Tuesday, July 22, 2008

The Motivation Myth

"It is the ultimate management conceit that we can motivate people." Peter Scholtes, team effectiveness consultant and author

After six years at Universal Pictures, Harry Cohn formed Columbia Pictures in 1924. During the following decades he ran the company with an iron fist. His image as a tyrant was reinforced by the riding whip he kept near his desk to crack for emphasis. Cohn form of "motivation" led to the greatest creative turnover of any major studio. At his funeral in 1958, one observer suggested that the thirteen hundred attendees "had not come to bid farewell, but to make sure he was actually dead."

Some parents want their kids to be independent as long as they do everything they're told to. Some team leaders want their teams to be empowered as long as they follow directions. What some "leaders", call "motivation" is getting others to carry out their orders. Some seem to live by the philosophy that if I want any of your bright ideas I'll give them to you. Just do what you're told...and look like you're enjoying it. These forms of "motivation" are based on fear and force. If the punishment is strong enough and the policing rigid enough, they will lead to compliance. People will follow the rules and marching orders. But that's all. Energy, creativity, and extra effort will be minimal. So will ownership and commitment. The only passion tyrants and autocrats create are fear, loathing, and the desire for revenge.

The key problems of the Motivation Myth are clearly illustrated by a Farcus cartoon; a team leader is at the head of a conference table addressing her team with these words, "we need to improve morale, any of you boneheads have a good idea." The main cause of the problem seems pretty obvious. She just needs to look in the mirror. But obviously the obvious isn't always so obvious. Root causes and symptoms are continuously confused. The Farcus team leader is treating low morale as a problem to be solved rather than an indicator of much deeper issues. Clearly a key source of a deeper problem is her contempt for her team and her forcefulness. Her approach is like an auto mechanic reporting, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."

Many of the symptoms and root causes of motivation and morale can be clarified by understanding the doing versus being aspects of mobilizing and energizing. We need to get beyond "do to" programs and techniques. The big sticks of fear, punishments, and discipline or the carrots of incentives and rewards may work in the short term. But to keep them working, we need to continually increase the beatings or sweeten and vary the incentives. Eventually the beatings will burn people out and they will quit. Some will leave and find other jobs. Many will silently resign and continue to report for work everyday.

People should be fairly rewarded for their contributions. The absence of money can be demotivating, but its presence doesn't provide healthy, long-term motivation. Using money or types of incentives to get increased performance turns people into selfish, 5ABself-centered mercenaries who are increasingly tuned into WIFM (what's-in-it-for-me). Pride, teamwork, concern for customers, shared values, growing and developing, passion, meaningful work, and the like fade. These become hollow words that raise "the snicker factor" whenever they are heard.

Effective mobilizing and energizing goes well beyond "doing" programs to the "being" or culture of a team, organization, or any group including a family. That culture is a set of shared attitudes and accumulated habits around "the way we do things here." The culture provides the context or backdrop that either energizes or exhausts people.

Excerpted from Jim's fourth bestseller, Growing the Distance: Timeless Principles for Personal, Career, and Family Success. View the book's unique format and content, Introduction and Chapter One, and feedback showing why nearly 100,000 copies are now in print at http://www.growingthedistance.com Jim's new companion book to Growing the Distance is The Leader's Digest: Timeless Principles for Team and Organization Success. Jim Clemmer is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, workshop/retreat leader, and management team developer on leadership, change, customer focus, culture, teams, and personal growth. His web site is 2FAhttp://www.clemmer.net/articles

Review and Refine

Periodically re-check and refine (or redefine) your goals

It's no use struggling to meet a goal that, by the time you get there, no longer fits in with your life. During obvious stopping spots along the way (say, every 10 lbs on a weight loss goal, or when you've saved enough for a down payment as part of a house-ownership goal), take a few days to sit back and really feel how you are reacting to reaching this milestone. Are you excited, chomping at the bit - or nervous, with slight overtones of dread or entrapment?

Some nervousness is to be expected if you're reaching out in a totally new direction in life, and it's only fair to expect that not all feelings you have will be cheery and rosy, even if you truly want the goal you're heading for. There is, at the very least, some mourning to go through for the loss of your old ways and your old life. But take time to make sure that you aren't ignoring obvious signals that are screaming, "Run away! Run away!" for good reaso587ns. Wedding jitters, for example, are perfectly normal; however, trepidation about abusive behavior, which doesn't seem to be declining (despite promises to the contrary), is another ball game altogether. Make sure that the goal you reach is the goal you want.

(c) Soni Pitts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim "soul proprietorship" in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.

She is the author of the free e-book "50 Ways To Reach Your Goals" and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.

Ever Hear of The Socratic Method

Do you think we live in a controlling society, where the goal of bosses, parents, and teachers is to twist logic and reasoning to make others conform and do things their way?

Does the media support the economy in training society to be worker-drones and not question authority?

Is control in the eyes (and mind), of the beholder; we have independent will to choose regardless of others?

You have the ultimate volition and responsibility if you are willing to accept the consequences of your acts right?

Who Was Socrates?

Maybe he lived and maybe he is a mythical figure invented by Plato and Aristotle. He never wrote a book or put his ideas on the Internet so we are dependent on his Athenian friends for verification.

The dates given for his life are 470 to 399 BC, when he allegedly chose to drink hemlock (poison), instead of accepting exile from Athens. He was convicted of the crime of Impiety to the Gods, and corrupting Athenian youth through his teaching.

Athens had just lost the big war to Sparta the Peloponnesian War and Athens was looking for a scapegoat. The government was run by the 30 Tyrants who preferred to blame, execute or exile Socrates, than accept the label of governmental-incompetence for losing the war.

His Method

Four key elements:

a) Stimulate organized thinking through probing questions.

b) Keep the conversation focused on self-understanding leading to logical conclusions.

c) Always be intellectually fair with the person questioned.

d) Periodically summarize what has been concluded and its implications.

e) Remember the Socratic Method is skeptic1107al and questions flip answers and beliefs.

Is There Always a Single Answer?

Socrates and those present day teachers who use his method, use a conversational approach. They attempt to draw out the reasoning and correct answer from the student. They do not lecture the students, but interact through deft questioning.

