Don't Listen to Either One!

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one." - John Wooden

The Past

The past is our definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it. - Wendell Berry

Acknowleding Dependence

On Thanksgiving Day we acknowledge our dependence. - William Jennings Bryan

Jim Carrey-It's Not The Answer

I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer. - Jim Carrey

It's Not Hard to Make Decisions

It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are. - Roy Disney

Student and Master

When the student is ready, the master appears. - Buddhist Proverb

How About Some Sit-Down Thinkin'

Never be afraid to sit awhile and think. - Lorraine Hansberry Author of "A Raisin in the Sun"

Challenge to Change

"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." - Victor Frankl

The Joys Of Failure

The Joys Of Failure
By Deborah Beatty

I've been seriously rethinking my views on just what failure is and is not. I'm putting together a talk on the above subject and it's made me think a lot about my life till now. I realize that I am now and continue to be an amazing failure!

I am a failure at being what other people think I should be.

I am a failure at thinking the way other people think I should think.

I am a failure at looking the way other people think I should look.

And I couldn't be happier.

Not being what other people think I should be has given me the freedom to explore my life and my opportunitites in different, innovative ways.

Not thinking the way other people think I should think has given me the freedom to explore self-education, alternative education and to have my education actually serve my needs.

Not looking the way other people think I should look as given me permission to be a unique individual with my own style and my own likes and dislikes.

Most of the dictionaries and 99% of society think of failure as a bad thing. I don't happen to share their opinion. How could you possibly succeed if you don't know how to fail? How would you recognize success, then? Look at Thomas Edison - he failed 10,000 times to make a light bulb. When asked how he felt about so many failures, he said "I have not failed, I have simply found 10,000 ways not to make a light bulb.".

Go try something you've never done before. Give yourself permission to fail. That way, you get a lot more joy when you succeed! After all, if you've never done it before, you have nothing to compare it to and you decide whether you've failed at all! Failure is all in YOUR mind. How many people do you know that blow off compliments saying that they could have done better and then list excuses? Especially when they've done something you are aching to just achieve a 10th of? It's all relative and it's all so very personal.

I give you permission (if you need it) to go try something new this next week. Something you've never done before and know nothing about. Go ahead, have fun.

DeBorah Beatty

Speaker/Trainer/Facilitator/COACH

http://www.DEBORAHBEATTY.COM

Walla Walla, Washington

Dalai Lama Quote

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. - Dalai Lama

Do Something New

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso

Generous and Merciful

When our attitude towards ourselves is big, and our attitude toward other is generous and merciful, we attract big and generous portions of success. - W. Clement Stone

Tony Robbins-Walk the Walk!

I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk. - Tony Robbins

Attitude of Gratitude!

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation. - Brian Tracy

Great Ideas...

Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein

Improve Your Memory with the Help of Mind Mapping

Memory can lead to the accomplishments of many astonishing feats. Take for example the story of Mozart visiting Rome in 1770, when he was 14, and listened to Allegri’s Miserere in the Sistine Chapel. The half-hour long piece of music was considered so special that the Vatican forbade its publication, but after the concert Mozart wrote down the entire piece of music from memory. Or more recently, Memory champions have been setting world records which seem nothing short of miraculous to ordinary people. It is often assumed that such people must have extraordinary brains or be amazingly clever. However, in 2002 scientists put this assumption to the test and performed a range of tests on highly ranked memorizers at the world memory championships held annually. The tests revealed that the memory champions’ brains showed no differences to that of ordinary persons. However, it was discovered that nine out of the ten memory champions were simply using a technique called ‘the method of Loci’, which dated back to ancient Greece. This method is based on Location and imagination. It was therefore concluded that a good memory is simply a skill, and a skill that can be learned – at any age.

The main principle of memory techniques is linking the thing to be remembered to some other idea – this is known as association. When your memory has meaning, your brain gives it a tag that makes it much easier to retrieve. A similar process is achieved when you see something in context or linked to some other idea which provides a tag for the idea. If you imagine your memory as a library, it is clearly much easier to find a particular memory if it has a tag attached to it. You will be amazed how dramatically you can improve your ability to remember things if you use combinations of association, vibrancy and imagination.

