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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Can Anyone Learn How to Be Funny?

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Yes! There's a myth going around which says humor can't be studied--you need to be born naturally funny. It's something you either know or you don't. Everyone else says just by watching witty things, like watching funny YouTube videos or reading funny articles or blog posts or watching funny TV shows will make you become a witty person.
While beneficial, this isn't the case right?
Consider if this applied to other skills in life. Do you learn how to draw simply by visiting an art gallery and taking a look at the paintings? Or learn how to play the guitar by listening to a guitar solo? This logic clearly doesn't apply for these talents, and that's why it doesn't make any sense when you're thinking of figuring out how to be funny either. Just understanding what's funny doesn't necessarily make you funny.
People today who have attempted to be funny by making a joke and receive unfavorable feedback have it far worse. You make a joke, nobody laughs, and then you get that sinking, humiliating feeling inside. It makes you not want to try making a joke ever again.
Sharing funny pictures or images that you found online doesn't make you funny--it just shows that you have a sense of humor. But developing your own humor and developing your very own one-of-a-kind content just from your own way of life or imagination involves skill. And that skill can be learned.
One thing you can do that can help cultivate your funny, charming personality is by paying attention to your environment. Seems strange, but listen for a second. Rather than spotting a tree while you're going for a walk, make note of the details about the tree. What color is it? Do you notice many trees around or is it just by itself? Is there anything unusual about the tree? Think about the leaves; are there a lot or just a little? What shade are the leaves?
When you start paying attention to all the details, big or small, good ideas arise. This is called the baseline, which is essentially the factual information you've got to work with. The greater your baseline, the more you are able to explore your ideas. If all you saw was just "tree" then your entire baseline is very limited, and you'll have almost nothing to build from there. The baseline acts as the basic foundation and the more you have to work with, the better.
The next step you can do is to get started in thinking about strange or interesting observations you may make about any details you can note within your baseline. Is there something funny about the tree? Would you relate it to something different in your life? Does it seem like something you recognize elsewhere? That's usually where you got to stretch your imagination--a lot of us don't really think creatively enough and trying to think of interesting topics to talk about or compare things to will take time for you to cultivate. But this is how the process works--you don't become witty by saying mundane things.
The final thing to do is reduce: nearly every joke benefits from being shorter. The shorter the better, since the longer you force people to pay attention to what you've said to be able to get the joke, the more difficult it becomes to actually be funny. The best jokes are one-liners for a simple reason: they are straight and to the point. Jokes with a back-story can also work, particularly if it's in written form, but can you think about telling a joke with a back-story within a conversation? It requires the audience to keep in mind so many details to appreciate the reason why it's funny, and you risk dropping their attention while you give them the details they need to understand the joke.
Make it easy for your audience with easy to understand material and make it funny without making it too lengthy and you'll find yourself expressing your natural funny, enchanting character almost instantly.
If you want to learn more humor techniques and how to be funny, visit Social Humor Butterfly at http://www.socialhumorbutterfly.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kyle_Vance

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Sunday, February 26, 2012

Take a Day to Change Your Life

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You've got some things in your life you'd like to change. Maybe they are major and maybe you consider them minor changes, but either way you've been wanting to live your life differently in some ways and you just haven't seemed to be able to actually make any changes that stick. Perhaps you're in a bit of a rut or you're too occupied with just getting through each day to attend to your personal needs. What you need is one single day devoted to you and your focus to change your life - in slight or significant ways.
Of course there is planning involved, as there is with anything of importance. You need to start by planning the date. Will you take a sick day or devote a non-working day to this endeavor? Do you need to take into account some travel time - just so you don't fall into the trap of doing things and going places that you are already used to. Do you want to plan a 'rain date' if you're planning activities that take you outside? (which you should be doing.) Make sure you have at least 8-10 hours of the day to fully give yourself the time for various activities that engage your true spirit.
Next to plan is what you will do with your day. I can't give you a step-by-step rundown of what you should do and how long you should take for each aspect, as I don't know what the ideal activities are for you. You know best and even if you don't get it figured out by the end of this article, I have faith that you will figure it out on the day or by the date you are planning for. What I will give you is some ideas and a bit of background on what you may want to do to make that internal shift to be able to define and establish the changes you need to make.
Your day of change is a time to not do anything that you regularly do. You will be filling the day with things that you've wanted to do but haven't found the time or initiative. It's only a day though, so choose wisely! Have you want to stroll around an art gallery? explore a historical location? spend some time in a certain natural setting? visit a zoo or other animal conservatory? You should try to fit a few different activities like this in your day to give you a range of experiences to grow from. You want to provide yourself the start to some paradigm shifting so you can get a feel for what is valuable in your life.
What about some physical changes? Nothing helps you get out of a rut like new clothing or a new hairstyle. These are activities that are only effective for your day of change if it's a somewhat drastic change. This day is not for shopping for the fun of it and getting your hair trimmed up for a good time at the salon. A new look will help you by being a reminder of the changes you want to ease into and looking at your life, and your physical self, in a new way.
Your life-changing day will be the day to nurture your mind, body and soul with time alone, new experiences and an open mind to the possibilities. You should be spending time in nature, providing yourself time to write down your assessment of the changes you want to make, experiencing creative nourishment and experiencing all of this in solitude. A little human contact is OK, but this is a day to connect with yourself and your creator to develop a game plan for the rest of your life - or at least a focus for the next few years. Change doesn't happen overnight or in a day, but taking a whole day to really focus on your purpose in this life will be the catalyst to making those changes for a satisfying and meaningful life that is a blessing to you and all those around you.
Stephanie's connection to spirituality through nature and its life enhancing gifts has been the inspiration to help others connect to their spirituality. To discover ways to empower yourself and enhance your mind, body and spirit visit Spiritual Life Balance
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Morrison

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Friday, February 24, 2012

5 Tips for Dealing With Failure

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"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
- Thomas Edison
Imagine if Thomas Edison had given in to failure...we would still be living in darkness. If Henry Ford had given up we would still be riding on horseback...if Michael Jordan had hung his boots up...Nike would have been just another sports brand.
If you look back at all of the most inspirational innovators, sportsman, geniuses & icons throughout history they all share a common thread - they simply don't believe in failure.
"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." Winston Churchill
"Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely." Henry Ford
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Michael Jordan
Successful people understand that failure is a pre-requisite for success and the sooner you buy into that the quicker you'll reach personal success & happiness. Each failure you make is one step closer to success - as long as you learn from your mistakes of course! The definition of insanity is 'to do the same things over and over again and expect change'. So it's not good enough to simply keep failing at the same things - the purpose of failure is to become more wise through experience and only by learning what doesn't work, can we learn what does work.
Simple Life Strategy: 5 Tips for Dealing with Failure:
1. Reframe your situation - there will always be a worse off situation that you can think of and this will make you immediately feel better ("At least X didn't happen")
2. Analyse why you failed and how you can take these learnings forward to bring you one step closer to your goals (don't focus on 'failing' - focus on what you would have changed)
3. Always ask for feedback - and don't think of it as criticism - but invaluable information to help you succeed and move forward
4. Don't make the mistake of judging yourself negatively based on your actions. Just because you have taken action that has failed - doesn't mean you are a failure. You are not your work. This is simply one aspect of who you are.
5. Success is judged not on how quickly you succeed but how quickly you recover, so pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going. As Confucious said:
"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail."
So model your great ancestors and learn to love failure!
This article originally appeared on Simple Life Strategies.
Zoe B is a Life Strategist and the founder of the Simple Life Strategies blog.
Access more free Simple Life Strategies here: http://www.simplelifestrategies.com
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Success: Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?