The system is empirical and inductive, practical yet based on the life experience of all people. Socrates seeks to draw out the student to understand the implications of his/her beliefs, by deductive thinking comprehending its logical consequences.

One size fits all?

There is no single answer that works under varying circumstances. Change re- quires a new set of ideas and analysis. In law the judge is given discretion based on varying circumstances.

The Socratic Method is not a set of laws that we follow blindly, but reasoning leading to focused analysis and the best response.

Why Bother With This Method?

Lecturing is boring for both the instructor and the listener. The rate of speech of a professor is about 150 words per minute, while note-taking by the listener is no more than 25 words per minute. We, the listener, get lost in a flood of information and quit listening because we cannot keep up.

Question and analysis is interactive, leading to mutually satisfying conclusions.

The secret is Feedback. When we respond to questions by thoughtful answers, we invoke our basic instinct curiosity. Back-and-forth feedback monitors growing personal comprehension. It leads to an improvement in self-esteem.

Remember questions are specific and logical, and require a united effort between our left and right hemispheres. Lecturing is a reversion to childhood when your parents and teachers told you how and what to think. Q&A the Socratic method - is a joint-venture between adults.

Are There Any Rules?

a) Make the questions intriguing and mentally arousing.

b) Questions must lead someplace incremental steps to reasonable conclusions and implications.

c) Look for logical steps in thinking, not lockstep answers.

d) The goal is personal understanding, and being open to change of opinion through personal growth by logical thinking.

e) Make the student see the illogic of their own thinking, to correct it and move forward to better ideas.

We do not want to provide cues to the right-answer because the system is a matter of learning to think skeptically and find our own way to reasonable solutions.

Endwords

Speed reading is a psychomotor skill that permits us to read three (3) books, articles and reports in the time our peers can hardly complete one.

Half the students who become drop-outs do so because they cannot keep up with the assignments. There are not enough hours in the day for them, to read and learn. Daily, they keep falling further behind. They read and remember information too slowly because they have no strategy beyond reading one word at a time, sub- vocalizing, regressing, and forgetting what they read within minutes of completion called porous concentration.

The Socratic Method is a strategy to train yourself to use questions and answers in pursuit of lucid analysis. Our experience is - it produces better long-term memory and focused attention.

Personal growth a learning skill goal occurs from the consistent use of probing question and listening for ideas, through logic and reasoning. If you want to grow you want to learn. Learning consists of gathering information and cross-examining it with solid questions, and analyzing what sticks to the barn door.

See ya,

copyright 2006

H. Bernard Wechsler
http://www.speedlearning.org
hbw@speedlearning.org

Author of Speed Reading for Professionals, published by Barron's Educational, business partner of Evelyn Wood, creator of speed reading, graduating 2 million, including the White House staff of four U.S. Presidents.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Improve Your Conversation Skills By Changing Your Negative Thoughts to Positive Thoughts

Many people feel nervous and shy when they have to make conversation with others, especially when they don't know they very well. Does this happen to you, especially when you are trying to make small talk with someone?

Once you start to criticize yourself in your mind, your ability to make conversation successfully will go down hill very quickly.

What can you do to improve your conversation confidence?

One of the best ways to become more confident at making conversation is to notice what negative messages you are sending yourself about your conversation ability.

You may have negative messages to yourself that are very automatic, that start appearing in your mind as soon as you say anything that you think is less than perfect.

Notice exactly what you are saying to yourself. Only then can you fight back against your negative messages by putting new positive messages in their place.

Pay attention to your negative self thoughts. Write them down so you can examine them. Chances are that your messages to yourself are very critical. For example, you may be mentally calling yourself names like loser and idiot.

Why would you do this? This may be a habit you have developed because you have low self esteem. Or you may be simply repeating the kinds of words your parents often said to you.

Why would you put yourself down this way and repeat this harsh criticism to yourself?

The real reason is that some part of your mind thinks that by criticizing you harshly with such negative words you will change your behavior and suddenly become a confident, competent person.

Does this technique actually work? No! If you have been criticizing yourself this way in the past, you already know that it does not make you perform better. In fact, all this negative internal criticism will only make you more nervous, more shy, more awkward, more embarrassed and more tongue-tied.

And this negative self criticism will not bring you one step closer to becoming a popular, relaxed confident person who can talk easily with anybody.

So, how can you switch your mind to a more positive way of thinking so that your confidence and your conversation performance will actually improve?

There are several different ways to do this, and you may benefit from using more than one method.

One good method to use as a starting point is to counteract the actual content of what you are telling yourself when you say those negative criticisms. You counteract your negative automatic thoughts using positive logical statements.

Heres an example. Suppose that while you were having a conversation with somebody, you just said mentally to yourself, Im such a loser. I never say anything right. Every thing I say sounds so stupid. These people must all think Im an idiot. No wonder no one ever likes me.

These are certainly very negative statements to use on yourself. Will such negative thoughts help you to perform better in the future? Will they give you the confidence you need to relax and enjoy talking with other people? No they wont!

And they are not even realistic statements. They are not based on real facts. They are just very negative, automatic statements that have become a habit for you. So change this way of thinking!

First, tell yourself to stop thinking the negative thoughts. Give your mind a clear signal to stop. You can simply say "Stop" to yourself. Say to yourself, "I will no longer make such negative statements to myself. I will search for a better, more positive message to send to myself in the future."

Heres an example you can use:

"I just noticed that Im automatically saying all those negative things to myself again. I called myself an idiot over and over again. But am I really an idiot? Thats just name calling. Im not really an idiot. Im actually smart in a lot of ways. Do I really say stupid things all the time? I probably say stupid things once in a while, but not any more often than everybody else does. I dont know whether other people think Im an idiot or not. Im not really a mind reader. And I guess if some people sometimes think I sometimes say stupid things, its unfortunate, but its not really the end of the world."

"When I tell myself that nobody could like me, once again I'm making negative statements where I exaggerate and think that I really know what other people are thinking. I don't know for sure whether all other people like me or not. Its more logical to think that some people like me and some people dont. All I can do is to try to be myself."

