Browse Personal Development

A vision board is a simple yet powerful visualization tool that activates the universal law of attraction to begin manifesting your dreams into reality. The concept of the vision board (also known as a goal board, goal map, or treasure map) has been around for generations, but it’s gained a renewed interest and popularity after success expert John Assaraf related his story of using vision boards to achieve his dreams in the best-selling DVD documentary The Secret.[1] WHAT'S A VISION BOARD?

Internationally renowned business philosopher Jim Rohn says, “We want to set the goals that our heart conceives, that our mind believes and that our bodies will carry out.” We are intelligent beings and as intelligent beings we need to have SMART goals. The acronym S.M.A.R.T. outlines the set ...

Words are powerful because they shape our thoughts, determine our actions, and chart the course of our lives.

The path to inner peace is not simple or short. You cannot just wake up one day and decide you are going to have inner peace from that point forward. It is a process, a journey that needs to be appreciated every step of the way. You need to be willing to let go and accept your full spectrum of emotions. You need to be ready to step outside the box you have allowed yourself to be put into and start from scratch, getting to know yourself all over again and be willing to make mistakes.

There are definite long term benefits of working on your personal development as well as your spiritual growth. Often times our experiences don’t reflect a sense of progression from A to B to C, meaning it’s not exactly a linear progression. Even though sometimes we might think that nothing is ...There are definite long term benefits of working on your personal development as well as your spiritual growth. Often times our experiences don’t reflect a sense of progression from A to B to C, meaning it’s not exactly a linear progression.

No matter how much we enjoy what we are doing in our life and in our business, there are times when we all find ourselves in need of a creativity jump-start. As many of you know, I'm working on a book to be released this Fall. I greatly enjoy the topic and the writing process, however there are days that I find myself, simply put, feeling stuck. The other day I shared with you how bringing your uniqueness into everything you do can help you get "unstuck." Here is a list of other tactics that you can use when you simply need a little creative jump-start.

An excerpt from Your Ultimate Life Plan: How to Deeply Transform Your Everyday Experience and Create Changes That Last, by Dr. Jennifer Howard. One realizes that all of existence is a manifestation of conscious¬ness; that ultimately everything is made out of consciousness. —A.H. Almaas

Going into survival mode is not often a conscious choice. Individuals who live their life in survival mode are oftentimes filled with bitte ess, resentment and anger. It’s not just that they haven’t healed themselves of past hurts. Rather individuals tend to automatically go into survival mode subconsciously after experiencing childhood pain that was inflicted on them. They bring it over into their adult lives as a way of protecting themselves. However, while a person may have automatically been thrown into survival mode there are variables that will trigger their survival mode.

There are nine distinct laws of persuasion that govern the human decision-making process. While these laws of persuasion do not universally apply to everyone, they do apply to the greater majority of people that you will encounter. To become a great persuader and to influence people with your ...

We were talking about the importance of learning to say “No” effectively in part one. But now how do you go about it? I enjoy helping my clients with their limits and boundaries involving their bosses, parents, children, husbands/wives or other people or situations. Often I start with what they would really like to say and then work with processing the statement. This means diving into the thoughts and feelings entangled in the difficulty. That leads to either softening the intensity of the answer or being more grounded and truthful.

A Perfect Life - Step 1 In the last few issues, we have talked about creating instead of coping in our lives. Last week I gave some examples of how to do this. Find it here. Beginning this week, we are going to talk about creating a complete - and perfect - life. Before we begin this ...

I wanted to share with you today one of the most inspiring pieces of writing I've ever heard.

Is it possible that your life is not the joyful, effortless, successful, happy and carefree promenade that your heart desires because, in fact, you haven’t really got the first clue what your heart truly desires at all? I’ve been working with personal development or self improvement clients since the beginning of 1996. In my experience, almost nobody has ever given any thought to what they actually want out of life.

Personal development is all about being willing to change. This willingness to be curious and grow, allows us to reach more possibilities. Personal development is an over arching term that includes many different approaches to self-improvement. BE VERY TRUTHFUL WITH YOURSELF Personal development in its largest context could encompass anything that involves personal growth on all levels, meaning physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Exploring personal development takes a willingness to look at ourselves with extreme honesty and examine ways we want to change and improve.

A client asked me recently “What would you have left to talk about if you took gossip out of the conversation?” A very good question, because most of us spend a large part of our time gossiping. It might be about little “harmless” things, like the neighbours’ behaviour, how someone down the road was caught with someone else’s wife, how the guy next door was caught drink-driving. Or how one of our children’s friends got drunk (and sick on the school bus). Most of us, to a greater or lesser extent, delight in gossip – particularly if it involves someone else falling on their face. Of course,

For over 20 years, I have been working with clients, both as a psychotherapist and spiritual teacher. There has been a lot of recent attention given to the topic of “being in the now” and “being in the present moment.” This experience can be life changing, lasting minutes, hours, days, a ...For over 20 years, I have been working with clients, both as a psychotherapist and spiritual teacher.

I have long been of the view that “normal” behaviour is bizarre. After all, the Universities of Chicago and Milan calculate that so-called “normal” people use just 1% of their mental capacity to do what they’re doing in the here and now. The rest of their mental energy is wasted on looking forward, worrying but, most destructively of all, looking backwards – because that is where the subconscious mind lives. And this subconscious, focused in our formative years, automatically creates our daily reactions – and our daily behaviours. Just by way of example, I recently mentione

For the vast majority of our adult lives, we live in a world of make-believe. However, as most of us know, it’s no fairy story – most normal lives are a mundane up and down affair that never really goes anywhere – more like a second-rate soap opera. However, in stark contrast to our personal make-believe, reality does really exist. It’s wonderful, it’s the world of opportunity, the world of happiness and peace of mind – and it’s right before your very eyes.

n n How to develop personal skills nnOne way to develop your personal skills is through Interpersonal communication . This is defined by communication scholars in numerous ways, though most definitions involve participants who are interdependent on one another, have a shared history. Communication channels are the medium chosen to convey the message from sender to receiver. Communication channels can be categorized into two main categories: Direct and Indirect channels of com

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”rn- Peter F. Drucker In today's tough economy, leadership is more challenging than ever. Creating a productive and effective company entails setting standards and limits. One item that comes up often is image. The professional image of not just your physical environment, but the image your staff projects as well. This is a good time to review the importance of presenting a polished company image at every level, from CEO to receptionist.

The Ho'oponopono phrases are "I love you," "I'm sorry," "Please forgive me," and "Thank you."

How do movies influence our behaviour and impact the Law of Attraction?

It seems to me that in this overly busy world we all look for the fastest way to do things. For instance, consider the three-minute meal or the 10-minute workout. We feel pressured to have the latest X, Y and Z and achieve this and that. With certain parts of our life, this approach of finding ...It seems to me that in this overly busy world we all look for the fastest way to do things. For instance, consider the three-minute meal or the 10-minute workout. We feel pressured to have the latest X, Y and Z and achieve this and that.

Ever found yourself really wanting to say “No” but saying “Yes” instead? For some of us saying "No" can be difficult. However, learning how to effectively say "No" in an assertive manner rather than not at all or in an aggressive style is an important skill that is freeing and empowering. There are many situations we all find ourselves in that call for us to respond with either a “No” or a “Yes.” Many people seem to struggle with not being able to say “No” effectively when “No” is what they really want to say. Not Saying "No" Has Negative Consequences

For those of us who live in these times – where economic adversity continues to be the order of the day, where extremism simmers in various quarters from Al-Qaida to Yemen, to Plains, Georgia where an effigy of President Obama was found hanging recently, to the ongoing political upheaval in Iran to the crumbling peace accord in Sudan, to a massive growth in domestic violence, to an upsurge in graphic violence on our television screens to the fact that our young children are watching music videos which would have been banned as pornographic fifteen years ago – there is an extraordinary onus

Do you bristle when someone refers to you as shy – or offers to “fix” your little lack-of-a-social life problem? Have someone in your life you’re conce ed about because he or she spends just a little too much time alone? Read on!

After watching so much about the death of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, I started thinking about some things. One is that it’s so interesting to me how many people today want to be famous. Not because they cure cancer or really make a difference, but just to be seen. Look at all those reality shows and huge talent contests. We all have the urge and human need to be seen on some level. It seems that it has become a distorted pursuit.

There’s an art to getting things done without creating a stressful environment. When you find yourself with too many things to do and not enough time to do them, stress rises. And at times, panic can set in. Instead of trying to schedule it all in, take some time to identify your priorities. ...

Oprah Winfrey is one of the most recognizable and respected women in the media. She has been identified as "arguably the world's most powerful woma " by CNN and Time.com, and her influence is incredibly powerful. In fact, her endorsement has such a profound impact on the public that is has led to the coining of the t

The law of attraction remains a mystery to many people, in spite of the recent wave of movies and books that claim to be about this ancient principle. This mystery surrounding the law of attraction is what makes boatloads of money for the so-called ‘gurus’... and it can also keep you from reaching your own dreams.

The cost of ineffective leadership is enormous. • Some industries report as high as 65% annual employee turnover as a result of ineffective leadership. • Disengaged workers, often caused by ineffective leadership cost American business over 300 billion dollars a year. • Lost ...

Has anyone ever spoken to you in an inappropriate manner? Often people are caught off guard and are not prepared to handle these challenging situations. But, as a leader, whenever you are in a situation that’s uncomfortable, it’s imperative that you speak up; the person needs to know that the ...

Living life as a human being has, in my opinion, a unique privilege. As human’s, we have two options on how to live our lives. We can choose to live our lives from the view point of our name, rank and social security number or we can move through the exciting process of taking away the labels of identity and discovering the inner being that lives within each one of us. This part of us is so intuitive, loving and intelligent that once we uncover it, the path of our life becomes illuminated.

Napoleon Hill said he visited with Aristotle, Edison etc. He received brilliant ideas from his visits with the greatest minds – dead or alive. His meetings with counselors, he admitted, may have been fictional and perhaps were only his imagination. However they changed his life. He felt he tapped into an infinite warehouse of wisdom. Back in 1937 Napoleon wrote “Think and Grow Rich,” and the book remains to this day the bench mark to lessons of this kind.

Leonardo DaVinci,by any one's standard,was perhaps one of the most gifted and prolific men who ever lived. A painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, musician, scientist,and natural philosopher,he is credited with saying "ancora imparo,"which means:"I am still learning." It is said that he ...

I am forever being contacted by clients recommending a variety of self-help books. And, yet, a client recently mentioned to me that he had been on a workshop where another participant told him to "Stop reading the books - and start living it!" The truth is, that you will only find true wisdom within. You will only find your true potential within.

From the word go, we’re programmed to believe that we need to better ourselves. If we’ve grown up in the Christian tradition, we have learned that he are damaged goods in need of repentance – that’s not, in fact, at the core of the Christian message – in fact, we are actually told that we are the children of God. In addition, as a result of society’s need for us to conform, we are encouraged to better ourselves by getting a good education.

I’ve been running Personal Development Seminars now for over fifteen years and still, after all these years practicing what I preach, I wake up some mornings plagued with useless thoughts – or the little rascals come after me during the day when I least expect it. But, of course, I should expect them because, sad as it may seem, the adult human appears to be hell-bent on destroying our best efforts in the course of our everyday lives.

Do you apologize for anything and everything? Do you apologize for things that are completely out of your control? How about apologizing for other people’s behavior? Do you tend to apologize just to see if the other person will apologize? An apology can be a very cathartic act. It can mend fences and build bridges. It is an act of a true leader when you are able to admit a wrong or mistake. An apology done well is powerful. For this reason, making an apology should be taken very seriously.

Perhaps this is an unusual introduction to an article on personal development or self improvement but, I would like to start by quoting 50 Cent – yeah, the rapper 50 Cent – who said “Most people can’t handle boredom. That means they can’t stay on one thing until they get good at it. And they wonder why they’re unhappy.” Unfortunately, we have a big problem with patience and perseverance because we live in a world where we expect instant results. If we’re hungry, we want fast food!

We are the master’s of our own destiny. This is a famous quote I remember once said in the movie “Once Upon a Time in China”, I forgot which part though. Very well said by whoever author who coined this quote. We are the sole responsible for whatever happens to our life. Today is the outcome of what we did yesterday, and so with tomorrow as an outcome of what we are doing today. This is the kind of mentality that successful people have. They don’t care of whatever fac

There is a famous quote in Neuro-Linguistic Programming - "The Meaning Of Your Communication is The Response You Get". This means that in a conversation, you think you have chosen the right words and have spoken clearly to the other person but somehow he has actually heard something else. How many of you know what I am talking about?