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What's holding you back from achieving your full potential? My bet is on YOU!
They say that you can achieve whatever you want in life but that doesn't mean you can just wish for it and it will magically happen. Ultimately, you are the one that makes it happen. You are the one that puts yourself in the way of opportunity and the one that seizes that opportunity and makes something of it. No-one else can do that for you.
In the same way, you are also the one that gets in your own way. Whether this is conscious or unconscious, you create your own obstacles and barriers to success. Don't despair though - if you have the power to create them you also have the power to break them down. Don't stand in your own way between failure and success.
Success may be a matter of perseverance and belief in yourself but it is also about commitment, using your time wisely and working in a focussed way towards your goals. Essentially you must be organised! You cannot achieve success or do great things when everything around you is chaotic - your environment is in a mess and your mind is cluttered. Despite excuses to the contrary "organised chaos" only works in a temporary situation. Living or working in a constant state of disorganisation or a state of perpetual chaos, is just that! CHAOTIC. No other word for it!
So what are the signs and symptoms of chaos? Try these few examples for a start:-
  • forever trying to find things
  • constantly forgetting things
  • making things up as you go along
  • duplication
  • often re-doing or having to fix things that weren't done properly the first time
  • making mistakes
  • getting easily distracted
  • leaving important things to the last minute
  • frequently missing deadlines
  • frequently apologising
  • living / working in a mess
  • forever fighting the clock
  • wasting time doing things that don't add any value
  • getting stressed
  • working longer hours but getting nowhere.
Well we've all been there to some degree but there's really no excuse. You end up just wasting your own time as well as everyone else's. And, you only have yourself to blame. This is definitely not the road to be on if you want to achieve success in your life.
If you value your time and want to get the most from it, then organisation is the key. You must be clear and decisive about what you want to achieve, using forethought and working to some sort of plan. Being organised and making efficient use of time allows you to work proactively rather than reactively. Your credibility is enhanced when people see you as being efficient and productive and you work better when you are organised and your mind is clear. Your results always speak for themselves.
If you see yourself in any of the behaviours listed above then its definitely time to stop and re-think. Our lives are demanding, it is hard to fit everything in. Change isn't always easy. But, what is the cost to your career, relationships and your life if you continue spiralling backwards?
Positive change is like compound interest - the more you put in the more you get out. Benefits are realised over time. It's not a one minute fix but it's all well worth it in the end.
Of course, organisation and time management are not the only determinants of success but they do provide a good foundation for helping you achieve your full potential.
So, do yourself and others a favour. Take control of your time now. You have the power to make the change. Take charge of your life now and reap the rewards.
I've seen the results of how getting a little organisation in your day can make major changes in your life. It's the difference between being a winner and a loser. Create lasting change in your life by making your time work better for you. Come and join other like minded people working to become more productive and successful in their lives. On my website http://www.getorganisedbeproductive.com you will find a comprehensive step by step program with valuable information to help guide you towards greater success and achievement.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lou_A_Quade

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Sunday, February 19, 2012

What Does Self Esteem Mean to You?

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Do you have high self esteem or low self esteem? Answering this question honesty can have a profound impact on your life.
But why does it matter so much?
Because self esteem is the ability to love yourself completely just the way you are. No exceptions. No rules. And no possible way of every turning back.
When you truly love and accept yourself for who you are on the inside it will start to affect your outside world in ways you probably can't even imagine right now.
But give it time and you will see a difference, a huge difference, not just emotionally but physically and mentally as well.
Have you ever taken the time to ask yourself the question, what is self esteem? We all know that self esteem is an internal job but it effects so much of our external world too.
Why?
Because true change happens within not without as the great spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle says.
However, in order to truly love yourself just as you are right NOW you MUST accept everything about yourself.
Yes everything! Your weight. Your looks. Your attitude. Your job. Your spouse. Your car. Your financial situation. Your emotional situation. Your kids.
I'm talking everything. Now you don't have to like it all, at least not yet anyways, you just have to accept it for how and what it is right NOW.
So if there's something you just can't, don't or won't accept YOU must change it then. Because that is what self esteem is - total acceptance of one's self.
Loving yourself and everything about you is the first step towards self esteem building and living a more richer, rewarding, fulfilling life.
DO what needs to be done. Say "I love and accept myself", out loud or at least to yourself 100 times a day.
BE the change you want to see in the world. Create real joy for yourself. You are worth the effort, you know. And also please know that no one else can or will do it for you. You must accept the responsible to change. Then you must act.
And remember you must BE before you can DO and you must DO before you can HAVE.
Start today by loving yourself for all that you are and all that you have and all that's yet to come. Take the time to figure out what self esteem is to you.
Because now it's your turn...what is self esteem to you?
Michelle Sears is the author of http://www.selfesteem-building.com a personal development website that is packed full of information that might just help you change your life. To find out more stop by her site and let her know if you liked what you saw or not. And please send any suggestions you may have. Michelle's site was created to help you build a deeper more loving relationship with yourself.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Sears

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Thursday, February 16, 2012

What to Do After a Big Loss

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It the day after the big game, the big deal (that didn't go through), the goal you didn't make, and you are heartbroken. You gave it everything you had, your very best, and it didn't go according to plan. I am sure you have been there. Waking up and facing another day, when you feel as though you've failed, is hard. You put your heart and soul into something. You were sure that this was going to be that big great "fill in the blank", and then, it doesn't happen. Perhaps I am the only one this has happened to, but I doubt it! Well, here is something to think about trying.
Many of us deal with failures on a daily basis. Although, we have periods of frustration, regret and sadness, life keeps moving. So here are a few steps you can try to get yourself back into step.
First, celebrate the fact that you made an attempt. Even when you don't win, at least you know you tried. You took some risks, and played the game, and that is enough of a reason for a celebration. Many people fail because they never even tried. You got in the race, and gave it your best.
Next, look at what you learned. There are lessons everywhere. There is an even greater lesson when you fail. Ask yourself some important questions. What would I change? What did I do well? What didn't I do enough of i.e. promoting, exercising, making more calls, etc? What didn't I know before, that I know now? Asking and answering these questions can be like digging in a gold mine, and what you learn you can implement next time.
Design a better strategy, take the information you learned and turn it into a better strategy. Information is power, but only if you actually use it. Take the information you learned and turn it into a strategy that you can use the next time around. For instance, if you didn't make your sales goal, figure out how many calls you made and be willing to double it, to get even greater results. Think out of the box with some new ideas, and take some more risks. If you are trying to lose weight, and you gained instead, make a list, go to the grocery store and be more strategic about what you buy. Make it hard for you to cheat, or if you didn't go to the gym and workout, make a target and don't just hit it, exceed it. A strong strategy makes a huge difference. Next time change your strategy to make winning easier.
Lastly, get back in the saddle and try again. Well armed, with this new information start again. Many people quit when they don't reach their goals. Realistically, since you have failed in the past you already know what doesn't work, so you are more likely to be able to figure out what does work. Get back up there and try again, this maybe your winner's circle moment. With all of the hard work you put in, and with all of the information you attained, this could be your time to shine. Remember quitters never win, and winners never quit! So choose to try again, and Go for it!
Aida Ingram, is the CEO of An Inspired You, an author, marketing strategist, and Business and Life Coach. She believes people should LIVE their legacy. She teaches people how to create lives, which honor their values,gifts and abilities, while creating wealth. She specializes in business development, marketing, and bringing creative ideas to market. Visit her website: http://www.aninspiredyou.com/home.html and look on Facebook at An Inspired You. Join her mailing list http://eepurl.com/h8Q0g for valuable tips.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aida_J_Ingram