The best technique that encourages you to use association and imagination is Mind Mapping. Mind Mapping was invented by Tony Buzan in the 1960s, although the learning principles of Mind Mapping have been around for hundreds of years and have been used by some of the world’s greatest thinkers. Tony Buzan states that it is the ultimate thinking tool – a creative and effective means of thinking that literally ‘maps out’ your brain. Mind Maps are an ideal tool to use as a memory improvement tool, not only is it extremely simple but it can have an immediate impact on memory, creativity and your ability to concentrate. Mind Maps have a natural structure that radiates from the centre and uses lines, symbols, words, and images according to a set of natural and brain-friendly rules. A long list of boring information can be turned into colourful, memorable, highly organised diagrams that reflect the brains natural way of thinking and encourages synergetic thinking.

Imagination and association are the two main principles that make Mind Mapping so effective. By developing creative skills you are not only improving your ability to come up with innovative ideas you are also, by default, enhancing your ability to remember things. This is because creativity and memory are vertically identical mental processes – they both work best when you are using imagination and association.

A quick guide – how to make a Mind Map:

1) Gather all the information you need – your research, an array of coloured pens and a large blank piece of paper.

2) Draw a simple image or symbol to represent your central idea in the centre of the page.

3) Think of the main points or topics of your Mind Map, radiate your key topics of the central image as branches adding a key word that represents that topic.

4) Now explore your main branches with sub-branches/thoughts. Add single words to each sub-branch. Let your ideas flow freely, adding a new branch for each thought.

5) Use your coloured pens and add images to make your map vibrant and exciting.

6) Alternatively, you could produce your Mind Map using the new and exciting Mind Mapping software that has recently become available e.g. Tony Buzan’s iMindMap. By using software to facilitate Mind Mapping it enables users to create truly personal, organic Mind Maps without restricting the thinking process in any way, while incorporating all the principles of Mind Mapping technique.

Once you have created your Mind Map you will notice that instead of having pages and pages of boring linear notes you have a single page that contains all the key points that you need to remember. You will instantly see the connections and links between different ideas and thoughts and can help you quickly gain insight into the big picture as it represented on the piece of paper in front of you. Secondly, by creating your Mind Map you have used both sides of your brain. People have an extensive range of intellectual and creative skills that they only partly use. However, Mind Mapping takes advantage of the potential of both the right (creative) and left (analytical) sides of the brain. What is more, if both the right and left brain are used, both sides become stronger, engaging with each other to reinforce their creative output, and association. Consequently resulting in a noticeably improved memory.

Rose Angell recently joined the Buzan Online team after graduating in Psychology in 2007. Buzan Online was founded by Tony Buzan (the father of Mind Mapping) in 2006 and is now a key part of the Buzan Organisation. Buzan Online has recently launched the first official Mind Mapping Software, iMindMap; the only Mind Mapping software which utilities the true principles of Mind Mapping and duplicates the brains non linear thinking process.
http://www.iMindMap.com

How Do You See Things?

We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. - Anaïs Nin

Follow Your Own Advice?

Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself. - Cicero

Trust Only...

Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement. - Alfred Adler

Creed vs Deed

Go put your creed into your deed. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Peace

Five great enemies to peace inhabit with us: avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride. If those enemies were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace. - Francesco Petrarch

The True Gift

"The only gift is a portion of thyself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Optimism

Optimism is the foundation of courage. ~Nicholas Murray Butler

Prepare For Success!

Before anything else, preparation is the key to success. - Alexander Graham Bell

Experience The Mysterious

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all art and science. - Albert Einstein

Which One Holds You Back?

"Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that." - Norman Vincent Peale

Be Free Be Bold

Freedom lies in being bold. - Robert Frost

Mood Makeovers: Top Tips To Help Boost Moods Naturally

Mood Makeovers: Top Tips To Help Boost Moods Naturally


(ARA) - Stress can come from anywhere at anytime. It can stem from career anxiety, family tension or even the day-to-day pressure of trying to balance everything simultaneously. While stress is actually a natural reaction for everyone, when it persists, it can feel overwhelming and take a toll on our well being.



All too commonly, these times are when we are least thoughtful about what we put into our bodies. A recent study by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that in times of stress, one in four Americans turn to unhealthy comfort foods, which are usually high in fat and sugar.



According to leading nutrition expert, Rachel Agnew, R.D., “We tend to go for quick food fixes that make us feel good initially but ultimately may cause a crash or low feeling and expand waistlines in the long-term.  Oftentimes our moods are trying to tell us important nutrients we are lacking and it’s to our benefit to pay attention.” Agnew shares her simple nutrition tips for mood makeovers that can help give a natural boost.



Ditch Downer Diets: The latest diets like the Master Cleanse or Atkins can cause low mood and energy because the body is deprived of essential nutrients like vitamin B. A balanced diet with plenty of fresh, colorful fruits and green leafy vegetables is key.



Crave Good Carbs: With the popularity of low-carb diets, many people have eliminated or lowered the level of carbs in their diet. But not all carbs are bad. Complex carbs such as squash, potatoes, beans and whole grain breads can help increase serotonin activity when eaten with protein foods such a milk or turkey that  contain tryptophan. By combining these two types of foods, many believe they work together to increase blood and brain serotonin. Serotonin activity in the brain can help support feelings of relaxation.



Super Supplement: One dietary supplement receiving a lot of attention is SAM-e or S-adenosylmethionine, a naturally occurring compound produced by the body. Experts believe that low levels of SAM-e can cause low mood. Over 100 clinical studies have shown that supplementing with SAM-e is effective at enhancing emotional well-being. Agnew recommends Nature Made’s SAM-e product because it is the same SAM-e used in most of these studies.



B Good To Yourself: B vitamins (folic acid, B6 and B12) are important for many processes in the body, especially when it comes to brain and nervous system functions. Lack of these nutrients can negatively affect the mood. Good sources of B vitamins are lean meats, whole grains and leafy vegetables.



O-Mega Good: Salmon, tuna and flaxseed are some of the more bountiful sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Some studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids can help improve mood and brain function.  



Agnew recommends consulting a registered dietitian or doctor to create a customized mood-boosting regimen. Readers can ask her specific nutrition questions through “Ask An Expert,” at www.naturemade.com.



Courtesy of ARAcontent

Delicious Ambiguity

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity. - Gilda Radner

Talk a Little Less-Think a Little More

One of the basic causes for all the trouble in the world today is that people talk too much and think too little. They act impulsively without thinking. I always try to think before I talk. - Margaret Chase Smith

Jump At the Small Ones

Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along. - Hugh Allen

The Cure for Anything

The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea. - Isak Dinesen

Use Spontenaity

The most successful people are those who are good at plan B. - James Yorke

Unmotivated to Change?

The colossal misunderstanding of our time is the assumption that insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change. - Edwin Friedman

Money is Like Manure!

Money is like manure; it's not worth a thing unless it's spread around encouraging young things to grow. - Thorton Wilder

Knowledge vs Wisdom

These days people seek knowledge, not wisdom. Knowledge is of the past, wisdom is of the future. - Vernon Cooper

Laughter and Courage

Laughter rises out of tragedy, when you need it the most, and rewards you for your courage. - Erma Bombeck

Dare!

Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win. - Bernadette Devlin

Confucius Say...

To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right. - Confucius

Helen Keller on Character

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved." - Helen Keller

Lost Your Creativity?