As a once senior banker, I know all about inertia. Studies from various parts of the world show that the majority of bank customers are unhappy with the levels of service they receive. In addition, many bank customers are aware that, at various times in their “relationship” with their bank, they have been inappropriately treated or overcharged. However, when it comes to current or checking accounts, the rate of customer movement between banks is tiny in comparison to the amount of customer dissatisfaction – they’re simply not dissatisfied enough to bother to make the change and, as

I think it’s safe to say that anyone who’s taken the time to build a “Bucket List” of things to accomplish has included at least one trip of a lifetime. Exactly what a “trip of a lifetime” looks like depends in great part on the “why” behind that particular dream. It could mean . . . * Your one chance to do all the things you want to do on one trip * A place that, for whatever reason, you’ll never be able to go again * A trip that will change your life beyond the actual journey

Many personal development ‘gurus’ lead people to believe that, once you follow their course of action, life will be plain sailing – only good things will happen –life will simply be one wonderful moment after the next. Nothing could be further from the truth. I recently got a call from one of my clients, John. The very first words down the ‘phone were “I’ve lost all my money – what am I going to do? What am I going to tell Erika?” – his wife! After I had established that it was John on the ‘phone – and, indeed, that I was the first person he had called, I asked h

Ask and you shall receive! The concept of so-called “cosmic ordering” apparently works along these lines – definitions of cosmic ordering suggest that you write out your wish list (which is somehow cast out into the cosmos) and wait for it to happen (wait for the cosmos to respond).

1. A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval. There is nothing more satisfying than that sense of being completely "at home" in your own skin. When you achieve that as a natural state of "being", then you can finally look beyond yourself and fully contribute all your talents to the world. 2. Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. So many look to eradicate fear from their lives, when that is an impossible task.

Did you leave your house naked this morning? Of course you didn’t. Isn’t it bizarre that everyone has no problem preparing themselves physically for the day ahead whilst almost no one bothers to mentally prepare – and being mentally prepared is far more important because the quality of your life, your success, your peace of mind, your wealth, your health and your happiness all depend upon it. I say this with absolute certainty because many years research backs me up. What occupies your mind creates your life.

In order to live a happy and successful life, making the right career choice is of utmost importance. In fact, we spend almost 80% of our time at work and if we are not happy in our job, it will be reflected in the other areas of our life. If on the other hand, we make the right career choice right from the beginning and we do what we really love, our job will be fun and when we are happy, we will emit positive vibrations and we will as a result attract more positive things in our life. Most of the time, we don’t really know what we want to do as job.

I first saw this quote at a friend’s house several years ago. I don’t know who said it but it’s one of those things that you don’t think much about, at the time, but it keeps coming back to you. For me it was reoccurring as I’ve had to adjust to events that were beyond my control. Some were serious challenges, such as losing a loved one. Others were less so. I know that I’m not alone. Life is like that. We lose jobs. We lose some we love. We end a marriage or a friendship. Here’s what I’ve learned. Adjusting our sails means making choices.

Everyone is at a crossroads each moment of each day – it’s just that we never stop to reflect on the fact that each minute decision we make can have life-changing consequences. A client recently recounted a story from his youth. He told me about he used to hang out with his best friend – and his best friend’s girlfriend. One Sunday afte oon, rather than doing his usual thing of going to the rugby club for a few pints, he decided he’d call to the girl’s house for a chat. The rest is history – they were married twenty years just a few days ago. As he said to me “If I hadn

I am wondering if nature has something to teach us about what it means to be female. One of the most fascinating aspects of the natural world is the manner in which males earn the right to mate with females. Whether it’s a battle of strength or intelligence, only the best male wins the opportunity to embrace her. Nature instinctively works through her selective process to ensure a stronger next generation. If all of nature holds a deep reverence for the female’s ability to choose, then it appears human beings have it a bit backwards when it comes to their mating rituals.

The Universe delivers what you ask for. And you ask for these things via your thoughts. So, suffice it to say, if you are thinking negatively, the Universe is going to deliver negative things. Don't you think it's about time to start changing your thinking patterns right now? You might say that's easier said than done. Well, I am here to help you gain a better perspective. It's easier to do thank you think. We are trained from a young age to think things are hard and that to

Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Indira Gandhi, Ted Bundy. What did they all have in common: Sanpaku!! What is it? When we’re born, our eyes are perfectly balanced between the upper and lower eyelids. They touch so no white shows below or above the iris. It indicates a balanced and healthy person. As we grow older, even in childhood, three-sided white can show around the iris. This is cause for concern. It indicates the nervous system is seriously out of balance. It’s a warning.

The normal mind is anaesthetized. I’ve come across people who do things they know they shouldn’t be doing but they appear not to be able to help it. I know people who insist on reading every single email the moment it arrives even though they’re supposed to be in the middle of something important and they know that the majority of the emails that they read are a complete and utter waste of time. Indeed, recent research tells us that the average response time to an email is a mere six seconds. I’ve also recently been told that the average distance an email is sent is two hundred metres!

All over the world- there has been a firm belief in the supe atural throughout the ages. The debate and dichotomy of science and religion are blown out of proportions. Wherever we are, whatever we do- we do come across instances which look strange and have a mystery tied to them. We label them ...

One of the most important elements of ongoing business success is gaining and maintaining competitive advantage. Lots of businesses talk about it, lots of businesses strive for it, but very few businesses really understand it. Put simply, competitive advantage means being different – not just different from your competitors, but being noticeably different as perceived by your target market – and the difference has to be substantive, not cosmetic. And it is in substantive real competitive advantage that most businesses simply fail.

Where was God in Haiti? By Kris Timpert This quote in bold print "Where was God in Haiti?" took up an entire page of a newspaper I saw this morning. The article went on to discuss the suffering of the religious people in the world. All those people who have been waiting for a savior. “Where is the savior?” exclaimed the author. Here you have these poor people in Haiti, destitute, abandoned, hungry, injured and crying for help. Imagine the prayers rising up to the heavens. What do we expect to happen here on Earth when such a disaster happens?

Familiarity breeds contempt – so the old saying goes – and, indeed, there is considerable psychological evidence to back this up. Many years research has proved that the normal mind performs its routine tasks in a mindless manner, without paying what is being done any attention at all. This psychological “facility” do perform routine tasks without paying them any attention has undoubted benefits – imagine if you had to pay attention to how you put one foot in front of the other when you walk?

I constantly tell my clients that meditation is like your life in miniature - in other words, everything you encounter during meditation mirrors your daily life. So, for example, during meditation, your conscious mind will distract you - with an average of 50,000 random thoughts whizzing through it, it's bound to!

There really is no secret when it comes to learning how to apply the law of attraction (LOA) in your life. You can begin making changes in ANY area of your life as soon as you want. There is nothing holding you back! You don't have to wait until you are an expert. Start transforming your life by following the three steps outlined below and you will have the power to manifest anything you desire. It is important to be sure that you have a good grasp of each step of this LOA process before moving onto the next.

Mindfulness allows you to relate to and deal directly with whatever is happening in your life. Instead of struggling to escape, suppress or avoid distressing thoughts and feelings, mindfulness helps you approach whatever is going on in your life, in your thoughts, and with your emotions, without becoming overwhelmed. When you start being more mindful and start living in the present moment, you'll experience your life more fully, and become more in touch with yourself, who you

Let me give you a strong reason why we should be grateful for everyday. Because the moment you open your eyes each day. It is a gift from god to you. You are still alive and that it is a given. Everybody is given a brand new day. Everybody is given another day to love. Everybody is given another day of hope. Everybody is given another chance to do whatever they have failed to accomplish. Everybody applies to those who are still alive. For those who are chosen to leave this place, do not have this privilege and do not have any second chance. They passed on in regrets or fulfilment.r

There are so many reasons to become a coach I hesitate to write about just seven. As a Coach and Coach Trainer I see dreams made real on a daily basis and this is just the start. Here are my top 7 reasons to become a coach: 1. Personal Development: Through the process of becoming a coach you have an opportunity to develop yourself beyond your wildest imagination. Many students graduate from coach training completely rejuvenated with a new zest for life. 2.

One of my clients, a well-known solicitor, recently introduced me to her partners by saying “Willie is living the dream!” She was referring to my living in high the French Alps, where myself and my wife moved five years ago with our three children – a better quality of life, skiing in winter, boating in summer, food, wine, the list is endless. But “living the dream” has nothing to do with location, it’s simply a state of mind. It’s the clear state of mind in which you find yourself every so often – when you’re “all there”, when so much gets done with such little effo

If the path of one’s life is already predetermined and our choices cannot change the outcome, doesn’t that cause you to feel disempowered? I have to offer gratitude to my friend for asking me this very question. It is an excellent question. Can we really be disempowered to know that our destination has already been set? Is it disempowering to know that a highway exists betwee New Jersey and Califo ia and that driving your car west will eventually take you there?

Whether you are feeling overextended, overcommitted and overwhelmed, or just ready to free more time for summer, the following tips can help you take the first steps toward conquering your time crunched lifestyle find more time for "off the clock" fun. "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." ~ Peter F. Drucker

Facebook is such a fantastic community for making inspiring connections with others.. There are so many in the community who desire to make a difference to the lives of others and themselves. acquaintances who I've had minimal conversations with regularly now take a minute out of theirhectic lives to give me some positive praise and encouragement.

Over the many years that I’ve been working with clients who want to better their lives I’ve come across the goal of “financial freedom” – people looking for an end to financial worry (over 905 of males claim that it is their greatest source of worry), people looking for “passive income” or people wanting to have “more than enough”. But, what is “more than enough”? In a comment once attributed to Rockefeller (I’ve really no idea whether he said it or not) he is reputed to have said that “Enough is just one more!” Enough, perhaps, is never enough.

A journal can be used in many powerful ways. Previously we learned how you can open your soul and record in your journal what lurks beneath the surface there. A journal, of course, can be used to help us analyse what lies even deeper still. It can help us to get way down into our subconscious to find answers to questions and help us to solve our problems. The best way to do this is to write an in-depth analysis of your dreams. Your dreams communicate with your subconscious mind and assist you in understanding your true desires.

I am going to be a first-time grandmother in August. I’m ecstatic about having my first grandchild. One of the first things I will share with my grandson or granddaughter is the “Bowl of Light” story that I learned when I was an alakai, advanced student, of Ho’o pono Pono in Hawaii. My kumu, teacher, said Pali Jae Lee and Koko Willis’s book Tales from the Night Rainbow is an excellent, authentic source for this story and so many others. nnIn ancient times, in Hawaii

We all have the ability to recognize – someone we already know, a difficult situation when we see one, an opportunity that’s staring us in the face or a problem that needs our attention. However, our psychological ability to recognise is just as much a curse as it is a blessing. We take in raw data through our body’s five senses – a psychologist would term this “bottom up” data – through the process of cognition. At this point, the data, of itself is meaningless – we need to interpret it. This is done by adding our “stored knowledge” or “top down information” to the

Most life coach training courses encourage you to choose a niche such as Divorce Recovery Coaching or Career Coaching. Within each of these niches lie endless opportunities. As a Coach and Coach Trainer I know that most six-figure income coaches ultimately end up tapping into multiple streams of income. Here are 8 ideas for areas within which you might obtain coach training. Training in these areas is included in the programs at www.WorldCoachInstitute.com. 1.

Personal development is a multi-billion dollar industry. That industry publishes literally thousands of books every year on the topic of success and how to achieve it. From the practical to the new age, there is a different flavor of book for every taste. So, which books should you read - which ...

Like many things we don’t fully understand, it would be easy to dismiss the power of affirmations, but enough respected and highly successful people use them that, they deserve investigation. Regrettably, many of us grow up with a set of beliefs about ourselves that are less than empowering. As we grow up we begin to put ourselves down for any slight failure, whether real or imagined. Our parents, teachers and other influential adults can inadvertently create a diminished self image and install a number of limiting beliefs.

Have you ever driven a familiar route, only to arrive with no real recollection of how you got there? Scary when you think about it isn’t it? Yet when we were learning to drive, it took all our powers of concentration to coordinate our hands and feet, not to mention negotiate a busy junction. All the things we do on a daily basis without even thinking about are stored in the subconscious part of our minds. These include the way we brush our teeth, the way we tie our shoes, the way we drive and so on.

