The Robo Pope

Here’s an interesting story from the world of race car driving. One of the most important things that beginning race car drivers learn is what to do when they lose control of the car and go into a spin. The natural reaction is to focus on the wall or other object they want to avoid. Because their focus is on the wall, that’s usually where they end up. Instead of focusing on the wall, the drivers learn to focus on where they want to go. This allows them to avoid the walls, stay on course and go where they want to go.

What does this have to do with the power and strength of vision?

Just about everything.

In my counseling experience, I have found that the approach most of us take to life is to sort of “make it up as we go along.” And then we wonder why things end up such a mess. It’s like the old saying, “if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

Even when we do have a plan, it’s only a partial plan. Then when our plan doesn’t work, or “hits the wall”, we don’t know where to go from there and give up.

In order to be successful in life, I believe we need to have a clear vision for what we want, in all areas of our life. Even if we have alot of desire, energy and motivation, without a clear direction and vision, we can end up like a “dead atheist.” All dressed up and no where to go.

Why have vision?

So let’s look at how to create a vision in several key areas of our lives.

There’s a proverb that says “without a vision, the people perish.” I think we can extend that parable and say without a vision -

a marriage perishes
a family perishes
a career perishes

A Marriage Vision

One of my favorite things to do is to help a couple create a vision for their relationship. Most people spend more time planning a two week vacation than they do planning how they want their relationship to be.Here’s a key question -”If we could design this relationship any way we wanted it, how would it be?” How would you -

spend your time?
relate to and communicate with each other?
plan for your future?
spend money?
help each other grow?

A Family Vision

We live in a society where the average family spends only fourteen and a half minutes a day with each other all together. I don’t believe that’s what we really want.

So here are some key questions for creating a family vision.

What do we most value as a family?
How do we want to spend our time?
What legacy do we want to leave for the generations that will follow?
What impact would we like to have on our community?

A Career Vision

We spend most of our adult waking hours at work. Yet it’s one of the main areas in life where we tend to just stumble in and make it up as we go along. Here are a few key questions for creating a vision for your career.

What are your dreams for your career?
How would you like to spend your working hours?
What would make you get up each day excited that you get to go to work?
Do you want to make a living or make a life?

The answers to these questions can get you started in creating a vision in each of these key areas. You can add other areas and other questions as well. The next step is to begin, right away, to take small daily actions toward each of these goals.

I’ll close with an example of the power of vision in our lives. Picture yourself sitting at home at your kitchen table, with a big juicy lemon on a plate in front of you. Now take a knife and cut the lemon in half. Smell and feel the juice. Now cut a slice from one half. More juice, more smell. Cut that slice in half. More juice, more smell. Now take that half, bring it up to your face, take a whiff and then bite into it. If you’re like most folks, and you did this exercise, right now there is a bit of moisture in your mouth.

Here’s the really cool thing. There is no lemon. You created a physiological response in your body through the power of vision.

And so it can be as you get a clear vision for what you want in life. The clearer your vision, the quicker your brain will respond.

So get clear and get going.

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

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Have you ever been really happy? Have you ever tasted the fruit of pure happiness? Have you ever completed a task with that feeling of YES! I gave it my all. I’m really happy and proud with what I’ve done. Have you ever had that inner glow and outer radiation? But was it happiness? You see, most of us have replaced happiness with pleasure. Pleasure is those times when you feel terrific like after eating a fantastic meal with excellent company. Pleasure is when you loll for hours in that hot bath. Pleasure is when you indulge yourself in that spa weekend. Pleasure is when you watch our favourite team play…..But it ain’t Happiness! The bad news is that Happiness is not an emotional state. Happiness is not the feeling you get when you are enjoying yourself. It’s much, much more than that. What makes people truly happy, satisfied and fulfilled?

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, (pronounced “chick-sent-me-high-ee”) director of the Quality of Life Research Centre at the Druker School of Management, Claremont, USA has spent years researching what makes us happy.