When you consistently retrain yourself to change your negative thoughts about the way you perform when you are talking with others with positive thoughts, you will become much more relaxed and confident when you make conversation with others.

This article was written by conversation expert Royane Real. To learn more about how to improve your social skills and conversation skills, download her new book "Your Guide to Finding Friends, Making Friends, and Keeping Friends" at ht10E7tp://www.royanereal.com

Self-Respect - Six Examples of How Learning to Respect Yourself Attracts Respect From Others

Too many people expect to be respected by others when they don't act respectfully themselves. Once you learn to respect yourself, you will attract respect from others. Here are some guidelines for learning self-respect.

"I want him to respect me."

"If people respect me, I'll respect them."

"My kids should respect me (it doesn't matter how I treat them)."

If you dont respect yourself, youll never respect others.

Self-Respecting People

1. Think about how their behavior affects the people around them

2. Consider what they say before blurting out hurtful words

3. Understand the Golden Rule according to Eugene BroB63wn, LPC (my former supervisor and mentor): Do unto others as they need to be done unto

4. Seek first to understand, then to be understood (Stephen Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People)

5. Take responsibility for their behavior

6. Let go of the need to hold grudges

Let's look at these six ideas about self-respect:

1. Think about how their behavior effects the people around them

Self-respecting people realize that they don't live in a vacuum; their behavior affects others. They think about what they do and ask themselves, "How will my doing ________ affect the people I care about/my coworkers/others I come in contact with?" They weigh the consequences carefully before acting.

2. Consider what they say before blurting out hurtful words

When self-respecting people engage in disagreements with others, they act diplomatically. Yes, they experience anger just like the rest of us, but they choose their responses instead of allowing a knee-jerk reaction to determine what happens next. They realize that hurtful words wont help their partner understand what is wrong and will harm the relationship.

3. Understand the Golden Rule according to Eugene Brown, LPC (my former supervisor and mentor): Do unto others as they need to be done unto

This ties into understanding that their behavior impacts others. They realize that just because they would like something done a certain way, that others may not agree. They take the time to learn how others need to be treated, rather than just using a "one size fits all" approach.

4. Seek first to understand, then to be understood (Stephen Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People)

Self-respecting people understand the value of active listening. They know that if people feel understood, then they are more likely to be willing to listen to another persons point of view. Self-respecting people do not try to push their views on others to be understood first. They are willing to work to earn the other persons respect and trust.

5. Take responsibility for their behavior

This means they are willing to admit when they are wrong. They feel comfortable with themselves and don't feel threatened if they make a mistake. Their ego isn't tied up in always needing to be right. This also means that the self-respecting person lets others be responsible for their behavior, letting go of the need to control them or change them.

6. Let go of the need to hold grudges

Self-respecting people realize that when they hold a grudge, they keep themselves locked into anger and resentment. They know they will keep growing as a person when they allow others to be responsible for their behavior instead of holding a grudge to try to make others change.

For more tips and tools for attracting love and prosperity into your life, visit http://www.sanantoniorelationshipcoach.com For weekly tips and tools sign up for Michelle's free newsletter, Relationship Success, while you're there. You can also visit http://languageofrelating.blogspot.com and http://powerofgratitude.blogspot.com Michelle E. Vasquez is a Relationship Coach in San Antonio, Texas. She specializes in helping people attract the life they want and create the relationships that bring them joy. She is available for in office and phone coaching for individuals and couples who want to create more joy in their relationships.

How Easy Is It To Stop Foreclosure On Your Own?

Since the meltdown in the real estate markets and the increasing foreclosure rates, several new websites have popped up offering free foreclosure help and marketing self-help packages and programs. Many of them do not describe much of the contents of their products, but similar ones have been around for years. They almost always consist of some sort of self-help package, with forms and instructions designed go guide homeowners along the path of avoiding foreclosure in several different methods.

For homeowners who want to try to stop foreclosure on their own, they can do a lot worse than buying a product that will guide them through some of the steps in the legal process. Several of these products also offer worksheets to help homeowners evaluate what options they may qualify for, as well as form letters that can be customized for a variety of purposes. These might include working with the mortgage company, explaining the foreclosure when applying for a new loan, or requesting the sheriff sale be postponed for a period of time.

Homeowners should not expect magic from any product or source of foreclosure help, though, unless they are willing to put in the hard work necessary to save their homes. Stopping foreclosure is not easy, it takes time, and the other parties in the process (banks, attorneys, courts, and so on) may not be entirely receptive. If the foreclosure victims pay for the self-help package, and then fail to follow the guides or instructions, there is a strong possibility they will lose the home, regardless of what products 5B4they have purchased. Unfortunately, when homeowners are unable to prevent foreclosure, they blame the product itself, rather than their efforts in putting it to its most effective uses.

Homeowners who are serious about saving their homes on their own could also probably find mostly similar documents that are used in the foreclosure help packages for free through various sources online, as well. Many websites now offer form letters, worksheets, and simple calculators to help foreclosure victims examine options that may be used to stop foreclosure. Of course, finding these tools online through many sources would extra take time to do the research, put together form letters and worksheets to match the situation, and would generally involve more work than just buying a kit, which has all of the information centrally located. But in either case, the homeowners will have to work with the information and their banks in order to make the most effective use of any program.

Many of these self-help packages are often relatively cheap, costing less than a few hundred dollars -- some even cost much less than $100, which causes some homeowners to suspect they will not be getting much for their money. But a low price does not necessarily mean the products are of low quality; instead, the relatively cheap price should indicate that working out the solutions to foreclosu58Fre will be entirely in the hands of the foreclosure victims, who will be solely responsible for putting in the work to save their homes. The owners do all of the work in negotiating with the bank or finding alternate sources of assistance, with minimal guidance from the providers of the information.

If they are expecting to have their hands held and for someone else to contact the mortgage company for them after paying for a self-help package, then they may be better off hiring a professional loss mitigation company or bankruptcy attorney. But if the homeowners really are willing to work on finding a solution on their own with the kit and some extra background information, then this solution can be very cost-effective in providing them with extra options to save the house.

