Monday, August 31, 2009

Tips to Achieve the Life You Want

Everyone has things that they want to achieve in life, some just have no idea how to get there. Now there are a variety of reasons that people do not achieve these goals as they sometimes set them too lofty or they are just flat out unrealistic. This is not to say you should not have dreams, you just need to have dreams that are realistic and that you can work to achieve. Here are goal setting tips to help you get the life that you want and deserve.

  1. Make a list of things that you want to achieve in life and put them all to paper. You cannot set goals to get there if you don't have a realistic idea of what you really want. It is okay to dream here, but remember that setting unrealistic goals for yourself will ultimately lead to disappointment down the road.
  2. Prioritize all of your goals and set them up in the order that you want to achieve them. Keep them in order when possible. This will aid you in setting them up in a way that each goal achieved can lead you towards your next goal.
  3. Set your goals up in stages so that each goal achieved is actually a series of small goals. Doing this will get you in the habit of experiencing success and allow you to deal with setbacks much easier.
  4. Be ready to reevaluate and redo your plan. There will be setbacks, it is unavoidable, you just need to change your plan and stay focused to meet your ultimate goals.

Having goals in your life will keep you focused and give your purpose. This is something that everyone should consider doing. Remember though, not everyone accomplishes everything that they want as life has a way of throwing in some unique twists and turns. This is when you step back and redo your plan and show life that there is nothing that you cannot handle!

Get more goal setting tips and discover how to set and achieve goals

The Roller Coaster of Life

As Summer winds down, look around. You're still on the roller coaster. Nine months have gone by since you strapped in for this year's ride. Can you look over your shoulder and still see the person who took your ticket and told you to 'keep your hands inside the car at all times'? By this I mean: has your train barely pulled away from the station? Did you begin the year with great intentions and never really make much progress toward them?

Or have you already taken so much action (clicks) toward this year's goals that you have climbed the big hill and are already enjoying the ride?

If so...feels great, doesn't it?

If not, there is still time.

Here are a few action ideas:

1) Dig back to last January and revisit your intended goals for the year
2) Evaluate your progress (or lack thereof) thus far
3) Re-dedicate yourself to TAKING ACTION toward them

One little decision or action, every day, can make all the difference in the world and bring you ever-closer to your desired outcome.

There is no need to be discouraged if you have not yet enjoyed the ride you dreamed of. Expanding beyond one's current comfort-level can be a daunting task, even with the best of intentions. Thinking outside the box can be a challenge. Actually 'living' outside the box can be downright death-defying for some!

The journey starts with just one step. Start small, just nudge your boundaries. Little successes can give you the confidence you need to climb into that roller coaster for a bigger, better ride.

There are 3 months left the year...plenty of time to click, click, click your way up that hill.

Believe me; the view is much better from the top, especially in the moment just before that last click sends you on a wild, exciting rewarding ride!

And once you've ridden this one all the way 'round, you'll want to get back on over and over again.

Hiring a Contractor For Bathroom Remodeling - Remodeling Contractors

Well here's the age old question, how do we go about finding a decent bathroom remodeling contractor.

Here's some things you will be looking for in a contractor.

1. Is Your Contractor Fair and Honest?

2. Does Your Contractor Have Experience Remodeling and Designing Bathrooms?

3. Can You Actually Find a Contractor Who Will Complete the Job in a Timely Manner?

4. Do You Think the Workers Will Be Able to Clean the Job up Daily?

5. Will the Contractor Show up on Time?

6. Is the Contractor Going to Work At Least Eight Hours a Day?

7. Does the Contractor's Crew Have Experience?

8. Is Your Contractor and His Crew Courteous?

If you find a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project that has answered yes to all questions above, hire that person immediately. Most contractors can sincerely answer yes to half of the questions above. If you're looking for the ultimate bathroom remodeling contractor, you could be searching for quite a while, you're looking for some one that is competent and you feel comfortable with.

When hiring a contractor, look for someone who has your interest in mind first and not theirs. Find someone who is willing to help with the designed process of your bathroom and the remodeling. If you find a contractor to be arrogant or controlling, there is a good chance, your bathroom might not turn out the way you envision it.

When hiring a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project or any home improvement project, the most important thing to keep in mind is, whether or not you feel comfortable with this person or not. Never hire a contractor you're not comfortable with.

If a contractor is referred to you by someone you trust, this does not guarantee you will be happy with the bathroom remodel. Most referrals that I have gotten over the years are like rolling the dice, I believe I would have done just as good picking a name out of a hat.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Christian Articles

Boosting The Self Morale

For conducting life, a certain amount of motivation is required. For a person to perform daily needs it is important to cut the routine and add a few elements of interesting things so that the monotony does not affect life. Actually problems get solved themselves if we continue to live with a lot of positive behavior. The best friends of a person are prayers, books and a circle or positive people. In case we look around, we find the solution and fixes right there but there is a need to pull up our socks and seek that particular solution.

Self morale is badly affected when a student misses his seat after failing in his CET or is not selected for the final round of sports. A mother feels frustrated that despite cooking the best meals, the child does not seem inclined towards meals. The security personnel feels neglected that his efforts go unappreciated. Hence the root cause of low morale is when expectations are not met with the right results or when the connected person is totally a different personality.

It is true that we can change only ourselves and cannot change others or circumstances. For boosting self morale there is only one rule and that is to stay unfazed in normal as well adverse situation. The common causes of morale is about low self esteem, rejection in love, being let down by friends or not winning the esteemed position through promotion. But sometimes there are no answers even if we look for them. Hence it is better to change ourselves rather than engage in mental debate.

Boosting self morale means getting more social. There are community organizations that need volunteers or join a club to meet people regularly. Select a place like a jogging park or a garden where you can see new faces. The initial smile and the first good mornings will become habitual in the future days and you can win many friends hereby. Invest in some good books and get into a reading habit. Learn about a new skill, the new inter continental recipe or learn to make a tattoo.

Get a makeover done or arrange for refurbishing your wardrobe. Visit the old aunt in the next city and take time in the weekends to just be 'you'. This festive season apart from buying gifts for your parents or spouse, splurge on yourself. Take your finance more seriously and join in a workout-diet program to lose that excess weight. Looking good is conducive to feeling good and does much to boost the self morale.

Find out how to motivate and boost your self morale and also check inspiration and motivation blog on these links

Personal Self-Esteem Equals Profits

Since birth we have been taught to obey our elders, watch our manners, work on our hygiene, and a myriad of other behavioral molding characteristics. Though in many instances we are taught and have worked fine for most of us, we nevertheless also forget the freedom to think independently. Therefore, what evolve overtime is the skills to solve problems and address issues of personal self confidence and the faith in ourselves. We get stuck with negativity's and thoughts that hinder creative thinking. Some in many instances begin to development feelings of fear, anxiety, stress, and issues of anger which then lead to frustration and a low level of personal self esteem.

The purpose of this article is bring to light the skills one can develop to deal with the everyday challenges of interactive relationships. Identifying the elements needed to cope with fostering collegial relations with colleagues, friends, and business associates. The importance of identifying a true purpose in this world and that you can be a contributing factor in promoting positive and progressive thinking. Finding the appropriate avenues of being a servant, to help others, and to establish a process for communicating service for the benefit of mankind.

The program of personal self development and leadership presented in my leadership formula addresses the issues that negatively impacts personal growth and progress. It works on personal management progression and output results based on performance and accomplishments. It is done through focus driven exercises designed to make you be a successful business person. The formula of personal self development will in essence make you a success in the business world allowing you the opportunity to help others.

This program of leadership development establishes the key core values for progressive thinking people interested in self improvement, business development, program design and management and the creation of personal self development and leadership models to be an inspiration to your community, friends, colleagues, business associates and future clients.

Dr. Richard C. Baiz is a Doctorate in Business Administration. He is a College and Corporate Personal/Leadership Development Instructor and Coach. Dr. Baiz is an expert in Personal/Organizational Development and Management. Dr Baiz gets his clients top notch successful results fast: Personal and Leadership Development

Need Help Remodeling In Carlsbad

What you are thinking about remodeling your house and you live in Carlsbad. Let me give you some advice about some local contractors and some of the people involved. I used a company called Service Magic to find a local heating and air conditioning contractor. All I had to do was go on the internet , type in some information about my self and what I wanted to have done to my home. This didn't seem that bad of a idea at the time. But look what I found out.

I went to their web site, filled in my information and with in minutes I had received the names of at least 4 contractors. Wow this is neat. I didn't even get to start calling any of them when my phone rang. It was one of the contractors secretaries. She introduced herself and asked what would be a good time for someone to come out to look at the work I wanted done.