If you are considering life coach training, career coach training or any other type of coach training you probably have found a number of options out there and may be feeling overwhelmed. I understand. I was there once too! A good coach training program like the programs you will find at www.WorldCoachInstitute.com will encompass several key qualities: 1. Coach Training Hours.

Greatness is the height of achievement. We gravitate to greatness by using our potential to its peak. We become great when we do the impossible. We become great when we do the unbelievable. We become great when we discover the secret behind the magic in us and how to use that magic to influence others to dicover their own magic in themselves. When we face our greatest challenges, and we are equal to them, something great comes out of it. Greatness is the sphere of the average who do the extraordinary.

© Peter Muir 2005rnNo part of this article may be repoduced without the consent of the author. In this paper I explore that the notion, based on my own teaching practice, that regular attendance on Community Outreach Music Programs (COMPs) by music students can be of great benefit to the learning of their musical instruments. I will begin with a general description of a typical COMP. The Musical Outreach Program at Green Briar Retirement Community The Institute for Music and

Yesterday I was visiting Apple’s online store and upon leaving the website realized that it shared something in common with the Hotel Califo ia. “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!” After ten minutes of playing “Where’s Waldo?” in search of the logout button, I sought out the “Geek Squad” a.k.a. my husband, the “IT Professional”. “Honey,” I asked, “where is the logout button on the Apple store website?” He immediately shot me a look as if to say you have got to be kidding! “I’m not kidding,” I said. “I can’t find it anywhere.”

I’m writing this article on a Friday morning. A couple of years back, I did a breakfast seminar – a short discussion on effective personal development – for a large organization in Dublin.

Worry is corrosive form of useless thought – that is all worry is. Yet, it turns mole hills into mountains, conjures up imaginary crises and transforms the small puddles that we have to inevitably step over in life into raging impassable rivers. Instead of looking at life’s little hand grenades for what they really are, our sad little minds turn them into weapons of mass self-destruction. Worry is not just a waste of your energy – worry, at best, is stifling the life out of you – at worst, it is the cancer that is eating you from the inside out.

The professor had the graduate students that were his aides bring in a table. Then he had them bring in a big glass fish tank. It was pretty big, about five to six feet long and about four feet high. Then he had them bring in the pike, which is a carnivorous fish—and then bring in the minnows. It was a pretty convincing act. The pike eats faster than the human eye can react to and calibrate what's actually happening.

I was recently asked why authors such as Ekhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra and Tony deMello (and myself for that matter) place so much emphasis on the present moment. My reader also asked me to explain why living in the past or future can be so detrimental - and that's where this article starts! Very often, we look back on our past - fondly, with regret, sometimes with longing. There's no harm in that - after all, it is our life experience to date that makes us who we think we are.

Delegation is one of the most powerful tools for effective time management, and it's also the most psychologically loaded. Relying on others can bring up deep-seated issues of dependency and trust. Many people, from managers at work to adults at home with a family, often fall into the trap of ‘doing everything.' You may think that you can do the task better, or faster, than anyone else can. Or you may simply not want to impose on anyone by asking for help. You may even do everything yourself because you feel guilty if you're not busy all the time!

The best way to save money on healthcare is to avoid injury. A large majority of people going to the gym today have little, if any understanding of biomechanical anatomy. I thought this article might offer a quick education for anyone who wants to avoid getting hurt while trying to get healthy at the local gym. I want to point out that when you go to the gym, you actually bring your machine with you – it’s called your body. Your body is so intelligent that it works best when all the pieces and parts work perfectly together.

Time is finite. You get twenty-four hours per day, 365 days per year. Once a minute or an hour has passed, it’s gone forever. Establishing a sense of richness in your life requires that you acknowledge this limitation, and that you begin to consciously decide how you’re going to invest each moment you’ve been given. In my work as a professional coach, I’ve found that most people are not conscious of the non-renewable nature of time. As a result, they commit their calendar according to what is urgent, to other people’s demands, or in response to what they believe is expected of them.

A person's got to have a code, a creed to live by. ~ John Wayne ~ In general, personal values evolve from circumstances with the exte al world and these can change over time. For many generations, most of us learned our values - sometimes referred to as morals, from parents, teachers and religious leaders. Family, country, generation, experience, historical environment and your perception of all of these, may also have an influence on the values you adopted. As we participated in life, the influence over our choice of values may have changed.

There has been a lot of talk about inflation, depression and recession lately. There are only two ways to really “shield” yourself from the dire news that are flooding the media left and right; one is to move to a remote cave in the Himalayas. The second (and easier) option is... to transform your current “prosperity vibration”. And how do you know that you’re NOT vibrating in a negative frequency regarding money and prosperity? EASY. I have a quick quiz to all my personal coaching clients who face money challenges.

Are you constantly feeling tired and lacking in energy? Do you feel drained at the thought of the things on your to do list? Are you looking for a way to overcome tiredness and loss of energy? What are your first thoughts of the day when the alarm goes off? Do you smile and bounce out of bed? Or do you groan and wish you could have a few more hours under the duvet? Do you feel so overwhelmed that its easier to slumping front of the TV instead of taking action ? How many times do you put something off until tomorrow and tomorrow never comes?

Today, more and more people in all the different parts of the world are looking for the right partner with whom they can “live happily ever after”. Many people succeed and many others find it difficult to find the right person. But who is the right person?

Whether it comes in the form of a pile of unpaid bills, a contentious argument with your spouse, a worrisome health problem, or a traffic jam, stress is a part of everyday life. While some stress is inevitable, when your body repeatedly encounters a set of physiological changes dubbed the stress response, trouble can brew. Stress may contribute to or exacerbate various health problems, including these: high blood pressure, suppression of the immune system, headaches, insomnia and depression. The good news is it is possible to dismantle negative stress cycles.

NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming that magic word what does it conjure up? For many NLP practitioners its technology for the 21st Century, called "The study of human excellence", but is it really all its cracked up to be?. We have buzz words; modeling, anchoring, sub modalities, maps but what do they really mean? NLP was invented (or re-invented) by Dr Richard Bandler & John Grindler thirty odd years ago. Bandler a maverick Doctor of linguistics has a chequered background. An ex cocaine addict, former Hells Angel, he was once arrested on suspicion of murder.

You find you are in the middle of a dissatisfying life. You are consistently feeling betrayed. You are attracting chaos to yourself and cannot figure out why…. There are pieces of you that screaming for attention and to be healed. The messages are louder and louder and are showing up in the form of vast self sabotaging actions. These actions are reverberating out in to your relationships at the speed of light. One relationship after another is not working out. Life is lacking in passion. Embitterment is beginning to become a regular state of being.

1. All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible. This is something I often repeat, however I cannot stress highly enough the need to know what you want, and to define a singular, overriding goal for your life. We do not need to know how we will accomplish that, we just need to be mindful that the things we do, move forward this singular purpose. 2.

We live in an abundant universe and we all deserve our share of that abundance. In order to receive that abundance, we must be prepared and ready to receive and accept the prosperity which is rightfully ours. However, at a subconscious level, many of us just do not believe that we deserve the prosperity that we are looking for. In order to attract prosperity, we must release all our negative beliefs about prosperity. Our exte al reality mirrors our internal beliefs and how we think the world is for us becomes our reality.

Cast your mind back to when you were a child – maybe eight or nine years old. Remember those long, sunny, summer holiday days that seemed to go on forever? Remember how you had no idea of time – what time it was, the way time was passing – it was like everything was effortlessly enjoyed in a timeless daze. And, remember, even though you might have had lots of those long, timeless, sunny, summer holiday days, the school holidays seemed to be over almost as soon as they’d started – time flew when you were having fun. When we were children, we lived in timeless state of mind. We were open-minded,

If you have decided to transition into a coaching career while still holding another job here are some tips for a smooth transition. 1. Obtain a coaching certification. There are many evening and daytime coach certification courses offered to suit any schedule. Choose one that offers a minimum of forty-eight hours of “live” training with an additional minimum of twelve hours of self-study so that if you decide to apply for an International Coach Federation (ICF) credential you will have enough coach training hours to do so.

Assertiveness training is a way to re-programme the Adult persona that in our childhood and perhaps for much of our lives gives us a false idea of who we are and can become. In particular, it re-programmes our tendency to seek blame - of others or ourselves - when things don't quite go the way ...

The word Resilience is derived from the latin word “resilire,” meaning “to leap back.” The will to survive is a natural instinct in humankind. But not many people are “up to” the rigors it takes to survive. Survival may be the fittest, but it comes with a price, which in some instance is too high for many a people to pay. Resilience is the panacea to the ailment of high price of survival, in this instance. Life is like a war with so many battles to fight.

I’ve been in the personal development business for nearly sixteen years and, to be quite honest, a get a little fed up when I see people, who are all over the place themselves, suddenly proclaiming themselves to be a life coach because they did a weekend course or get some online accreditation. Life coaching is a serious business. The life coach is in a position to play with people’s minds – and some of them do just that with terrible consequences. People ‘follow their heart’ – a phrase that I’ve heard more than once – or people ‘go with the flow’ – another choice phrase.

"I have an everyday religion that works for me. Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line." --Lucile Ball, 1911-1989, Comedienne and Actress We all heard the saying a million times before---“When you take care of yourself first, you will then be better able to take care of, and give your best to the people you care most about”. How many of us follow this prescription? For me, I am now becoming more conscious of this wonderful truth. I was always so busy worrying about everyone else’s needs first, that I put my needs and thoughts to the sideline.

Do you want to know how to make a vision board that works? One that actually helps you manifest your dreams and goals faster? I get a lot of questions about vision boards, here are a few answers that will help you. Question: How do I decide what I should put on my dream board to represent my dreams?

You most probably heard a lot of times things like: • One thing in life is certain • Everything changes • The only constant thing is changer Everyone agrees that we live probably the fastest changing days from entire humanity’s existence. Due to evolution of technology and development of internet the change is somewhat permanent and instantaneously. In the same time we are human. We love comfort zones and we fear the unknown and we react differently to change. There are basically four types of reactions that we may encounter:r

Why is it that we hold on to relationships long past their natural end? Think of a friendship that no longer exists. Do you still remember how your friend insulted or deserted you? You gained new friends, but you still feel that hurt. Remember that supervisor who made your life such hell that you left to get a new job? You smile every time you think what a sad sod that supervisor is, and how much better off you are now. Or you still resent the opportunity that you missed as a result of that person, even though you gained much more from the new job than from the old one.

Too many people are going through their lives wishing, hoping, wanting or waiting for something to happen. “I wish I could just get that lucky break.” “I hope that tomorrow will be better.” “I want to win the Lottery!” Unfortunately, what most people don’t realize is that nothing “just happens” in life – you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do yourself to get the ball rolling.

By any standard, growing a small business is a balancing act. The clearer you are about your goals and the more organized you become with your marketing and sales efforts, the greater your chance for success. I hope this checklist will serve to inspire and support your efforts. 1) Never let a day pass without engaging in at least one marketing activity. 2) Keep an “inspiration” file where you can easily drop in clippings or ideas for later reference. 3) Carry business cards with you every day, ALL day. (They don’t any good in the box!)

The world of self help, personal development, and self improvement is often challenged by people as it relates to psychology and psychiatry especially when it comes to depression. Some feel the boundaries of the various self help teachings stop short of encompassing individuals who suffer from serious or clinical depression. You might be one of those people but we believe that if you follow these simple, yet powerful ideas, you will understand why we believe this is not true.

We’re in our eighth great year living in the French Alps. When we upped and left Ireland in 2002, many friends and clients remarked that we were taking a courageous decision – after all, our children were thirteen, eleven and eight years old at the time and were establishing their own little lives. Similarly, I walked away from a big job in banking in 1996 to set up my practice as a consultant and mentor – what I’m still doing today. Once again, at the time, many people told me that I was brave and courageous to do that.

OK, let's heat up the cold-calling debate. Is everyone a salesman? Yes! Do most people have to make cold calls at some point? Yes! Do most people hate to make cold calls? Yes! So, you have two choices; either hire someone (a professional telemarketer) or do it yourself. If you have the budget ...

"When you repeatedly see an image in a way that activates a positive emotional charge, you become more likely to move towards it (even if it seems like a long shot). In action things happen. You talk to others, resources multiply, and your eyes open to opportunities. Suddenly you disce it was ...

I Googled "dating" this morning - Google came up with 268m results. Whether it's online dating, speed dating, lunch dating or singles holidays, events for singles... actually I Google gave me even more results for singles - 288m. Lots of people are looking for something that's missing in their lives - whether it's companionship, friendship or love. But there's a problem. Almost everyone who's out there "looking for love" is normal.