The key question isn't "What fosters creativity?" But it is why in God's name isn't everyone creative? Where was the human potential lost? How was it crippled? I think therefore a good question might be not why do people create? But why do people not create or innovate? We have got to abandon that sense of amazement in the face of creativity, as if it were a miracle if anybody created anything. - Abraham Maslow

Creativity In Crisis? How To Stop, Breathe And Begin Again And Get Your Creativity Back On Track

Creativity In Crisis? How To Stop, Breathe And Begin Again And Get Your Creativity Back On Track
By Dan Goodwin

Emily was going through a difficult period with her creativity.

Although she’d recently had some of her writing published in a national magazine and some other work picked up by a renowned writers' publication online, she was struggling.

Emily was pleased with the writing she’d produced that had been published. But she wanted to develop and grow.

She didn’t want to write the same story over and over again, however popular that story was, and how well it was received.

But she was stuck in a cycle. Every day she’d go to her desk to write, try to come up with a good starting point to write from, then go about expanding it into something interesting. Then, sometimes only minutes later, she’d scrap the new writing in frustration, convinced it was nowhere near as good as her published work.

Some 30 plus days later, Emily was getting slowly more and more anxious, dejected, uninspired and creatively stuck. She’d reached a point of creative crisis.

How often have you felt like Emily?

How often do you feel so tight and anxious about creating that you can barely focus on the act of creating itself?

It happens to all of us, and though we know we’re in the midst of a creativity crisis, we’re so desperate to just get through and create, we don’t stop to take some of the simple steps that would free our creativity up again.

So here are 3 simple steps to Stop, Breathe and Begin Again when your in the midst of a creativity crisis.

Step 1. Stop. Whatever it is you’re creating, just stop. Put it on pause. ADMIT to yourself that you’ve reached a difficult point in this creative project, and more importantly ALLOW yourself to take time out, rather than slogging away blindly and ineffectually.

This may just be the hardest step, especially when you’re deep in the middle of a project and all you want is to get through it as quickly as possible. But before you can take the next step to get your creativity on track again, you need to just stop.

Step 2. Breathe. Literally, take a few deep breaths and calm yourself. You’ve taken control of your creativity, realised that what you were doing wasn’t working. This is a positive and brave step. Allow yourself to breathe and find your natural rhythm again.

Take some time out to absorb complete different surroundings. Go out for a walk somewhere beautiful. Spend some time with young children while they’re playing. Visit somewhere you’ve always wanted to but never got round to, like a gallery or a show or a monument.

Step 3. Begin Again. You’ll now be in a far calmer, more objective position. You have essentially two choices in beginning to create again. Either pick a new project, something quite small and fun that you can really enjoy without getting caught up and attached to the outcome.

Or, the second option is to return afresh to your current creative project. By stopping, then breathing, you’ll now see the project in a different light. Parts that seemed impossible or impenetrable will have become more clear. Trust yourself and your creativity, that you know the way forward. Because you do. Then begin creating again, in the way you feel is best.

The next time your anxiety is rising and you feel your creativity is in crisis, use these simple 3 steps.

Stop, Breathe, Begin Again, and you’ll return to creating with renewed purpose and energy.

Would you like help in getting your creativity kick-started today? Then download your free copy of the powerful and practical Explode Your Creativity! Action Workbook at www.CoachCreative.com.

From Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin.

Never Stop Questioning

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality." - Albert Einstein

Why Are You Waiting?

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? - Stephen Levine

Start Today!

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank

Study Nature...

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. - Albert Einstein

Thomas Jefferson Quote

"On matters of style, swim with the current, on matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson

Good Instincts

Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out. - Michael Burke

10 Ways to Take Back Your Time!

10 Ways to Take Back Your Time
By Linda Dessau

I've divided my tips into two sections - 5 ways to manage your time and 5 ways to take back your time. Both offer daily or regular practices to try out in your life right now.

The first section focuses more on easing the time pressures in your life, to deal with all of the things you've gotten yourself into ;)

The second section focuses on making overall changes to your life. When you take back your time you also take back your CHOICE. When we're feeling time pressured and stressed out it's easy to forget that we have any say in the matter. And we do!

