yourself with set time frames right now. Be flexible, but really think of the energy, money and time you will need to make your dream a reality. Plan on making small changes, maintaining those changes, and then continuing to make other small changes. Self improvement is a gradual process.

Once you have got a plan all together you can start making some of those changes. Celebrate when you handle things the way you planned. Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't follow your plan to the letter, or mess up. It's okay. The important thing is that you keep trying to be better and moving forward, towards your dreams.

Keep your vision of who you want to become ahead of you. Make sure that you stay focused on progress. Don't get caught up in things that will consume your time and energy if they will not help you move towards your goals. Be wise with your time and remember again to stay flexible. If your plan is working, put it back under construction until you make it right. You have to keep trying things out; and be open minded. There is a variety of ways to approach things, so find them out and test them, to choose the right path for you.

My last bit of advice is to be yourself. Don't try to be someone else. Learn what your strengths and weaknesses are and work with them. Find out what your special gift is, and find a way to use it all the time. The more you get better at doing things that you enjoy, the happier a person you will be. You are unique, and you should enjoy who you are, and reach for the stars.

Joseph C Lee is a motivational speaker. Since little, he had always been fascinating about human mind and human potential. After gaining his PhD in engineering, he embarked on a journey to discover what makes successful people successful. He co-runs a website on Personal Development. Visit his website today at http://www.motivational-journey.info/personal-development-sitemap.html
to find out how can you achieve your ultimate dreams and discover your inner potential.

Lost By Not Succeeding

"There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding
and that which is lost by not trying."

*-- Francis Bacon {1561-1626 English Philosopher}


"I expect to pass through this life but once. If,
therefore there can be any kindness I can show or
any good thing I can do for any fellow being let me
do it now...as I shall not pass this way again."

*-- Stephen Grellet


"It is one of the blessings of old friends that
you can afford to be stupid with them."

*-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Healthy Self-Esteem in Thirty Days - By Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD

Healthy Self-Esteem is your best weapon on the journey of life. Self-Esteem is the cornerstone of your emotional well-being and success in life. Self-Esteem stems from the knowledge that you are a valuable person. It is the understanding that there is no one who is exactly like you. No one talks like you; No one walks like you; No one has the exact color eyes or hair as you. Even identical twins have subtle differences in personality and characteristics.

Healthy Self-Esteem is realizing that no other person has your personality or your abilities, and it is being comfortable with your uniqueness that sets you apart. Healthy Self-Esteem is that calm sense of self-respect and integrity that deep down in your soul you possess self-worth and confidence in your ability and uniqueness.

Healthy Self-Esteem fosters your inner strength to walk your own path. You avoid succumbing to peer pressure. You have the confidence to say, “NO” to requests or ideas which are demeaning to your integrity or will sabotage your goals.

Healthy Self-Esteem allows you to become a leader, instead of a follower. You know what is best for you. With Healthy Self-Esteem you are able to make decisions, regardless of what others say or do. These are traits that we all want for ourselves and our children.

You can build Healthy Self-Esteem one minute at a time. Every waking minute:

• See yourself as having value.

• See yourself as having the key to what is needed in this world.

• Treat yourself with the highest respect. No one will treat you with more respect than you treat yourself.

• Employ self-discipline to follow through with any endeavor.

• Give yourself positive support by praising yourself for doing a good job, for doing what you do, and for doing things the best you can. “You can do it.” “You are good at everything you do.” “You did a good job.”

• Focus on the positive—avoid focusing on the negative.

• Focus on the glass is half full—avoid focusing on the glass is half empty.

• Give yourself praise and pats on the back for your achievements—no matter how small.

• Focus on the process of goal achievement, avoid bemoaning everything you need to do—your goals come to fruition more quickly.

• Be persistent in everything you do—persistence is the only path to goal achievement.

• Praise others for their accomplishments—when you compliment others you build your own self-esteem, because it’s impossible to sincerely praise others without feeling better about yourself.

• Give as much as you want to receive—What goes around; Comes around.

• Take pride in, who you are.

• Take pride in, what you do.

“Life is not easy for any of us. But, what of that? We must have perseverance and above all, self-esteem in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” – Marie Curie

In Thirty days you will notice subtle, but powerful differences in the out-come of your endeavors and you will notice you are feeling empowered, confident and focused on goals and achievements.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, author, speaker and inspirational leader specializes in: Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Recovery. Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Human Beings Can Alter Their Lives

'The greatest discovery of my generation is that
human beings can alter their lives by altering
their attitudesof mind.'

*-- William James


"Faith is a passionate intuition."

*-- William Wordsworth


"The more I give myself permission to live in the moment and enjoy it
without feeling guilty . . . the better I feel about the quality of
my work."

*-- Wayne Dyer

The Care and Feeding of Your Environment - By Cara Lumen

Energy is amazing. It can feed and nourish you or it can crowd and depress you. The energy you allow in your home environment is crucial to your well-being, productivity, and happiness.

I have an extra bedroom and bath in my home and have rented it out for years—because I don’t need the space and it bring in extra income. But basically, I’d rather live alone.

It’s tricky to choose someone to share your home on the basis of one interview. I have to rely heavily on my intuition. This last time I choose wrong. The energy of the occupant turned out to be one of defeat, of not trying, of withdrawal, judgment, and of not taking self-responsibility.