With so many options of varying price and quality how does one compare? Here are some practical areas to compare when reviewing coach training schools. * Cost. Coach training programs range from $350 USD to over $6,000 USD. Try dividing the number of “live” coach training hours into the total cost for a basic comparison. I highly recommend www.WorldCoachInstitute.com in this regard. * Payment. Does the school offer payments plans? If you plan to make a one-time payment do they offer discounts for paying upfront?

Most people lead normal lives. Those lives are, generally speaking, repetitive - where anything spectacular rarely happens. Of course, the normal life is punctuated by the spectacular - falling in love, marriage, the birth of a child, the odd special holiday. But, generally speaking, normal lives plod along. Research tells us that at least 96% of us are normal and that normal people are rarely really engaged in or attentive to what they are doing in the here and now - research estimates that the normal person is only 1% engaged.

We all have times in our lives when we are feeling sad or down about something for one reason or another. One may walk around feeling totally drained, numb and basically not in tune with the best life has to offer.

The vast majority of people raising children are ill equipped for the job. Now, we all know the general comments like “How come they don’t teach you about this at school?” or “Why is there no training to be a parent?” But that’s not what I’m talking about. Those of us who are parents know that nothing, but nothing, actually prepares you for the day you bring your first child home from the hospital. But that’s not even what I’m talking about – I’m talking about something a lot more fundamental – and something that is ruining the next generations’ lives. Decades

Why is developing an effective personal philosophy so significant? Well, if your personal philosophy is not helping you succeed, that could be one good reason for developing a more effective personal philosophy. One of the major ideas I have picked up in studying self improvement, has been that in order to make a successful personal change, I had to start with my personal philosophy. Jim Rohn, one of the best, if not the best business philosopher of our time said that. It all starts with our personal philosophy, or as Mr. Rohn termed it, "the set of the sail".

Does your work environment bring out the best in you or the worst? When you leave work, do you feel drained, exhausted and even angry? Do you generally feel like you are dodging bullets all day? It happened to me the other day. As a practicing RN, I take shifts at a local, acute care psychiatric hospital.

So, you want to find your success in life. You have officially taken the first step on your journey to self improvement. Simply by taking the few minutes to read this article shows that you plan to make your life better for yourself and your family. Many people say that they want to become successful and change their lives however; few people take the leap and try to do so. The truth of the matter is that most people fail before they even begin on their personal journey. By following these tips, you stay on the right road to success and see your dreams to fruition.

I've been thinking lately of how I could put together a list of success principles based on my travel achievements. I've lived a pretty adventurous, courageous and successful life travelling the globe. You don't do that unless you possess certain qualities and character traits. I wanted to put together something as to how anyone could apply these same principles to other aspects of their life and achieve the same success. Success principles work no matter what avenue you use them for. I sat down to think about it and put some ideas together when I reached a blank.

Five categories of affirmations support you in manifesting powerful change. These five categories or types of affirmations have emerged from my consulting work with clients and workshop participants. You may work with affirmations in every category concurrently, or you may focus on a different ...

The key to improving your memory is to exercise your imagination and get as many of your senses involved as possible while encoding the information that you want to remember. The better your imagination, the better your memory and your ability to memorize a list. The following exercise will help you to better understand what I mean. I want you to take no more than 60 seconds to memorize the following list in order: * juicern * cheesern * oatmealrn * muffinrn * sausagern * pud

We’ve all learned from first hand experience that stepping into the unknown can be both exciting and scary at the same time. The human spirit is born to explore and discover, while our ego and subconscious may suggest we play it safe based on past events. So, how do we know when to act and when to pass? I’ll make this as easy and straight forward as I can. Don’t analyze the decision with your head, feel how it feels in your gut. Of course you want to do your research and homework but at the end of the day, how do you feel about your idea or plan?

Surely we hit what might be described as the ‘peak performance zone’ when we are striving to achieve our goals. Goals, by their very nature, are things that we don't have at present – they are things that we are aiming for in the future. So why do so many personal development experts or ‘gurus’ place so much emphasis on the here and now? For example, the title of Ekhart Tolle’s book ‘The Power of Now’ says it all. What is the point of looking to the present moment if, at present, you find yourself in a place in your life that you want to get out of?

The idea of value and purpose is linked to the concept of discovering a greater good, a mission, or a higher calling. Most people know the story of Mahatma Gandhi. But most people only know his story after he became a prominent figure. He was born into a middle class family. He had low self-esteem that made him reluctant to interact with others. Gandhi’s life changed one day while riding on a train in South Africa in the first-class section. Because of his dark skin, he was f

Gee I loved being a kid. Living for the moment, laughing for the sheer joy of doing so, letting my imagination run wild, not trying to be someone I wasn't, saying "yes I can do that" to everything I wanted to try, even if I wasn’t any good at it. I didn’t have to worry about getting a job, a relationship, or pay off a mortgage.

Staying Positive in a Negative Environment By Julie Fuimano, Executive Coach Probably one of the hardest things we must do as leaders is to stay positive when everyone else around us is negative. It’s not easy to maintain a positive attitude and not be drained or consumed by the negativity that ...

When our mind, heart and body are tired, our Soul will feel drained. Sometimes we push ourselves too much and we forget the natural state of who we are. That’s fine as long as we remember at some point and bring ourselves back in alignment. You can do that by taking a time out from the everyday responsibilities. It’s more than taking time for you. It is taking time from you. A lot of us do not realize that we do need to take time from ourselves.

A Mastermind group is different from a social club or other networking organization in that it is created with a goal in mind and holds its members accountable for achieving that goal. The concept was first introduced by Napoleon Hill in his groundbreaking book on personal success Think and Grow Rich. It is relatively easy to start a Mastermind group and there are many reasons you might want to, such as: -Increased access to resources -Reaching goals in your business and personal life

Decisions are shaping your destiny every second. They are a cause being set in motion. From the moment you wake until you sleep you are making decisions. Everything that happens in life both the thrilling and the challenging began somewhere with a decision. Anthony Robbins says it best: 'It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped' How are you shaping your destiny today?

How did you start your day today? When you leaped out of bed, were you ready and alert for all today will offer or did you drag yourself out of bed on automatic pilot, and lurch into the bathroom in the normal early morning daze.

I sometimes get very frustrated (it doesn’t last long!) when I see the extent to which Personal Development is hijacked by people whose sole focus is on money. Go on, Google ‘Personal Development’ – the number of sites that talk about becoming a millionaire, trebling your income, achieving financial freedom! Check out Amazon and there’s a plethora of books on the same thing. Sure, people worry about money and the irony is that if you worry about money, money worries you shall have – in abundance.

As you know, being a manager is no easy task. And if you’ve been promoted from a technical position you may not be prepared to meet the demands of your new position. For some, managing comes naturally while others struggle with creating cohesive teams, handling staff difficulties and producing ...

What is human memory? Simply stated, memory is the mental processes that are used to acquire, store, retain and later retrieve information. The information can be obtained from our 5 senses before they are processed by the brain. There are three major processes involved in memory, namely Processing, Storage and Retrieval. ProcessingrnNew information or experiences make their way to the brain through the 5 senses where they are processed by the neurons in the brain. The key to

So much is taken for granted because too often we forget just how fortunate we are to be alive, healthy, in varying degrees, and loved, no matter where our homes happen to be in the world. The weak global economy, perhaps with the exception of China, Russia, and India, offers us an opportunity to reevaluate the things that are important and to improve our lives as well as the lives of those with whom we come into frequent contact. Now is an excellent time to become more focused on relationships, personal development and spirituality, all of which are important for success. The following

Trend-spotting off the Beaten Path Style-makers and trendsetters, even Hollywood celebrities, have long known the benefits of combing Goodwill Stores for hidden gems, but a funny thing happened on our way through the recession. Goodwill stores across North America noticed an increase in sales – the exact opposite of most retailers.

In this hotly competitive marketplace, more companies are turning to image consultants as a cost-effective tool to differentiate their products and services from others in the marketplace.

There are few things in life worth more than happiness and inner peace. People seek after many things. Material objects, fame, and fortune are often among these. What is the goal of getting things? Typically, people will say it's happiness. They think they have to have x, y, and z complete in the exte al world before they can relax and really be happy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, the exte al world is relatively unimportant in terms of happiness. What is important is your internal world.

What is the secret formula to being happy? It seems most of us, no matter how hard we try are always coming up short. Why is it we work so hard at trying to be happy but find what actually comes our way is stressful, painful or disappointing? For me, I believe happiness is learning how to be a good Gardener. We are taught many things as small children but no one ever tells us how to be truly happy.

When we are having difficulty in adult relationships it is often because we are approaching them from the perspective of the ‘hurt child.’ This is someone who is always looking for love and approval, and is hypersensitive to criticism. If a person comes from an environment of deep criticism, that person will develop a hyper intuitiveness, and a hypervigilance around other people… constantly wondering what others are thinking and feeling. Their tentacles are out “feeling” the situation, sensing the danger, or the OK to proceed. This can result in a deep lack of spontaneity.

Are people really choosing to stay unemployed? Really? These comments are from a discussio I had with a man in Michigan. How do we motivate, inspire, reach and help here? The following is a response from a man in Michigan to a community where I posed the preceding question. I have the opportunity to connect with many unemployed, and would be, aspiring entrepreneurs. This, unfortunately is not a unique perspective, especially in Michigan. My counsel to him was that we can all do something about our situation, even if it’s only to control how we react.

All of us carry wounds from the past. We may or may not be conscious of them. Either way, they inhibit our ability to embrace life. If we want more of life’s blessings, we need to heal our wounds – our repressed emotions and old patterns and limiting beliefs. How do we identify these wounds? We can dig deep into our memory banks in an effort to uncover the experiences that first brought us pain and trauma. Or we can address our pain when it surfaces in daily living.

I was golfing with Tiger Woods the other day…..no I wasn’t…I was golfing on my daughters Wii. It doesn’t matter; my score was just as bad. How many men (and women) wish they could play GOLF like Tiger? No matter how we feel about his newly revealed personal “flaws”, he is still perhaps the greatest practitioner of the sport to step onto the links. He remains the epitome of dedication to the achievement of excellence in a professional endeavor. I will never play like Tiger Woods, even at a 1000 balls a day from now until the end of time. I will never play at that level.

Join all the dots plotted by over seventy years of psychological research and you’ll immediately come to the blindingly obvious conclusion that normal people are crazy. You probably don’t even have to look far for concrete evidence of this psychological fact. Normal crazy people are all around us! You’re probably one yourself!!

Yes, yes, and YES! You may not have ever heard that phrase, but back when I started in selling, in the 1960s, that was pretty common. We had sales training meetings and we'd all get up and jump around and bounce off the walls. A lot of fun, really. It always worked… Entering enthusiastically into this enthusiastic behavior created the state known as enthusiasm. “To be enthusiastic, act enthusiastic.” Sure, sales people are required every single moment of every single day to be on their leading edge, to be sharp, to be at the top of their game.

Perhaps you’re stressed out – or you’ve had enough of your awful boss. Maybe you’re overweight and simply haven’t had the staying power to shed those pounds. Maybe you’re lonely – looking for friendship or a relationship but you freeze every time you’re in company. Perhaps you almost collapse every time you have to stand up in front of an audience to make a presentation – or are getting more and more frustrated by the way you shout at your children when you know that you don’t mean to.

In business – and often in our personal lives – frustration and worry go hand in hand. We get frustrated that our efforts are not receiving the acclaim that we believe we deserve and we get worried that, if things continue like that, we’re either not going to be the success we want to be or, worse, as a recent survey reported, that we won’t have enough money to do even some of the simple things we want to do. It could be said that frustration and worry are part of the human condition – but they’re not. They are an intrinsic part of human conditioning – not the human conditio

What comes to your mind when you hear the word Hypnosis? May be a witch laughing hysterically and saying “You are under my control; you’ll do as I say” or perhaps a stage hypnotist calling some volunteers and making them do certain things like behaving foolish, barking like a dog or walking like a cat? It is largely because there has been lack of awareness and many misconceptions about this beautiful phenomenon called Hypnosis. For many centuries people considered it as evil. Something associated with Black magic, Satanism and kind of overpowering others against their will.

“You cannot look at someone’s exterior and know what’s going on inside.” This quote from the book The Journey Called YOU is a very profound statement because what it means is that looks can be very deceiving; someone who seems to have it all together may in fact be living a life of lies.

