The Saddest Words

The saddest words of tongue are those that could have been said. - Grant M. Bright

Wayne Dyer-Learn To Appreciate.....

Deficiency motivation doesn't work. It will lead to a life-long pursuit of "Try to fix me." Learn to appreciate what you have and where and who you are. - Wayne Dyer

Do You Believe You're Deserving?

We won't even attempt to achieve what we do not believe at a deep level to be worthy of having or deserving. - Ruth Ross

Seasonal Mental Health

The Psychology of Seasons: Care for Your Mental Health


(ARA) - The weather is changing and the cool seasons are setting in. Leaves fall from the trees and days get progressively cooler and shorter. The mornings are cooler when you first wake up to prepare for the day and when you step outside there may be an undeniable chill in the air, and it is probably still dark.


For some, the change in seasons has a profound impact on their emotional state. You may not feel as peppy as you normally do or have the same energy level, and you do not want to be around people or follow your regular routine.


This could point to signs of depression that may require some level of psychotherapy or medication, according to Dr. Douglas Whiteside, director of the new Psychology Training Center at Argosy University, Seattle campus. Whiteside is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and an associate professor at the Seattle campus.


It is important to recognize the signs of depression like sad feelings, unexplained crying, poor job performance and for individuals in school, declining grades. “The stress and strain of the economy and the changing of the seasons can have a negative impact on some people’s emotional state,” Whiteside says.


Being proactive about your mental health and taking care of yourself can help address depression and mood swings. Whiteside recommends engaging in exercise, going for a walk or meeting friends or family for coffee or some fun activity. He also adds it is important to eat a balanced diet, get enough rest at night, do nice things for yourself or find a hobby to help occupy your time.


“In the fall we tend to see an increase in seasonal affective disorder and in overall stress,” says Dr. Ellen Emerson, assistant professor in the department of Behavioral Sciences at South University -- Savannah, Ga. “With decreasing hours of daylight, many people go to work in the dark and return in the dark, so I often recommend that people try to get outside during their lunch break. You can benefit from as little as a 10-minute walk outside, in the daylight.”


If you sense that the season may be negatively affecting your well being, Emerson recommends that you keep a calendar and rate your overall level of stress or depression from one (none or little) to 10 (extreme). Write it on the calendar each day. If you go for 10 days to two weeks with an average of seven or eight, it is time to consult a professional. “Don’t wait too long,” says Emerson. “Depression can worsen over time. Many treatments are fairly short and can get you back on your feet quickly.”


If signs of depression appear in a family member, friend or co-worker, Whiteside recommends talking with them and encouraging them to seek help if depression persists or worsens. He also points out that the holiday season begins in the fall and this can have a major impact on depression if a person has experienced the death of a family member, close friend or a pet.


“Seeking professional help is an increasingly common practice and people should not feel anxious about seeing a psychologist for psychotherapy or taking medication for depression if it’s needed. The most important thing is to connect with a professional who can help you restore emotional balance, peace and happiness to your life,” Whiteside says.



Courtesy of ARAcontent

Where Is Your Attention Going?

Where your attention goes, you go. - Gary Zukav

It's The Little Things.....

"It's the little things you do that make the big things happen." - Michael Dooley

Your Potential

"All of us are born musicians. Many of us pass off this earthly scene, however, with much of our beautiful music still buried deep in side of us, unplayed and unsung. Don't let that happen to you. Like a geode, open yourself up and let all that latent potential shine." - Grant M. Bright

Lean in The Right Direction and Keep Leaning!

If you lean in the direction of success, you will make progress even when you fall. - Grant M. Bright

Forget Injuries.....

"Forget injuries, never forget kindness" - Confucious

A Telling Sign of Alchoholism and Drug Addiction

A Telling Sign of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
By Carl-Peter Lehmann

If you want to know if you or a loved-one is indeed an alcoholic or drug addict - it's important that you know what the drug addiction signs and alcoholism symptoms are.

Now I could give you a whole list of bulleted signs here, but I'm not going to do that (if you want that feel free to visit my website) - because rather than give you a whole bunch of symptoms, I want to give you what I believe is the most telling one.

Most people think alcoholism or drug addiction is a function of how much you drink or how often you use drugs. I don't think that's the case however.

It will of course be obvious to you at certain times that a person is suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction. A drug addict for example will be so advanced in their addiction that their life simply revolves around their habit and doing anything else is almost impossible.