I was surprised at the speed things were taking place but in a way glad that I had a reputable contractor from one of the largest construction referral services on the internet. I told her 10:00 would be fine. I got a call shortly after that from one of the other companies. He wanted to meet me that mourning at 8:00 if it was Ok with me. I told him of course, let's do this. Then the next one called and I thought great you can come at 1:00. Well you guessed it the next one was coming over at 2:30.

The first contractor showed up as scheduled at 8:00. We talked about what I wanted done and he whips out his note book and starts figuring out a price. This took place around 15 minutes into the meeting. This guys good I thought. Being a General Contractor in Carlsbad myself, for a job like this I would go back to my office and figure out a price and then double check my figures for a accurate estimate. It took this guy less than 5 minutes to create a proposal of around 10,700 dollars for every thing.

Well I was thinking to myself, the job should be around 7,000 dollars but what do I know about construction. I informed him that I would think about it and that I was going to meet with a couple of other contractors that day. He ask me who the other contractors were. I proceeded to tell him that I probably shouldn't tell him who they were. Well your not going to believe this. He put on his physic hat and told me who was coming over. The only thing he didn't know was what time they where coming over.

Oh I forgot to mention before he left he told me he would knock ten percent off the job if I signed the contract right now. I pretended like I was excited just to see his reaction. He looked at me like he had won the gold metal in sales. I told him thanks but I bet your new offer with the ten percent discount will be good for the next few day. Right I asked. He wasn't looking that excited any more as he replied with a Yes it will be good for a while. I thanked him and he went on his way.

My 10:00 never showed but his secretary gave me the old, " He had to go do a emergency job and could he reschedule tomorrow at the same time. I said that would be fine. As a contractor myself I have always put the work I had to do first and foremost.

About 12:30 I get a call from my next heating and air conditioning contractor. He is running late but will be there at 1:30. I appreciate the call and I will see you then. The only problem now is that I have another contractor coming at 2:30. That give the next contractor less than one hour before the next guy shows up. I never liked going over to someone's house and running into another remodeling contractor.

The next contractor was very informative and knew his stuff. I listened and learned. He told me he was going to have to go back to his office and would have a price back in the mourning. Great I told him as I hurried him out the door.

The last contractor of the day shows up and wants to know whose been over to the house, was it these guys or those guys. I told him I wasn't going to tell him who was over. Now this guy was a salesman. He did a little more probing before he let me in on the fact that his company doesn't do complete home installations. He made up some story that his company only replaces the forced air units. I could tell he didn't want to do the job once he found out I knew what I was talking about. So I said my good byes to Mr. Salesman.

The bad part about him was latter on that week his company sent us some mailers. The kind that doesn't have your name on it and everyone in the neighborhood get's one. I couldn't believe my eyes when I started to read this letter. It said we would be glad to give you an estimate on all your heating and air conditioning needs or services. " We Do Complete Installs". I told my wife we could have used this a few weeks ago. Then I recognized the name of the company and now knew that the salesman had lied to me for sure.

That night I started to think about what was going on here it seemed like I was being set up. Everyone knew what was going on but me. It seemed clear to me that these people knew each other.

Well as time went on we ended up hiring the first guy that came over. He seemed to have the best product at the most reasonable price. His company also did a great job. Keep one thing in mind here out of five contractors that I gave the opportunity to bid the job. Only three showed up and from them I only got two bids. Why didn't I get more bids? Quite frankly I was to busy working at the time and of course the other two guys were always going to show up and that kind of strung me along. My mistake.

Here's the kicker to all of this. Service Magic calls me up one day to tell me they would like to start sending me construction leads as a General Contractor.

I listened to what they had to say and was almost ready to sign up with them again. That's right, I was signed up with them when they first started until they changed the rules on me. The salesman that originally contacted me said if I paid them the 100 dollar sign up fee they would let me pick what jobs I wanted to do. That lasted about 5 months before I noticed that they were not sending me siding referrals to pick from. I called them up only to talk to someone who didn't understand the State Of California Contractors Licensing Board.

Well I wasn't about to reinvent the wheel. I simply told them that I should a least get my money back, right. They said they would look into it further as I never heard from them again about my 100 dollars. Well things have changed at Service Magic since I was with them when they started.
As a home owner you don't think you are paying Service Magic because all you do is fill out a simple form giving some information about yourself.

I found out that Service Magic sent all four of these contractors my original information. Each contractor then had to pay 55 dollars each to Service Magic for a total of 220 dollars. All I have to say is how are they getting away with charging this much money for sending a out a simple referral to these contractors.

The contractor unfortunately passes this expense on to his customers. You as the home owners end up paying these fees as a cost of doing business with them. Some contractors think this is a great way of doing business but you might think differently in the future if you start paying over 100 dollars for a simple construction referral.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

What Makes A Great Presenter?

Every day millions of people around the world make a presentation. Yet most of us who have been to meetings know that very few of those people are truly great. At each meeting there is usually only one person who stands out head and shoulders above the rest as someone who really connects with us in the audience. The truth is, most presenters are just plain average and quite a few are simply dreadful. So, how can you move from being a run of the mill presenter to being fantastic?

Every one of us has the ability to be truly great as a presenter. There is nothing particularly special about the people who stand out as brilliant. However, the average presenter is usually holding themselves back, doing things which prevent them from being good.

At every training course run by The Presentation Business we spend some time debating what makes a great presenter. This inevitably leads to a discussion of what the bad presenters do wrong. Having kept a record of what these sessions considered I have been able to produce a definitive list of what to do to make your presentations great.

The overwhelming conclusion of all these discussions is: content is NOT important. Of the hundreds of people who have debated what makes a great presenter not a single person has mentioned the value of the content. Your audiences are likely to think in just the same way. They are NOT interested in what you are saying, but the way you are saying it. If you say it well, that appears to make the content interesting. But what this means is, if you concentrate your planning and preparation on content, you are likely only to be average.

The most important factor for great presenters according to our discussions is that they make a personal connection to every member of the audience. This means lots of eye contact, liberal use of the words I and you, and that everything you deliver is done form the audiences perspective. This means you need to know a great deal about your audience in advance so you can do this.

The connection you make between yourself and your audience seems to be enhanced by the widespread use of examples. Our discussions at training courses show that your audience expects you to show rather than tell. In other words, you dont need to give them messages and content; instead you need to give them lots of examples and they will work out the message for themselves.

A further element of this aspect of being a great presenter is that these examples should always include you. Your audience wants to know about your thoughts, your feelings and your opinions. They want to share your experiences. If all you deliver is content, this does not help your audience. They could get your content from a book, a web site or some other non human contact. The fact that you are presenting to them means your audience wants to hear from you personally.

Your audience also wants you to be a living person. They dont want to hear from a statue. In other words you need to be active. The discussions held at our training courses show time and time again that presenters who move are the one who gain the most attention. If you think about this, it is quite understandable. In social situations we are active we use gestures, we move our bodies and change posture. To avoid doing so when presenting makes you look abnormal and this serves to disconnect you. There is also a big advantage to moving it helps reduce nerves when presenting.

As well as moving to be natural, our discussions show that great presenters are interactive. They ask questions, they involve the audience and essentially they treat the presentation as a conversation. This helps boost the connection between themselves and the audience. Thats because for the audience the interactivity appears normal, whereas being spoken at for a great length of time does not.

Another important aspect of making your presentation appear normal is that your audience expects you to deliver your material without any prompts. Conversations do not need notes! Hence your presentation will benefit from appearing normal if you do not use notes or any prompts of any kind including bullet points on slides. Discussions at our training sessions show time and time again that audiences do not like presenters who use notes, prompt cards, bullet point slides or any other form of memory jogger. Audiences expect presenters to know their stuff. Great presenters never use notes.

An extension of the lack of notes concept is that great presenters talk from the heart. They are passionate about their subject and they are emotional. The dispassionate, business-like presenter is one of the most disliked, according to our discussions. What this means is that you should talk less about your subject and much more about your experiences as this will help boost your passion.

Our training sessions also reveal that audiences want to have fun. They want to see you enjoying yourself and they want to have a laugh. This does not mean you need to tell jokes, but it does mean your audiences expect you to be light. Even for serious subjects it seems that audiences expect some kind of lightness. They want humour and they want you to smile. Straight faced, dry presenters are particularly disliked by audiences.

One final aspect that is revealed by the discussions at our training sessions and that is everyone in your audience expects the presenter to motivate them. This does not mean you need to be a motivational speaker. Rather what it means is that your audience is expecting you to tell them what to do. Your audience does not expect a presenter simply to deliver information they can get that from a book or a web site. Instead great presenters give audiences some action to take.