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Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Tips to Handle Worry

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There are always new stressors, changes and unknowns that suck enjoyment out of our lives. The ability to channel your daily energy into productive tasks, instead of being siphoned off by the rumination, anxiety and depression that come with worry is key to living to your fullest potential. I would like to discuss a few strategies that I have found useful to stay productive and mitigate worry.
Stay Focused
Did you know that when your mind wanders, it has a better chance of bringing you a negative thought rather than a positive one? By simply keeping your mind focused on the present will go a long way to avoid unpleasant and unproductive thoughts. It is easier to keep your mind from wandering when you are involved in a project - especially an enjoyable one. Try to put yourself in those situations. When you cannot, try focusing on your surroundings. Take notice of life's details that often go overlooked such as the people and things around you. This will help keep your mind from wandering. Our feelings, both good and bad, are a direct result of what we think. You have complete control over our thoughts, so choose them wisely.
Today is What's Important
Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday. ~Author Unknown
Yesterday happened, tomorrow is not here yet, so all we really have is today. A common source of worry is using too much mental energy on the past or future. This is not to say that you should not plan for the future or take into consideration things from the past, but many of us spend too much time worrying about what has happened or what could happen. Try to take the unknowns of life and put them on the back burner of your mind, instead of actively trying to play out every scenario. You will be surprised about how many times answers will come to you when you are able to do this.
Three Step Strategy to Avoid Worry
He is something you can do right now to reduce worry. Most worry is caused by the fear of the unknown. Let me challenge you to do the following when faced with an anxiety provoking situation.
Step 1: Ask yourself, "What's the worst that can happen?" In other words, look for the worst case scenario of your current situation.
Step 2: Accept that the worst case scenario is going to happen.
Step 3: Prepare a plan to make the best of the worst case scenario.
Once you have done these steps, there is no need to let your mind ruminate over a situation of unknowns. You have already made a plan for the worst, anything else that happens is better than the situation for which you are already mentally prepared.
The next time you find yourself anxious, I encourage you to practice the techniques discussed in this article. Hopefully, it will get your mind off what is troubling you, keep you productive, happy and able to better deal with the life's worries.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Michael_Cantrell

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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

15 Questions to Boost Your Confidence Into Action Today!

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Photo: blog.redfin.com

Have you ever had a great idea, but you stopped before you even started?
Maybe you thought you weren't good enough, or that it was never going to work out, or that you didn't have the means to do it, or you feared that everybody would think you were crazy?
Or you wished you were braver?
The problem is that if we procrastinate, ignore, or stop the flow of our divine guidance long enough, eventually our creativity dries up.
Last week a client told me that she feared she'd lose her talent to create art. She said, "I keep waiting until I am in the mood to start painting, but somehow it never happens, and maybe it never will."
Her honesty was admirable, and we all recognize ourselves in her. We allow our minds to talk us out of taking action, and we stifle our playful self with all kinds of reasons before we allow our inspiration to flow.
The first step to tap into your creative juices is to take action, and then you'll get in the mood, not the other way around.
It's like Leonardo da Vinci said:
"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."
True self-confidence doesn't come from a serious ego but from the Soul, who is playful and connected to your true source of genius. So let's play!
Here's a playful approach to let go of excuses by connecting you to your playful self. Take a moment, write the answers down, and have fun. It really takes the seriousness away.
15 Questions to Boost Your Confidence Today:
1. Describe your perfect day.
2. What single experience has transformed you, and why?
3. What would you do if you were braver?
4. If you had 60 seconds to share the most important lesson learned, what would it be?
5. What are your 5 favorite activities?
6. What's one thing you experienced that blew your mind?
7. Have you ever ignored your gut feelings and then wished you hadn't? Why didn't you listen?
8. How do you drive yourself crazy?
9. What invitation will you get out of bed for at night?
10. What is the best compliment someone can give you?
11. Describe the best meal you've ever had?
12. What do you say to your friend who has lost his/her job?
13. What is something amazing about you that nobody knows?
14. What one eye-opening experience should everyone have?
15. What would make you super-proud if you accomplished it?
Using her own life as living proof that extraordinary choices lead to an extraordinary life, Saskia Röell expertly helps others do the same. She's a Soul Guidance Coach, radio host, bestselling author, and co-author with Jack Canfield, Stephen Covey and Deepak Chopra. As an international speaker, clairvoyant healer and mother of five, Saskia empowers you to move out of your comfort zone, break through your fears, and go after your heart's desires. Get access to her free "21-Day Road Map to Your Dreams" Program here: http://www.YourSoulGuidance.com.
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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Get Your Goals Back on Track

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Do your New Years resolutions fall by the wayside before January's even out? Do you find that you're always setting goals, yet you never manage to see them through? Don't give up, get back on track and let this year be the year when things finally happen.
The problem lies not in our ability to achieve our goals, but in how we set them. With carefully set goals and a clear plan to get there, virtually anything is possible.
Make sure that you've set yourself a really great goa
By setting a general, non-specific goal, we often find that we have no real direction or focus. Whenever you set a goal always make sure that it's SMART:
* SPECIFIC- Make it really clear and know EXACTLY what you want to achieve.
* MEASURABLE- How will you know that you've achieved your goal?
* ACHIEVABLE- Challenge yourself, but ensure that it's achievable.
* REALISTIC- Do you believe that you can achieve it? Are you prepared to commit to it?
* TIME-BOUND- Your goal must have a clear start and finish date in order to be inspired to take action.
Always ensure that your goal is truly your own; not something that you feel you SHOULD or OUGHT to do. Make sure that it really excites you, and is in line with your beliefs and values.
BREAK IT DOWN
Write down all the major stages that you need to complete in order to achieve your goal; these will form your milestones. Put them in order and work on just one milestone at a time. By breaking down your goal into bite-size chunks, you only ever need to focus on the current smaller goal. This not only keeps you focused, but your confidence will also grow with each milestone achieved.
TAKE ACTION.
Without action a goal is just words; with action it becomes a reality.
Take action towards your goal every single day. Schedule your actions into your diary for the week ahead or set them out each evening for coming day. The key to success is to keep taking action no matter how small, in order to maintain motivation and stay focused. Remember, every step that you take is one step closer to your goal.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
Without self-belief you'll always find it hard to achieve your goals. Yet with enough positive visualisation, coaching, and consistent action, almost anything is possible. Take tiny, consistent actions, and your self-belief will naturally grow.
Believe in yourself and you'll be astounded by your inner strength, potential and ability. Realise that you're quite simply amazing!