The ForeclosureFish website has been created to provide homeowners in danger of losing their houses with relevant and important foreclosure help and advice. The site describes various methods that may be used to save a home, such as delaying a sheriff sale, avoiding eviction, how to qualify for a home after foreclosure, and more. Visit the site to read more articles about how foreclosure works and how the process may be avoided before it is too late: 25Bhttp://www.foreclosurefish.com/

Boost Your Self Esteem

Having high self-esteem and high self worth is the basis for a happy, productive and well balanced life. Poor self-esteem, on the other hand, tends to lead to an unfulfilling and unhappy life where you will fall well short of your potential.

So how do you increase your self-esteem?

There are three areas that you need to consider with regard to boosting your se13CDlf-esteem. These are Your relationship with yourself, Your relationship to other people, and Your habits.

Your Relationship With Yourself
Our sense of self-worth and self-esteem may have been moulded and formed by experiences in our childhood, but it is how we regard ourselves today that perpetuates the vicious circle.

To boost your self-esteem you need to appreciate yourself more. Be aware when you do something well and congratulate yourself. Look back over your life time and list all the things you have done successfully there are hundreds of things if you just look for them. To start you off: perhaps you have successfully learned to talk your native language; you have successfully learned to walk, and run and jump; you have successfully learned to tie your shoelaces; you dared to ask someone out on a date. The list is endless. If you write all these successes down then that list becomes a resource to boost your self-esteem by re-reading it and adding to it every day.

Become your own best friend and champion. Watch what you say to yourself and make sure that you always use supportive, kind and positive language. Even when you make mistakes and things go wrong, you can tell yourself that you tried your best, you did what you thought was right at the time, you are still a good person. Too many people spend most of their self-talk being thoroughly unkind and nasty to themselves and undermining and lowering their self-esteem.

Your Relationship To Other People
Each day we interact with other people and their reactions to us can cause us to feel better, or worse, about ourselves. This can undermine our self-esteem, or it can help to build it up. There are several actions you can take to boost your self-esteem in relation to other people.

Most of us will have received compliments, good wishes, perhaps good school reports, at some time in our lives. Collect all the nice things that anyone else has ever said about you and write them down. Keep a note of all the kind and generous things other people have done for you. As you do this you will realise that other people do like you and appreciate you because you are OK.

Remind yourself daily what you love about your close family and friends. As you focus on what is good in these relationships that good will grow and any niggling dissatisfactions will fade into the background. You'll be happier and you will feel better about yourself.

When people appear to be unkind or unjust to you, realise that the other person is always doing the best they know how in their own life situation. If they put you down it is because they lack self-esteem it's got nothing to do with you.

Develop new habits
One of the ways we tend to maintain our level of self-esteem is through our daily habits. If your habits are undermining your self-esteem, change them for supportive habits that will build you up and encourage you.

Set small goals that you can achieve fairly easily and then appreciate yourself when you achieve them.

Take a brisk walk or a bike ride and make sure you breathe deeply of good fresh air. It's not only good for your physical health but it lifts your spirits and makes you feel better about yourself.

Create and read positive affirmations about yourself and your life. Read inspiring books, particularly biographies of great people.

Create a list each evening of the things you are grateful for that day. And feel gratitude for them. As you feel gratitude for what you have your self-esteem grows and your spirits lift. Happy people have much higher self-esteem than unhappy people.

Smile at a stranger, maybe even speak to a stranger. Cheer someone else up and you will feel better about yourself.

If you will incorporate just a few of these new behaviours into your life each day you will find your self-esteem increasing and you will start to feel much better about yourself.

Penny Dablin is a life coach and the author of How To Feel Great, Find Love and Get Promoted: 50 Ways To Boost Your Self-Esteem
For many more ideas and ways to build your self-esteem check out the website at http://www.buildyourselfesteem.co.uk

Spiritual Advice

Strategies for Self Introduction in an Interview

The reason why we discuss self-introduction solely is because of no matter what form of interviews, it is must needs a self-introduction at first, as well as your self-introduction in the interview should leave the first impression to the interviewer, first impressions are shown to be very hard to change, so it is obviously that self-introduction is an very important stage of interview.

The duration of self-introduction would roughly about 1 minute to 2 minutes. Because most job seeker would prepare for self-introduction in advance, and should oral presentation in recitation, interviewer often browse your resume within141A these several minutes, observe the way of your expression, and look at which of your achievements are you most proud of. Even so, you should keep your eyes on the interviewer most of the time in the presentation, other than endorsement with your head bowed.

Self-introduces is the first stage of interview, there are several strategies should be considered. We summing up the strategies as " URBAN "(Unique, Relevant, Bonding, Arousing and Neat) which could be used on the self-introduction of an interview:

Unique
The purpose of self-presentation is to make you stand out from the other candidates in the first minutes. So the introduction must be unique!, think about which of your distinctive strong suit or experience should be unique. For example: If you have been living in poverty-stricken area about two months, to help people in the area, try to understand their perspectives, This kind of experience is necessary to be introduced in a self-interview.

Relevant
You should know: the interviewer merely wanted to know your personal experience and personal characteristics, and thus judge whether you satisfy the requirement of applying positions, So you should remove such irrelevance information in self-introduction, For example: maybe there are some important events in history happened on the day you were born, but this has no relationship with your future work, so you should not mention it at all in self-introduction.

Bonding
Interviewers are ordinary people like everyone else, they are also will tend to hire people who are similar to them or someone they liked. It is more difficulty to refuse a friend than a stranger, who would be willing to hire someone they are unwilling to work together in the future?, So you should doing investigation and collecting some information of the company before you attend interview, find out what of your characteristics will suit with the culture of the company, but you should not to fictional characters and incidents cater for the interviewer just for the sake of bonding. If they find out you dont have the characteristics what your have calmed later, they will suspicion of your credibility and integrity.

Arousing
Although most of the self-introduction prepared in advance and would be recited out, the represent methods of recitation are also very crucial. Let us think about it, the interviewer listening to a dozen or even several dozens of self-introduction all day, most of recitation pretty monotonous and extreme boring, suddenly they heard a very emotional, very rich passionate self-introduction, It is naturally that the candidates should left a deeply impression to the interviewer. Therefore, you should not only prepare for the content of self-introduction, but also pay attention to your emotion and your tone of voice, the auditory effects should also play an important role in the interview.