And he and his colleagues have found that happiness can only be achieved when you are totally involved in something. When, you are totally immersed. When, you are participating to the full. You know, when you are enjoying yourself so much you have no idea what the time is, what day it is, what is happening around you. You are really happy.

His research involving 250,000 people from every continent including chess players, rock climbers, musicians, people who meditate, artists, sports people and people from all walks of life shows that:

•the times when you find yourself fully absorbed in something. Totally focussed, totally immersed and totally concentrated. Whether it be at work, playing with the children or meditating.

•the times when you don’t notice time passing.

•the times when you keep going without being aware of what’s around you….The state where…… I give Graham a cup of tea and he doesn’t even know I’ve placed it on his desk next to the screen…..

•the state where you really enjoy what you are doing and when you come up for air you are totally satisfied with what you have been doing. In other words you are really connected: heart and soul. You really enjoy what you were doing.

•the times when you were reading a stimulating book and when you put your head up everyone has gone off to bed.

•the times when you are so involved playing your favourite sport, you forget everything else

that’s when you feel really happy.

Happiness is: the flow state. The state when you feel that you are on a roll. Where everything you do is effortless and just flows. The feeling you get when you completely lose yourself in what you are doing. The time, when time stops. You are in the “grove” and everything is working for you. You are in total harmony with yourself. The irony is, that this great feeling of happiness happens, not when you are relaxing or watching TV or enjoying the company of your friends. Happiness is achieved when you challenge yourself.

When, you stretch yourself. When you are doing what you enjoy doing most. When you are totally absorbed in what you are doing. When, you put yourself out there. When, you exceed your expectations.

So what are you waiting for? You have nothing to lose. All you have to do is put those oughts, shoulds and musts behind you and follow your heart. Lose yourself in what you really want to do. Enter the flow world where:

“being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.” (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi)

That’s Happiness!

Go on. Go for it!

Good Luck

Graham and Julie www.desktop-meditation.com

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Out of the closet! - By Joseph Ghabi

We may sometimes consider the difficulty that occurs with our acceptance of ourselves and of who we are in accordance with the expectations of others. Do you understand what I am talking about? Or am I speaking alone here?

I grew up in an environment dominated with the influence of the Catholic religion, and studied in the field of Engineering and Computer Science. With these factors in mind, I grew to become a natural skeptic, without realization. Any circumstance or opinion, which I encountered in respect to spirituality, would be considered with the analytical and skeptical mind that I had developed, in accordance to the environmental influences that I had grown up with. In addition to my natural reaction of analyzing situations or circumstances that I was faced with in my life experience, I found the result to be a contradiction of terms. There was always one thing that exceeded my capacity to analyze or scrutinize. There was always something missing in my life. Something that I realized existed beyond any of my analytical means.

Holding an engineering degree did not alter any stance in my life by any means. Throughout my life I encountered very interesting people that introduced me to the spiritual aspects of life, without making me feeling imposed upon. I was merely listening and observing at this point on my particular experience.

Over 10 years ago, specific events occurred that drove me to further investigate the significance of my spiritual path, and to discover my blueprint in life. My first step was learning about meditation. I was faced with no alternative but to accept this and try the new method without analyzing the process.

When I realized, in the beginning, that it was essential to be in touch with my female side, it left me (like any man) questioning this in terms of an affront on my masculinity. Masculinity being the main focus for concern! Of course as men, in general, we have this additional obstacle to overcome when being involved in spirituality. However, I believe we make a bigger issue out of this than is necessary.

We do have our ego, our manhood, and finally the aspect I feel to be the most important, that many men are denying any involvement in spirituality when they assume that opening their female side is associated with being gay. This is not the case. Its association with our sexual direction in life, and whatever sexual partner we choose in our life, is of our own free choice and free will.

Opening the female side within our manhood allows the opening of’ intuition’ or our ’sixth sense’ so to speak. This also applies to any female who requires developing her masculine side to bring strength to her decisions and to her level of assertiveness. However, with these requirements in mind, the important thing here can be summarized in one word for both the male and female - BALANCE - harmony between the male and female sides. There are so many gifted men out there that refuse to accept the spiritual side of their nature and create unnecessary inhibitions that exist only in their minds.