About this Author

Gerry is a Personal and professional coach. She Helps individuals improve confidence, achieve their true potential and helps them to put the fun, passion and excitement back into their lives.
Her aim is to motivate, inspire and help others realise that within each of us is someone who is unique, amazing and capable of achieving incredible things with their lives.
She currently runs One-to-one coaching programmes, workshops and diet and well being courses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerry_Henderson

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Friday, February 10, 2012

How to Rebuild Your Self-Confidence After Failure

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After facing failure you simply want to die. You have no courage or energy for anything.
You need a miracle.
Therefore, you must believe in miracles. This is the first rule you have to obey if you want to have the courage to go ahead and triumph. This is very difficult because you cannot believe in anything.
However, I can prove to the world that miracles happen because I found salvation from despair when I was totally lost, depressed, and always angry. I was saved by a miracle.
This is why I'm telling you that you must believe in miracles. Your faith won't be based on your imagination.
The unconscious mind that produces your dreams is God's mind. God exists, and He is as saintly and as wise as described by all religions. He helps us in all ways when we obey His guidance in the dream messages. Carl Jung discovered this truth, but he acted like a scientist, and not like a sinner. I, who was a terrible sinner, could easily understand that I was receiving divine grace without deserving it. Thus, I had a religious attitude.
This story looks like a fairy tale, but there is also a tragic part in it, which proves that it is not an invention. There is always something bad in our reality when we discover the truth. This is why we never doubt that there is something bad behind the scenes, or that something bad could happen in the future. However, we are always afraid to trust someone. We cannot believe that we will find something good in the dark future ahead.
The divine unconscious mind is very generous and sends us precious messages in dreams because we are basically demons. We need guidance in order to eliminate all the evilness, the absurdity, the indifference, and the cruelty we have inherited into the biggest part of our brain.
In other words, we are immensely helped in all ways when we learn the dream language and we understand the unconscious guidance in dreams. However, we receive this generous help because we are too far from balance and we cannot find peace without guidance. This is the tragic part of the story.
Dreams are mysterious because the unconscious mind must hide the information it sends to our conscience from our anti-conscience, which is the primitive side of our conscience that didn't evolve like our human side. We have to study the dream language in order to understand the meaning of dreams.
The anti-conscience will be able to understand the meaning of our dreams when our human conscience will understand their meaning by studying the dream language. However, the anti-conscience won't be able to distort the meaning of the dream messages because it will learn this meaning after our human conscience does.
On the other hand, the anti-conscience is idiotic. Its intelligence cannot be compared to the intelligence of our human conscience. Our conscience can study and learn many things, while the anti-conscience refuses studying and learning whatever. It is a self-destructive animal.
Therefore, the reason why our dreams are so confusing is the necessity to hide the unconscious messages from our anti-conscience, which would distort their meaning if it could learn it before our conscience would understand these messages and follow the unconscious guidance.
You only have to learn the dream logic and the meaning of the most important dream symbols in order to understand how the dream images are connected. The dream images follow the unconscious logic.
Thus, miracles can happen because God exists and He helps us in all ways by sending us precious guidance in dreams.
You will be immensely helped by following the unconscious guidance, and successfully solve all problems. This guarantee is given to you thanks to my work, after continuing Jung's research, and discovering the unconscious sanctity.
The unconscious mind will show you how to achieve your goals by giving you many clues, like a good teacher. You have to participate of your psychotherapy and put all the clues together, making your conclusions.
In the end, you'll become a doctor too. You'll understand all the process of your psychotherapy and how someone can be cure through dream translation. The unconscious mind gives you many lessons and explanations in dreams.
The unconscious messages will help you believe in salvation because you will see how your problems can be solved. You will feel that you have the privilege to understand many things about yourself and about the world thanks to the unconscious guidance.
The second rule you must respect in order to have the courage to go ahead after facing failure is the fact that you have to accept failure as if it was not the end of the world. Of course, a failure is the end of the world for you. However, the truth is that the world will keep working even after your big failure. The sun will shine again. The birds will sing with all their energy, as if nothing bad had happened to you.
A failure is not the end of the world, even though it seems to be a tragic end. Each failure is another lesson and another step in your journey.
The third rule is related to the second one. You must always stand up after falling, and keep walking. If you'll keep walking, someday you'll arrive.
The unconscious mind will help you arrive faster, and without making useless attempts. You will be guided.
You will surely find the courage you need to go ahead and triumph thanks to dream translation. Now that I transformed Carl Jung's complicated and time consuming method of dream interpretation into a fast method of instant translation, you are able to immediately understand the unconscious guidance, and immediately solve your problems.

About this Author

Christina Sponias continued Carl Jung's research into the human psyche, discovering the cure for all mental illnesses, and simplifying the scientific method of dream interpretation that teaches you how to exactly translate the meaning of your dreams, so that you can find health, wisdom and happiness.
Learn more at: http://www.scientificdreaminterpretation.com

Click Here to download a Free Sample of the eBook Dream Interpretation as a Science (86 pages!).
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Thursday, February 9, 2012

The Evil of Pride

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Pride is defined by a Dictionary as having a high opinion of one's worth or possessions; when one have a very high opinion of him or herself, one is said to be proud. A conceited person who feels he or she is better than others, scorning others and disdaining other people's opinions and worth is said to be proud. Many people are proud and they do not know it. After reading through this article, you will be able see yourself and judge whether you are indeed proud or not.
When you always think yourself to be the only right fellow and all others are seeing by you to be wrong; when you feel you are the best and every other people are not as important as you, then look to it, it may be a seed of pride in you, get rid of it today before it gets rid of you. When other people's opinion is of no consequence to you and have no consideration in your heart, that may also be a seed of pride. Also you have the seed of pride when someone offends you and begs you but you refuse to forgive and forget the offense, especially when the offender has called other people to beg you and you still refused bluntly, check yourself for cleansing from the seed of pride.
Pride comes because of one's great accomplishments and success; when you excel beyond others, you need special grace to remain humble. Every time God blesses you above your equals and mates, you need to see it as a special grace, this will help to keep you humble. Some become proud because of their beauty, some because of their positions of power, some because of their parents wealth.
God's Warning Against Pride
In the Bible, the book of Proverbs 6: 16-19, and Psalm 138: 6, The Lord warns that He hates the proud one, God keeps a very good distance from the proud one, so be careful that God do not keep a disturbing distance from you. We are told in Proverbs 11:2 that pride brings shame. At the end of the day pride brings strife and unnecessary fighting because pride is not of God. He expressly commanded us never to be proud see 1 Samuel 2: 3
Many people were recorded in the Bible to have exhibited pride and faced the music in a hard way. One of them was Pharaoh Exodus 5: 2. He ended up losing all his precious soldiers, chariots and horses in the red sea. Naaman the captain of the host of Syria was humbled by a simple Word of the Lord from the mouth of Elisha, Nebuchadnezzar was sent to the bush for seven years when he became proud. The art of pride has always led to destruction from all available records of history from age to age. The fall of Lucifer who later became Satan is the best illustration of all, please see Isaiah 14: 12 - 17, Revelation 12: 7 -12, and Ezekiel 28: 14 -19
Sunday Joseph Adenuga is a pastor who believes in empowering people to become the best they were created to be, his messages of God's anointed word has brought hope to many hopeless people around the world. He is the founding pastor of Success Dimension Church, Ibadan, Nigeria.
You can be further helped and blessed through him by visiting http://successdimensionchurch.org and get linked to most of his works on the net.
Listen to some of his video messages at http://youtube.com/successgalore and be blessed of the Lord
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Find Ways To Improve Your Memory With These Tips