5 WAYS TO MANAGE YOUR TIME

1. Choose specific times to look at email during the day - seeing emails as they come in can really distract you from what you're trying to accomplish and you'll end up losing time as you go back and forth between activities.

2. The 15-minute strategy. This not only helps motivate you by breaking down large jobs into smaller pieces, it also makes good use of your time. The strategy is to spend 15-minutes on a task and then move on the next. You can come back to the first one as many times as you need to until it's done.

3. Find a system that works for you for making and meeting deadlines and appointments - a calendar or day-timer. I use a Palm Pilot and have been really happy with it.

4. Plan and cook meals ahead of time. A huge time-saver and also makes it much easier to eat healthier. It could be as simple as cooking an extra portion of dinner and having it for lunch the next day, or you could plan out seven days at a time (which is what I do).

5. Keep up with things - whether it's tidying up your papers, doing the dishes or working on a report, doing things a bit at a time (see tip #2) instead of letting them pile up to the point of taking you all day, is much more manageable.

5 WAYS TO TAKE BACK YOUR TIME

1. Set and keep your boundaries - if you work for someone else, be clear about over-time and taking work home with you. If you work for yourself, establish the times of day that are no-work zones; good places to start are breaks for meals and deciding when you will start and stop work for the day.

2. Make one day a week "timeless" – rise and shine when you feel like it, eat when you're hungry and let your inner child (or your actual child!) plan your day's activities. Warning: This may conflict with the tip below ;)

3. Cut your t.v. time - try limiting it to one hour per day. Or try cutting it out completely for one week.

4. Buddy up and find someone to take back time with. Whether it's your spouse, best friend, family member or work colleague, if you're both committed you won't let each other bow out.

5. Take your holidays! Whether you're self-employed or work for someone else it's important to take time off to rejuvenate. You will be more productive for it in the long run.

Where do you need to take back time in your life? Where do you need to manage your time better?

(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of “The Everyday Self-Care Workbook”. To receive one of her free monthly newsletters, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/newsletter.html

Crisis = Opportunity

"When written in Chinese the word "crisis" is composed of two characters - one represents danger and the other represents opportunity." - John F. Kennedy, address, 12 April 1959

Hang In There

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. - Harriet Beecher Stowe

This is The Day...

The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins. - Bob Moawad

Of All the Haunting Moments...

Of all the haunting moments of motherhood, few rank with hearing your own words come out of your daughter's mouth. - Victoria Secunda

Another Blessing

“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place” - C.S. Lewis

Be Thankful To Struggle!

Be Thankful to Struggle
By Honman Chan

A student in a music faculty was coached by a renowned pianist and professor. One day, he walked into the class and saw a new set of music sheet at the piano. ‘This is extremely difficult….’, he spoke to himself as he browsed through them. He did some stretching and began to play the notes, only with many pauses and mistakes because of the high level of difficulty. ‘Not good enough still. Go back and practice harder!’ The professor told the student before dismissing the class.

The student practiced for a week. The next lesson in the following week came. Just when he was about to begin playing for the professor’s comment, the latter, without mentioning anything about the previous week’s lesson, gave him another set of music sheets. This set was harder and more technically demanding than the previous one. The student once again struggled through the whole piece.

In the third week, the same thing happened again. Each time, he got troubled by the new piece of music and took it back in the end for practice. And when he went back to class the next time, he had to face another piece twice more difficult than the previous one. Feeling not able to catch up, he felt uneasy and angry.

3 months passed and he could not take it anymore. He felt the need to ask the professor why the torture to him. However, this time the professor took out the earliest piece, gave it to him and said, ‘Play this!’, gazing at him in his eyes with full confidence in him.
Something amazing happened! To the student’s surprise, he was able to play the piece with such profound skill and technical precision. Next, the professor gave him the second lesson’s and the same thing happened. He once again gave an extremely high standard recital……… At the end of all the recitals, the student looked speechless at his teacher.
‘If not for this continual challenge, you are now still practicing on the earliest piece and will not be showing this kind of skillful performance today’, the professor said to him.