All of these discussion points suggest that those presenters who treat their presentation as a conversation who just have a chat with the audience are the ones marked out as truly great. People who give presentations by delivering content are seen as boring and uninteresting. This also means their messages are not conveyed, so they may as well not be presenting in the first place.

Oh, and one final thing. Our discussions show that audiences simply detest the use of computerised slides. They just want to hear from you. Truly great presenters therefore do one other vital thing they switch off the projector!

Graham Jones runs The Presentation Business at http://www.presentationbiz.com which specialises in helping people become great public speakers.

Reinventing Yourself - Six Ways to Become More of Who You Really Are

Reinventing yourself, in the best sense, is a process of becoming more of who you really are. There may be times when you experience life-changes that force you to reinvent yourself, but you don't have to wait for a transition. You can reinvent yourself anytime you choose.

It doesn't have to be a total reinvention; you can reinvent just a part of yourself. The goal is to become more and more aware of, and in alignment with, your true self. Here are six things you can do to reinvent yourself, bit-by-bit, in a way that feels right for you.

#1) Stop and Take Stock of Where You Are Out of Alignment With Yourself

How do you do this? It's easy. Just identify the areas of your life that don't feel as good as you want them to feel. These will be the areas where you are out of alignment with your true self.

#2) Assess The Roles You Have Taken On

Take a look at the different roles you play, and see if any of them make you feel constricted, or trapped.

#3) Awaken and Develop One Aspect of Yourself at a Time

Identify the parts of yourself that are dormant and, one at a time, determine what each part needs to be fed in order to grow to its full potential.

#4) Be Your Own Mirror

Stop asking permission to be who you are, and become the only judge of what is right for you.

#5) Be Proactive and Empowered as The Creator of Your Life

Choose what you want to create in your life, instead of just responding to life's changes.

#6) Let The Process be Organic

This is a process of awakening from within, so let it happen naturally, without feeling you need to push. Think of reinvention as personal evolution, and begin creating a life in which you thrive in every way.

Kimberly Wilborn is the host of The Women's Transformation Show on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Begin your own reinvention at http://www.Womens-Transformation.com

Old Versus New Construction Adhesives

When I first started building in 1978 as a young carpenter and an apprentice to my father. I had the grand illusions of becoming what they call on the east coast a master carpenter and on the West Coast a journeyman carpenter.

Part of my training in construction was learning to use the proper adhesive and caulking for different parts of the building project. We used to use a standard solvent-based construction adhesive when we were building our stairs and they would also use this adhesive on the floors to eliminate squeaks.

This glue dried extremely hard and everyone thought the harder the better. This construction adhesive was great when I started using it in 1978. There wasn't the polyethylene super elastic expandable multi-use glue and caulking construction adhesives at that time.

We used this brittle glue and it always seemed like a waste of time. As the wood dried and started to shrink the brittle hard glue would crack and break away from the wood it was glued to. Normally the glue was breaking away from plywood floor sheeting. I have seen 2 x 12 shrink 3/8 of an inch before in as little as a few months during the summer.

Now as time went on the old construction adhesives were replaced with a new window sealant made by a company called TOPS. This stuff was the hottest and best product of the decade to me. I used this stuff for everything.

This new urethane glue was now being used for sub floors, stair treads, sealing the windows flashing and siding. This stuff is still in use today and is a great choice for all of the uses I mentioned above. The price for this sealant is about double that of most water-based or solvent-based glues. But it's worth it.

So there you have it I like the urethane glues because of their flexibility, elasticity, their ability to adhere to wood concrete or metal and their performance in the years ahead.

There is one thing to keep in mind when using construction adhesives. Most construction workers seem to ignore the fact that the wood needs to be dry and clean before applying the construction adhesive. There have been quite a few times I have witnessed carpenters working with me and ignoring my advice.

Don't put yourself into this category. Doing quality work and following the manufacturers recommended installation instructions for their product will decrease your liability if there is ever a problem. Read the instructions carefully on all of the building products you use.

The manufacturers of these construction adhesives have thoroughly tested them. So use them properly and follow all safety warnings.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Carlsbad Structural Repairs

Nothing Will Be Impossible

Jay McGraw's Life Strategies For Dealing With Bullies

My little girl is only four years old, so bullies have not yet been much of a problem. (Except for one bigger boy at the park one day who made her cry, but we never did find out just what he said) However, as someone who also teaches martial arts and self-defense, I recognize the problem of bullies. In fact, I agree with Dr. Phil McGraw's first line of the foreword he wrote, "Bullies have been a huge problem for as long as there has been any kind of society." Therefore, I enjoyed Jay McGraw's "Life Strategies For Dealing With Bullies" very much. I provided me with further information for my teaching and writing, and I also have this great book on the shelf when my daughter gets a bit older. It will be a book we read and discuss together.

I like that this book teaches the reader how to help themselves, but also how to get help when bullied. No one should be intimidated, harassed, and especially physically abused, and those doing such things need to be stopped. This book has plenty of good advice on how to do just that.

The book is written so a younger person can understand it, but due to the serious topic, it is a good read for adults as well, especially those of us that are parents or work with kids. I especially liked that Jay McGraw emphasized that we must put a stop to bullying, and that starts with the reader.

The first chapter starts with a description of what bullying is. I was surprised to see that a year 2000 source claimed that more than five million students in grades six through eleven were affected by bullying. Readers will also find out there are many ways to bully, and in chapter two the focus is on e-bullying, something not around when I was a kid. Computers and technology have changed the way things are done, including bullying.

Chapter three discusses the whys of bullying and why people do it. I think this is important to know as one starts to confront bullying. Chapter four goes into the damage bullies can do, up to kids killing themselves. Reading this chapter I sure don't want any of these things to ever happen to my little girl. Chapter five helps the reader recognize when they are being bullied. Believe it or not, but some bullying is not as recognizable and obvious, but can still have harmful effects.

Chapter six is a great chapter if you think your child might be bullying others. It focuses on if you are a bully. With so many people being bullied, that means a lot are bullying. This is a good chapter to help recognize that and cut it off before it gets worse.

Chapter seven got into what I was really looking for, taking on bullies and what kids can do. This chapter is very good at helping the reader realize they have worth, and then it provides strategies to deal with bullies. When I grew up the advice for facing bullies was to stand up to them and pop them one and they would then leave you alone. This in fact does work, and has worked for people. However, I much prefer McGraw's "Fight Back Without Fighting" methods. The remind me of Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon," the art of fighting without fighting. With that said, I still believe there are times when physically fighting is appropriate. McGraw does not agree with me, but then he is not a martial artist and self-defense instructor. And there are times when someone must be able to stand up to bullies physically too.

The eighth chapter deals with bystanders. You might not be the victim of bullying, but as the title of chapter eight says, there are no innocent bystanders. This is a good chapter for anyone who knows of someone being bullied. Remember, this book is aimed at a younger audience, to actually help kids being bullied. So chapter nine focuses on educating parents. It tells kids how to ask for help. Chapter ten lets kids know what they can ask schools to do. And finally, chapter eleven discusses forgiving a bully.

I feel this is a very important book on a very important topic. I like that it is aimed at the younger audience, and would be very good for 9-13 year olds to read. Each chapter includes journal exercises that kids can at least think about and figure out for themselves what they can do, and what they will do.

This is a timely and much needed book. Five stars because he is addressing a very important topic. It provides tools to deal with bullies in a very direct no-nonsense approach. I recommend it for anyone who has kids that are being bullied, or for those kids who are bullies. It should also be read by those that work with kids and are in positions to help stop bullies and bullying. Stop bullying in its tracks, and start with Jay McGraw's "Life Strategies For Dealing With Bullies."

Alain Burrese, J.D. is a mediator/attorney with Bennett Law Office P.C. and an author/speaker through his own company Burrese Enterprises Inc. He teaches people to live with the warrior's edge through his writing and speaking on a variety of topics focusing on the business areas of negotiation and success principles as well as self-defense and safety topics. He is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks, several instructional dvds, and numerous articles. You can find out more about Alain Burrese at his websites http://www.burrese.com and http://bennettlawofficepc.com

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Dr Wayne Dyer's "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem"

After reading and rereading the latest books by Eckhart Tolle and watching the 'New Earth' webcast on Oprah.com, I found myself rediscovering what I consider a classic by Dr. Wayne Dyer titled "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem."

I first read "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" about 3 years ago and the way I look at my daily existance has never been the same since. I have actually read this book several times and continue to read it periodically because I find something new everytime I read it.

There is a great deal of information in this book. The concepts in "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" did not really sink in the first few times I read it. From the early nineties and on, Dr. Wayne Dyer's self help books have been more spiritual like "Your Sacred Self" and "Real Magic" but "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" was truly a breakthrough in brining an understanding to the transformation from the mind to the soul.