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Our memory is something we never want to lose. It is possible to prevent memory loss with a few simple steps. By being educated about memory loss and ways to prevent it, you will save yourself agony later in life. You can never start too early with memory loss prevention. This article will give you plenty of tips on how to prevent memory loss.
A helpful tool for increasing your ability to memorize is to link the bits of information together in your mind with a common trait or factor. Connect pieces of related information relies on logic that helps you remember this information better; on the contrary, connecting pieces of completely unrelated information can also stimulate recall. A chemistry student could try associating peanut butter with lead to remember that the symbol for lead is Pb. This association is so off the wall that it is easy to memorize.
Use a calendar and a day planner to keep track of events. Keep a planner with you throughout the day to keep track of any appointments or events you must attend. Build a schedule and keep an eye on it daily. Having these things written, and referring to them, will help your brain. You don't always have to depend on your memory for everything and your planner will reduce the stress about important dates and times.
If you would like to improve your memory in ways that are both fun and effective, listen to jokes and laugh more frequently. By trying to determine the punch lines to the jokes you hear, you stimulate the regions of your brain that are linked to learning, memory, and creativity. Find people you can share jokes with to stimulate your brains together.
Ensure your water intake is as high as possible. Your brain is mostly made of water. If your body is dehydrated, you will get tired, and you will not be nearly as sharp as you could be. In this situation, you will likely struggle to call up old memories or even to make new ones. Make sure you consume at least 64 ounces of water daily.
Ensure that you get plenty of rest. Studies have proven that getting the right amount of sleep is crucial to memory function. If you can't concentrate due to poor sleep, committing learned facts to long-term memory will be difficult.
For memory improvement, rid yourself of unpleasant or negative thoughts. It have been proven by studies that those with negative feelings and thoughts tend to experience greater memory loss than positive-thinking people. Speak with a medical professional about safe and effective methods for relieving stress.
Some people advise the consumption of Omega-3 as an aid to memory retention. A lot of people don't know that the human brain is actually 60% omega 3, so this is why foods rich in omega 3 can help your memory. Eat foods that are high in unsaturated fat, like salmon and other fish.
When you have something that needs memorizing, relate it to a memory that you already have. If you associate a short-term memory with something you thoroughly know, you will better remember things and even accelerate the process of turning short-term to long-term memory.
A good way to keep your mind and memory sharp is to challenge yourself daily with brain exercises. This works in the same way that physical exercise helps to build muscle. By regularly challenging your brain, you will improve your memory, focus, and concentration. Try brain teasers, crosswords and word searches, for instance.
While age can take a toll on our memory skills, there are things that can be done to bounce it back into life again. Some items that will assist your memory are an adequate diet, sleep, exercise, and mind stimulation games, such as crosswords or chess.
Clearly, it's possible to deal with memory loss when specific steps are followed. If you take advantage of the tips you've read now, you'll improve your memory and be less likely to suffer from memory problems later in life. It's never too late to improve your memory and brain. Much like exercising your body, anytime is a good time to stretch the "muscles."
For more information check out College Mentor where you can learn some excellent note taking techniques to help keep your memory sharp and ready to absorb new information.
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

How To Build Self-Confidence To Get What You Want

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Learn how to build self-confidence so you can have more success in life.
There are a lot of people who are struggling with self-confidence and this is having a huge impact on everything they do in life.
Your level of self-confidence affects everything you do whether you are trying to achieve a personal goal such as improving a relationship or losing weight or trying to get a raise in pay at work.
If you are struggling to overcome low self-esteem then read this entire article it has helped hundreds of others and it can help you.
Here are 3 steps to help improve your self-confidence.
Step 1 - Keep a positive attitude about yourself and your abilities. This is really important because if you have a poor attitude and do not believe you can do something then you probably will not have the fortitude to do so. I know this may sound silly but it has everything to do with how you perceive yourself and your abilities.
Step 2 - Knowledge is power and without it you are lost. Part of the reason we lack self-confidence is because we lack knowledge in the area of what we want to achieve. It is important to learn everything you can about what you are trying to accomplish so that you will not be guessing about what needs to be done or how to do it.
Step 3 - Practice, practice and more practice. You have heard that practice makes perfect well it is really critical for giving you the confidence to succeed at something. Once you take in the knowledge you need then work on practicing the steps to achieving it. There may be certain parts that you can do easily and then there will be other areas that you need to work at before you have the right skill level for you success.
These 3 steps combined together can really help you along in your endeavor to increase your level of self-confidence. Remember do not give up on the first few times of trying to do something. It will take some time to get you to the skill level to succeed. Also the more you do this in everything you do the better level of self-esteem you will have. Then you this will help to inspire and motivate you to do more things that are important to you. I know it really made a difference in my life and for my family.
If you want fast effective results in your life then get your free report How To Unleash The Power Within
Sunny James helps others to live the life of their dreams get your free report How To Unleash The Power Within
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Monday, February 6, 2012

Is Worrying Normal?