Visioning Your Dreams Many people at the beginning of the year propose and declare resolutions or intentions for the upcoming year. There are many ways to vision your dreams for the upcoming year.

Most people experience self-doubt on a regular basis and I am not immune. I have spent entirely too much of my life trying to accept myself as I am. While easy for me to see how wonderful and special you are, it was a challenge for many years to see myself in the same light. It’s no wonder that my first book focuses on “self-discovery and acceptance.” And it’s no wonder that my journey led me into psychiatric nursing and success coaching not only to work on my own personal development, but to assist others in their personal leadership development as well.

I’ve been running my Personal Development Workshops for the last fifteen years and, during that time, I’ve met plenty of people who, for one reason or another, wanted to change their life. I’ve all sorts of reasons – from the proverbial midlife crisis to the career crossroads, from low self esteem to fear of public speaking, from wanting to learn the art of true leadership to simply wanting to be happy – I’ve seen it all. And, the bizarre thing is, that I keep seeing the same thing!

Change life by taking action to get organized and energized! Inaction leads to anxiety. Action gets things done. The sooner you take action, the faster you feel great. Overwhelm is common. It does not make you any less of a person. It is all in how you deal with it that counts. Follow these 10 tips to get organized and energized, then begin! 1- Get your ‘to do’ list out of your head and into a system- Your brain is more efficient with less clutter just like a computer. Go through the areas of your home and jot down what needs to be done in each area.

One huge benefit of registering for a coach training program is that you will grow and obtain wisdom beyond your years with regard to your life, your personal development and your role on this planet. You are sure to obtain these pearls of wisdom through any course you take at www.WorldCoachInstitute.com So, how does this happen? Firstly, obtaining a coach certification means that you will be able to enable your coachees to gain clarity, grow and make things happen.

Napoleon Hill said he visited with Aristotle, Edison etc. He received brilliant ideas from his visits with the greatest minds – dead or alive. His meetings with counselors, he admitted, may have been fictional and perhaps were only his imagination. However they changed his life. He felt he tapped into an infinite warehouse of wisdom. Back in 1937 Napoleon wrote “Think and Grow Rich,” and the book remains to this day the bench mark to lessons of this kind.

Spend a few moments glancing at the websites of any of the major international news services - it is little wonder that so many of my clients have been emailing me to tell me just how difficult it is to stay positive at present. And these are people that I've been working with for some time - sometimes for years - they should know better. Actually, they do know better - but with so much bad news around, they're finding that it takes less effort to simply follow the herd and slip into the same weird and "wonderful" world that most so-called normal people are drowning in at present.

Encouraging Spiritual Development in the Workplace by Tom Hinton Chairmanr The 10,000 Days Foundation There’s a positive movement taking hold in the workplace. Companies are discovering a new way to motivate, energize and relate to employees by helping them discover and develop their spiritual essence. I refer to this movement as Employee Spiritual Development or ESD. Not too many years ago, such a movement would have been dismissed as radical or controversial; but, not in today’s self-actualizing work environment.

Can you imagine a world without addiction, obesity and disease? If so, you may also wonder why, with our advanced medical systems, we are unable to improve the relative number of people suffering from these conditions. In this short article, I will overview what may be the world’s simplest, ...

In chatting recently to a client who was on the brink of making a major upward career move, I was told that, whilst he was totally relaxed in almost a carefree way about everything that seemed to be just effortlessly happening around him, in his odd quiet moment he still heard a little voice inside him whisper “No you can’t!” We all have voices in our head, some that egg us on, some that put us down, some that put us under such pressure that we are paralysed when it comes to our moment to perform.

I have often heard it said that, "The Universe loves speed" and this of course includes, the speed of your own personal vibration. How the world responds to you and therefore the results that you produce, are reliant on the vibrational energy that you put out. You have likely observed it yourself, many times. One person can walk into a room full of people and everyone turns and notices.

Before I get started, it's important that you understand the meaning of self help, self improvement and personal development. In a nut shell, it's precisely as it reads, every and anything related to improving or developing yourself. For instance, career, relationships, health, matters of the mind, etc.. Self help is basically any form of information, or tools that helps an individual to help themselves. Answer this quick question... Have you ever had a time in your life where you just wanted tomorrow to come NOW?

Do you find it difficult to make decisions? After making a decision do you doubt what you have done and worry that it's not the best decision for you? Do you make a decision only to quickly change your mind? Do you regret many of the decisions that you've made and wish your life was different? If you are nodding you head at this moment then I can guarantee that your decision making will be 100% better once you are clear about your personal values.

I’d like to share with you a story that my spiritual teacher and dearest friend told me. Once upon a time, there were two seekers of enlightenment climbing in the Himalayas. One seemed more surefooted and climbed at a faster speed. He was conflicted about whether to wait for his friend to catch up or to keep going at his own pace. Finally, he decided to continue without his friend, journeying in a way that felt natural for him and allowing his friend to do the same.nnIt was

We all love to talk about sex. Can any of us ever get enough of it? For me the energy of the cosmos is rooted in sex. Sex as a creative force can be seen everywhere. The universe expands, the earth continues to evolve, animals and plants reproduce and human beings remain on an endless search for sexual relationships. So how can we harness this incredible life force so we can ride the wave of creativity in our own lives?

Henry David Thoreau said, “It is not enough to be busy. The question is what are you busy about.” Time management is about taking the finite amount of time we are given, and using it in the most productive way possible. We all have the same 24 hours in a day to accomplish our goals. Our life is a created out of what we choose to focus that time on, and what we give priority to. Those who master the concept of time management find they can accomplish more than they ever thought possible.

Many people reading so-called personal development or self improvement articles or, indeed, any of the vast number of self help books that continue to proliferate will know all about the concept known as the Law of Attraction – that, by your state of mind, you attract into your life the things that you want out of life.

Have you ever woken in the midst of a beautiful night’s sleep and just been drifting off again when some inane silly little thought flits across your mind? And another linked thought comes to join in and soon you find yourself off on a train of thought that takes you to all the places that you really don’t want to go. So many people, myself included, talk of the ridiculous and outrageous thoughts that don’t only keep you awake at four o’clock in the morning – they scare the living daylights out of you.

Do positive self-affirmations actually work? The short answer is ‘No’ – unless you have a few years to spare and a heavy-duty supply of perseverance. The problem is that self-affirmation is directed at the conscious mind and, unfortunately, your conscious mind has absolutely nothing to do with the way you behave, how you react to people and in situations, how you view the world or, most importantly, the view that you take of yourself.

What does your FACE say about you? Are you wearing a face of success? Facial expressions are a part of everyday living that send vital messages to those around us. As a physician who treats many patients who are in pain, I can readily tell how patients feel by looking at their faces. Certainly, when people are in pain, their facial expressions depict how they feel. Literally, their face lets me know that they hurt. Their faces show grimaces, frowns and sometimes women do not

The most common goal for personal improvement is that of a weight loss program to tone and strengthen the body. It is my belief that even if successful, until we heal our anger, the body remains heavy and weak on the inside. Just as you would never paint over rust on your car, you may not want to spend all your energy making your outside look good when inside you may be wasting away.

Many well-known speakers and authors consider jou aling to be 'the best hidden secret to success.' Why? Here are some insights as to how jou aling so powerfully meets our needs. Slow your mind down so you can see how you think. Jou aling quickly captures our flighty thoughts (about 60,000 per day!) on paper. Once we can see what we're thinking, we can learn how we think. And then we can use different jou aling exercises to learn to think in different ways. Our minds work at about 1000 words per minute. When we write, the mind slows down to about 100 words a minute.

The purpose of life is to be happy – so says the Dalai Lama. Jesus Christ said something similar when he said that he came so that ‘you might have life and have it to the full’. Unfortunately, however, having worked in the field of personal development for more than fourteen years, I have come to the conclusion that most people aren’t really quite sure what happiness actually means. And, perhaps, happiness has been confused with self gratification or pleasure. So what does happiness actually mean?

We were each born with the freedom to be ourselves; to be and express and live totally free to be the real us, without fear, doubt or restriction. This circle represents this aspect of us. The Real Us. Imagine living today with the freedom to be yourself totally without any ...

A number of years ago, a friend of mine asked me if I was happy. I replied that I was 100% happy at the time, to which she responded "Oh, that's very sad!" I went on to explain to her that one finds happiness within (where else would you expect to find it?) and that my being happy didn't mean that I didn't want to achieve more, that I didn't want more of all the good things that life has to offer. I used the word "want" but, in truth, what I meant was "prefer". You see, generally speaking, we haven't got a clue as to what we really want.

Would you like to learn a short-cut to success? One that will radically transform your life and bring you the success and happiness that you really want in your life? It is not as hard as you my have led yourself to believe. I'd like to share with you a very simple, very powerful way to instantly begin transforming your life. It is called 'changing your perspective', and it is something that you have probably done many times in the past.

If you want to achieve effortless happiness and success, you’re going to have to let go. You’re going to have to let go of your normal ideas of success, you’re going to have to let go of your attachments to the things that you want that, only when you get them will you feel successful. Above all, you’re going to have to let go of who you think you are. Our normal minds are full of preconceived notions about who we are and what it takes to be unconditionally successful. First of all, we are not who we think we are. I’ve heard many people say that they love their personality.

Even though the effects of depression might be all too real in your life, depression is not real. If you’re suffering from depression, you’re only imagining it because depression is the direct result of your subconscious mind’s obsession with useless thoughts that were impressed upon it during your formative years. I know that this may seem completely unreasonable to anyone who is trapped in the dark by depression – or, indeed, to anyone whose life is deeply affected because a loved one or family member suffers from depression. But it is a psychological fact.

"Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all your energies on a limited set of targets." -- Nido Qubein, Author and Speaker Up Your Gratitude

Nothing is more frustrating than trying to better yourself and being constantly beaten backwards. Embarking on the adventure of personal development can sometimes seem similar to trying to scale Mount Everest and finding that, every time you make a little progress, you suddenly start sliding down the mountain all the way back to base camp. You’ve done the training, got the right equipment and tools but you just don’t seem to be getting anywhere – and fast!

Creating 7 Steps to Happiness! Was “happiness” a word you got used to hearing since you were a child? Of all the people around you, do you remember who said it most? Many years have passed and you are no longer that seven year old child. As a grown-up, what does “happiness” mean to you? What do others tell you happiness is? More importantly, what do YOU tell others “happiness is?”

Your mental focus is your strongest weapon when it comes to using your mind to it's fullest potential. The way we direct our focus determines what we achieve at this moment and eventually in our lifetime. The Law of Attraction says what we focus on grows in our life. That's the reason why it is so important to master how we use our mental focus. The 2 Aspects of Focussing Your Mind: The first is not yet how to focus your mind but rather the decision on what you focus in the first place.

You know the old expression - "They're a born leader!"? Is there any such thing - or can we all be leaders? Is there any secret that can be learned - that we can all learn? Or are some "leaders" and most of us "followers"? Well, first of all, let's get a few facts straight. Most people who find themselves in leadership positions, wouldn't be able to lead themselves out of a paper bag!

ARE YOU A QUANTUM THINKER? by Natalia Alexandria No doubt some part of you is, but don’t be surprised if one day soon, you find that conventional thinking (the Cartesian, which is based on the principles of Newtonian physics), has taken a sharp turn toward quantum thinking. It’s been over one hundred years since scientists began theorizing, and modern day society has made conversation about energy commonplace. We’re all busy talking about our destinies, karma, and universal laws like that of attraction and divine oneness.

The other day I heard a Reiki Master say that in his opinio Reiki was old fashioned and outdated...interesting. I had to ponder this awhile. How can Reiki - Universal Life Force energy be old fashioned and outdated? I realize I can be a pretty literal person so I tried to comprehend how else this may have been intended. Reiki as energy cannot be outdated. It is after all universal life force energy, it is a constantly co-created emanation of energy grounded in all life systems of our universe.

Success comes from determination, determination comes from self belief, self belief from your inner spirit It is safer to say in the harbour!!! BUT that's not what ships were built for!!! It's easy to give up, it's safer to hide, its harder to fight....but YOU have to live with the one best friend that you absolutely ...

Do you wonder why it is important to cultivate a good attitude about money? Money is filled with the intelligence of the universe from which it is created. Money reacts to your attitude about it. You attract what you appreciate and money responds accordingly. If you think favorably about money, you multiply and increase it, however if you criticize and condemn it in any way, either your own money or another’s, you dissipate it and repel it from you.