So what is "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" about? Its about making peace with yourself. Being at peace with yourself allows you to see that every situation that comes up is part of the divine order of things that is neither positive or negative. In other words, things happen for a reason but they are what they are regardless of how you view them.

"There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" is also about creating an energy field around yourself that attracts the right people and circumstances. Its not about getting ahead in the rat race but is about being at a place where the rat race does not exist.

What makes "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" so appealing is not the content itself but how he delivers you the content. Dr. Wayne Dyer uses powerful examples in his own life as well as people he has touched through his books and seminars. Like Dyer's other books there is a lot of autobiographical testimony which I believe adds to the books message.

Dr. Wayne Dyer continues to write powerful and inspiring books like "The Power of Intention" and "Inspiration" but "There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem" is truly a milestone in his long career.

Visit Brian Blades at his blog, http://www.themanifesters.com, as he and his blog partner, James Chance muse about manifesting wealth and abundance.

Also visit Dr. Wayne Dyer Seminars resource page at http://www.squidoo.com/drwaynedyerseminars where you can get the latest info for tickets to see Dr. Wayne Dyer Live.

Ethics in the Workplace

We've all heard these rules to live by: Don't hurt, don't steal, don't lie, and the more famous "Do unto others as you would have done to you." In our personal lives most people try to follow these rules. Ethics are often thought of by many as something that is related to the personal side of life and not to the business side. In some businesses, having ethics may actually be frowned upon. This is usually due to the fact that business is about doing what's best for the bottom line and not always about doing the right thing.

It is commonly understood that there are ethics and then there are workplace ethics. Often we don't stop to realize that there is no difference between personal ethics and ethics in the workplace; ethics are the same whether at work or in personal life.

After all, ethics are about making choices that may not always feel good or seem like they benefit you. Ethical choices are the "right" choices to make and are examples of rules to live by.

Practical Impact
Executives typically want the answers to two key questions about ethics in their offices: "How do workplace ethics apply to practical goals of my organization and the work of my employees?" and "Is there reliable data to support these assertions?" The Ethics Resource Center (www.ethics.org), a nonprofit organization, assists leaders to impact their organizations by identifying ethical risks and establishing systems to emphasize higher standards for business conduct.

The Ethics Resource Center annually conducts a National Business Ethics Survey (NBES) - a rigorous telephone survey of 1,500 U.S. employees. The NBES findings are encouraging for organizations that have an emphasis on positive workplace ethics. For example, employees have high expectations for ethics within their organizations. Nine in ten respondents say that they "expect their organizations to do what is right, not just what is profitable."

This suggests that most employees are not cynical about ethics at work, encouraging news when considering the implementation or development of ethics initiatives as the long term success of any program rely on the active support of employees.

Formal ethics programs and informal ethics practices were shown to affect certain key outcomes. Employees who work in companies with active ethics programs who observe leaders modeling ethical behavior, and also observe the application of values such as honesty, respect and trust applied frequently at work, report more positive experiences that include the following:

Less pressure on employees to compromise ethics standards
Less observed misconduct at work
Greater willingness to report misconduct
Greater satisfaction with their organization's response to misconduct they report
Greater overall satisfaction with their organizations
Greater likelihood of "feeling valued" by their organizations

Findings of Concern
The NBES uncovered a substantial gap between senior and middle managers and lower-level employees. A consistent finding with management was the perception that their organizations have a positive ethical environment. This conflicts with the perception of lower-level employees however. This suggests that executives may underestimate the importance of specific ethics issues and concerns facing employees.

This disconnect may also position executives to fail to address these issues adequately within their organization's ethics programs. Therefore it is important for executives to include input from employees at lower levels in the development of ethics programs and to continue to seek out their input and feedback on a regular basis.

In addition to the communications gap between employees and executives, one in three employees believe that their coworkers will perceive them as "snitches" if they report misconduct. This is roughly the same proportion of employees who believe that management will see them as "troublemakers" for reporting ethical concerns. A key element to take away from this discovery is the need to address and eliminate retaliation systemically, at the management and peer levels throughout the organization.

Questions Answered
Let's go back to our two key questions: "How do workplace ethics apply to practical goals of my organization and the work of my employees?" and "Is there reliable data to support these assertions?" There are a variety of practical reasons for executives to focus on workplace ethics and reliable data that supports these efforts. The NBES findings consistently link ethics programs to more positive organizations outcomes and increased employee satisfaction.

It would be nave to suggest that an emphasis on ethics will improve the work environment and solve the company's problems overnight. In many cases a well developed and organized effort to target key ethical issues sends an important message. It tells employees that your organization is moving in a positive direction, one that is positive for them as individuals.

Establishing an Ethics Program
Establishing an ethics program is not an exact science. As with any organizational program, it will involve the input and cooperation of many people. The effectiveness of any organization's approach will depend on characteristics that are unique to its culture, the leadership styles, proper planning, and so on. Since some people may be uncomfortable talking about the issues of ethics it can be helpful if management first asks, considers, and then responds to the following questions:

Why might good people in this organization do unethical things?
What are our organization's values?
Have we adequately articulated these values internally and externally?
Does our organization have written ethics policies, procedures, or structures?
To whom is our organization accountable?
What do we mean by "success"?
Does the leadership of our organization support the idea of an ethical workplace?

With the feedback obtained by discussing the questions above, management will have a better idea of the perceptions their employees have on how the company is performing ethically.

In the end, it's all about beginning with our personal and collective understanding of ethics. The second step is awareness of, and solutions to, questions concerning ethics as applied to the workplace. Many universities are now heavily applying the teaching of ethics to their curricula. Graduates of these programs take this information into the workforce with the understanding that solid, positive ethics need to be applied there as well as in the private sector.

In a perfect world, corporations will be better able to avoid embarrassing scandals that appear and reappear in both national and world-wide news scandals. Small businesses will be able to keep and attract more clients and customers. Negotiations between businesses could be accomplished with increased consideration for the other company. This is something for which we can all strive.

Christian Del Monte: creator of iBlogMarketing Internet Marketing Blog and Director of Operations for TMA E-Marketing has a B.S. degree in Marketing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. In addition, Christian has over 10 years in personal sales experience and has directed the operations for TMA for the last 4 years

He has directed and worked on Internet marketing projects for mid to large-scale clients including several fortune 500 companies. Christian continues to head up the operations for TMA as well as lead research and development on vertical search markets and business blogging

Hiring a Contractor For Bathroom Remodeling - Remodeling Contractors

Well here's the age old question, how do we go about finding a decent bathroom remodeling contractor.

Here's some things you will be looking for in a contractor.

1. Is Your Contractor Fair and Honest?

2. Does Your Contractor Have Experience Remodeling and Designing Bathrooms?

3. Can You Actually Find a Contractor Who Will Complete the Job in a Timely Manner?

4. Do You Think the Workers Will Be Able to Clean the Job up Daily?

5. Will the Contractor Show up on Time?

6. Is the Contractor Going to Work At Least Eight Hours a Day?

7. Does the Contractor's Crew Have Experience?

8. Is Your Contractor and His Crew Courteous?

If you find a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project that has answered yes to all questions above, hire that person immediately. Most contractors can sincerely answer yes to half of the questions above. If you're looking for the ultimate bathroom remodeling contractor, you could be searching for quite a while, you're looking for some one that is competent and you feel comfortable with.

When hiring a contractor, look for someone who has your interest in mind first and not theirs. Find someone who is willing to help with the designed process of your bathroom and the remodeling. If you find a contractor to be arrogant or controlling, there is a good chance, your bathroom might not turn out the way you envision it.

When hiring a contractor for your bathroom remodeling project or any home improvement project, the most important thing to keep in mind is, whether or not you feel comfortable with this person or not. Never hire a contractor you're not comfortable with.

If a contractor is referred to you by someone you trust, this does not guarantee you will be happy with the bathroom remodel. Most referrals that I have gotten over the years are like rolling the dice, I believe I would have done just as good picking a name out of a hat.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Effects Of False Prophets

Estate Planning - The Life Estate

The life estate is something every first year law student learns about when they study the arcane and often bizarre history of property law that harkens back to the days of English knights, lords and serfs, and the transfer of property through the ceremonial throwing of dirt clods with oaths of duty to accompany. The life estate is about as old as they come as instruments of wealth transfer go and students love it, because it is relatively easy to understand. Apart from what students love and what is easy to remember, however, the life estate still has practical value today in your estate planning and assets management schemes.