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If you never had a bout with worry, check your heartbeat. Everyone has and will worry. Are your worries overwhelming you, then that's not normal. If you would like to step out of the worry zone, you've come to the right place.
You could call worry a survival trigger, that warns you of present danger, or to quickly change course. It is learning how to effectively deal with problematic issues that come up throughout your lifetime; that's the challenge. Not being able to sort through the muck grips millions of people year after year into a paralyzing unhealthy addiction, to the parasite called worry.
Have You Experienced Some of These?
• Endlessly worrying
• You would like to stop but can't
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Anxiety attacks
• Rapid heartbeat
• Sleepless nights
• Dwelling on "what if's"
• Digestive problems
• Heartaches
• Muscle tightness
• Your family avoids you
Worrying if left unchecked and unresolved will cause undue stress, and stress has been known to cause illness in both the body and mind.
Why do You Worry?
Are you worried right now? Do you worry about things that you were not able to control in the past, and do you also worry about things that can't be foreseen in the future. Being too preoccupied with things that are no longer within your reach and things not yet within your reach will keep you in an endless state of worry. When you identify the triggers, you'll be able to think clearly and deal with the issues at hand.
Which Realm are You Living In?
Do you sometimes find yourself dwelling on decisions you made in the past? For example: What if you had just saved a little money back then, or taken that other job instead of this one? Or wished you had spent more time with a loved one? Do you really believe your life would be better today? You must always remember that the past has taken care of itself. It can't be changed. Begin excepting that reality and quelling the guilt of the past is your first step to conquering and overcoming worry.
Worrying about events that may never come to pass can be just as dangerous. Future worries are yet another unproductive activity you don't want to be caught in. You have no control and will never have control of the future. However, preparing yourself and your family for future events are important. For example, there's a stark difference between saving money for the future versus worrying about the sky falling.
Tiger Shark or Jellyfish?
Now we come to the present, and perhaps, the most challenging time period for a worrier. Why, because this is where you must meet reality. You can choose to have the heart of a tiger shark, and swallow up your worries. Or perhaps, a jellyfish and float back into the lonely dark endless abyss, probably not.
Start today and find your solution here. Don't focus on the past, and remember the future is not staring you in the face yet. Become engaged now, so that any present problems will be in clear view. When you begin the process of sorting through the murky waters, you will discover that your anxieties about the past and the future will slowly sink to the bottom and eventually melt away.
About the Author: Valerie O'Brien specializes in helping individuals manage their worry monsters in a simple common sense approach. How 3 Simple Quotes from Extraordinary Wisdom Makers can transform you with your battle with worry. Visit: Quotes About Worry, and get your Free 10-part Mini Course 2012 Edition.
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My Road to Inner Success

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In western culture (and increasingly it seems, eastern culture, too) the idea of being a "success" is rather narrowly defined. Typically, we claim that someone is successful if they've climbed the ladder of whatever profession they might in - whether that's sales, entertainment, healthcare, sports, politics or anything else. Or we might call someone successful if they've achieved a certain social standing or popularity.
I'm not here to suggest that these examples above aren't indications of a certain kind of success. However, I am here to boldly state that the common notion of success is really...well, it's unsuccessful. Let me explain.
When we view success only as an outward phenomenon - something that matters to other people, or that matters to a social circle - we deny the other aspect of life that is just as important: our inner world. And by "inner world," I don't mean something mystical or new age. I mean the world of personal peace, of being grounded, or being in touch with your body, and of course, of living a stress-free life. These elements are just as important as any other, outward manifestation of success.
In fact, it's arguable that at times success in the inner world is more important than success anywhere else, because if you aren't happy, peaceful and healthy, how can you even enjoy the outer success in the first place?
Frankly, that's the situation that I found myself in not all that long ago. I was in sales for over 25 years, with the last 9+ years as a sales manager for a Fortune 500 company. On average, I had 10-14 sales representatives reporting to me. It was an EXTREMELY busy time, and yes, it was also financially rewarding. On the outside, I was successful.
But on the inside, I was kind of a wreck. Work was eating up all of my time and energy, and the physical and mental toll was becoming too heavy to bear. Of course, I was "stuck" in my outward success and couldn't slow down - and so I started a pattern of working 12-hour days and sleeping 10-12 hours a night. Weekends passed as a blur of grocery shopping, laundry, napping and trying to catch up with work. I was stressed out to the MAX and ready to break apart.
Again, the point I'm trying to make here is that although I was still successful "on the outside," I was simply not succeeding on the inside - in my own personal world. And to make things even more challenging, I was diagnosed with a stress-induced disorder called fibromyalgia, and was almost certainly headed for even more health problems.
That's when I realized that if I didn't DO SOMETHING and break out of my cycle, I was probably going to collapse - and then both my outer success and inner success would be - to put it mildly - very, very unsuccessful. I didn't want to get to that point where I fell to the floor (maybe even literally) and didn't have the stamina or the motivation to get back up.
Somehow, I found the strength (maybe it was the last bit that I had left to use), took some time off from work, and made some tough decisions. I eliminated everything that stressed me out -- including several friends who were triggering stressful reactions within me, or who were what I call "stress enablers." It was hard to do this, but we're talking self-preservation here. It had to be done.
I read all the stress-related books and articles I could get my hands on, and took classes and seminars in lots of stress management modalities. I won't say that this experience was totally useless - there were kernels of wisdom and insight here and there - but it really didn't re-ignite my inner flame. That only happened when I hired a Life Coach, who helped me apply what I had learned to my own life. It took awhile but I finally started to feel better. And eventually, I experienced a feeling of joy that I had not felt in a very long time.
I put together what I learned from my illness and from my research, and today I am committed to maintaining an ongoing balance in my life. Now my personal mission is to help women avoid the stress and suffering that will make them sick, and empower them to live happier and more successful lives.
And yes, when I say "successful," you know that I mean INNER AND OUTER SUCCESS. Because in the truest sense, as I personally experienced, you either have both...or neither.
If you enjoyed these tips and would like more practical sales strategies, visit Zero Stress Selling today. Sue is known for her relaxed and authentic customized sales training.
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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Do You Believe In Yourself? 4 Tips to Boost Your Self-Esteem

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Do you find it difficult to believe in yourself and your abilities? If so read this article on self-esteem and boost your self-confidence for success. It is easier than you may think once you realize what affects your confidence and how to improve it.
Some of the things that can determine and mold your self-esteem. The family you were raised in or the friends that you spent time with. One of the problems is our society is so negative and it can really have a negative impact on your level of confidence if you are not careful. Here are some tips to help you out.
Verbal abuse
Emotional abuse
Sexual abuse
These all play a part in how you perceive yourself.
4 Tips to boost your self-esteem
1 - Take the time to reflect on the different areas of your abilities and see which ones seem weak and then work on strengthening and improving on these areas. When you are weak in an area of your abilities this really affects the outcome and level of success so the more you improve your skill level the better the end result.
2 - Teach and help others in areas that you are good at this helps boost your level of self-confidence and it helps you see that you have abilities that you can perform well and help others with. This will encourage you to do more in others areas.
3 - Spend time around others who have a high level of self-esteem this will help you to raise your level of confidence. You can learn a lot from the people you spend time with and it is proven that you become a product of the people you spend time with so if you are spending time around others with good self-confidence this will boost your self-esteem.
4 - Always try to do your best at everything that you do and even work at raising the bar to a higher level. This gives you something positive to strive for and before you know it you will be achieving the level of results and success that you have been dreaming of.
You see it is just doing simple yet effective strategies that help you to believe in yourself and that is really important and crucial for reaching the level of success that you desire. If you take the time to work on these tips and apply them in your daily life it can help you improve your self-confidence. If you are not happy with your life then it is up to you to change it.
Would you like more tips on self-esteem, happiness and success then start by getting my free ebook
http://www.sunnyjames.com/topfb.html
Get your Free Ebook http://www.sunnyjames.com/topfb.html
Sunny James is a life coach & motivational speaker helping others to reach their goals and live the life of their dreams.
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Friday, February 3, 2012