Similarly the alcoholic will be so far down the road with their alcoholism that they don't have a life anymore - it's totally fallen apart - relationships, job, practically everything.

However, many suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction, aren't that advanced yet with their addiction. Therefore you want to recognise the symptoms of drug addiction and alcoholism early.

So the most important sign of alcoholism or drug addiction - is that your life starts to become effected by your using or drinking - and that you are increasingly struggling to cope with things on a daily basis.

You begin to become more preoccupied about your next drink or when you'll use again, relationships begin to suffer, everyday stuff like work becomes more of a struggle - and so drinking or taking drugs becomes an emotional comfort that feels like it helps you manage better.

The problem is, that it is usually difficult to pick up on this alcoholism or drug addiction symptom, because it happens quickly and if often subtle. Denial usually prevents you seeing what is happening in your own case unless you are able to be really honest with yourself - or if it's a person you care about, look out for changes in attitude, behaviour or mood.

There are numerous alcoholism symptoms are drug addiction signs - but if you can pick up on this one and hopefully catch it early - a successful recovery will be far easier.

For additional Info and Advice, visit Carl-Peter's website. So if you think you or someone you care about may be showing Symptoms of Drug Addiction, try this Drug Addiction Symptoms Test. For Alcoholism Symptoms, try this Alcoholism Test. Plus you can Download his Free Book on Addictions by clicking on either of the links and visiting his website.

Look Backward But For Just A While

To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward. - Margaret Fairless Barber, The Roadmender

Napoleon Hill About the Three P's

“Persistence and patience, perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success” -Napoleon Hill

Never Be In a Hurry

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. - St Francis de Sales

Where You'll Meet More Angels

You'll meet more angels on a winding path than on a straight one. - Daisey Verlaef

Most of The Trouble in The World is.....

Most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important. - T.S. Eliot

Chaos-George Santayana

Chaos is a name for any order that produces confusion in our minds. - George Santayana

Youth Is...

Youth is like spring, an over praised season more remarkable for biting winds than genial breezes. Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits. - Samuel Butler

What's Worse?

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. - Theodore Roosevelt

Rejoice In Another's Prosperity!

To rejoice in another's prosperity, is to give content to your own lot: to mitigate another's grief, is to alleviate or dispel your own. - Thomas Edwards

Plenty of Opportunities Around-Just Focus

"No great man ever complains of want of opportunities" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Success - A Champion Succeeds Through Power Communicating

Success - A Champion Succeeds Through Power Communicating
By Mark Bowser

It has been said that public speaking is a fear worse than death for many people. Well, the truth is that we will not be as successful as we could be unless we improve our communication skills. In this article, we are going to explore some insights and action steps, which lead to more effective communication. The only way to really conquer a fear is to confront it and jump right in. With that in mind, let's get started.

1. Realize that communication may be the most important skill we can learn. We all need to be able to express our thoughts effectively. We are creatures of relationships. Relationships are very important to us. In order to make our relationships better we must make our communication better.

2. Guard our tongues. Sometimes the most important message is the one we never give. Have you ever said something and then wish we could take it back? I think all of us have. Controlling our tongues is one of the most important and most difficult communication challenges. In another chapter in this manual we go into more detail on how to accomplish this task.


3. Decide that communication is a priority. If something is a priority then what do we usually give it? ANSWER: Time and Commitment.

4. Talk with people not at them. Have you ever been talked DOWN to? How did it make you feel? How did you feel at that moment about the person talking to you? Not too good right? We need to talk WITH people. We need to make our communication conversational and user friendly. We need to ask ourselves, "How can I uplift this person as I express my thoughts and opinions?" This will help us communicate our messages in a more compassionate way. Even if we have to communicate some ugly message, compassion will see us through.

5. Have an open door policy. We must make time for people. If we lived in President Lincoln's day and wanted to speak with the president all we would have to do is walk in the White House and sit outside his door. When he came out, we would be able to speak with him. We need to do the same thing. If it worked for the president, it will work for us. If at that moment it is not appropriate, then make an appointment with them.

6. Understand what Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc. believe when they say, "Communication is built on trusting relationships." If people don't trust us, then why would they listen to us?

7. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Speakers USA, Inc. was a national speakers association, which helped train me. They used to tell us that if we want a talk/presentation to look impromptu then make sure it is not. In other words do your homework and practice, practice, prepare, prepare, prepare.