Throughout the last 10 years, I have developed myself spiritually by means of studying meditation, learning healing from my own guides, learning astrology, and palmistry until I discovered numerology, the subject upon which my new awareness about the Universe will start…

In the last ten years I have learnt a great deal, however, I was always “in the closet” and here I am now stepping “out of the closet”! On “stepping out of the closet”, I am allowing myself the capacity to be completely open with myself, and enabling myself to express my beliefs to the public, bearing in mind, I am still involved in the ’so-called’ business world with my regular day job.

Until next time…

Copyright © Joseph Ghabi http://www.freespiritcentre.co.uk

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Lift your spirits everyday. Take every opportunity to see life in a positive way. Your life will be more joyful. People choose to be happy. Happy people look for ways to improve their lives everyday. If you look, you can find ways to make yourself happy. Here are a few suggestions.

Appreciate what you have. See the good around you.

1. Go to a movie alone. It’s really OK.

2. Invite your girlfriends to sleep over.

3. Find a song you like and call it your own. Play it to make you feel good.

4. When you hear a song on the radio you really like, dance.

5. Get a workout buddy.

6. Call a friend everyday

7. Get a facial. Or a manicure.

8. Eat outdoors. Set up a screen house for those warm evenings, and eat in it.

9. Have a pedicure. Pick some nice red polish.

10. Give someone flowers. Men also enjoy receiving a surprise bouquet.

11. Lose 10 pounds.

12. Get a good nights sleep.

13. Have your hair done.

14. Get up early, and watch the sun come up.

15. Watch the sun go down.

16. Celebrate your half birthday.

17. Go out and count the stars on a clear night.

18. A hug from your kids.

19. Summer rain showers.

20. The first day of school.

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Another year arrives, bright with the promise of replacing old habits with new and positive behaviors. All too often, those New Year’s resolutions tarnish and fall by the wayside, leaving behind a feeling of dissatisfaction or disappointment.

Make this the year you change that pattern! New Year’s resolutions are really just good intentions. To create change, you must translate those intentions into an action plan. Follow my guidelines below and give yourself a head start to success.

1. Don’t make that resolution on January 1st! Instead, think about it over the entire month and make your resolution on the 31st. It will have more motivational power and be more realistic that way. It will also be a resolution you “mean,” not one you made just because that’s what you do at the New Year.

2. Focus on one small step at a time. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Choose one small action that will lead you toward your goal, do that for three or four weeks, and then increase it or add another. That way you’re building on success instead of courting failure.

3. Have a clear vision of what changing this behavior is going to give you, both short term and in five or ten years. Also have a clear picture of what “not” changing this behavior is going to cost you, short term and long term. When you see the difference in the consequences, you’ll be a lot more motivated.

4. Post a picture, phrase, or affirmation to remind you of your resolution in several places where you can see them regularly throughout the day. Every two weeks, change that reminder. That way, you won’t get so used to the picture that you just don’t see it any more. Also, by changing the reminder, you’re remaking (and strengthening) your commitment to your resolution.

5. Have a plan. Know what you are going to do - every day - to move you towards that resolution. Don’t just decide to go on a diet. Be specific. “I will cut out all snacks in the evening.” “I will eat smaller portions.”

6. While you don’t want to plan to fail, do plan for “failure.” The average person who successfully changes a habit falls off the wagon six times before they finally succeed. So don’t give up! Consider backsliding a natural, normal part of the process of changing behavior.

7. Finally, and I can’t emphasize this enough, get support! With outside support, you are seven times more likely to succeed at keeping that resolution. Not only is there someone to cheer you on, to offer a shoulder and to encourage you when you feel stuck, your support buddy will also provide you with accountability.

Make this the year you begin creating the changes you truly desire!

NOTE: You are welcome to use this article online in electronic newsletters and e-zines as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info). If use of this article is desired in print, you must first contact Lynn Cutts at Lynn@ManageYourMuse.com.