The Secrets to Overcoming Adversity

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Adversity is an intrinsic part of the human condition. If you have a passion for life, you have to embrace every aspect of life including adversity. Throughout your life, you'll be haunted by all kinds of challenges. Some are going to be more difficult than others. The key is to learn how to appreciate the process of overcoming adversity in your life. The difficulties you experience are what shape you as a person. Whether such personal evolution results in positive or negative change is entirely up to you. Learn to overcome these challenges and take control of your destiny. Use these guidelines to push past the barriers of strife and reach your most desired goals:
1. Develop Your Emotional Resilience
Rarely will you find a challenge that focuses entirely on your physical abilities. Most of the adversity you will encounter in your life will test your mental and emotional strength. You will encounter failures, breakups and personal losses. Although these events don't "physically" hurt you, there is a lot of emotional and psychological trauma involved. Guide your personal evolution towards the direction of emotional resilience. Understand that adversity is part of life. Understand that pain and suffering are inevitable consequences of mortal existence. Overcoming adversity is easier done with an enlightened perspective. Sharpen your wits; it is your main weapon against emotional vulnerability.
2. Establish External Sources of Support
One reason why some people fail in the face of adversity is because of one tragic flaw - pride. When you face a difficult challenge, be humble enough to admit that you might need help. Sometimes overcoming adversity requires teamwork. Let your loved ones - your friends and family - assist you in your time of need. Your ability to work with others is a positive sign of a progressing personal evolution.
3. Stay Positive
Your lifetime struggle with adversity is mostly going to be a metaphysical battle. It is the resilience of your will and the strength of your resolve that are going to be constantly challenged. Make sure that your personal evolution is headed towards an attitude of optimism. Overcoming adversity is made more difficult by the presence of pessimism and self-doubt. A positive attitude will win you more battles in your war against adversity.
4. Keep Your Composure
Adversity is the invisible enemy. You have no visual perception of it, but you know that it's there when you're struck with fear. Whatever happens, don't panic. As long as you remain composed, as long as you keep your wits, you will find a way. Fearful situations are actually good for your personal evolution. When you get used to the fear, when you can act intelligently even when you're afraid, overcoming adversity is going to be much easier.
5. Get Back on the Horse
Overcoming adversity is like being in a boxing match without judges or time constraints. The only way you're going to lose is if you don't get up after being knocked down. But if you keep getting back up, you can't be defeated. Life can beat you up and knock you down, but as long as you have it in you to get back on your feet, you can overcome anything. In your own personal evolution, teach yourself to get up after every fall.
The most successful people in the world have turned overcoming adversity into an art form. Some of them have even created teams and methods to deal with different challenges. Most of what you'll learn with regard to defeating this invisible enemy is going to be learned through your own personal experiences. Just make sure that you're ready to learn the lessons life is about to teach you. Let these lessons guide your personal evolution into someone who not only welcomes adversity, but actively seeks out new challenges.
Julie Olson knows that overcoming adversity is an intrinsic part of life. Visit her site to learn more about pushing past challenges and breaking down barriers.
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Thursday, February 2, 2012

Is It Worry, Anxiety or Panic? Why Women Worry So Much

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The Merriam Webster dictionary defines worry as feeling or experiencing concern or anxiety. Anxiety is defined as fearful concern or interest with an added apprehensiveness. Panic is a sudden overpowering fright or acute extreme anxiety. Thus, these three terms are highly interrelated. Excessive worry may lead to anxiety which if left uncontrolled can develop into full-blown panic.
Anxiety is currently at all time high in the United States with prices skyrocketing and bank accounts shrinking. If you're a woman, you're feeling the stress even more than most men. Chronic stress has been linked to a multitude of physical ailments including heart disease, Type II diabetes, certain types of cancer and many others. To make matters worse, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 28 percent of American adults have an anxiety disorder. Women are sixty percent more likely to be in this group than men. This is thought to be due to a wide range of components encompassing biological, cultural and psychological influences.
Women tend to worry about a variety of things including social issues (both personal and global), money matters, physical health and job problems. Women may even worry about worrying. This happens frequently enough that psychologists have even come up with a term for it: meta-worry. As a rule, women worry much more intensely than men. Women also tend to see more risk in situations and develop more anxieties than men. As seen in the statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health, women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders.
The explanation for the gender divide may be partly mechanical and partly chemical. First, men and women are wired differently. Secondly, reproductive hormones like progesterone and estrogen are thought to play a role in anxiety. These are present in much higher concentrations in women than men (although men do make them). Another hormone that may be involved in causing or exacerbating anxiety is over-production of hormones from the thyroid gland. Thyroid problems occur in more women than men and these can lead to increased anxiety. Social protocols could be a factor as well: women feeling anxious might be more willing to talk to someone about their feelings while men, when stressed, might handle things differently, e.g. going out for a drink with the guys.
In the book, Women Who Worry Too Much by Holly Hazlett-Stevens, PhD, the author employs the results of the most current clinical research to help individuals format a plan everyone (even men) can use to reduce worry. Worry, anxiety and panic are a continuum of reactions and emotions we feel when looking toward the future and anticipating potential bad outcomes.
In Dr. Hazlett-Stevens' book, she covers what worry is, how it differs from anxiety and how it could become a chronic condition. She explains how to employ useful and easy mindfulness and relaxation techniques to avoid dwelling on the issues we can't control. Her step-by-step exercises enable people to manage their worries and anxieties through awareness, perspective, and addressing and facing fears to focusing on the present instead of the future. Using these techniques, excessive worry and eventual panic can be avoided altogether, enabling everyone to lead less stressful lives. If these strategies aren't enough to ease anxiety, additional treatment may include medication, therapy or both. A successful treatment plan must be decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on the patient, the doctor and the disorder itself.
Nancy Travers, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, specializes in all types of relationships; dating, existing relationships, family relationships, and relationships with friends and business relationships. She also helps her clients overcome anxiety and depression through talk therapy as well as through hypnosis. What sets her apart from many other counselors is that she has counseled in the gay/lesbian community for over 10 years. She also has experience counseling families with elder care issues. Nancy has been in practice for over 15 years and can provide you with the tools you need to approach dating and relationships with confidence. Visit her website at http://www.nancyscounselingcorner.com.
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Got Anxiety at Work? How the Media and the Economy Don't Help