No doubt you have heard the old saying that no one, on their deathbed, would ever say that they wished that they'd spend more time in the office! Well, given the mass hysteria that is the fear and panic that has been gripping world economies over the last few months, some don't even have the option of spending more time in that office anymore! I don't say that lightly, it's just a fact of the times in which we live - but a fact created by collective state of mind. For those of us who live in these times, there is an extraordinary onus on us to stay (or become) calm.

Sensitivity and kindness go a long way to building strong relationships. For a leader, that means building relationships with suppliers, customers, team members and others in your organization. A leader who is all business and treats people in an impersonal, calculated way won't inspire much cooperation or commitment from others.

I was sent an article on lottery sales by a reader a couple of weeks back - how, the Texas State Lottery was heading for record sales of US$3.83bn this year. Yes, that's one State and that's billion, not million! You'll also see in the article that its the poorer people who spend a disproportionate amount of their income on lottery tickets.

It seems that more and more people are trying to find new and innovative ways to help them improve their lives. With the major downfall of the economy, people’s lives are being turned upside down. Dedicated workers have been finding themselves in the unemployment line, people don’t have enough money to eat and families are being put on the streets due to foreclosure. On top of all that, relationships are breaking down and creating more hardships. Use these personal growth tips about inspirational sayings that can actually help you to improve your life. Know What You Want

Self Esteem The level of self esteem that we take away from our early childhood influences will have a major impact on how much confidence we have or don't have in ourselves. But the impact those influences have on us are not set in stone, since they are set up as thought and behavior patterns that have become habitual and over time have also become unconscious and automatic behaviors, then we have the power and the tools to change them if necessary.

If you really want to get what you want in life you must stop using the law of attraction. That’s right. Stop using it. Right now! Instead, if you truly want to begin creating changes in your life you must learn to focus on those things that you really want. Make this shift in your mindset and you will immediately start seeing better results in your life. This isn’t because there is some sort of problem with the law of attraction, far from it! The law of attraction is one of the most powerful guiding forces in your life. That is not the problem.

I’ve been listening to the news on the radio a lot more the past few weeks. I, like many of you have been following the debate over this Health Care Reform Bill. I’ve listened to both “conservative” radio and NPR. I find the disparity between the interpretations of “facts” fascinating. I have also listened to numerous people passionately, vociferously, registering their opinions. One such lady had worked herself into such fervor that she admitted she hadn’t slept in three days! Why?

Let me talk about self help tips today. Every year, around the month of December, you will have people doing their yearly throwbacks and roundups of how the year went for them. Some will have regrets while others will be proud of their achievements. Whatever the case may be, most will have new goals which they want to achieve in the new year. Here’s how you can prepare yourself for the new year and how you can live an improved lifestyle just by making three simple preparation

THE LIFE FORCE CALLED SPIRITnby Natalia Alexandria Every day, I encounter people who define spirit and spirituality in a variety of different ways. Some think it is religion, while others think it is New Age. Some are embarrassed to admit to either, while others think it is all nonsense. ...

My husband and I recently took a vacation to Kauai, Hawaii to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful time even though it was just one week.

The first step in how to overcome barriers to success is to identify what is a barrier to success? What is it that stops you achieving what you want?

Here’s a question that you may have never seriously asked yourself. Are you happy with yourself and with your life? The chances are that there are things that you would like to change about both you and your life – I have rarely met anyone who is truly happy, they are few and far between. People often believe that if they improve themselves, lose weight, get fit, buy a new car, go on a great holiday, move house that, then, they will be happy. That kind of happiness, however, is fleeting and superficial. Happiness should be lasting and not dependant on having this or doing that.

Normal behaviour is rarely appropriate and often completely inappropriate if not totally bizarre. How could it be appropriate? Because normal behaviour is triggered automatically – you don’t have to think about it, you just react – by your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is fine tuned to enable you react, using functionality known, in psychological circles, as automaticity. It is this ability that has got us so far as the apparently ‘superior’ species!

If you have a child that seems to excel at everything he or she does in the academic realm then you are very lucky. This is not something that every parent is able to report when speaking about their children. There are times when children struggle in school. When this happens it can be very stressful for the parents as well as for the child. However, there are ways to identify if your child is struggling. Once you are able to recognize the signs and verify there is an issue, you can begin the process of identifying what is creating the challenge.

I've given up.....hoping that one day I will no longer have challenges to overcome in life. A few years ago I had got to the point where I was tired of the constant struggle to overcome the challenges that seem to continually come my way. Challenges at work, in my personal life, with my relationships and after my divorce the financial challenges. I know that you learn most from the experiences that stretch you and take you out of your comfort zone however, I had got to the point where I no longer wanted to be stretched and developed. Have you ever felt like that?

Newton, Jung, Freud, Shakespeare, Blake, and Pythagoras what do they all have in common? These great minds have all studied the hidden mysteries of the Kabbalah. So what is it all about? This mysterious religion which is an offshoot of Judaism. In this article I hope to demolish a few myths and confront a few pre-conceived ideas about what Kabbalah is really about and what it isn't. The Holy Kabbalah sometimes spelt Cabbala, or Qabbalah or abbreviated "Qbl" which means to receive is based on the Torah or the law.

At an energetic level, you, your home, your workplace, and every environment you are in, is a living, vibrating energy which is part of the vast universal field of energy. A common mistake is not realizing the importance that your environment has on your life. Everything around you is affecting your energy. How does energy affect you? The earth’s vibrations, electromagnetic currents of the earth, naturally support us. You are part of the energy field of the universe. You are a living, breathing magnet walking around attracting people and situations into your life and repelling others.

I smoked cigarettes for a lot of years, more tha I can bring myself to admit to. So when it comes to giving reasons, or should I say "making excuses" for continuing to suffocate myself, I am a pro. I've met smokers who claim not to believe the overwhelming evidence that smoking is hazardous to your health. There are some that believe it but are willing to risk painful death rather than quit. And there are smokers who just don't ever think of such things; Mammy, Pappy, Gramps and Uncle Bubba all smoke so why shouldn't they? But these people are rare.

Stress is something that we face more and more in today's life. It is caused by a number of different situational factors, but if you find yourself in constant stress on daily basis in your life, it may cause a lot of issues in all areas of your life. Fortunately, these issues can be avoided with three simple and practical techniques.r

"Are You Too Critical?" First of all, Criticalness breaks up more relationships, than anything else. And that criticalness is usually over the children or money! Criticalness can be seen in eyes that slant down. They notice anything that is out of line and can spot problems and the flaws. Yes, they are naggers, faultfinders. They cause fear in other people. They make people afraid of them. Your son asks you a question. “What does agile mean?” And right away you tell him his shoe is untied, or his shirt is dirty, or

Over seventy years of psychological research proves conclusively that we live automatic lives. "Automaticity" is what psychologists call our extremely efficient ability to perform routine tasks without paying attention to them. Stop for a moment to reflect on how much attention you paid, this morning, to brushing your teeth, showering, shaving, walking or driving. Do you drive today the way you drove the first time you ever sat behind a steering wheel? We learn our routine tasks in two ways.

New beginnings come in all shapes and sizes … maybe you’ve separated from your partner, lost a loved one, lost a job or a business you put your heart into building, experienced a health crisis, relocated to a new place, or simply experienced one of life’s periodic speed bumps. We all need to reinvent parts of our lives from time to time, in fact millions of us initiate various forms of New Beginnings on an annual basis - better known as New Year Resolutions.

Are you sick and tired? I was. As a matter of fact, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. At the young age of 32 I was a divorced, educated but under appreciated black male who's sole purpose in life was to make it through the day. Not only had I had lost my desire in life, I was questioning my very existence. Why would I voluntarily choose to get through another day, only to fail at life once again and go to bed alone again? It seemed to be all for nothing.

Yoga is an intense form of exercise, which if done correctly brings to you many physical, spiritual and emotional benefits. There are numerous studies out there that will prove that people who practice yoga are calmer, more at peace and better able to deal with the challenges that arise in life. They also attain strength in body, balance and flexibility. I have been practicing yoga for a short time and have already seen dramatic improvements in my flexibility, strength, balance and in my ability to connect to the source of my power.

When it comes to learning how to motivate yourself to success, which is better? Using rewards or punishment? Is one better than the other? Will rewarding yourself when you succeed produce better results than punishing yourself when you fail? You might be surprised at the answer, but the truth is that both will cause you to struggle more than you need to. Rewarding Yourself

On the journey towards greatness you must go fishing for elephants. The bigger the better. Knowing where to fish and which bait to use takes experience and when an elephant bites it can be a long fight to reel it in. And then, it's time to kill it.

I have read the other day an article about judging the quality of a diamond and it remembered me about the goal of becoming a diamond in a very important network marketing company. How about this perspective about your goals? How about thinking about your goals as diamonds and rate them the same? First, let’s find out how you check a diamond's value. When it comes to judge a diamond’s value, everything it is reduced to 4 C’s:rn- Color - Clarity - Carat weight - Cutr

How do you stay true to yourself when you’re surrounded by friends and family that have an opinion on everything you do? Who constantly offer their opinions, whether you asked for them or not? Who seem to imply that they “know better”? nnIt’s not easy! However, if you’re going to lead the life you really want, you’re bound to run into a few folks who won’t, or can’t, understand where you’re coming from. Don’t let their strong opinions back you into a corne

Someone once said that "if you don’t stand for something, you'll DO just about anything." My hero, Jim Rohn, once said that the foundation for having a successful life is having a personal philosophy. I agree with both of those assertions. Having "rules of the road" for our lives can help us to determine our boundaries and draw "lines-in-the-sand" when and where they are appropriate. We've all known people who live with no "center" or boundaries. They may seem carefree on t

Five Enriching Shifts Towards Happiness—Joie de Vivre It is so wonderful to realize that happiness is something that you attain from inside yourself. Just this knowledge alone, of knowing that we have all the power within to create our world is so empowering. It is also amazing when we acknowledge that we can tap into the beauty of the universe and enjoy all the surroundings around us. The beauty of this world should make us all happy.

There is a problem with our educational system, which could be solved by introducing one text That text, by George S. Clayson, is The Richest Man in Babylon. There's a reason why nobody receives financial education in the public school system. It's because they don't want you to have it. It's a little more complex tha I want to go into here, but literally, they do not want you to have financial education. Without financial education, you make a more docile sheep, and you pay more taxes. But you can still find the info you need!

Teaching children from an early age how to save and budget in a fun and educational way, can lay the foundations for sound money management later in life. Most would agree, that the earlier children are introduced to a foreign language, the quicker they are able to pick it up. The same can be true when it comes to teaching children about money and developing their financial fluency.

Let me ask you these questions. How many of you would like to become successful trainers? How many of you would like to spread your messages to many people? And how many of you would like to get paid to spread your messages to many people?

The industrialized nations are home to societies of doers. Our educational systems ingrain the need to think, complete and meet deadlines. Our childhood life seldom offers or encourages us to simply be. I know that in my childhood it was very dangerous to be seen playing or doing anything that ...

Mythical Phoenix Cries By Lori Snyder The phoenix is known as a mythical bird with layers of very beautiful colorful feathers, and a tail of gold and scarlet. It has a life cycle of around 500 to 1000 years, near the end of that cycle, it is said that the phoenix builds and creates itself a nest made of twigs that ignites; the bird and its nest are said to burn to ashes, and then the phoenix rises reborn and fresh, to live again. The new phoenix can live as long, or longer then its old self.

To really nail down your goals, here’s a great way to format them. Create “BE SMART” goals: Benefits and Essence, Specific, Measurable, Action, Reward, Timing. 1.Specific (WHAT) - Describe what you want as clearly as you can. 2.Measurable - How will you know when you have achieved your goal or if you are getting closer? 3.Action (HOW) - What actions are most needed to accomplish your goal? 4.Reward (CELEBRATION) - Identify a meaningful reward for when you achieve your goal, e.g., buy yourself something or have a party.r

For hundreds, if not thousands of years, parents have known that reading bedtime stories can help kids relax and fall asleep more easily. They also help develop reading skills and in emotional child development, but you may not be aware that they also act as a form of hypnosis. In which case the content of some of the stories we share with our children may need to be re condidered.

There is a well-worm saying that suggests that perception is, in fact, reality. And, no matter how most thinking people might laugh off such a notion, the fact is that for the normal mind, reality is just that - the sum total of our perceptions. How we perceive the world, how it works and our place in it dictates how we behave. Most importantly of all, our own self-perception creates our reality - or, at least, our version of it.