The basic idea of the life estate is that a person can be left a piece of property for life, and upon their passing, the property in question can go to whoever is designated to receive that property afterward. The individual or group who receives the property after the life-tenant passes is called the remainderman or remaindermen, which is useful only in that it helps one to remember that the person who remains gets the property. If, for example, one wants to leave a family estate that has been with the family for many generations to their spouse and then have it immediately pass on to their children or another relative who will maintain the estate for the generation to come, then a life estate might be the perfect vehicle to do so. Another example is the same family estate, left to a surviving spouse until the surviving spouse either dies or remarries. Again, the aim is to ensure that the estate stays in family, a contingency which is threatened by the remarriage because that creates a new marital joint-tenancy, absent any other provision. Often the life-estate was used to keep assets, like the family home, headed down a single line of familial ownership.

However, the life estate has other uses, for example, it can leave an asset to be owned by one person until the death of third person. If an older relative has become incapacitated, such that it is difficult for them to make decisions for themselves, then the asset can be left in the care of another for the incapacitated person's lifetime. An example might be, that Blackacre (the fictitious name for a piece of property used in law schools everywhere) is left in the care of cousin Tilly, until great aunt Nelly's death. Thus, Tilly is allowed to make Nelly comfortable at Blackacre (the family home) until Nelly passes on. In this instance, Nelly's life is what is called, the measuring life of the life estate, and Tilly's ownership ends when Nelly is gone.

On the whole, the life estate may be falling out of use for a number of reasons and being replaced by the much more fluid instrument of the trust. But, the life estate still captures, from time to time, our instincts regarding how property is to pass from one generation to another and that is why it is still relevant even for an estate planner who uses it very rarely. It helps us to ask and to get the answer to very difficult questions, which is part of the act of estate planning. Both the client and the attorney must face tough questions, and the life estate (even if it is sometimes regarded as a legal relic of the past) tells us how people used to answer questions of intra-generational wealth transfer and why. We may use different instruments to bring about our legal ends (or we may not), but even if we do, the life-estate still has relevance in helping us think about the questions that underlie the choices to be made in estate planning.

Ronald Hudkins is an advocate for consumer awareness. He has noted that more than 70% of the American public fails to make appropriate estate plans prior to death or incapacitation and as such; authored an Ebook "Asset Protection and Estate Planning for All Ages" It is available for free download at http://stores.lulu.com/rhudkins

Key Steps to Get and Stay Motivated

One of the biggest obstacles to success is the time factor. Everybody desires a change for better in any given area of their lives: health, finances, self esteem or personal relationships. But not all of us have what it takes to stick to a plan and walk it out.

The truth is that great ideas will not change our lives overnight. On the contrary, the changes we choose of our own will always happen gradually. And their outcome depends on how motivated we are and how motivated we will stay throughout the process.

Let's face it. Being enthusiastic about a new idea for a few days, or even a week, is easy. Anybody can do that. It is when the going gets tough and when it turns out to be harder than we imagined that we lose momentum and eventually give up on our new project.

If you are a giver-upper, here is good news for you: You can change that bad habit-because that is what quitting is all about-and learn how to achieve your goals successfully.

Acquire a Vision

Long term projects cannot succeed if they are chosen randomly as a whim of the moment. You might have very good ideas, but you need to take them one step further if you want to implement them successfully.

First ask yourself who you are and who you want to become.

You might not be aware of it, but God has already laid out a wonderful plan for your life. You were not placed furtively on this planet to survive as good as you possibly can. The Bible states you are His masterpiece created to walk in a life He has already prepared beforehand (Ephesians 2:10).

So all you have to do is connect with God and flow with His program!

Fix Your Thought Life

Most of us make the mistake of focusing on externals when we implement changes in our lives. We neglect working on our mindset, the very place where wrong thought patterns will cause our endeavor to fail.

If those wrong thoughts are not dealt with, they will lead you to quit just as they did in your previous projects. Because the thoughts you have today will determine your life tomorrow.

The most powerful way to change wrong thought patterns is by studying the Word of God-the Bible-and finding out what God has to say about your situation. And that leads to key number 3:

Have Faith

Somebody once said, "Faith can move mountains." And it does. Faith is the most important factor when it comes to achieving success in life.

You might say, "But I don't have a strong faith!"

That's easy to solve: Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. It is when you diligently seek God and His way of operating that you will come to see yourself as the one He created you to be: A victorious overcomer.

You can find out what God's plan is for your life and change the course of your life forever. Learn how to flow with God's plan for your life, and how to successfully develop the talents He has given you with my free e-course "7 Steps to Consistently Change Your Life" and e-book "The Power of Self-Directed Learning" at http://www.Self-DirectedLearningForSuccess.com

From Bettina Langerfeldt, who teaches people how to pursue their God-given gifts and talents by designing their own education with self-directed learning.

2008 Freedompioneer

Finding Homes Using the Internet - Home Shopping

You can simply type the words real estate or homebuying into any search engine on the World Wide Web and you will come up with hundreds, maybe even thousands of websites that are extremely helpful and full of great information. Like the one you're on right now.

Finding homes with the internet, combined with a skilled real estate salesperson, provides you with the most effective technology available today. Most websites start out, having you select a state you would like to search in and then, select a city, with your price range.

By answering their questions, this narrows the search down to all of the homes available in the area. The internet has made home shopping very simple. Considering what you had to go through in the 1970s. You found a realtor or by looking in the yellow pages, sometimes you found a good realtor and if you are lucky, maybe you would find you a good home.

Most of the time, the first homes you would look at, were owned by the real estate professional you were working with.

There are however a couple of problems with using the internet to find your dream home. Some of the verbage used and photographs taken can create a wonderful illusion of a tropical paradise but the reality, it's a regular home in a decent neighborhood.

Some of these photos are taken by skilled photographers who take advantage of every angle and tend to give an illusion of grander. When you actually start driving around and looking at these homes, only then will you get a reality check, of what the home actually looks like. You'll get used to it.

After you've looked at a few of your future dream homes, you will get a better idea of what I'm talking about with these wonderful pictures and the extraordinary home descriptions like "Beautiful Three Bedroom House with an Ocean View." When reality it's a two-bedroom house with an extra closet for the third bedroom and the ocean is 45 miles away, but you can see it on a clear day if you actually climb to the top of the largest tree on the property.

Take your time when searching for your dream home and don't let any one push you into making a decision if you're not ready. If you find your real estate professional a little too aggressive or pushy, get out of your contract, if you've signed one and find another, more helpful real estate salesperson to help you with your home purchase.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Find other real estate tips and great advice, from another one of the Internet's best website creators.

Christian Articles

Numerology and The Number 11

Seeing the number 11 over and over in your daily
life can mean many things.

Its possible you have prominent 11 in your
comprehensive natal and, or timing charts, which
would mean the number 11 is especially
important to you.

Its common for people to favor certain numbers, or for
certain numbers to mysteriously show up time and again
in their lives, without even realizing that the numbers are
of great magnitude (i.e., position and, or frequency) in
their comprehensive charts.

Or, perhaps it could be purely a subconscious attachment
to the number 11 for any number of reasons.

An article (see Column link on site) dated January 6th,
2006 posted on our web site features more information
about the phenomenon of seeing the same numbers over
and over (whether it is the number 11 or other numbers).

Our Numerology Decoder Software correctly calculates
Master Numbers, can tell you where in your basic charts
you have them and what they mean in those positions.

11 is a Master Number, as are all double digit numbers,
such as 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, and 99. Master
Number is an appropriate term because the high side
of each Master Number represents rare and exceptional
energy originating from outside mundane reality, far
from the norm. But too often the low side of these
double digits manifests, and operating productively
under the energy is like trying to tame a wild horse,
especially when the person lacks the discipline and
general overall capacity to deal with lifes challenges
in the first place. Difficult personal timing as reflected
by the collective patterns of time cycles also symbolically
prohibits the constructive expression of Master Numbers.

11 is not an easy number, especially for material interests.
You want to avoid heavy speculation, for example, if you
have a lot of 11 energy in your comprehensive charts.
There is a huge potential for loss in high risk material
concerns, depending upon the rest of the patterns in the
natal and timing comprehensive charts.

Some of the more challenging traits associated with
the number 11 may include any of the following (other
considerations in the charts collectively either support
or mitigate the energy): Nervous energy, intense fear,
unpredictability, unrealistic outlook, lack of
discernment, religious dogma, fanaticism, insecurity,
hyper-sensitivity, controversial behavior, overly
receptive and vulnerable to the point of being an easy
target, self-deprecation, low self-worth, health issues,
stagnant energy, vacillation, excessive mutability or
changeability to the point of constantly riding the fence
and lacking true personal convictions, dual nature,
excessive idealism and unrealistic spiritual ideas
resulting in a cosmic fu-fu-based dogmatic outlook,
complex personality, untamed, wild inspiration,
emotional volatility, infamy, extreme behavior, or
insanity.