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It's no surprise that more people these days are suffering from anxiety. Most of this anxiety and stress stems from the sluggish economy and the constant worry of a job loss. And if it's not a job loss, then the "survivors" at work are enduring increased work responsibilities. Many are scared of taking a vacation or leaving their Blackberries and cell phones turned off at night or on weekends. Many reason that if put in more hours, their bosses will pass them over during layoffs. Maybe so, but at what cost?
The media does help fuel this stress by reporting on a weakened consumer confidence (the consumer sentiment index fell to 73.6 from 74.4 in January, according to Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch) and a slow recovery. But what can we do about it?
The first thing we need to realize is that anxiety can be overcome in small increments and that we don't need to let it control all of our waking lives at the expense of our health. Those who suffer from constant anxiety experience high blood pressure, loss of sleep, low morale, difficulty concentrating, headaches, and stomach upset. Even if you don't experience these symptoms, anxiety can wreak havoc on your household and make your kids more anxious. Lastly, anxiety can make you gain weight since stress and anxiety increases the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol stores fat in the stomach area, which increases your chances of heart disease and stroke. Additionally, more stress causes more eating of non nutritious foods.
Even if you think being a workaholic will keep your job safe and make you more appear more dependable, this tactic will hurt you in the long term. You'll crash and burn and/or be more susceptible to illness.
Find Ways to Cope with Anxiety at Work
The first thing to do when dealing with anxiety is to acknowledge you have a problem. Then you have to commit to a relaxation and/or stress reduction program that will force you to make some changes. These changes may seem unreasonable at first, but they're necessary to reduce your stress and prolong your life.
• Organize your time by using a Dayplanner to schedule out tasks. In the morning, write down three tasks that you need to get done by the end of the day. Also organize your work space - throw away mail and email you don't need. Break up large tasks into smaller ones.
• Do your best work when you feel it's your optimal time. That can mean 4am or 5pm, depending on your bio-clock.
• Take frequent breaks of 20 minutes every 90 minutes. Don't eat lunch at your desk.
• Get enough sleep and that means 7-8 hours a night.
• Take a week-long vacation that's in a different zip code for true rejuvenation.
• Eat smaller meals and eat healthy snacks. Drink alcohol in moderation.
• Practice relaxation techniques which can be as simple as doing nothing for 30 minutes everyday. Try walking, deep breathing, yoga and meditation.
• Exercise for 60 minutes at least three times a week. Try a new class or combine aerobics and free weight lifting.
• Turn off the TV before bed if the news stresses you out. Try to find positive news stories and read uplifting articles and columns to shift your negative thinking.
As mentioned above, reducing stress and anxiety does take work and some time to fall into a healthy habit. Try recruiting your friends and family to make sure you leave work at work and that you're not checking your Blackberry at the family dinner table. With a little work at relaxing (how ironic!) you'll see a difference in your social interactions and physical well-being. You will also see an increase in your work productivity and counteract those naysayers in the media.
Nancy Travers, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, specializes in all types of relationships; dating, existing relationships, family relationships, and relationships with friends and business relationships. She also helps her clients overcome anxiety and depression through talk therapy as well as through hypnosis. What sets her apart from many other counselors is that she has counseled in the gay/lesbian community for over 10 years. She also has experience counseling families with elder care issues. Nancy has been in practice for over 15 years and can provide you with the tools you need to approach dating and relationships with confidence. Visit her website at http://www.nancyscounselingcorner.com.
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Easy Ways To Reduce Stress Today

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Do you go home every single day feeling extremely tired? If yes then you are probably suffering from stress. You are not alone. There are millions of people who are trying their best to help reduce stress in their lives. Many are not successful, perhaps because they tend to forget how to simplify their methods.
This is because there are many easy-to-follow stress management activities that we can all do. You do not need the most expensive gadgets and the latest food supplements to keep you calm and relaxed. Often the only thing you need is time. Yes, you must allocate maybe 30 minutes to an hour each day for such activities.
So to help you in your goal to reduce stress from your life, I have listed below some tips you may want to follow.
Meditation is a good technique you can immediately try wherever you may be. Whether you are at work or in your home, you only need a few minutes just to try this one. Get a quiet room that you can use by yourself so you will have the least amount of distraction. The simplest way to do this is to just sit down, close your eyes and indulge in the complete silence. This is one type of natural stress relief method that is worth a try.
Try a massage. It has always been a tried and tested technique to help relieve the stress from your body. There are many types of massages but the most popular ones are Swedish massage, shiatsu, hot stone, and Thai massage. It is best that you consult with your therapist to know which massage is ideal for your needs.
Go out with your friends. Perhaps it has been quite a long time since you last had a nice chat with your buddies. Now is the time to do it. Let your friends help you in relieving your stress even if they are not aware that they are doing it. A lunch out or a dinner with them might be just the right kind of activity you need.
And lastly, try to smile a lot. Smiling is a great way to relax and will help you feel positive the rest of the day. And not only that, you can gain new friends simply by smiling. Many people want to know how to be happy when in fact all they really need to do is to smile.
So there you have it. These are just some of the tips you may want to try to help reduce stress today. What is important is you do something right now or else you risk of suffering even more when you could have already get rid of stress from your life.
Try the best stress management activities for a healthier you. There are natural stress relief techniques for this purpose.
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Three Easy Stages to Help Make Hard Decisions

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In 2009, I had started my own company while at the same time working as a senior manager at a another company. I enjoyed both because each job provided me with an exciting life of travel challenges, and connecting with people. The time for both jobs was grueling, and I have a wonderful family who was not getting my attention, or any attention. My mind was always working even when I was not officially working. Even on the weekends my head was buried in work like an ostrich burying its head in the sand. I had decided it was time to choose one job and give myself back the time I need for my family, but my dream was to own and run my own company. My crazy dilemma, do I give up my dream or continue with a riskier step towards running my company? The difference between the two jobs were: security of a larger company versus a startup with high risk and potential high reward.
Every day we face with decisions which help us gain our desires. In those decisions, we give up one path for another path, many times not every regretting or looking back upon our decision. As the stakes get bigger, we tend to stew upon the decision resulting in stressful situations. To reduce stress, fallow three stages of a decision: clarity, risk, and reward. The first stage is clarity. We must be super clear on what we want and why we want a goal. If we are not clear, the decisions tend to be blurred and we may choose a path which leads us away from our deepest desires like a dense fog closing around our own reasoning. When my decision needed to be made, I reached back into what I really wanted, I wanted to run my own company and be my own boss. The goal of owning my own company was so powerful and so clear that it has pushed me through nights, weekends, and mornings working to achieve that dream. Even with the clarity of my dream, I still needed the other two stages to unravel before I could make the final decision.
The second piece to this decision puzzle is pondering the risk in the decision. When risk outweighs the reward, the desire to achieve the dream may never be enough to push through a decision. For example, I have read numerous stories about people who trained and suffered to climb Mt. Everest only to turn back within feet of the summit because the risk of losing their life became too great. The risk of death became higher than the reward of reaching the summit. Luckily for me, my decision did not involve death, but my risks were losing my family, becoming unemployed, and losing a secure, steady income. There is a risk in about anything, but the risk of a startup targets the personal bank account. The company that employed me paid me a good salary and had fantastic benefits. Now I might take a path with a lower salary and fewer benefits. In this situation, just evaluating the risk by itself would have turned me back to my secure job, but I needed to consider the reward before concluding on a decision.
The reward of a secure job means safety, certainty, and a continued growth in life. The reward of a startup could mean a significant income change and a different way of life for me and my family. In some ways, it is like gambling, do you take a risk on a high bet or keep your money in your pocket? Each person has a different way of evaluating the reward. In the case of choosing one job over another, my dream of running my own company had the much higher reward. When reward out ways risks and your decision aligns with your goal, the path forward burns through the dense fog of uncertainty. The dream of running my own company had come true, and I embraced the decision and quit my secure job for the high reward. I have never looked back.
As a quick recap, the three stages of decisions are: clarity, risk and reward. When we have crystal clear goals and the rewards out way the risk, our decision for one path over another becomes easily to make. After you make a big decision, take a moment, celebrate and move on. If the ugly head of remorse sets up remind yourself what your goal is and reflect upon its clear lenses.
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