Neat
Because of the self-introduction would finished within 1 or 2 minutes, time is very preciously, therefore the contents and represent methods should be concise. It is not necessary for you to involve in too many details, you should speak point-blank but not fussily. If a candidate making a self-introduction hum and haw, the interviewer could not expect he would give an outstanding representation in the rest of the interview.

It is necessary for you to record the tape of your self-introduction after writing and reciting it well, and besides, youd better ask some friends to listen to it and offer some suggestions; you will prepare it in advance, while the interviewers know that you will be prepared, thus you should try your best to act it perfect.

Do not act as on-the-spot play deliberately during the interview, you will overdo if you havent done it well enough; while if you have done it well, the interviewers may think that you are not professional enough and you dont pay too much attention to the company as you havent prepared your self-introduction. So please remember that the interviewers know that your self-introduction is prepared in advance.

David E. Martin is the Contributing Writer of Seek4Job.Com, online job seeker forum, especially about IT/mobile communication career opportunity offered, For more information on career training, career objective and career education, goto: Seek for Job and Job Seeker Forum

Teen Spiritual Movies

Monday, July 14, 2008

Personal and Professional Development

When people ask me about my business, I tell them Im in the learning business that we help organizations, teams and individuals reach their potential through learning. This is a fine statement and it does describe the breadth of what we do, but it often leads to the follow-up question like . . . Do you do personal development stuff or just business skills training?

My answer is yes.

Because I dont believe there is a significant difference between personal development and professional development.

Why do I say that?

The Reasons Why

Since my opinion might differ from yours, or perhaps youve never thought about it this, it makes sense to explain myself. There are at least five major reasons why I think personal and professional development are the same thing.

Learning is Learning. We were granted an amazing potential for learning at birth. Most of us havent used very much of that potential. Its like we are mowing our lawn with a jet engine. Sure the jet engine has enough horsepower to turn the blade, but it has virtually unlimited potential that isnt being used. When we are learning we are increasing our 5A8capacity to learn more because we are flexing and exercising our learning muscles. In other words whenever we are learning we are increasing our capacity to learn even more.

All Experience Counts. One of the powerful ways that we learn is by connecting new learning to what we already know. As we continue to build our knowledge and experiences, it allows us to make new connections faster. In other words, the more we learn, the more successful we will be at learning new things and in most situations; more quickly with deeper understanding.

Were a Whole Package. It isnt like we go to work and dont use anything we know from our personal life to be more effective professionally. And while we may not need to know how to repair rotating drum equipment at home those skills might help you diagnose the problem with your washing machine. And even though you dont have to back up the system database at home, you might be able to deal with your home PC better because of what you learned at work. And while you hope youll never need to follow the new Customer Service procedure at home, that procedure might teach you something a following a process, or being more understanding when you are the Customer.

The bottom line is that we are complete humans, and as such we take our entire work knowledge home, and bring all of our personal knowledge and experience to work. So any form5B4 of growth or development will benefit you both personally and professionally.

The Most Important Skills are Always the Most Important. Where does being a better listener help you at home or at work? Both, of course. When you learn how to coach more effectively at work does it make you a better parent? It sure can!

We could make a long list of these valuable skills, from communication to dealing with conflict, to learning how to learn, to giving better feedback to being more creative you get the idea (and have probably thought of five other examples yourself by now). There are many skills that we might learn as self improvement that will help us at work, and vice versa. So why label it one or the other?

Serendipity Rules. Because our learning grows based on connections, you never know when something you learned on the Discovery Channel might give you an aha at work, or that the insight shared by the seminar leader at work helps you solve a vexing problem at home. Again, all development, all learning, all growth helps us in all parts of our lives.

But Wait

Does all of this mean that as I become a better knitter or bowler, Ill be more productive and successful at work? Yes, for the reasons I described above (and some others too).

That doesnt mean that your organization should send everyone to knitting class or bowling lessons, but it does mean that t53Chere is substantial merit in supporting any form of learning regardless of the content.

In the end, my goal is to help you view all skills more broadly in their application instead of classifying some things as personal development and therefore they dont matter at work.

Learning is learning. Personal development is professional development.

When you stop worrying about the distinctions, but rather think about the applications, you serve yourself and others much better.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company. To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Thoughts To Ponder #29

"Love is not a matter of what happens in life. It's a matter of what's happening in your heart." --Ken Keyes

"Love is just a feeling of togetherness and openness in your heart." --Ken Keyes

"Love means tearing down the separateness and the boundaries between your heart feelings and another person." --Ken Keyes

"Love everyone unconditionally, including yourself." -Ken Keyes, Jr

"Love wasn't put in your heart to stay. Love isn't love until you give it away." --Michael W. Smith

"You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running ac8C6ross fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip." --Jonathan Carroll

"Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous; and it pricks like thorns." --William Shakespeare

"Real love is simply accepting another person. Completely and unconditionally. Russ Von Hoelscher. When you fail to get the love of the person you cared for, you put your beautiful loving feelings back in your pocket and get on with your life." - Source Unknown

"Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love." --Erich Fromm

"To make other people the source of your love is to live your life as a complete emotional dependent, always moments from deep depression due to the words or actions of another." -Russ Von Hoelscher

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life." Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abuse Prevention and Recovery. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Water and Ayurveda

Are you drinking enough water? We have all heard the importance of drinking enough water a day to maintain our body fluid levels, but did you know the benefits of water also go as far as curing all kinds of illnesses and diseases? Water is recognized in Ayurveda as crucial to creating balance and ridding the body of toxins so that the vital energy within the body flows more smoothly.

Q: What' is Ayurveda?

A: Ayurveda is a 5000 year old science of healing originating in India

Q: What is a dosha?

A: Dosha is your mind/body type according to Ayurveda

SPICING IT UP

You can add spice to your water to balance your dosha:

Hydrating Vata-Balancing Water. lubricates the lower digestive tract, the seat of vata. Add a few mint leaves, one-quarter teasoon of marshmallow root, half teaspoon of fennel seeds to two quarts of boiled water. Let stand. Sip while warm.