8. Don't give a public presentation/talk unless you are passionate and knowledgeable about the topic. If we are not passionate about the topic then it will come across flat and boring. If we are not knowledgeable about the topic then our credibility will drop.

9. Make sure your body language, tone of voice, and message are congruent.

Suppose I came up to you and said in a very gruff tone, "Sure, I would love to have the boss over for dinner!" Do you think I really want the boss to come over for dinner? You don't think so? Why? ANSWER: Because I wouldn't be congruent. When we aren't congruent in every way, then we give mixed messages to our listeners.

10. Have patience. Communication, particularly public communication, is not easy. Be patient with yourself. You won't become an expert overnight. Keep practicing and keep improving.

11. Look for the benefit of our differences. We need to constantly remind ourselves that different doesn't necessarily mean wrong.

12. If agreement cannot be made then agree to disagree. A great way to keep the peace.

13. Keep your cool when someone improperly states something. They may not be trying to insult you. Have you ever thought you were being insulted but were not sure? Instead of reactively attacking back, just wait. They may have just said something in an awkward fashion. Don't jump to conclusions. Believe me, if they were actually trying to insult you and they thought you didn't get it, they will insult you again. And if they were insulting you then just simply tell them that you don't appreciate it and that you forgive them.

14. Always try to part on a positive upbeat ending. Nobody likes to leave with a sour attitude in his/her stomach. Always try to make peace before you end a conversation.

15. Loyalty many times comes from private conversations. Build trust by keeping confidences.

16. Use stories to illustrate your points. Jesus Christ always used stories when He taught the crowds. Abraham Lincoln believed in stories too. Lincoln said, "They say I tell a great many stories. I reckon I do; but I have learned from long experience that plain people, take them as they run, are more easily influenced through the medium of a broad and humorous illustration than in any other way...." REMEMBER: ALWAYS HAVE A POINT TO YOUR STORY.

17. Learn to speak off the cuff (extemporaneously). Lincoln said, "Extemporaneously speaking should be practiced and cultivated. It is the lawyer's avenue to the public. However able and faithful he may be in other respects, people are slow to bring him business if he cannot make a speech." One way to practice this is to grab your local paper and read a few headlines. Practice speaking on those topics for 1-2 minutes for each topic.

18. Join a Toastmasters club. Toastmasters International is an international speaking club designed to help people of all walks of life become more effective communicators and thus more successful. I was a member of Toastmasters for years and I really enjoyed and benefited from the experience.

19. Remember, we don't have to make a long speech in order to be effective. Just say what needs to be said and then stop talking. I remind you of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

20. Use Millard Bennett's 30-10 Power Formula. What is the 30-10 Power Formula? First you read for 30 minutes everyday in whatever area you want to develop yourself in. This will build up your knowledge base. Of that 30 minutes, read out loud for 10 minutes. Reading out loud will improve your communication skills. It will improve your pronunciation, voice inflections, stamina, etc.... Of that 10 minutes, read part of it in a whisper, maybe a minute or two. Reading in a whisper will eliminate all those um, ahh, and all those other verbal fillers. This formula is one of the simplest formulas to practice but one of the most powerful. Try it for a month and see what you think.


21. Understand that an inspiring talk can change the face of an organization, nation, family, or an entire world. I remind you of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, JFK's challenge to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade, and Reagan's "Mr. Gorbachov tear down this wall." I am convinced that if you really practice and work on these 21 steps you will become a POWER COMMUNICATOR and a greater success. Make it happen and have fun.


I would now like to invite you to receive my seminar "The Keys to Empowered Leadership" on MP3 download FREE when you sign up for our Free Take Action Sales Newsletter. You can register at Sales Training. From Mark Bowser of http://www.MarkBowser.com Thanks for reading today.

Optimist or Pessimist?

An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity. - Winston Churchill

Life is Too Short to Be Little!

Life is too short to be little. Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly, and expresses himself with frankness and with fervor. - Benjamin Disraeli

Faith Is To Believe.....

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe. - Saint Augustine

Doing is .....

"Doing is a quantum leap from imagining." - Barbara Sher

Finding Time Through Effective To-Do Lists - 3 Myths and 3 Tips

Finding Time Through Effective To-Do Lists - 3 Myths and 3 Tips
By Paula Eder

Finding time is like finding treasure, right? The next question is how to spend it!