Copyright 2005 Lynn Cutts

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What exactly do we mean by the final chapter? What we mean is this, the story of your life is still being written and why not make the final chapter a happy one!

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DO SO!

What we want to let you know is this, that you hold all the keys to your future and only you can change you, so why not work at changing yourself for the better and make yourself the best you that you possible can? You can write the rest of your life as a success and they may say

HE MIGHT HAVE NOT STARTRD OUT VERY WELL, BUT HE SURE FINISHED STRONG!

wouldn’t that be a great way to go out with a bang and a feather in your cap, after all you have been through! So let’s grab that pen and start to write the final chapter of your life, but how you may ask? Well the first thing that we need to develop is a positive attitude and this will do wonders for you in all areas of life and it is a must in writing a successful ending to our story.

SO BRING ON THE POSTIVE ATTITUDE PLEASE!

We are not going to go into that in great detail on how to do this because in this book as it’s not the goal of this book and because I go into it in great detail how to have a positive attitude in my previous book

OUT OF DARKNESS

Here are some suggestions for having a positive attitude:

1) No matter what the situtation looks like you need to say to yourself, things are going to turn out all right I just know it.

2) When you need a lift say postive affirmations and this should lift your sprits.

3) On a regular basis you need to listen to postive tapes and read motivational books every chance you get.

4) Smile, Smile, Smile it will do wonders for your self esteem not to mention you will become more like able

Those are some basic things you can do for a postive attitude.

Now that we have the seedlings of a positive attitude, what’s next? Let’s work on self esteem a bit. I know you may be saying to yourself this book sure took a funny twist, but everone can use a postive attitude and some good healthy self esteem now and then.

(CAN’T THEY?)

How do we get healthy self esteem?

One, is to know that there has never been anyone like you ever created in the entire world and as long as this world keeps creating people thier shall never be another like you! You are unquiue and speaical and no nobody can be a better you than you can be, you are a winner, so be the winner you were made to be and that should be enough for anyone. Know that you are loved by God! Please belive me when I tell you that he loves you and that should be enough to keep anyones self esteem up knowing that God almighty loves them and without fail I might add,

HE NEVER STOPS FOR THAT MATTER!

So when you are getting down on yourself remember that

YOU ARE LOVED

And that you can never a have poor self esteem when we know that God truely loves us!

WHAT’S NEXT?

Please try to understand that we are just touching on these area’s in this book and that they should be covered in greater detail to understand how they fully work.

LET’S GET ON TO RETRAING THE BRAIN!

What we mean here is the fact that you need to reprogram your brain to think in a different manner. When you get an undesirable thought you need to put in a different thought as fast as you can. Example this is a bad day:(

INCERT POSTIVE THOUGHT

This day isn’t so bad and I know that it’s only going to get better:) You have just had your first lesson in retraining your brain! How did it feel? Pretty painless hun, after time you will find that you really kinda like the retraining stuff and it is showing postive results also so why not develop it until you are a pro at it.

GO AHEAD YOU DESERVE IT!

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Often, as I get up in the morning on Saturdays, I will find my wife in the Living Room, sitting in her grandmother’s old chair, quietly reading a good book. The sun has just risen, and its warm rays are peeking over the mountain tops. These fresh, warm rays of sunshine filter gently through the window pane, spilling softly over her shoulders, warming her like a home made shawl. It is my wife’s favorite time of day and her favorite place to be.

There is a lot to be said about that. One’s favorite time of day and one’s favorite place to be.

Think about it a moment. What times in your life produce the greatest peace and fulfillment? What places give you the greatest degree of inspiration and comfort? Search your feelings. What have been the sources of your greatest happiness?

Discover those events. Find those places. Learn the sources you can turn to as an escape from your daily tasks and challenges. Look forward to those opportunities of personal escape.

We all need to get away, occasionally. We all need to rejuvenate our mind and refresh our soul. It can be with an out-of-town escape, or something as simple as a chair by the window at sunrise, immersed in a marvelous book!