Remember, that this is only a short segment of each year and much of it is "driven" by media advertising hype or our wanting to keep up "appearances". Keep it in perspective. Mentally sketch a clear portrait of what a "great" festive season would look like for you. Once you are crystal clear about what you want, then start planning plus, practice in a mirror saying "no" to the suggestions/invitations from others that do not fit your picture! Discard the preconceived ideas of what this time of year "should" be like.

If ever there was a time for better financial education then surely it is now? When you look at the state of many of the economies around the world it’s a mystery why financial education is not compulsory schools. It is easy to blame banks, big business or governments for the current climate but it is the education of individuals that need to change. At school, we may have learned some skills necessary to get a job, but nobody tells us how to create or manage our wealth.

“…the human being has a natural gift to resonate with universe if he aims it in his mind.” Usui, founder of Reiki Reiki is an enigma. It is one of the most popular energy healing modalities out there and yet most practitioners – even well experienced practitioners have a really tough time trying to define it. Ask any Reiki practitioner to explain it and you'll see what I mean. Usually the practitioner gives up trying to adequately describe it and ends up with 'you'll have to try it sometime to get a real feel for it'.

Are you longing for a major breakthrough in your life? To suddenly have all the qualities you have always dreamed of? Well, sorry, but life doesn't work this way. And actually, that's a good thing. Although we might want dramatic change, we wouldn't be able to cope if it happened. Imagine the turmoil that would occur for yourself and the people around you if you could go to a seminar and return home a completely different person! Perhaps it's time to adjust your expectations for growth. Don't count on a miracle that will totally change you ove ight.

The Total Approach

We all dream of a better life, a happier tomorrow, a brighter future. Today we live in a world which is in a chaotic state. Everyday in the news, we hear only of calamities and bad news which are happening all around our planet. Hearing such things now appears normal to us but in reality, it is not!

by John F. Harrigan, Jr., M.S. Want to feel better? You CAN, in an instant! Most of us think our feelings and thoughts are dependent on outside events… and not in our own control. This is wrong, and biologically incorrect. We control our feelings and thoughts. No one else puts them there but ourselves. We can change our feelings and thoughts any time we want. Our thoughts and feelings are a reaction to life events.

People tell me that, having met me for the first time, they are shocked to discover that they aren’t there! They are stunned to realize that their body is present but that their mind is somewhere else. And, even as you read these words, you’re only partly here. Decades of psychological research from all over the world confirms that your life is like a cracked record. Today, your mind will play be ‘entertained’ by approximately fifty thousand random thoughts. Ninety seven percent of those thoughts will be the same as yesterday’s fifty thousand.

A week or so ago, my wife and I were browsing in a second-hand shop when we came across a beautiful pine corner unit that was perfect for our newly-restored living room. Being cautious, we decided to think it over and return in a few days' time. When we did, we discovered that the unit had been reserved for someone else. We had lost the sale. And we now wanted it more than ever. In our Negotiating Skills courses at ManageTrai Learn, we train people to use this tactic consciously.

As businesses increase their use of social media to attract new customers to their products and services, it seems as though special attention as been given to the Dos and Don’ts of networking online. But the truth is that etiquette is universal. So when it comes to social networking etiquette, the same rules you would use during a face to face encounter should also apply to networking done online.

The only constant in Life… is Change By the time you finish reading this sentence, you will no longer be the same person you were when you began reading it. That’s right! Each and every moment your body composition is changing. Metabolism occurs at cellular level and new cells are ...

I was contemplating what could I write that would reach people and help them to get them started toward the path of life that best suits them and those connected to them. Here is what came to me, “When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable” When we meet others and purpose is sensed it says without words, “this is what I am about and anything different is not where I am going”. That person’s sense of purpose causes us to respect their time, possessions, and their attention. We may even want to be associated with them because we ache for our own purpose.

I have never failed to bring into my experience my visualizations as long as I used the three keys I am going to share with you here: clarity, passion, and intention. n I can still feel the warmth and softness of the leather gloves as I slipped them on my hands. I had a night class. ...

We all want more out of life. Some of us want to change our lives radically – some of us have things about ourselves that we want to change. But, unfortunately, for most of us, life keeps getting in the way! The stress of everyday life – yes, millions of people are suffering from stress and national health services worldwide are leaking money trying to cope with the related health problems – stop us in our tracks.

“As humans we cannot begin to perceive of the infinite possibilities the Universe has at its disposal to manifest our desires. The harder we try to control the ‘how’, the more we close ourselves off from receiving the gifts that are coming to us. State your ‘what’ and get out of the way!” ~ Trish Bishop Yes, that is my quote based on a series of recent events that have brought this concept to my awareness in an entirely new way.

Winners give up Easy! Don’t they? Have you ever looked at the income percentages of the U.S. population? If you make $100,000.00, you’re in the upper 4% of the population. Do 96% of us not aspire to, or dream about making good money? What If I told you about the upper 1%...Wow!

The process of losing weight requires change; in lifestyle, routines, and habitual choices. One of the primary reasons you’ve fail when attempting to lose weight is that you haven’t planned for the phases of change you will experience as you begin the process of transforming their body. Let’s do something about that. Join me in exploring the Seven Phases of Change, and take control of your weight for good! Phase One: Acknowledgementr Phase one is about honesty. You must clearly define the habits that aren’t working for you, and make a commitment to change.

I am often told to be tenacious, courageous, persistent, pushing, and dedicated to a direction. This post is about being aware of the signs when a change is needed and yet be dedicated to the right direction. Here is my main thought around this subject. Do not fight your journey when life moves you on, if your heart is on a target, even the unfamiliar will lead you to your goal. Saying a Day Keeps the Blues Away Be Patient or Move On? This reminds me of a caterpillar that knows when it is time to spin a cocoon and transform as opposed to continue moving forward as a caterpillar.

Sarah-Jane reached a near death point many times in her life until she demanded that things change or life was not worth living anymore. After spending years searching for the answers and trying to make sense of the insanity of her life, years of trying to do what was supposed to bring happiness, she reached a breaking point. Surviving suicide, chronic disease, mis-diagnosis, labels and mental breakdown, she realized that there had to be more to life than this and if there wasn’t she was not interested anymore.

Whilst the debate about financial education in schools continues, parents need not wait to teach their kids about money. Here are 7 things that every teen should know about money. Manage your money - Show your money who’s boss by putting a money management system in place. Divide your income into separate jars, money boxes or bank accounts. Take a proportion and save it. Take another and allocate that for investing. Then work out how much you need to spend on essentials. From the remainder you can put some aside for fun and leisure.r

“Good habits, once established are just as hard to break as are bad habits” Robert Puller Habits add enough structure to change life drastically long term. Picking up one new good habit a month leads to 12 improved habits over a year and 60 in 5 years. Even half of that could change behavior that leads to significant results. What kind of impact would that have on your career, business, goals, relationships, health, finances, etc.? How would your quality of life be different? Aristotle explained, “We are what we repeatedly do.

Change is as predicable as the sun rising in the East. Few things are as constant in life as the simple fact that things will change. With this known, why do we seem to have so much trouble dealing with change? Some have an easier time dealing with change than others. Some hang on to the notion that things need to remain just the way they are to the point that it is almost an addiction. Those that deal with change with a healthy and positive attitude are going to have a far less stressful environment than those that do not.

More articles from this author at http://how-to-be-a-better-you.blogspot.com 1.) Don’t take so much notice of how you feel and whats going on behind your back all the time. Stop worrying about what people think of you. Get over it, at the end of the day only your thoughts and god ones matter. 2.) Please let go of worrying so much. It often and will makes things worse 9 out of 10. The more you think about something bad, the more likely it will happen. When you’re mind trig

Mastery; a foreign concept in our western way of thinking. It’s a word that is hardly relevant to our understanding of how the western world functions today. In our new world we assess achievement with diplomas, certificates and degrees and aggressively climbing the ladder to success. In the old world, however achievement was determined by mastery and degrees of mastery of skill sets.

Viral marketing campaigns can be exciting and if effective literally explode traffic to your website or blog. Following are a few ideas for types of products and services you can use for your campaign, but the first step in any marketing campaign is to determine your goal – what is it exactly that you want to achieve with this campaign. So, assuming you’re ready to go and have your goals in place, here are six ideas to help you start your first viral marketing campaign: 1.Purchase the branding rights to an E-book. There are two type of branding rights.

“No action, no change. Limited action, limited change. Lots of action- Change occurs.” Catherine Pulsifier Procrastinators: Leaders of Tomorrow, the t-shirt phrase puts it right into perspective. If you want to lead a fulfilling life you have to get moving today on the tasks that will make the difference. Whether you suffer from the procrastination bug in one area or throughout your life the following ten tips can help take you from paralysis to achievement. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” Sally Berger

If you’ve got everything that you want out of life and want for nothing at all, in any aspect of your life, do not read this article. Everyone else – read on! From my experience in dealing directly with clients for the last fourteen years, or through my online workshop, I reckon everyone else includes almost everyone. Ask yourself these simple questions: Are you 100% happy with yourself? Do you absolutely adore your job? Have you more than enough money? Are you as fit, trim and healthy as you really would love to be?

Change your LIFE… change your JOB... Changing jobs can be an overwhelming task, particularly when you don't know what lies ahead of you. The fear of the unknown coupled with not knowing where to start, often stops prospective jobseekers from even venturing on the path that will lead to success. Taking the plunge and making the change involves taking the following steps: 1.What is it that you truly want?

We all have some sense that we reap what we sow – or what goes around comes around – but quantum physics actually scientifically proves that karma is a powerful force in our lives. As quantum physics might put it, energy in : energy out.

Over the last year or so, I have spoken to a number of people who have found themselves at a crossroads in their careers through no fault of their own. Economic circumstances, being in the work place at the wrong time, employers using the excuse of the economic downtu to re-structure – have led to many people finding themselves out of work at a time in their lives when they could, quite reasonably, have expected to be taking their foot off the peddle and relaxing.

So many comments were made on this blog when it was first posted in September of 2009. The majority of you said that you were going to work on eliminating the ten words from your vocabulary. I became quite curious a few days ago when I sat down to write. As I scrolled down the list of the numerous blogs I have written since 2009, I came to this one,and I began to wonder how many of you who made comments had actually taken action to delete all, most, or some (any?) of the words from your vocabulary. Here is the article as it appeared in 2009.

Being a nurse used to be associated with the white starched dress uniform and cap. When you saw someone in that uniform, it meant purity, compassion and care. It also used to mean handmaiden or the “one who takes orders.” These days few people still wear white and even fewer wear dresses. Many ...

If you’re struggling with codependency, I want you to know that codependence recovery is an important part of getting through your issues and gaining some freedom. Not everyone’s path will look the same, but committing to some sort of recovery will be most beneficial to you. Breaking the cycle of codependency Characteristics of codependency can become a cycle and in order to break that cycle, it is important to utilize resources designed to help you. This includes professionals who have experience working with codependents and support groups such as Codependent’s Anonymous.

It can happen in a moment--a matter of seconds, or a few minutes at most. Something shifts within you & the mind stops. No more voices in the head, no more rambling thoughts, no more questions, no more self-doubt, no judgments, no involuntary or un-invited thoughts, just quietness & peace. There is a connection with all intelligence & love, and an awareness of being one with and part of the entire vastness of being, yet retaining awareness of individuality--individuality but no separation. There is a sense of freedom, lightness, and openness, and sometimes euphoria & bliss.

Winners Give Up Trying To Get Everybody To Like Them. Are you the type of person that everybody likes? Are you the one that always looks for ways to please your co-workers, friends, bosses or mates? But secretly complains and laments the “concessions” you have made when you get just out of earshot? Are you the manager, the parent, the friend that everybody loves but don’t challenge your people to be the best they can be? The one who doesn’t rock the boat too much? Maybe doesn’t speak up for themselves?

Worrying about money, being anxious about job security, worrying about children, fearful of personal security, feeling inadequate – these are the things that occupy the normal mind. Unfortunately, psychology has proven time and time again that the normal mind is plagued by negative thought. This negativity is formed in the subconscious – that part of the mind that was inculcated with this form of negative thinking during our formative years – and is fed by the ubiquity of bad news, negative comment and the horror stories on which the mass media thrive.

Stuck IN your life? Work ON it instead! 'I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives.' -- Jim Roh Are you stuck in your life? Here’s how you can tell: When we only work IN our lives: - We know what we have to do right now. - We do ...