If time is money, then to-do lists are the smart budgets that ensure you pay your bills and still have cash left over for that special something. They're powerful and they'll work for you. If you hate them, lose them or never even start them, learn how to use them to your advantage.
It's easy, once you've decided you want to use your time well and will do whatever's necessary. Here are 3 common To-Do Lists Myths and 3 Tips to dispel those myths with Effective To-do Lists.

To-Do List Myth #1: "To-do lists don't work."

Reality: Effective To-do Lists are extremely successful if you construct them well and follow them! Make sure you construct to-do lists as realistic plans that align with your values. Then they're like mini-navigation systems, guiding you through your day and keeping you on track.

To-Do List Myth #2: "To-do lists will just make me feel rotten (or guilty or overwhelmed) at the end of the day."

Reality: Effective To-do Lists will make you feel powerful and accomplished at the end of the day! The secret? Make them short. Only put on what you can realistically do and are motivated to do. If a project can't get done today, don't put it on today's list. Or only enter the small portion you can accomplish. Anything else goes onto your weekly or monthly list, in doable chunks!

To-Do List Myth #3: "To-do lists will just remind me of what I hate in my life or what I'll never be able to get around to doing anyway."

Reality: If making Effective To-do Lists helps you face what you dislike and identify what you want and never find time for, that's a benefit. Examine what you have identified as necessary. If it's truly necessary, then clarify why you value it. Don't waste your time resenting it. If it's not necessary, omit it. If you feel a pang over a valued activity you never get around to, commit to reworking your time choices!

For reinforcement, print this out and post it prominently. Make Effective To-do Lists. Learn to plan and accomplish tasks in manageable increments.

You'll love how Effective To-do Lists help you find time!

What is your next step to make the very most of your time?

You will find expert guidance quickly with our free, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips. You are invited to sign up at http://www.findingtime.net/ezine.html

Each short Finding Time Tip is paired with a practical action step that you can use immediately to enhance your time effectiveness. As a bonus, you'll also receive our free, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time Ezine where we discuss the role of time in our lives.

And for even more time thoughts and techniques, visit our blog at http://www.thetimefinder.com

Offered by Paula Eder, Ph.D. The Time Finder.

Living Up to Others Expectations?

I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations and you're not in this world to live up to mine. - Bruce Lee

Recipes and Grandmothers

If God had intended us to follow recipes,He wouldn't have given us grandmothers. - Linda Henley

Are You Planning to Ding The Universe? If Not-Why?

"I want to put a ding in the universe." - Steve Jobs

Mahatma Gandhi Quote

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission." - Mahatma Gandhi

Be Polite to All But...

“Be polite to all, but intimate with few.” - Thomas Jefferson

Security vs Opportunity

"There is no security on this earth. Only opportunity." - Douglas MacArthur

Ansel Adams

Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter. - Ansel Adams

Isaac Newton on "Tact"

Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy. - Sir Isaac Newton

Groucho!

"I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.” - Groucho Marx

Sophia Loren: Getting Ahead in a Difficult Profession

"Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent." - Sophia Loren

Character

The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can't fight back. - Abigail Van Buren

10 Motivational Quotes That Will Make You Unforgettable

10 Motivational Quotes That Will Make You Unforgettable
By James Sale

AND I QUOTE...

Have you ever wished you could quote from memory one or two awesome motivating quotes that would blow your audience away?

Everyone can remember a great quote can't they? They can enhance a talk or presentation big time, and even better, will stick in the memory banks of your audience, which means you, the speaker will be remembered.

Because I'm in the motivational game, I use memorable quotes from famous motivational figures throughout history to sum up key points I'm making whilst training or delivering a talk. It's a great way of succinctly summing up a point with just a few well-chosen words.

Like nursery rhymes and song lyrics, famous quotes can be easily committed to memory, and are really useful for supporting a point during a presentation, or simply even impressing your boss.