Take time for renewal. Take time for yourself.

Bob Curtis has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and has been writing about the elements of relationships for a number of years. He is the manager of the Essential Sunshine Association, a new website for positive relationship development at http://www.essun.blogspot.com

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Witchcraft is a messy, expensive, time-consuming, and inefficient way to achieve your aims. I know, because I’ve tried it …

For instance, I once tried to increase my abundance by applying the principles of Feng Shui. So, I bought a $40.00 book which instructed me to enhance my “prosperity” by putting chimes on the porch, an aquarium full of gold fish in the front hallways and a jolly statue of a Buddha at the front door. Before I knew it my phone was ringing off the hook with people asking to” reserve a table for four at seven.” Unfortunately what I really wanted was writing gigs!

I have also tried “clearing” my space, the Native American Indian Way by doing a “smudge”. This means walking around your house in a counter-wise circle with a flaming bundle of North American grasses. Well, I must of done something wrong, like perhaps accidently eliminate the good vibes that were already in my house, because before I knew it, a bunch of nasty energy invaded my space - an angry landlord, neighbours and members of the fire department all demanding to know what the strange reek was and why I kept setting off the fire alarm. It didn’t help that I was doing this ritual “sky clad” which is witch-talk for buck-naked.

Most spells demand that you create a talisman or magical object of some kind and carry it around with you at all times. Of course, at no time, in any book I’ve ever read about witchcraft, does it tell you what to do when you lose the talisman and usually the talisman is something really small and complicated like “a chestnut that has been filled with mercury and had the hole sealed up with red wax.” You lose something like that, which represents all your good luck and you really do spend a couple of weeks wondering what’s going to happen next. You get so anxious that your subconscious manifests the worst case scenario anyway.

Also there’s nothing more embarassing than having some kind of love talisman, like a potato carved in the likeness of your lover and stuck with pins, fall out of your purse in front of him and to have to explain that. Also, many spells that you find in self-help witch craft books on the market such as those by Scott Cunningham, Anna Riva and The Supermarket Sorceress often ask you to create some really disgusting object, like a melon filled with raw liver or an orange stuck with needles and cloves and hide it in your house for a full cycle of a moon. No wonder witches houses often smell — they’ve got all this rotting food lying around the house.

Of course, the main reason witchcraft is so impractical is that
people tend to ignore the 3X3X3 rule: whatever you wish upon another will
come back on you three fold. This of course does not jive with human
nature and I don’t know a single witch, who didn’t just once, wish
something bad on someone else while thinking “It’s O.K.. Whatever comes
back I can take it.”

The next thing you know you’re spending all your free time, trying to reverse and fix curses that you have sent to others that have rebounded on you threefold. Not too practical! Just like in that movie Practical Magic where the Nicole Kidman character manifests a lover and ends up with a rapist. If witchcraft could be practiced with a certain Zen detachment instead of a
desire for control, I guess we’d probably have the perfect religion. In the meantime, watch out for dangerous amateur magicians.

Finally, I am Queen of My Domain!

Samantha Steven’s articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. If you wish to buy Samantha’s books about metaphysics click here
http://www.insomniacpress.com/author.php?id=110
You can meet Samantha Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com

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Retirement is not the end but is merely the beginning of a new life, a new you. As such, it is nothing that should be dreaded or something that should cause you unnecessary stress. Instead it should make you happy and can bring you a new sense of pleasure, if only you let it. In this article, we’ll discuss ten ways that you can find happiness in retirement.

1. Be open and receptive - Change your attitude and you’ll change your life. Retirement is simply a new phase of your life one that you can succeed and enjoy if you’re open and receptive to doing so. It is a time to pursue your dreams, aspirations and make your dreams come true.

2. Plan physical and mental activities - A busy mind is a happy mind. By staying physically and mentally active, you will lift your spirits and will be happier.

3. Laugh and have a fun time. Don’t take yourself so seriously. By having fun and not taking life too seriously, you can lift your mood and make yourself and others happy .