Over the last year, increasing numbers of regular readers of my weekly Ezine have pointed out that, in the current economic environment, it is very difficult to “keep your head” whilst everyone around you is losing theirs. (I should point out that they’re grateful to me for the weekly opportunity to pull themselves together!) In other words, it can be very difficult, when faced with the reality of losing your job, losing your life savings or losing your home, to believe that simply changing your mind will change your life. Surely, there’s simply too much evidence around us at the pr

It's a noisy, confusing, fast and furious world out there. You're expected to do more in less time. You've got to be a master multi-tasker just to survive! You're working on a project and still you've got to keep up on incoming calls and email. You've got your cell phone in one ear, desk phone in the other and your Tweet Deck is beeping at you every 5 seconds. How do you sort it all out and on task at hand with alarms ringing, deadlines looming, kids screaming and bosses bossing?

First of all, we all know what the title means – children’s lives toyed with by teachers, children bullied in the schoolyard and employees bullied in the workplace. We’re all aware of domestic violence, psychological violence in the home and the workplace and the manner in which Governments play with people’s lives probably demands a whole article – or book – of its own.

What would you create if nothing was holding you back? What if you could literally change your experience of success on a cellular level? In other words, change your DNA. Actually you can. And it doesn’t involve surgery! But first, let’s look at what’s going on. Let’s say you’ve explored your inner world quite extensively. You know all kinds of things about the law of attraction, manifestation, emotional and spiritual intelligence, and yet you’re still not experiencing life and success in the way you could.

Over the years, I’ve discovered a relatively simple metaphor for understanding relationships and maintaining healthy relations. The metaphor is the lock and key, and you can learn a great deal about your interactions with others and how to make those interactions with others better contribute to ...

I may be in danger of breaking into song here – and anyone who has heard me sing will confirm that you don’t want to be there when that happens! Seriously, thought, the well-known hit song does actually say it like it is – “Ooh heaven is a place on earth”! Confirmation of this fact comes from the most unlikely of sources – I quote the late Cardinal Cathal Daly who made the following telling point in his wonderful book, “The Minding of Planet Earth”: heaven is not a place that you will find when you die – the only place that you will find heaven is in the time-less here and now.

What impact does your self esteem have on your personal effectiveness, your relationships and the normal course of your daily life? How does low self esteem affect your view of what you can and cannot achieve? Indeed, what is low self-esteem, how does it even come about in the first place? Are you one of the many people that find themselves suffering from low self esteem? Would you like to learn how to build your self esteem and change your life completely?

Perhaps I’m feeling a bit sensitive to this topic at the moment, as I recently had a holiday party at my home. A party to which numerous people did not RSVP and some who responded positively, didn’t attend – with no apology or explanation. But, my thoughts did not start with this event. I’ve been noticing a lack of etiquette and general consideration for some time now. Apparently, I’m not alone. In talking with friends, colleagues and doing some web searches, it seems this lack of social graces has become chronic.

You talk about how you want something different in your life – a new house, a better relationship with your spouse (or to find a spouse), get out of debt, or lose weight – but nothing changes. You find that you spend (waste) a lot of time talking about it, but not doing anything about it. How do you motivate yourself to change? There are two ways people will change, either by choice or by force. Neither one is very pretty. Change by Forcer

A few weeks ago, we noticed that there were three bird nests in our yard, with a total of eight eggs. I can’t tell you how excited we became. My family loves the happenings of nature, especially when it represents good tidings. Two are blue bird nests and one is a family of sparrows. Recently, all three of the nest’s babies were born, so we have eight baby birds in our yard. We take such joy in watching the mother care for her babies, while the father keeps guard close by.

The holidays can be a joyous time filled with love, joy and peace, a time of festivities and fun with family and friends. However it can also be a difficult time for many. Limited financial resources, current crises, recalled losses and past disappointments can make us very sad. Even though having hope may be the last thing on our minds, it is the one thing that will change our outlook in an instant. Here’s a story about my dear friend Serena and how cultivating hope got her through a very difficult life threatening time. 1. WHAT IS HOPE?

When you think of creating a plan, it is good to keep in mind that having a clearly defined vision, along with a healthy dose of passion, almost always guarantees success.

Once upon a time - not so long ago - social media was a new and interesting alte ative for progressive marketing plans. Oh how times have changed! Today, establishing a social media presence is no longer an option for any business intent on building an online presence, and that includes authors seeking to build a fan base. But, just like every other component of your author business plan, to make the most of your efforts and prevent it from needlessly sucking all of your time and energy, you need to develop your social media strategies - and stick to them. BEGIN WITH YOUR OBJECTIVES

The secret to dealing with difficult people is to take the necessary action before they become difficult. Like everything else in life, if you deal with something before it becomes a problem, you’ll never have any major problems to deal with. The problem is, of course, that in the ordinary course of our everyday lives, we don’t do the small things that we know we should do, we don’t today what we can put off until tomorrow and, most importantly, we tolerate behaviour that we shouldn’t.

The good news is that we all experience self-limiting beliefs; the bad news is, that’s right, we all have self-limiting beliefs. There’s more good news though - we can do something about them. Limiting beliefs have a method to their madness, they keep us safe, safe from ever having to take a risk or making a mistake.

Body language and tone of voice convey 93% of our messages - not words - according to Dr. Albert Mehrabian, international expert on non-verbal communication. Surprisingly, spoken words account for only seven percent of what listeners perceive. n With this in mind, let's visit some ...

It is no secret that the Child Welfare System needs to change their policies when it comes to fathers involvement with their children, how to effectively find proper placement for the children, and it seems to me that instead of creating positive change for their organization they tend to continue to show us how messed up and unreliable they truly are.

We know that in order to make a conscious effort in designing our lives, we need to set goals, but more specifically, the right goals. Without setting these short, mid-range and long term targets, we are lowering the chance that we will get what we really want from our lives. I think there’s a Yogi-ism that illustrates this point. “You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” Simple, yet very true… Key Goal Setting Principle #1: Choosing the Right Goals

Inspiration for the Day

"And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so? I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the earth" Raymong Carver Many of us were told as children, some of us relentlessly, about the primacy of giving. Yes, it is very important to give of ourselves, our time and our money. We also need to understand that in graciously receiving we express the dignity of giving; they are both part of the same flow of energy. In order to give authentically from our hearts, we must continue to repleninh our emotional supplies by receiving.

The really happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery even when on a detour. No matter how well we plan, from time to time life presents us with an unexpected detour. There are even times, despite the most thoughtful and considerate planning, that you may find yourself right back where you started. When this happens, there’s a simple formula for turning things around … remember, it’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do about it. Rather than a cause for despair, such times provide an opportunity for renewed determination, re-commitment and maybe a slight detour.

I recently received an email from a jou alist in the US asking me what I knew about people gaining an online certification for life coaching. And a few weeks back, one of my clients mentioned to me that he'd been approached by a life coach who had "qualified" following a weekend course and some follow-up telephone tutorials. At least, I suppose, that was better than being certified online! But the one that really sticks out in my mind is the time a client told me that he'd received a pitch from a life coach who was twenty five years old.

nProcrastination… We all do it to some degree. n nThe question is: “How much does it have to hurt before you are willing to do something about it?” n nIn the Webster’s Dictionary the definition of procrastination is: “To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.”n nI believe that procrastination is a choice. Some of you may resist the idea that procrastination is a choice as ‘choice’ implies y

In recent decades man has begun to remember and re-lea the essential elements of healing. We have come to consider that there have been many, many systems of healing throughout the ages and that some of them may still have great merit in today's world. In times of illness we have begun to experiment with making personal choices of treatment utilizing herbs, minerals, and nutritional supplements.

Undoubtedly, we, as normal crazy adults, are built to worry – it appears to be an integral part of our hard-wiring. And, if we can’t find something to worry about, we’ll invent it. I once had a client, who should have known better, telephone me to tell me that he was having sleepless and that he was becoming increasingly worried. When I asked what he was actually worried about, he replied “I’m worried because I’ve nothing to worry about!

So many people struggle against things that they can do nothing about. So many people become upset or annoyed about things over which they have no control. And oh so few people take control of the one thing in life over which they can exercise absolute and total control. Like puppets, we allow our mood to be pulled up or down in tandem with the ups and downs of life. But the downs – or even just the “not-too-bads” – that we encounter are what they are. These things are sent to try us and most of us are found wanting.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I spent a day with a doze "old-timers" clients with whom I've been working for years. Early on in the discussion, as we chatted about how psychology and quantum physics proves that you get what you expect, so that, if you expect something different, something different does, indeed, happen, one of the group mentioned that he tries to ensure that, each morning, he starts the day in a positive state of mind. We started talking about how many motivational experts claim great benefits for the technique of self-affirmation. You know the kind of thing.

My grandfather was one of the most positive influences in my life as a small child. I shared the most special times with him before he passed on before my eleventh birthday. He believed that Laughter is always the best medicine. My Grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and heart disease and spent his last few weeks in a small bedroom with an oxygen tank. Next to his bed on the floor, a stack as tall as me was issues of Readers Digest magazine.

Ready to explore jou aling but not sure how to get started? Here are some guidelines to get you on your way. The type of journal you use should reflect your own needs, preferences and style. There are lots of choices. To begin, do you want to write on paper or type into a computer? Computer jou aling differs from paper jou aling in significant ways but both are acceptable. Writing is a more natural form of expression that we've used for generations. The form of our freehand script can both bring out and show emotion.

If you are not being as successful in life as you would like then it is time to stop and analyse the situation so that you can overcome the barriers. Step 1 is to identify the barrier. What is it that is stopping you from being successful? What is the problem? This is the diagnostic stage. You are reviewing what is going well and went wrong? What could be better? Spend time analysing your current situation to understand what is limiting your success. What barriers do you need to overcome?

How to be happy is a question lots of people ask. It's very common for us to depend upon others in order to make us happy... "if only I could have an amazing boyfriend, I would be happy", or "if only my friends were more attentive, I would be happy" or (and this is a common one!) "if I had more money, I'd be happy". But these things are situations and events in our lives. Your happiness depends on one thing and one thing only - you. You have a choice every day when you wake up whether you are going to be happy today or not.

The best time for you to meditate is the time that you will do it! It's the time that works best in your schedule, the time that is easiest for you. If you choose a time that is convenient for your lifestyle, you'll find the experience more appealing and more natural. I consider the above is ...

If you’ve read my bio, you know that in May of 1995, I suddenly became a single father over night. The tragedy left me in a space that I had never experienced before. I was both in shock and terror. At the same time, I knew what I had to do and by the grace of God I found the courage I needed each and every day. The tragedy humbled me beyond years. I found myself asking God to shine down on me and grant me the hope and courage that I needed to carry on. Over time, I wavered back and forth between my responsibilities as a single father, as well as a grieving husband.

Over seventy years of psychological research proves conclusively that we live automatic lives. "Automaticity" is what psychologists call our extremely efficient ability to perform routine tasks without paying attention to them. Stop for a moment to reflect on how much attention you paid, this morning, to brushing your teeth, showering, shaving, walking or driving. Do you drive today the way you drove the first time you ever sat behind a steering wheel? We learn our routine tasks in two ways.

There I was, with only a week to go, and I was no closer to finishing the assignment, a final requirement for my coach training and certification. The assignment was to present to my peers a physical representation of the “voice” inside my head, otherwise known as my Gremlin. “Everyone has one,” they told me in class. The goal of the exercise was to disempower our Gremlins and transform them into supportive “new friends.” nnFor months the class was frenzied as we

By Tom Hinton Not far from my front door is a beautiful park where I enjoy walking in the early morning just after sunrise. Frequently, as I’ve completed my morning walk, I’ve seen an elderly woman arrive with her flower basket and pruning tools in one hand and a small three-legged stool in the other hand. She comes to tend to the many rose bushes that grace our neighborhood park.

What is change? How do we achieve this illusive concept? How do we master going beyond what we have been taught to do repeatedly either because we saw it or because it was drilled in to us on pain of who knows what? The thing I ask most readily when a client enters my office is “What is it that you choose to create by doing this work?” The client is usually quick with a response. “I want to be happy”. Or “I want to change my life”.

The other day I came across a blog post about the term “Lifestyle” business. The writer asked readers to comment on whether they felt having their business referred to as “Lifestyle” would be an insult. I must admit I was stunned at the level of emotion displayed in the responses, with the comments split pretty evenly between pro/con. It seems there are a lot of people out there who feel pretty strongly that the “lifestyle” business concept is little more than a way of avoiding “real work.” Think they’re the minority?