Cooling Pitta-Balancing Water. Refreshes overactive pitta. Add quarter teaspoon of fennel seeds, two rosebuds, and one clove to two quarts of boiled water. Drink at room temperature.

Detoxifying Kapha-Balancing Water. Coldness is an attribute of kapha, so this blend is warming; it's also aids digestion. Add three basil leaves, two thin slices of fresh ginger, quarter teaspoon of cumin seeds, and half teaspoon of fennel seeds to two quarts of boiled water. Sip while warm or hot.

Q: How do I know what my dosha is?

A: Find out by taking this quiz

TO DRINK OR NOT TO DRINK?

What about drinking water during a yoga session? Some teachers allow it, some do not. Why the fuss?

Because in yoga we're working not only the musculoskeletal system but also the pranic body. Water cools the system down and puts out the subtle fires that are needed to cleanse and purify as you move through the asanas.

It might make better sense to drink before and after class instead or at the least to sip it rather than guzzle it just before you do that headstand. As always it depends on the person, the class, the environment so be guided from within. Maintain a mindfulness and your body will guide you in the right direction.

YOGA & AYURVEDA

For those of you that are interested in an ayurvedic approach to yoga, Leena works with her clients in determining their particular dosha and devising a programme that would be the most beneficial for their health and well-being. This programme can be Hatha yoga based or through the vehicle of thai massage or a combination of both.

"I take a very holistic approach," says Leena. "I look at every aspect of the person's life and then make a recommendation. Neither is it set in stone. People's bodies respond so differently. Even our mind plays a powerful role in how we view things. So the key for me is to stay in tune with what is needed but remain adaptable. Flexibility is much more than stretching the hamstrings- it's also about expanding your vision, your definition of what is appropriate in any given situation."

Leena Patel is currently based in Las Vegas where she teaches yoga and meditation to Celine Dion and A New Day. She has written numerous articles on health, yoga and spirituality and has taught across the US, Canada and in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Austria and the UK.

Cleaning the Stomach

This is a shuddhikriya meant for cleaning the stomach. There are three varieties, namely, vamana-dhauti. danda-dhauti, and vastra-dhauti. Vamana-dhauti may be said to be the easiest. Vamana means vomiting Its procedure is to drink about six glasses of water and then to 5B4vomit the water out by putting the index and middle fingers in the mouth upto the uvula. This helps to cleans the stomach, bringing out with the water impurities from the stomach. In danda-dhauti, after drinking water as above, a rubber tube, about three feet in length and slightly larger than a lead pencil in diameter is inserted in the mouth and is gulped down slowly so that one end of it reaches upto the stomach while the other end is held outside the mouth. Then by bending the trunk forward the water from the stomach is drawn out by siphon action. When all the water comes out, the tube is pulled out slowly. Before inserting the tube into the mouth it must be cleaned and disinfected by dipping. it in boiling water for a few minutes. Many people find it difficult to gulp the tube down the throat without vomiting, because the throat is sensitive to touch stimuli. Such persons have to do vamana-dhauti in place of danda-dhauti. The latter has one advantage over the former as there is no spasm of the stomach wall and water comes out smoothly.

Vastra-dhauti is more difficult but far more useful as compared to the above mentioned varieties. In it a strip of fine muslin cloth about three inches wide and twenty two feet in length is used. This strip is washed, disinfected (by dipping it in boiling water for a few minutes), and made into a roll. One end of it is held between two fingers and inserted into the mouth. It is then gulped down592 slowly. When only six inches of its length remains outside the mouth, the gulping is stopped, never allowing this other end of the strip to go into the mouth. The abdomen is then churned by Nauli with the strip of cloth inside the stomach, and the strip is then taken out by pulling the other end slowly. By rubbing itself against the inner lining of the stomach, dhauti cleanses it, and removes all the impurities from the stomach.

Dhauti has a great therapeutic value. It is employedin the yogic treatment of disorders like acidity and asthma.

Read more on Yoga for weight loss. Check out for folding treadmills and arthritis treatment.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Learning From Your Fear

Nobody likes to feel fearful and because of that, most people will habitually react to fear by avoiding, repressing or suppressing it. It takes courage and wisdom to see that our fear can be our greatest teacher.

When we examine our fear, we will often discover that it is irrational. There is no real basis or substance to our fear. That is why fear is often described as "False Evidence Appearing Real". Fear is a self created illusion built upon past experiences or imprints. The situation may have changed but the imprints compel us to react in a knee jerk manner without proper examination and re-evaluation of the new situation.

The good news is that this habit or tendency CAN be transformed.

The Fear of Rejection

One of the most common fears is the fear of rejection. This fear comes in many forms.

For example, a person with this fear often feels it a challenge to talk to authority figures, whether these be their parents, teachers, superiors or even government bodies. They are especially fearful t59Co ask for or request things from these people. The feeling of fear of rejection is an automatic response that arises from past experience of rejections from these same authority figures.

Another manifestation of this fear of rejection is in the inability to say "no" to other people's requests. This is the other end of the spectrum and arises because of the fear of being rejected by the person who made the request.

Confront Your Fear

The best way to overcome your fear is to confront it. However, there are two opposing ways to confrontation. You can confront your fear with great compassion and gentleness, or you can confront it combatively. The more skilful and effective way is naturally to confront it compassionately.

When you confront your fear compassionately, you'll soon discover the underlying false belief that gives rise to that fear. You'll learn that the external situation is merely a mirror reflection of your inner mental state. That false belief gives rise to a correspondingly false perception of reality, thus the irrationality of the fear.

Confronting your fear compassionately means to see it without any judgment and blame. It means to take responsibility for your emotion and even to embrace it with love. When you can do this, you'll be grateful for your fear because you know it is there only as a teacher. It is there to help you see your real self.

So the next 580time you experience fear, pause for a moment and examine it with love and compassion. Allow this teacher to show you the lesson you need to learn.

As they said, "Do the things you fear and the death of fear is certain."