On the high side (again, other aspects/patterns
collectively either corroborate, moderate, or cancel
out the qualities), those with heavy 11 may possess
illumination, unparalleled spiritual awareness (if they
are otherwise grounded, as symbolized by the rest of
the comprehensive charts energy), magnetism, vision,
prophetic talent, charm, grace, inventive inspiration,
and they may have regular revelations to help guide
them on their earthly path. They are often natural
channels and mediums, messengers for the Gods, and
they frequently end up well-known or famous
(frequently very famous). Artistic talent is common,
as are big ideas, high standards, strong interest in
metaphysics and holistic healing, humanitarianism,
and public service, often through their work (although
it may not appear directly as public service).

11 pertains to heightened awareness and those with
plenty of 11 tend to get regular shocking insight about
their life and other people. After growing into their talent,
its not shocking any longer, at least to them. While they
are often vulnerable, they see others as they are, beyond
the personas and facades. They must learn to trust their
insight and avoid going with the expected modes of
thought and behavior. Grounding disciplines, such as
meditation, exercise, or artistic pursuits serve them well.
Those who try to ignore and deny their piercing
illumination risk phobias, obsessions, and even
psychosis.

Those with a traditionalist point of view possessing
heavy 11 who expect life conditions that appeal to
society (out of a desire for approval) are prone to
embarrassing life situations. For example, a messy,
very public divorce, or a daughter who comes out of
the closet in a very public way in a part of the world
where expressing ones true sexual orientation is still
significantly frowned upon is typical.

Again, 11 isnt easy. Those with a potent 11 along with
heavy materialistic considerations in the comprehensive
charts, sadly, are often challenged with integrity issues.
Duplicity and deceit eventually gain them infamy.
Kenneth Lay (The former CEO of Enron was convicted
of 10 counts of securities fraud in one of the most
publicized corruption scandals in U.S. history; Enrons
bankruptcy was the biggest in U.S. history when it was
filed in late 2001.) and Manuel Noriega (The Panamanian
dictator was accused of taking payoffs from a Columbian
drug cartel; in the early 1990s he was convicted and
sentenced to 40 years in U.S. prison.) are two prime
examples.

Divine revelation is intimately tied to the number 11.
The two columns of the side-by-side number ones
comprising the 11 symbolize a channel from higher
dimensions.

Unfortunately those with plenty of 11 are too often
seen as empty-headed. This is partly because its not
easy being in two places at once under the 11 (easier
with other Master Numbers, such as 22 or 77). They
split their energy between the earth plane and other
dimensions, often-times preferring the latter. Its as if
in their most previous existences, they spent more time
in angelic form instead of in human form. Its natural
for them to psychically tap into the mysterious, unseen
levels of being while generating their phenomenal
visions. However, they suffer from not spending 100%
of their time rooted on the earth plane, and it detracts
from a solid feet on the ground existence.

Number 11 demands that one lives their light, no
matter how good or bad that light might seem to
society. To do otherwise makes their life more difficult
than necessary. A compassionate viewpoint and candid
way of life, living within their ideals, allows them to
effectively spread their vision, fulfilling their earthly
mission.

Some great examples of known individuals with heavy
11 energy (in various, prominent positions in the
comprehensive charts) include the following:

*Leonardo DiCaprio, American actor, lead in Titanic,
the biggest grossing film of all time.

*George Patton, American military commander of
WW1 forces. He Claimed he had lived previous lives
as, among others, a Greek soldier and a Roman
Legionnaire.

*Jackie Stewart, Scottish-American pro race car
driver; one of the most famous race car drivers of all
time.

*Gene Wilder, American comedian and actor. Joined
the army in his 20s and spent two years in the
psychiatric hospital ward, which he later drew upon
for his role in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.

Copyright 2007 Scott Petullo, Stephen Petullo

Scott Petullo and Stephen Petullo are identical twins and have been exploring metaphysics since the early 1980s. They are experts in the fields of prediction, personal fate, love life, and past life regression, and are natural psychics and mediums. Get their free report: 13 Spiritual and New Age Myths and 11 Questions to Ask before hiring Psychic. http://www.mystictwins.com - http://www.holisticmakeover.com

Fighting Depression - Your Best Defense is a Body, Mind, Spirit Approach

With the number of people who claim to be depressed at near epidemic proportions, it's time to take a step back and ask ourselves: Why are so many people are depressed and why are women significantly more depressed than men? Better yet, if you're depressed, or know someone who is, what is the best course of treatment to beat the blues so you can begin to lead a happier, more productive life?

There are different factors that contribute to depression. Too many challenges in life (and not enough coping skills) are certainly factors. Un-related health problems, such as hypothyroidism or a vitamin D deficiency, can also make you feel depressed. And a chemical imbalance within the body can lead to depression.

Although many cases of depression are treated with medication, drugs alone rarely get to the root of the problem. Anti-depressants attack the symptoms of depression from a chemical perspective. But if you don't address the other factors that contribute to depression, you may end up being medicated for a very long time. That's why the best defense against depression is a wellness plan that takes a body, mind, spirit approach.

Body

If you're taking medication for depression, you've begun working on the Body part of the whole person approach toward wellness. But there are other aspects of your body that you should address. Diet is a huge defense mechanism when fighting depression. Proper nutrition - including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and adequate amounts of lean protein - are critical to the optimal functioning of your body. Filling your stomach with fast food and refined sugar will only increase the chemical chaos in your body, making it more difficult to reset the balance. Consider taking a high quality vitamin supplement each day to support adequate vitamin and mineral intake.

Exercise is another important aspect of the Body equation. Studies have shown that 30 minutes of light aerobic activity like walking can help your body product natural antidepressants, called endorphins. Getting some sort of exercise every day is very important if you're depressed.

Mind

Next up in the fight against depression is the Mind. Negative, self-defeating thoughts are learned over time. And with hard work, they can not only be un-learned, but they can be replaced with positive, nurturing attitudes.

Although immersing yourself in self-help books can help, re-training your mind often requires outside assistance. A therapist or personal coach will have many skills, tips, and tricks to help you overcome the internal mind games that we all play. It's important to find someone you can trust so that you can be honest about your thoughts and feelings without feeling judged. Because of this, you probably shouldn't fill this support role with a friend or loved one. The people you are close to often can't be objective in this role and may not tell you what you need to hear.

Spirit

Finally, it's vital to feed your Spirit when fighting depression. Although taking a more active role in religious activities can help some people, feeding your Spirit goes well beyond this structured environment.

There are countless ways to bring more spirit into your life. Here are just some examples:

  • Take a class
  • Read an uplifting book
  • Take up meditation or yoga
  • Do volunteer work
  • Practice random acts of kindness
  • Get a massage
  • Take a long, hot bubble bath
  • Hug your children or spouse more often
  • Call in sick and take a "mental health" day

Feeding your Spirit simply involves taking action or doing activities that makes your soul feel good inside.

Not an Easy Road

Taking a proactive, mind-body-spirit approach to fighting depression is not an easy road to follow, especially when you can't even bring yourself to get out of bed in the morning. But if you truly want to heal yourself from the inside out, you really need to address all aspects of who you are: body, mind, and spirit.

Begin by taking baby steps and incorporating a little bit of each aspect into each day. And be sure and reach out to your health care provider and other trained professionals to ensure that you get the loving support you need as you begin the road to recovery.

Patty Harder is a Reiki Master, ordained S.H.E.S. minister, and the founder of 5 Minute Self-Help, an online community and personal coaching program for women who want to feel better, look better, and live better fast. To learn how you can improve your life in just 5 minutes a day, visit http://www.5MinuteSelfHelp.com

Old Versus New Construction Adhesives

When I first started building in 1978 as a young carpenter and an apprentice to my father. I had the grand illusions of becoming what they call on the east coast a master carpenter and on the West Coast a journeyman carpenter.

Part of my training in construction was learning to use the proper adhesive and caulking for different parts of the building project. We used to use a standard solvent-based construction adhesive when we were building our stairs and they would also use this adhesive on the floors to eliminate squeaks.

This glue dried extremely hard and everyone thought the harder the better. This construction adhesive was great when I started using it in 1978. There wasn't the polyethylene super elastic expandable multi-use glue and caulking construction adhesives at that time.

We used this brittle glue and it always seemed like a waste of time. As the wood dried and started to shrink the brittle hard glue would crack and break away from the wood it was glued to. Normally the glue was breaking away from plywood floor sheeting. I have seen 2 x 12 shrink 3/8 of an inch before in as little as a few months during the summer.