And of course, it affected my entire environment.

The person didn’t stay long and actually, he chose to leave, which brings me to another point. When you hold steady to your vibration, or raise it through new awareness, often some of the people currently in your life organically drop away because they are not comfortable with the level of your vibration. That seemed to have happened in this case.

When he left I invested time in cleaning and clearing the room. I washed the walls, I gave it reiki attunements, I brought in green plants to clear the room and added some crystals. I held a blessing for the space to help it heal.

Within days, I felt the result in my own life. My days are now filled with a creative flow that is incredibly productive, satisfying, and rewarding at a level that I have experienced for a long time. I looked at my journal and it has been amazingly smooth for nearly three weeks. I’m sleeping less as if I no longer am being dragged down. I’m happier. And I’m joyously productive.

Who we allow in our personal space can affect every aspect of our life.

Who are you hanging out with?

What new boundaries do you need to set in order to honor yourself?

What changes do you need to make to bring serenity into your space and your life experience?

It may be a change in people. It may be a change in things. It may be a change in attitude. It may be a change in expectations.

When I had to move everything out of my home to lay new carpet a few months ago, I didn’t put everything back in and I rethought where I placed things. My office alone improved 1000%.

Do you need to clean more to let your environment nourish you (or hire it done)?

Is your environment as neat as you’d like it to be?

Do you like everything you have in it or do you need to toss or replace some items?

Does your yard upkeep reflect the energy you want around you?

What new friends can you encourage?

What non-nourishing friends can you discourage?

After I started focusing on how much I wanted my home environment to take care of me, I got a surprise. A charming Frenchman who is a computer consultant, offered to rent the space for his home office! I get the income and I get to basically live alone.

You can have it all when you ask for it!

What do you want?

Cara Lumen is a metaphysical philosopher, author and coach dedicated to helping you translate your Soul's Calling into a life of empowerment and choice. Through the Winds of Change Collection, she helps seekers deepen their spiritual experience and in High Intention Coaching, she provides innovative and profitable internet marketing strategies to entrepreneurs. To learn more about these compelling offerings, to browse in her library of insightful articles and to sign up for her three FREE e-magazines visit http://www.caralumen.com and join her on her blog at http://caralumen.typepad.com

Worry Never Robs Tomorrow

"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, but only saps today of its
strength."

*-- A. J. Cronin


"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."

*-- Ralph Waldo Emerson


"There's no such thing as Perfection. But, in striving for
perfection, we can achieve excellence"

*-- Vince Lombardi {1913-1970 American Football Coach}

The Power of Intention - By Stephen Hopson

One of my greatest passions is writing not only personal stories but also about my spiritual experiences. I've experienced the power of intention, taken risks, had faith in the outcome and perceived people, places and circumstances in a different light.

Whether or not we realize it, many of these topics are closely aligned with how we grow as spiritual beings having a human experience. When we learn how to harness universal principles, we are better able to deal with adversity that comes our way. We are in effect reprogramming our minds to think outside the box and creating the life we envision for ourselves. Some examples include my achievements in aviation, Wall Street as well as in professional speaking.

Today I wish to share with you an email I got from someone who I've been corresponding with over the last few years but have not yet met. Her name is Kathyrn Troutman, who specializes in creating powerful resumes for federal government employees and applicants. She is known as the "Federal Career Coach." Here's a synopsis of what she wrote to me:

"That's how I started. One workshop at the Justice Department on Federal Resume Writing - we THOUGHT 30 people would come to the Great Hall of Justice for a noon-hour "brown bag lunch". 650 people came! That was the day my government training career began."

The reason this happened so easily and effortlessly for her is because she didn't have any attachment to the outcome. Kathryn simply submitted a proposal, it was eventually accepted and then she went with the intention of providing for the highest good of all and look at the turn out! It was that simple!

I used to be one of those people who would put a "disclaimer" on my dreams saying things like "Well, I hope it will happen." When someone makes a firm decision, it's amazing how the universe just lines things up for you because making a decision as opposed to be "muddy" with your line of thinking clears the way for things to come your way. I'm starting to do this with my financial affairs and for the first time in my life, I actually feel like I am well on my way to becoming truly financially independent - it's no joke.

Consider this. I was browsing through a great "Personal Development for Smart People" blog the other day when I stumbled onto some writings by Steve Pavlina about the power of intention. Something just clicked in me and I feel like a changed person. It's strange, I can't explain it but I really felt an internal shift take place. All I know is when I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth, I was looking at myself in the mirror and suddenly saw the image of a millionaire. That has never happened before. It's quite amazing, really.

Food for thought: Think about the last time you made a firm declaration or decision and how ideas or opportunities flowed to you after that. Have you ever experienced this? That is the power of intention at work in your life!

Profoundly deaf since birth, Stephen Hopson is a former award-winning stockbroker turned motivational speaker, author and pilot. He works with organizations that are ready to explore and overcome adversity because no one is immune from it - adversity does not discriminate. His professional speaking services, Obstacle Illusions, include fun and passionate presentations, especially the story of how his fifth grade teacher forever changed his young life with THAT'S RIGHT STEPHEN! You can view his website at http://www.sjhopson.com Stephen also maintains a blog called "Adversity University" at http://adversityuniversity.blogspot.com/