4. Don’t be too introverted. Share your burdens with those who love and care about you. This isn’t to say that you should be a worry wart but by revealing your innermost thoughts and feelings, you can positively affect your mental state.

5. Pursue stimulating activities. Figure out the things that you enjoy doing and do more of them. For instance, if you enjoy spending quality time with your grandchildren, plan play dates or other activities with them.

6. Brush up your knowledge - An educated mind is a happy mind. By expanding your learning horizons, you can become happier.

7. Spend quality time with loved ones - Now that you’re retired, you have even more time to spend with those you love. Plan lunch dates or throw a party for family and friends so that you can spend quality time with the people that mean the most to you.

8. Remember the little things mean a lot - Do something nice for someone and you’ll feel good about yourself. Take some time to write someone a note telling them how much they mean to you. Spend time with a friend or ailing relative or engage in some type of volunteer activity.

9. Fulfill your dreams - Consider fulfilling those dreams you had shelved on your way to building a career for yourself. This can be very satisfying.

10. Maintain a positive mental attitude - Do not vegetate just because you have retired. This is the fastest way to breakdown. Maintain a youthful attitude. Take up some hobby and remain active, mentally and physically.

In conclusion, retirement is a time when you can be tremendously happy and fulfilled. You can ensure that this is true by maintaining a positive mental attitude, fulfill your dreams, remember that little things mean a lot, spend quality time with others, brush up on your knowledge, pursue stimulating activities, don’t be too introverted, laugh and have a great time, plan mentally engaging activities, and be open and receptive to experiencing the good life after retirement.

2006 ©

Dr. Cynthia Barnett

Dr. Cynthia Barnett is a “re-fired” educator who has reinvented her life, moving from the schoolhouse to an entrepreneurial venue. Dr. Barnett is the author of “Stop Singing the Blues: 10 Powerful Strategies for Hitting the High Notes in Your Life” and RE-FIRE, Don’t Retire : 7 Powerful Strategies for an Extraordinary Life Now and in Retirement.(www.stopsingingtheblues.com/). She was featured in Time magazine for their article about women in mid-life who have reinvented themselves. If you liked today’s article, stay tuned for more FREE articles, FREE teleseminars, FREE tips and other resources to help you create a blueprint for an extraordinary retirement. Dr. Cynthia Barnett 203-855-9714 doctorcynthia@refiredontretire.com www.refiredontretire.com

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Buying and carrying off designer tops is not vey easy. Nonetheless, thanks to fabulous ready made designer clothes and more disposable wages, the majority of us fashion lovers could afford to buy a piece of sensational high fashion clothing every now and then. Nonetheless, there are certain issues associated with high fashion clothing that are also not there with your normal mass produced clothing, with the very most crucial ones being the clothing design and the cost of such shirts.

Designer skirts charges somewhat more than even the finest brands for sale in the market; and the reason why designer skirts cost so much is because designer skirts not only offer fashionable people awesome quality and fine styles, but because they are exclusive. Even budget ranges in designer shirts carry only limited editions, so there are decidedly low chances that you can often notice your neighbor wearing the same excellent t-shirt that fashionistas recently bought.

To select the finest kind of designer skirts for yourself, pay attention to a number of things. If fashionable people are not a regular designer dresses buyer, then chances are that low cost is a selling point with you. In such a case, it is even more crucial that you select sensational high fashion clothing that will often actually give you back your money’s worth. Take a sneak peak at the latest fashion from Stella McCartney at Matches Fashion.

To do this, the 1st rule to do is to buy marvellous clothing that looks nice with your body and weight, If women don’t do this, then even the very best designs may end up making you look a horrible mess. Do follow the basic rules of not getting baggy fitting dresses that will make you look untoned or short and not obtaining stripy patterns and really dark colours if you are astonishingly slim etcetera to buy jeans that match your physique, colouring and features.

The other principal thing to consider is if you want your beautiful designer clothing to last you are to purchase pieces or designs that are classic and timeless in nature like a white shirt.

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