Dr. Tim Ong is a medical doctor with a keen interest in self improvement, mind science and spirituality. He is the author of "From Fear to Love: A Spiritual Journey" and "The Book of Personal Transformation". Visit his websites at http://www.fromfeartolove.com and http://www.bookoftransformation.com

Saturday, July 5, 2008

How to Gain Weight and Build More Muscle!

For many thin guys around the world, gaining weight without using illegal steroids has been a challenge. For thousands of lean young men, the dream is to gain weight, but no matter how much they eat they remain thin. Some people are naturally thin; that means their genetic makeup is in such a way that the body burns more calories than others. The very basic method of weight gain is to eat more calories than your body burns off. By providing the body with more calories, this balance can be altered and body mass can be increased. Weight training is of great importance in this context, which enables the body to absorb more nutrients from the food by increasing the level of certain hormones and increasing the muscle mass.

There are many incorrect beliefs and theories bout building muscle. The type of food to be eaten is an important factor which decides the type of weight gained, whether it is muscle mass or mere accumulation of fat. Some types of calories are not equal to others for gaining muscle; because most processed junk food contains empty, totally nutritionless calories. These foods promote accelerated fat Storage, and do not provide the body with the correct nutrients essential for gaining muscle. High quality protein, which the body breaks down into amino acids, should be the centerpiece of all your meals. Intense exercise increases demand for amino acids, which support muscle repair and growth.

Another factor is the selection of the right type of weight training. Resistance exercises will help with muscle growth. Whereas aerobic exercises can result in the reduction of weight. For maximum muscle gain, the focus of your workouts should consist of free weight exercises, rather than machines or bodyweight exercises. To get a very effective workout, you must stimulate as many muscle fibers as possible, and machines do not do this. The main reason for this is a lack of stabilizer and synergist muscle development. Stabilizer and synergist muscles are supporting muscles that assist the main muscle in performing a complex lift.

The results of weight training can vary from person to person, and will usually depend on your consistency and commitment to your program. You should have the patience and motivation for building a powerful body with a consistent diet and exercise schedule.

Exercise Guidelines for building muscle:

Weight training involves the use of equipment that enables variable resistance. This resistance can come in the form of free weights like barbells and dumbbells, machines that use cables or pulleys to help you lift the weight, and bodyweight exercises like pull-ups or dips. The more stabilizers and synergists you work, the more muscle fibers stimulated. The exercises that work the large muscle groups are called compound (or multi-joint) movements that involve the simultaneous stimulation of many muscle groups. These compound exercises should be the Foundation of any weight training program because they stimulate the most amount of muscle in the least amount of time. Multi-jointed free weight exercises like the bench press require many stabilizer and synergistic muscle assistance to complete the lift.

Free weight exercises like the dumbbell press or squat put a very large amount of stress on supporting muscle groups. You will get fatigued faster and not be able to lift as much weight as you did on the machine. But you will gain more muscle, become stronger very quickly and have a true gauge of your strength.

If you use machines in your program, they should be used to work isolated areas and only after all multi-jointed exercises have been completed. Beginners should begin with a limited combination of machine exercises, bodyweight exercises and multi-jointed free weight exercises. Before increasing the weight levels, they should work on becoming familiar with the proper form and execution of each.

The following are some proven basic exercises to encourage muscle and strength gain unlike any other exercises.

Bench Presses - works the chest, shoulders, triceps

Overhead Presses - shoulders, triceps

Pull-ups/Barbell Rows - back, bicep

Squats - legs, lower back

Dead lifts - legs, back, shoulders

Bar Dips -shoulders, chest, arms

To build mass, you must weight train with heavy weights. To consider a weight heavy, you should only be able to do a maximum of 4-8 reps before your muscles temporarily fail. A weight is considered 'light' if you can do more than 15 reps before muscle fatigue sets in. Heavy weights stimulate more muscle fibers than lighter weights which result in more muscle growth. Heavy weight training puts a huge strain on your body, so adequate rest and recuperation after your workouts is essential.

Eating guidelines for building muscle:

A high protein diet is an inevitable part of any weight training programme, importantly, protein derived from animal sources. Proteins you need to be concerned with are those found in whey, casein (cottage cheese), eggs, beef, poultry, and fish. Soy protein, tofu and bean curd are some alternatives. Eating the right amount of foods consistently will force your body to grow beyond what you may think possible. The diet also should contain an adequate amount of carbohydrates (potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, oatmeal, cream of wheat, cream of rice, rice, beans, bread, pasta, all cereals) and fat. Green leafy vegetables and fruits also should be included.

When you train with weights, you should eat a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. You also must have protein at every meal. To enable your body to actually assimilate and use the all the calories you will ingest, you have to reduce your meal size and increase your meal frequency. Splitting your calories into smaller, more frequent portions will enable food absorption and utilization of nutrients.

During the past 20 years there have been great developments in the scientific understanding of the role of nutrition in health and physical performance. Studies shown that adequate dietary carbohydrate should be ingested (55-60% of total energy intake) so that training intensity can be maintained. Excess dietary saturated fat can exacerbate coronary artery disease; however, low-fat diets result in a reduction in circulating testosterone. So the balance between protein, carbohydrate and fat should be maintained.

So the focus on weight gain programmes must be on two components, lifting heavy weights, which will stimulate the largest amount of muscle fibers. Your body responds to this stimulus by increasing your muscle mass and secondly eat more calories than your body is used to. When you overload your system with plenty of protein and fats, your body has no other choice but to gain weight.

A Mass Gaining program is incomplete without the timely measurements to monitor your progress. Without it, you won't know how exactly your body is responding to your diet and training routine. Just looking in the mirror and guessing is not acceptable. If you want to start getting great results, you must develop the habit of accurately tracking your progress. This also provides the motivation to continue with the weight gain schedule and for the further progression. So even though you have a very thin body type, and havent been able to gain weight no matter what you try, you will definitely succeed with a well planned weight gain programme.