Now as time went on the old construction adhesives were replaced with a new window sealant made by a company called TOPS. This stuff was the hottest and best product of the decade to me. I used this stuff for everything.

This new urethane glue was now being used for sub floors, stair treads, sealing the windows flashing and siding. This stuff is still in use today and is a great choice for all of the uses I mentioned above. The price for this sealant is about double that of most water-based or solvent-based glues. But it's worth it.

So there you have it I like the urethane glues because of their flexibility, elasticity, their ability to adhere to wood concrete or metal and their performance in the years ahead.

There is one thing to keep in mind when using construction adhesives. Most construction workers seem to ignore the fact that the wood needs to be dry and clean before applying the construction adhesive. There have been quite a few times I have witnessed carpenters working with me and ignoring my advice.

Don't put yourself into this category. Doing quality work and following the manufacturers recommended installation instructions for their product will decrease your liability if there is ever a problem. Read the instructions carefully on all of the building products you use.

The manufacturers of these construction adhesives have thoroughly tested them. So use them properly and follow all safety warnings.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Carlsbad Structural Repairs

Christian Articles

Are Your Goals Worth the Effort?

When you set a goal, it is critical to assess whether the outcome will be worth your time and effort to achieve it. If the benefit is not at least equal to what you put in, then you can say bye-bye to keeping up your motivation levels. If your motivation is low, then it is unlikely that you will achieve your goal.

Here is a rather extreme example. If you wanted a bar of chocolate, but the nearest shop was 10 miles away, it is doubtful that you would walk that distance to get it. Although the cravings may be very strong, and you really wanted the chocolate, the amount of time and energy required clearly outweighs the benefits.

How do you assess whether a particular goal is worth your time and effort? The simplest and most effective way is to list the inputs (time and energy) compared to the outputs (achieving the goal).

It is always so much more effective when you write everything down. Draw the map first, and then follow it!

Let's take an example of a popular goal. Say you want to stop smoking.

Firstly, write down your goal. "I will stop smoking cigarettes on the 15th of next month".

On a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle. At the top of the first column, write down "INPUT". This is where you list what you need to do to achieve that goal.

At the top of the second, write down "OUTPUT". This is where you will list the benefits of achieving that goal.

In the INPUT column, write down the actions that you will need to stop smoking. This may include "Do not buy cigarettes" and "Chew a piece of gum when I would normally have a cigarette". Stick to the facts - write down the actual actions that you need to carry out.

In the OUPUT column, write down all of the benefits associated with you being a non-smoker. "I will have more money", "I will be fitter" and "I will have more energy". Brainstorm here - there are loads of benefits!

Next, review the entries that you wrote in the INPUT column. Assess the amount of time and effort that each action will involve.

For instance, the first statement was "Do not buy cigarettes". It is logical to assume that buying cigarettes would take time and effort (getting to the shop, carrying out the purchase, and returning home). It follows therefore that if you didn't buy cigarettes, then no time or effort would be needed.
"Chew a piece of gum when I would normally have a cigarette" would take no more time or effort than having a cigarette. Indeed, it would arguably involve less physical effort.

Once you have written down a number of Inputs, consider the amount of actual time and effort that would be needed for each. In the example above, there really is no physical effort or time involved. When you compare these with the tremendous benefits that you will derive from stopping smoking, it would be extremely difficult to argue that the amount of time and effort exceeded the benefits!

This exercise can be carried out with any goal you choose. Here are the steps again.

Write your goal down on paper.

List the Inputs and Outputs.

Assess the amount of time and effort needed against the benefits.

You will then be in a much better position to keep yourself motivated and to achieve your goals.

To continuing your success!

Jan specializes in encouraging people to "Make Positive Changes Now" in several aspects of their lives including career change, personal development, and combating addictions.

She is currently developing a number of CDs and DVDs to motivate and encourage people to make positive and worthwhile changes in their lives.

Visit Jan's web site at http://www.powerpositivenow.com

10 Keys to Designing A Personal Lifelong Learning Process

A Lifelong Learning Plan is a conscious, continuous engagement in acquiring, assimilating and applying knowledge and skills in the context of authentic, self-directed growth and challenge. It is rare for individuals to take this initiative. Most people operate on a "what they need now" plan and typically attend educational institutions for their training.


Lifelong Learning is a philosophy of approaching learning as an integral, inseparable part of our lifes activities. Here are ten guidelines to help you formulate your own personalized Lifelong Learning Process.


1. Commit to approach learning as a lifelong journey. Choose to keep it alive throughout your lifetime. You don't need to attend formal educational institutions for this process. In fact, you can learn more in small, consistent spurts than you can in a classroom, if you set up your plan correctly.


2. Maximize your resources. With lifelong learning, there isn't a structure like you had in school, so its easy to ignore and procrastinate. If you allow this, eventually the "you snooze, you lose" theory will catch up with you. A prime example is how changes in the national economy have hit the IT industry these last few years. The companies that priorize learning are still in the game, whereas their competitors who focused on "what we need now" are out of business. Create a system and plan that works and can last a lifetime. Keep learning journals for each topic.


3. Maximize your environments. Identify and create settings that support and inspire you both inside and outside your home. How does the library spark your learning? How about the mall, the park, or even McDonalds! Explore different environments and label each one (e.g., "inspiring," "relaxing," "great for concentration.") What supplies help you keeping your energy up? Do you need quiet for some learning and busy environments for others?


4. Know how you learn. To learn effectively, know how you learn. How do you take in information, process, and retain it? There isn't one best way. Tie everything into a learning purpose and vision. When and how often does you mind need a break? Do you have reading spurts? How do you retain the information -- by reading aloud, notes, summarizing in memory, or sharing with others?


5. Tap into the power of your mind. Your minds power is evident in everything you do. Analytical, critical and creative thinking enables the mind to process, store, and create all the facts and ideas it encounters. By practicing different types and ways of thinking, you keep your mind strong and flexible. Consider it "going to the gym" for your mind! (Talking about how the mind works is the subject of a huge tome, not a Top 10!)


6. Harness the power of words and ideas. Words, when joined, form ideas, and are tools with enormous energy. Whether writing a memo, letter, e-mail, article, or journal entry, make each an opportunity to fulfill a learning goal. Each is a chance to work toward improving and using words to construct understandable ideas. Learn to express ideas in writing. This will evolve into clearer thinking. Keep an idea journal by theme or topic.


7. Absorb, retain, and demonstrate knowledge. What do you do with the facts, opinions, and stories that you accumulate daily? Listening helps absorption and memory skills, which enables retention. Listen to a teleclass or book on tape, then write your own version and master what you learned by moving it into long-term memory. Listening can be compared to using a camera. First, you view the image and focus (listening). Next, you snap the picture (remembering). Finally, you print the image (demonstrate knowledge). Mastering knowledge means being able to apply it in other situations.


8. Value diversity. The greater part of our day involves interacting with others. Experiencing other peoples communication styles, learning methods, and the roles played in groups and teams helps us to grow, prosper, open our minds and develop new perceptions. Dealing with conflict, criticism, and any points of vulnerability strengthens our ability to use any situation as an opportunity to learn.


9. Take exceptionally good care of yourself. Physical and mental health affects learning. Examine these aspects and set up contingencies within your plan to identify and work through all health challenges as soon as they appear.


10. Map your course. Maximize time, energy and focus by defining a yearly learning theme. Subdivide into monthly topics with time commitments. (Example: Ten years ago, I defined a learning goal of three new computer steps in no more than 15-minutes per day. It has compounded and saved time and money ever since.) Minimize distractions by learning to "table the other topics." Create a "next year" folder to contain those great ideas and set up a review month of tabled topics to decide how to use them in the following year.

Catherine Franz, a Certified Professional Marketing & Writing Coach, specializes in product development, Internet writing and marketing, nonfiction, training. Newsletters and articles available at: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com

Saturday, August 29, 2009

The Secret - Just Take it For What it Is

The Secret, if you have not seen the DVD or read the book, I am sure you have at least heard of it. There has been a lot of discussion about the production. So is The Secret the much waited answer we needed, or was it just cleverly marketed?

Well yes it was well marketed but it's a lot more than just that. The Secret stands by itself, there was no smoke and mirrors needed to introduce it.

There have been a lot of comments made that the ideas are no good and none of it works. If you watch or read, you will see that your frame of mind is a big factor. Expecting instant or cure-all fixes is probably not a good frame of mind. Personally I work on frame of mind a lot and it does wonders for me.