If we keep thinking about the difficult challenges we are facing, we can miss out the fact that we are also learning and improving at the same time during each struggle. How can one show improvement without any obstacle?

As a grown-up recalls his past, those naïve and inexperienced younger days are actually the ones that made up today’s maturity. This is how the student felt when he looked back at the earliest piece he had practiced before. People are used to displaying their most familiar and strongest area to others and when faced with a new question, they got extremely anxious. However, the difficulties you are conquering are actually shaping and training you up into the capability you will display. Therefore, be thankful to obstacle, be thankful to difficulty. And you will be able to jump over the hurdles in your life.

Have you seen a group of deaf giving a dance performance on stage? They cannot hear the rhythm, yet their steps synchronized perfectly. Their graceful and beautiful movement is amazing! These people did not give up in their silent world. They cross over the huge hurdle, enter into their path of success and tell the world with their flawless dance that their world, too, are filled with music. What about people like us who can hear and speak? Do you have a hurdle to cross over? Be Thankful and do your best to overcome it!

http://www.openyourmindtoprosperity.com/prosperity/

Free Report on Attraction Accelerator at http://www.openyourmindtoprosperity.com/attractionaccelerator.pdf

Teddy Roosevelt-Dare Mighty Things!

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure...than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. - President Theodore Roosevelt

Ask for Broader Shoulders!

I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders. - Jewish Proverb

Growth = Discomfort

Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new. - Brian Tracy

Bright Enlightenment

“We are enslaved by anything we do not consciously see. We are freed by conscious perception.” - Vernon Howard

Wisdom and Virtue

Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it. - David Star Jordan, The Philosophy of Despair

Converse With The Wise

A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study. - Chinese Proverb

Lose Your Worries

"Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway." - Mary C. Crowley

Astound Yourself!

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. - Thomas Alva Edison

Jump at The Small Ones!

"Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along." - Hugh Allen

Defeat

Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat. - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Revenge vs. Foregiveness

Never does the human soul appear so strong as when it forgoes revenge, and dares forgive an injury. - E.H. Chapin

A Place to Pray and Play

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. - John Muir

Well Done!

Well done is better than well said. - Benjamin Franklin

Whining and Complaining

"If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it." - Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

Make a Difference

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. - William James

Excuses

'Maybe you don't like your job, maybe you didn't get enough sleep, well nobody likes their job, nobody got enough sleep. Maybe you just had the worst day of your life, but you know, there's no escape, there's no excuse, so just suck up and be nice." - Ani Difranco

It'll Change

If you're in a bad situation, don't worry it'll change. If you're in a good situation, don't worry it'll change. - John A. Simone, Sr.

Be Yourself!

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." - Judy Garland

One Moment of Patience

One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. - Chinese Proverb

Albert Einstein-Perseverance

"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer." - Albert Einstein

Value vs. Success

Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value. - Albert Einstein

Can You Create Being in the Present

Can You Create Being in the Present
By Linda Bretherton

Being

Being is about the here and now yet most of us dwell in another time and place either in the past, what we did yesterday, what happened last year, what someone said to you at a meeting last week that still upsets you or the wonderful evening you had with a partner and why can’t it always be like that. Or we are in a time that is based on what might happen to us in the future. Millions of people spend there lives hoping that they will win the lottery and the industry knows that much of our world is based on dreams that are in the future.

A friend of mine spends hours each day dreaming about what she will do with the money if she wins the lottery, she says ‘I get myself a glass of wine and sit thinking about buying a new house, a new car or going on a fabulous cruise and yet I know its all a dream it will never happen to me’ – and it never does!

If she was willing to spend the same amount of time on creating her environment right now she would see things differently. This ‘future’ world thrives on our desires for something that we don’t yet have, based on something that we think we desire. The future holds a particular hook for us and this unreal world remains elusive and is a major source of depression, discontent, aggression and loneliness. If everything we do is wrapped up in something which is in the future like, ‘I can’t wait for Friday to go out and enjoy myself.’ Or ‘I am really looking forward to our holiday in the summer.’ And ‘I saw a red dress and can’t stop thinking about it; I’ve got to have it’. All of these moments spent thinking and waiting for something that is not in the here and now, wastes our valuable energy when our lives could be filled with what we are doing right now, and that is focussing on creating and practicing the creating game.