Here are 10 of my most effective memorable quotes:-

1. The secret of all success lies in the organisation of the non-obvious. - Marcus Aurelius

2. All man's evil comes from a single cause, his inability to sit still in a room. - Pascal

3. That man who has no faith in himself can never have faith in God. - Vivekananda

4. If we do not believe in ourselves - neither in our efficacy nor in our goodness - the universe is a frightening place. - Dr. Nathaniel Branden

5. Always bear in mind that your own determination to succeed is more important than any other one thing. - Abraham Lincoln

6. It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about a series of problems and decide I must tell the Pope about it; then I wake up completely and remember, I am the Pope! - Pope John 23rd

7. People perform at their best when contributing their talents to something they believe in. - David McNally

8. Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein

9. Things do not change; we change. - Henry Thoreau

10. Impressive...most impressive. - Darth Vader (always end with a bit of fun).

As well as providing highly effective motivational mentoring for business leaders and their employees, Motivational Maps® Ltd also offer ground breaking solutions for:

- Boosting employee motivation.

- Curing staff retention challenges.

- Maximising staff performance.

For more information about Motivational Maps®: -

- Call James Sale: +44 (0) 1202 393660

- Visit our website: http://www.motivationalmaps.com

- Or email me: info@motivationalmaps.com

The Entrepreneur's Prayer

The Entrepreneur’s Prayer

As I awaken with the gift of yet another day and prepare for the tasks at hand, I offer up this most ardent prayer:

I pray for continued clarity of purpose so that I may hold my vision steady and keep my focus on the needs and success of others, which in turn shall bring me my success.

I pray for the wisdom to expect abundance in my life, that it surrounds me and is available for the taking and to be shameless and unapologetic upon its receipt, for I deserve abundance.

I pray for a cheerful countenance, be it clear or cloudy skies and that I may radiate and infect others with my positive attitude.I pray for the trust of others that they may recognize my sincerity and true intentions so that we may move forward together.

I pray for the strength to fend off adversity and use my desire and determination as both weapon and shield.

I pray for the courage to carry forth my convictions during the battle of business and to resist temptation to a quicker monetary result when such temptation compromises these things for which I stand.

I pray that I may be used as a lightning rod to collect the amazing ideas already present in the universe and when blessed with such inspiration, that I may be able to apply my talents and abilities to turn the power of thought into measurable advancement of my goals.

I pray to retain my childhood wonder so that I can recognize and revel in the small miracles of each day that others may miss.

I pray for an infinite supply of self-confidence for it alone fortifies faith, strengthens my resolve and conquers the largest enemy I will ever face - fear.

I pray for a compassionate spirit and the patience to offer those who seek my advice and my help, my full and undivided attention.

I pray for good health and a feeling of well being, and the continued desire to improve those areas of my physical life I may be neglecting in the name of my spiritual and entrepreneurial advancement.I pray that today is a day of excellence and at its conclusion I can acknowledge and be grateful for the forward motion I have made and the growth I have experienced.

I pray most of all for the understanding and support of those closest to my heart, my family, that they will equate what may seem like endless hours of apparent pre-occupation with affairs of business to what is at the very core of my being, that which drives me, for once I achieve what I have set out in its fullest, I will become that more complete being I strive to be.It is for these things that I pray, for I am an entrepreneur.

© Rick Beneteau

Brevity

"If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more thought." - Dennis Roth

What We Do In Life.....

What we do in life echoes in eternity. - "Maximus" from the film "Gladiator"

The Brave

"Fortune and love favour the brave." - Ovid

First Say To Yourself...

First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. - Epictetus

Expectations

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian. - Dennis Wholey

To Hell With Circumstances...

"To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities." - Bruce Lee

Doubt - Changing Our Way Of Thinking Into Productivity When Faced With Doubt

Doubt - Changing Our Way Of Thinking Into Productivity When Faced With Doubt
By Donna Marie Laino

"Doubt, of whatever kind, can be ended by action alone." Thomas Carlyle, Philosopher and Author

Doubt can really bring you down and stop you in your tracks. It can stop you for a long period of time and sometimes for good.

Have you ever wanted to do something and then never do it or stopped before it was done because you doubted yourself? Perhaps someone said something to you and then you felt like something just zapped all the energy for that goal or project right out of you?

The balloon of your dreams, your vision, or your pride just was deflated.

Many times this happens in our lives. Many times the words of other people who just do not understand or may be even jealous get in our way.

It immobilizes us.

Fear takes over and we just stop.

There goes our dreams, hopes for a better future and a disappointment to family, friends, and ourselves settles in.

There is good news for this dilemma. It is simple and direct.

Just start.

Take action and move toward the goal instead of moving away from it. Most people do not even realize that this simple step will change their lives forever.