So when do I get what I asked for? It's been a long time now. You have to realize The Secret is not like a physical product that works or does not; it is a process. The one responsible for this process is you, there is no 800 number or email for support.

The Secret is presented as ideas that are all put together. I don't think it is meant to be an absolute guide. Meaning you don't have to follow exactly or it just won't work. Yes use it as a guideline, but also feel free to try some things just a bit differently if that suits you.

One thing that really strikes me about The Secret is that even with all the scientific content, it is very much a work of faith. If you accept and believe, like I do, then the possibilities are immeasurable. If you cannot bring yourself to believe (which is not a bad thing) then you will not get the benefit out of it.

Note: I did not go into the book or the DVD themselves as there is no way I could have done them justice. I can only hope someone will get something out of this.

Ross Charette has been online over 10 years now and is fascintated with the exchange of information. His first and so far only web presence is at http://weloveebooks.com

What Does a GFI Do? - Electrical Problems

In your bathroom you should have a GFI electrical outlet. Most new homes or newly remodeled homes require you to have GFI electrical outlets in the kitchen. Most older kitchens do not have GFI electrical outlets. GFI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter.

Why not call it a GFCI instead of a GFI electrical outlet? Well it is called a GFCI in some instances. GFI is short and is the most common name used by most electricians and builders for this type of outlet.

GFI 's come in 15 amp and 20 amperage outlets. GFI outlets must be wired properly. Make sure you're using the proper wire size when hooking up the GFI outlet.

How do I know which size wire to use? This all depends on how far away you are running it from the electrical panel. There are charts you can use to figure this out. If you are not running the electrical wire more than 80 feet from the electrical panel you can use 12 gauge electrical wires for a 20 amp GFI. This is a general rule of thumb for most electrical house wiring.

If you're going to be using a 15 amp GFI and you are going to be less than 80 feet away from the electrical panel you can use 14 gauge electrical wires. Again this is just a general rule of thumb for most electrical house wiring.

A GFI is a light duty electrical plug used in bathrooms, kitchens and the exterior of your house. The sole purpose of the GFI is to shut the breaker off faster if there is any moisture or light load problems.

Let's say for instance you have your hair dryer plugged into the GFI outlet. The hair dryer somehow falls into the sink while it is on or plugged in. The GFI outlet will instantly shut off because of the sensitivity of the breaker inside of the plug it self.

The GFI plug has a test button and a reset button on it. If you are continually resetting the GFI you will wear it out eventually. I have had GFI plugs after resetting the button about 10 times break and no longer able to use them.

The GFI electrical plug is a great idea and if you don't have them in your bathroom or outside of your home it would be a great idea to have an electrician install them for you.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Home Building Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

San Diego Termite Damage

Wrong With Bible Verse

Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes Shows the Real Face of Pain

At last I have read a book written by Paulo Coelho. Most of my novel-addicted friends say that Coelho's books are very interesting. I really wanna read a book of him but no one lends me one because they just borrow it also. Well, I understand. Since I was in Recto last Wednesday, searching for a Humanities book, I asked the seller if they also had a second hand "The Alchemist" but she said they only had a new one. I bought it for P200. When I was already on my way home, I've realized that what I was holding was "Eleven Minutes" and not "The Alchemist". I was kinda disappointed for my idiocy. The letters of "the Alchemist" were really bigger than the "Eleven Minutes". That's why I thought it was "The Alchemist".

Just to cheer up myself, I thought that this book might be also good because it shares the same author with "The Alchemist" But the disappointment didn't stop there. I read the back cover of the book, where you can see the summary/abstract of the novel. Crap! It's about love and sex. I was really never interested with books that have such topics. I thought it was just a waste of time. But then, the P200 came into my mind again and I thought this book could also have something.

So, I read it. the first part of the book was awesome. It started with a part of the bible and a hymn about the sacred prostitute. And then there came the story.Holy smokes! I was about to close the book when I've read about the masturbation of Maria, the main character. But then, I still continued reading it. I don't wanna regret something for not reading it up to the last part. And my decision of continually reading it, was right! This book is really superb. I know many of you will argue that Harry Potter, Twilight, and stuff are better than Eleven Minutes, but come on! Wake up from your imagination. Paulo Coelho's book discussed the real scenario in our real lives. I know you're not a prostitute. So am I. But what's the connection of this novel to our lives? A lot.

Pain and love is the focus of the book and I don't think there's no person who experiences or will experience these ones. This is one of my favorite quote from the book:

"Don't get used to it (pain), because it's very easy to become habituated; It's a very powerful drug. It's in our daily lives, in our hidden suffering, in the sacrifices we make, blaming love for the destruction of our dreams."

"Pain is frightening when it shows its real face, but it's seductive when it comes disguised as sacrifice or self-denial. Or cowardice. However much we may reject it, we human beings always find a way of being with pain, of flirting with it and
making it part of our lives."

And that is so true.

I also thought many girls do sex for pleasure. But after reading the book, that thought has changed. It's hard to explain. I might end up telling the whole story to you if I try to.

Now, you got curious what on earth I'm talking about? Just try reading the book. For a day or two, free yourself from magical books and open your eyes to the real magic of life.

Jenn Besonia is a freelance writer on Odesk. She also does some SEO jobs there. Check Jenn Besonia's own site if you are looking for more informative and interesting articles to read.

Why Would You Lie to Boost Your Self-Esteem?

Do you lie to boost you self-esteem? Making yourself look good in front of others is meaningless if you are not being true to yourself. You will just end up living in Never-Never Land. The truth will always catch up with you. If you start off being honest in the first place, you are actually giving yourself the strongest starting point to get to where you want to go. You can easily identify what needs to change.

You can argue it is human nature to lie in from of certain people as to save face. Lying uncontrollably in certain situations will prevent you from looking bad. The consequences of lying are further reaching. You may feel you self esteem is boosted in that instant but really it will just create more stress and anxiety for you. You have set a perception of what is now expected of you. If you cannot achieve what you said you can, you will have to tell more lies in order to maintain the perception.

The mountain of lies you create will eventually just cause you to slip up as lies start to contradict themselves. You said one thing to one person, something else to another. Someone somewhere will rumble this, doubt the congruence of your life and also lose respect for you. This will damage any relationship.

So why do you lie? It is because your self-esteem feels threatened. And as your brain does not know the difference between reality and a vivid imagination, you boost your self esteem by deceiving it with the lies. You are only cheating yourself. The only way to stop this is to build a real foundation of self-esteem by accepting who you are right now.

Felix Nutter
Step Up Speak Out
To get more confidence, self-esteem and anxiety tips, visit http://www.stepupspeakout.co.uk to learn more about how to take control of your life.

New Versus Old Lumber - Structural Failure

During my 30 years of remodeling and building new homes. I have ran across quite a bit of structural framing failures. I find myself answering this question a lot when explaining to a homeowner about the structural failure I am repairing on their home, "Why Didn't They Use Better Lumber" or " Why Didn't They Use Larger Lumber." I really have a hard time answering these questions because I honestly don't know the answer.

However I can try to use some logic and reason to give these people an answer that seems to make sense to both of us. Why didn't they use better lumber, quite simply because, with most older homes that were built before the 1970s they actually do have better lumber. Now you're probably thinking how can these homes have better lumber when the lumber is old versus the new lumber used in a brand new house.

Most of the structural repairs I have made over the years has nothing to do with the lumber and whether it was new or old. A large number of these repairs were caused by neglect and poor maintenance.

The lumber in most older houses are from older growth trees. Some of these trees were extremely large and only the premium parts of the trees were used. The premium lumber is cut farthest away from the center of the tree. Now the larger the tree it makes sense that there will be more premium lumber.

A large majority of the newer lumber used in home construction comes from trees about 6 inches in diameter. Now you're probably wondering how can they cut a 2 x 8 piece of lumber out of a 6 inch tree. Of course they cannot, the larger lumber comes from larger trees.

Most 2 x 4's that are less than 8 foot long can be cut from these trees. This scrap or waste that comes from cutting these two by fours will now go into engineered building materials like particleboard, oriented strand board and engineered beams. Another name for an engineered been would be a paralam.

I hope you're starting to get the picture now when it comes to using new or old lumber. There are companies that are going into old logging rivers and retrieving old growth lumber. These were logs that sank to the bottom of the river's and were never retrieved because it was too costly.

The old growth lumber is quite expensive. Who's to say what problems we will happen in the future from the newer products created with modern day technology. When it comes to building houses it is not an exact science and as contractors we have been repairing the damage from poor engineering for years.

When I use the word poor engineering I am not pointing fingers at engineers. We now have more knowledge about home construction then we had years ago.

New versus old lumber, who wins the battle. Only time will tell.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Structural Repairs.

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