When the moment arises that we get any of these things the gratification is short lived as we begin to dream about the next thing that we want.
Dreaming does not create anything.
To experience peace and harmony and happiness we should learn to simply ‘Be’ in the now. Easy to say not easy to be! How do we do it?
Being in the now does not stop us from creating holidays or planning events; it means that once the creation is formed to go on holiday or to go to the theatre and we are clear about this action, we can then remain in the moment to continue our day, without the clouds of dreaming, reminiscing and distraction that causes inner discomfort.
Simply being is not an easy concept for many people and the questions people ask are often – but who should I be? I don’t know who to be. What do you mean – just be?

To just ‘be’ means that we have to make the moment that we are in, the best it can be. This is day to day creating. This means that we give our present moment our full attention, we stay with exactly what we are doing, moment by moment. I find it easier to help people to look at what kind of person they would like to be, even if they are not sure of what that is, they can begin to put together a blueprint of themselves as they would like to be.
I believe that if we spend time looking at who we want to be – that we have a better chance to encourage that state of being.We can create ourselves in any image that we chose, we simply need to focus with intent. It is true that our exterior world is a reflection of our inner world. This means that whatever is going on in your life, whatever chaos, dreams, loneliness, uncertainty that’s happening in your life is a direct mirror of what is going on inside you. If you are experiencing an angry relationship this means that the anger is inside you.

If your exterior world is calm, peaceful and contented so it will be inside you. If your life is boring you can be certain that this is what is going on inside yourself. ‘Being’ can be made easier if you chose and create a way to be, and this can be used as a reminder to help you to work with ‘being’

When I chose to be completely compassionate and loving without conditions it was an enormous commitment for me, yet as big as this was it gave me an internal framework with which to work with. I found that my daily activities whatever they may be and however they turned out could be examined from this new state of being. I asked myself, as often as I could remember in the moment ‘I am love and compassion’ I am doing this from a place of being compassionate, it was never easy it still isn’t but this enabled me to shift from a different place – it didn’t always work and when I was full of resentment and anger toward some people it took enormous effort, but gradually it changed. Some changes were dramatic and some more subtle. When things didn’t work out in alignment with my creation to be compassionate and loving I could at least examine this and ask myself later ‘what would love have done’ and I had a new framework for the next time.

When we make a choice about creating ourselves, it opens up a whole new real world. Through exercise and time we can shift the dwelling on the past and dreaming about the future into which we are choosing to be today. When we are ‘being’ something higher than being caught in the past and future world – when we decide to proactively create ourselves, our concentration stays with the great things that are created from this new state of being. Your life shifts and the desire to be somewhere else changes. How can it not? If you are being loving and compassionate in all that you are – why would you wish to be anywhere else but in the here and now? What could be better that that state and no matter what you do and where you go you can be this ‘being ‘all of the time I any circumstance.

You can learn more about creating your life from the 24 principles in my book The Creating Game at www.thecreatinggame.com

Linda / Vani (Linda’s spiritual name) has a B.A in Communication and Psychology and has studied Integrative Coaching with the Debbie Ford Institute in San Diego, California. She is a Dr Bach mentor and practitioner, an Ayurvedic Trainer and Consultant and an Emotional Therapy Practitioner (EFT). She is currently developing her work in the sphere of Integrative Psychotherapy.

She encourages people to examine themselves and the pains and rigours of their lives, to develop clarity with regard to their daily patterns of nutrition and complimentary activities and from there to develop an in-depth understanding of their health, happiness and wellbeing.
Her book The Creating Game offers 24 principles to creating your life with purpose and direction read more about it on her website

www.thecreatinggame.com

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