Here are some things to remember:

• Doubt will turn to fear instantly if you let it
  
• Fear will paralyze you if you let it
  
• The head chatter or what other people say does not matter
  
• Write your goal and read it several times a day
  
• Write the steps needed to achieve your goal
  
• Keep a vision board and see it several times a day
  
• Take action

Doubt in its true form will feed into a disbelief system, which will always cause hesitation and even an abandonment of a worthy ideal. Like the Nike sneaker ad says, "Just do it!"

And now you are invited to receive 3 free body/mind/spirit tips on boosting your immune system at http://www.creatingbalanceinyourlife.com . You can visit Donna Marie's humor blog at: http://www.healingwithhumor.blogspot.com

Donna Marie Laino is a nurse, humorist, motivational speaker and success coach. She also uses humor as a holistic practitioner and Certified Laughter Leader to deal with life stress and health.

Growth = Life

"Growth is the only evidence of life." - John Henry Newman

Geniuses

I am convinced all of humanity is born with more gifts than we know. Most are born geniuses and just get de-geniused rapidly. - Buckminster Fuller

Saving Yourself From Thinking?

There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking. - Alfred Korzybski

Calmly Except Your Lot...

Anyone who proposes to do good must not expect people to roll stones out of his way, but must accept his lot calmly if they even roll a few more upon it. - Albert Schweitzer

The Secret to Overcoming the Five Biggest Time Wasters of All
By Ruth Klein

The time you waste will drain you of your energies and your profits in this high-charged era of work and life. Here's how to take fast action to overcome the five top ways we waste our time.

TIME WASTER #1: CHECKING YOUR EMAIL FIRST

Why? Checking your e-mail the very first thing in the morning takes you off track. The nature of those e-mails also may serve to increase your anxiety and stress.

ACTION PLAN:

Check your e-mail an hour or more AFTER you start your day to keep you on track. At that point, you'll be well into your Action Items and can more easily prioritize those emails into your day's plan.

TIME WASTER #2: KEEPING YOUR CELL PHONE ON 24/7

Why? The more often you answer your cell phone or check to see who has called during your day, the more behind you become at work.

ACTION PLAN:

Keep your cell phone off during the day, checking it only at a scheduled time you control, to get back your working plan. Ditto for the weekends, so that you can truly relax.

TIME WASTER #3: STAYING BUSY DOING, BUT NOT PLANNING

Why? Staying busy, but not devoting time to thinking and planning, can leave you feeling disorganized and out of control, and bring your stress levels to the boiling point.

ACTION PLAN:

Schedule at least 5-10 minutes each day to STOP, THINK, PLAN and then EXECUTE. When you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself, "What is the Best Use of My Time Right Now?" Write it down and then stick with your written plan.

TIME WASTER #4: LEAVING NO TIME FOR EXERCISE

Why? Exercise provides oxygen to you brain to help you think more clearly and more creatively. Leaving no time for exercise drains your brainpower, as well as your energies.

ACTION PLAN:

Deep Breath. Exercise. Deep Breath. Stretch. Deep Breath. Take a quick walk. Schedule time each day to exercise, and leave your cell phone off to avoid interruptions.

TIME WASTER #5: WORKING AGAINST YOUR NATURAL ENERGY LEVEL

Why? If you're not taking advantage of your PEAK ENERGY TIME, you are wasting time and energy.

ACTION PLAN:

If you're a morning person, then that's your peak energy time. If it's afternoons, then afternoon's are your peak energy time. Do those activities that require the most concentration during whichever peak energy time is your preference. That is when you feel most energized. Do low-energy tasks at other times.

Always appreciate fresh new marketing and branding tips to drive your business several steps forward? Tap Ruth Klein's expertise at trend tracking, time saving advice with advice that can grow your business. http://tinyurl.com/2dopf6

Do The Smallest Things Make You Angry?

If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size? - Sydney J. Harris

Edwin Louis Cole Quote

God authors desires in your heart, then fulfills His Will by enabling you to realize those desires. - Edwin Louis Cole

Help Return Them To Their Right Minds

May we not succumb to thoughts of violence and revenge today, but rather to thoughts of mercy and compassion. We are to love our enemies that they might be returned to their right minds. - Marianne Williamson

Mental Stability

"Remember above all that mental stability comes by examining the contents of the mind, not by avoidence.” - Vernon Howard

Ahh, Twilight!

“Twilight: A time of pause when nature changes her guard. All living things would fade and die from too much light or too much dark, if twilight were not.” - Howard Thurman

Your Own Fears

“Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are your own fears” - Rudyard Kipling

Sheep and Wolves

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves. - Edward R. Murrow

Money is Like Manure...

Money is like manure; it's not worth a thing unless it's spread around encouraging young things to grow. - Thornton Wilder from "The Matchmaker"

Creating The World That Could Be

As we become purer channels for God's light, we develop an appetite for the sweetness that is possible in this world. A miracle worker is not geared toward fighting the world that is, but toward creating the world that could be. - Marianne Williamson

One Moment of Patience

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

Our Finest Moments

The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers. - M. Scott Peck

Wearing Chains?

"We forge the chains we wear in life." - Charles Dickens

Be More Creative - 7 Ways You're Choking Your Creativity - And What To Do Instead

Be More Creative - 7 Ways You're Choking Your Creativity - And What To Do Instead
By Dan Goodwin

Often, it doesn't matter how much you're doing to try to be more creative, if you're constantly sabotaging and choking our creativity on a number of different fronts. Here are 7 of the most common ways you may be choking YOUR creativity, and what you can do instead:

1. You don't create regularly.

When you create erratically, you never give yourself the chance to get into the flow and the habit of creating. By creating for a minimum amount at the same time everyday, you give your creativity permission to be creative and send the clear message that creating is something that is a priority and of great importance to you. Your creativity responds and flows like never before.

2. You don't capture your ideas.

When it feels like you never have any good ideas, what's actually happening is you never record your ideas and forget them as quickly as they came. Use an Ideas Journal - simply a small pocket notebook to jot your ideas down when they appear - and soon you'll have more ideas than you can capture!

3. You don't acknowledge you creative strengths.

We're each unique in our creative strengths, so rather than focusing on what you feel you lack, recognise and celebrate your creative strengths. What would a good friend of yours say if they were asked what your biggest creative strengths were? Write them all down and make the most of them.

4. You let your inner critic have the last word.

We all have negative voices in our heads telling us we're not good enough, or we have no talent. You have the choice whether to be dictated to by these kind of thoughts or whether to tune them out as background noise and carry on creating the best you can create anyway.

5. You intimidate yourself with too many materials.

A classic cause of getting stuck creatively is to simply give yourself too many options then get completely overwhelmed. Set a few simple boundaries in the form, size, style, theme and so on of what you're going to create. When your creativity has a few edges to push against, it can really be at its resourceful best.

6. You've lost touch with why you create.

When creating has been a struggle for some time, and you only have negative associations with creating, it's easy to get demoralised. Spend time getting back to why you create, and remembering what it is that creating gives you that nothing else can.

7. You forget you always have a choice.

In every part of creating, you have a choice, though it's easy to forget. You can choose to make time each day to create, you can choose to acknowledge creativity as the important element in your life it is, and you can choose to give yourself permission to be as creative as you can possible be. Choose creativity!

Which of these resonate most for you? What steps can you take today to loosen that stranglehold and let your creativity breathe freely again?

Take the next step to increase your creativity today by getting your copy of Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin's powerful and practical "Explode Your Creativity!" Action Workbook. It's FREE when you sign up to the FREE twice monthly ezine "Create Create!" at

http://www.CoachCreative.com/createcreate3

For A Life Worthwhile Crave Victory And Defeat!

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt (From a speech given in Paris at the Sorbonne in 1910)

No Hope?

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. - Dale Carnegie

Are You Satisfied With "Good"?

"Good is the Enemy of Great." - 18th century French philosopher Voltaire

Remember-When a Friend Is In Trouble That...

The Bible says that “A faithful friend is the medicine of life and immortality”

Seeking Approval From Others

“To seek approval is to have no resting place, no sanctuary. Like all judgment, approval encourages a constant striving. It makes us uncertain of who we are and of our true value. Approval cannot be trusted. It can be withdrawn at any time no matter what our track record has been. It is as nourishing of real growth as cotton candy. Yet many of us spend our lives pursuing it.” - Rachel Naomi Remen

Ideas Attract...

"Ideas attract money, time, talents, skills, energy and other complementary ideas that will bring them into reality." - Victor Mark Hansen

Men Are Like Steel...

Men are like steel. When they lose their temper, they lose their worth. - Chuck Norris

Extending Love Now?

“We are not held back by the love we didn't receive in the past, but by the love we're not extending in the present.” - Marianne Williamson

Avoid and Prolong

To avoid sickness eat less; to prolong life worry less. - Chu Hui Weng

Laughs and Sleep

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. - Irish Proverb

Decisions

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

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come. - Victor Hugo

Beauty

I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains. - Anne Frank, "The Diary of a Young Girl"

Confucius Say...

To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it. - Confucius

Marlene Dietrich Quote

“Once a woman has forgiven a man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast” - Marlene Dietrich

Has Your Ship Come In Yet?

If your ship hasn't come in-swim out to meet it! - Jonathan Winters

Risk!

“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.”- Leo Buscaglia

The Supreme Accomplishment

"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play."- Arnold Joseph Toynbee

Self-Respect

Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself. - Abraham J. Heschel

Get and Give

You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give. - Wintson Churchill

Big Ideas - How To Have Them

Big Ideas - How To Have Them
By Steven Gillman

The search for big ideas starts with big questions. What's the basis of spirituality? Why can't people motivate themselves to do what they really need to do? Is there a better way to organize a city? Do we always need to understand a problem to solve it?

To generate big ideas, then, whether for a book you're writing, an essay, a discussion, or just for your own intellectual entertainment, start with powerful questions. Ask how things might be different. Questions that seem silly are okay too, as long as they are "big" questions like, "What if there were no wars?" or "What if cities had no streets or cars?" The "what if" questions are some of the best.

Big Ideas Come From Challenging Premises

Of the many specific idea-creation and problem-solving techniques that can yield new and big ideas, one of the simplest and most profound is to challenge existing premises. For an example, let's look at the licensing of doctors by governments and how it affects people's perceptions.

Licensing is a widely accepted idea which requires a minimum standard that is primarily measured in terms of education and training. Despite not measuring performance, licensing leads the public to think it means safety. People will typically spend more time researching which stereo to buy than which doctors to go to. This complacency comes from the premise that doctors are licensed and so are roughly equally safe.

Now, for some types of heart operations a given doctor might have one-in-a-thousand patients die on the operating table, while another has four fatalities. You are four times as likely to die with the second doctor, a fact not published anywhere, since his having a "license" is supposedly all you need to know. Well what about a system of ratings that tracks the real achievements and statistics of doctors and makes the information publicly available?

Then you could to pay according to the doctors skill. This may offend doctors with lower performance scores, and the first reaction of many is that they just don't want the four-deaths-in-a-thousand doctor at any price. Of course there will always be better and worse doctors in any system, and there is no way for the best doctor to treat everyone, so doesn't it make sense to pay less for lower quality?

What big ideas might come from challenging the idea of jobs? Could we all be self employed somehow? Are there advantages to this? How about the premise that lying is bad? Can a rule be found for when lying is a morally good thing? What about "punishing" those who commit crimes. Can we have a safer system by challenging this premise?

Creative Combining

An entertaining and effective way to generate new ideas is to combine ideas. Combine "car" and "kitchen," and you get a "mobile restaurant," for example. To use this technique for generating big ideas, you just start with at least one "bigger" concept.

The "free bonus" idea from marketing and "virtue" from morality might result in a better way to promote virtue. With products the perceived value is higher due to the addition of bonuses. Could you "sell" virtue by increasing the perceived value in a similar way? We're so trained to respond to the word "free," that this might translate directly. Nevermind a boring book on morality. Have a catalog of virtues, and after making a case for honesty, add, "Free bonus - buy this virtue today and get a better reputation, which translates into more success in business." The fact that we "pay" with effort rather than money in this case may not matter. The bigger, more general idea here is that maybe virtue needs to be "marketed" better.

What else could you combine to generate ideas? Love and business, childhood and spiritual growth, survival of the fittest and ideologies, and on and on. You could even combine the concept of "art" with "big ideas," to see where that leads.

Copyright Steve Gillman. For inventions, new product ideas, business ideas, story ideas, political and economic theories, deep thoughts, and a free course on How To Have New Ideas, visit: http://www.999ideas.com

Our greatest glory

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Suffering Becomes Beautiful...

Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind. - Aristotle

Be a "How" Thinker

"The "how" thinker gets problems solved effectively because he wastes no time with futile "ifs" but goes right to work on the creative "how."" - Norman Vincent Peale

Wake Up To Your Dreams!

If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up. - J.M. Power