References:

1) http://www.fastmusclegain.com/part1eating.htm

2) http://www.fastmusclegain.com/part2weights.htm

3) http://www.fastmusclegain.com/part3muscle.htm

4) http://www.fastmusclegain.com/part4suppl.htm

5) http://www.fastmusclegain.com/part5monitor.htm

6) http://www.skinnyguy.net/tips.html

7) Lambert CP, Frank LL, Evans WJ. Macronutrient considerations for the sport of bodybuilding. Sports Med. 2004;34(5):317-27

Former "skinny guy" Anthony Ellis is the author of Gaining Mass. The most widely used weight gain program in the world. This unique program designed to help people gain weight and build muscle, is currently being used in over 90 countries. For more information on how to gain weight and build muscle, check out his website at http://www.fastmusclegain.com

How to Build Chest Muscles

Aside from big arms, there's no desire among aspiring underweight muscle building enthusiasts that quite outdoes the longing for a big, well-developed chest. And why not; big pectorals command respect. They're somehow primitively associated with courage and assertiveness. When you have pectoral muscles that only slightly protrude beyond your abdominal section, you're considered to be "in shape". What's more, in a world of male competitiveness where one's height seems to unfairly monopolize the aura of dominating physical stature, powerful pectorals can be a great equalizer. They tell the world that regardless of the level your genetics had you lengthened, you're packaged physical prowess by choice. You exude strength and athleticism with well developed pectorals.

So what's the best method for developing a big chest? Well, that shouldn't be our only question. For if the pectorals aren't built in a balanced manner, excessive size can contribute to a feminizing effect on the male torso. Does anyone really want to develop "man boobs"? I didn't think so. Therefore, it's imperative that we make our pecs just a little bit top-heavy (upper pecs that protrude slightly more than the middle p10DFecs) in our bid to increase chest size. An emphasis on making sure we are successful with incline exercises will ensure good upper pectoral development.

Notice I didn't recommend doing "a lot of incline exercises". Instead, I mentioned making sure you're 'successful' with your incline movements (this goes for all bodybuilding exercises). Although this might sound like a subtle play on words, it's really a vital issue for your muscle building progress. Overtraining is probably the biggest setback most natural bodybuilding enthusiasts unwittingly engage. Thus, you might need to add more incline bench movements to build bigger upper pecs, or you might need to lay off of those movements. It really depends on what you're currently doing. Just keep in mind that many times our enthusiasm to make progress on a particular body part leads us to inadvertently overwork that area - resulting in the exact opposite of our desired effect.

As a lifetime natural bodybuilder, nothing has done more for my pectoral development than taking emphasis off 'pressing movements' and putting it on 'flye movements'. The widespread notion that you "have to bench press" and "bench press heavy" has only been outdone in holding back pectoral growth by the practice of over training. Combine the two with the typical plights of the natural bodybuilder and you have a scenario in which pectoral growth is almost nonexistent for too many gym-goers. If heavy bench pressing were the key to a great chest, we'd see power-lifters epitomizing pectoral development. As it turns out, some of them have big pecs and some seem to have nearly none - despite the fact they can bench press heavy.

What if you could do heavy flyes? What if you could get on an incline bench and strictly move seventy-five pound dumbbells from the top of the movement - slowly down to having your arms outstretched and the weights parallel with your head (elbows only slightly bent) - and back up to the top position without any arm movement? If you can't do that for six to eight repetitions now, but you can do it a few months from now, I'd bet on your pectoral muscles being significantly larger after those few months. Making strict and heavy flye movements into the cornerstone of your chest routine can work wonders for the growth of those muscles.

Besides changing bench pressing movements to a secondary position and flyes to the primary one, I've also accelerated my pectoral gains by splitting my first flye movement into two partial rep exercises. So when I get to the gym to start my chest routine, I head straight to one of those pec/flye machines in which you hold the handles with your arms extended (only a slight bend in the elbows). These are the kind of pec dec machines that are also used for rear deltoid exercises. I adjust the seat on the machine so that a flye movement done on the apparatus will hit squarely in the middle of my pecs.

I then proceed to do two different exercises with this machine; one for my outer pecs and one for the inner. For outer pectorals, I move my arms from the fully outward position to about halfway through the range of a full flye. I do about five to eight sets like this. For inner pecs, I go from about the twenty degrees angle (where I ended my rep for the outer pec movement) to the point where the handles make contact with each other in front of me. I do those for another five to eight sets. When I'm done with these two partial rep exercises, my entire chest is worked and pumped to the max.

It's important to know that working the middle chest muscles actually brings the upper and lower pectorals into play. However, isolating the upper chest with incline movements does not bring the middle or lower chest muscles into play. The same goes for isolating the lower chest with declines; it only works the lower pectorals. Therefore, the most efficient way to begin a chest routine is with an exercise that hits the middle chest. My suggestion is that when you begin your pec workout with the above-mentioned exercise, be sure to adjust the seat so that you're hitting the very center of your chest.

Only when I've sufficiently pre-exhausted my pectorals with the strict performance of these partial-rep flyes do I go on to isolate the upper and lower pecs resp562ectively with three more exercises. These include incline dumbbell flyes, Hammer Strength presses, and a decline angled pec deck. I do two exercises for upper pecs in an attempt to slightly over-develop them for better balance; the dumbbell flyes and the pressing movement with the Hammer Strength machine. Presses are incredibly more effective for pectoral growth when the pecs have been pre-exhausted with flyes.

If you've been having trouble with pectoral growth, I highly recommend you switch to making flye exercises the foundation of your routine. In addition, split that first exercise of pec deck flyes into two half-rep movements. This will create maximum stress on both the inner and outer pecs - working wonders on both the size and shape of the muscles.

Scott Abbett is the author of HardBody Success: 28 Principles to Create Your Ultimate Body and Shape Your Mind for Incredible Success. To see his personal transformation, visit http://www.hardbodysuccess.com

American Body Building Supplement Products - American Body Building Products Explained

Products sold by the American Body Building Company are said to be of a higher quality than most. This article will explain all you need to know about the American Body Building Company and the products that it offers.

The American Body Building Company came into existence in approximately 1985 and have been providing body builders with high quality body building products since that time. It is said that this company is the only sports nutrition based organization that actually produces every type of body building product. The products manufactured range from sports drinks to body building supplements and also nutrition bars.

The philosophy of this organization centers around that really the effectiveness of your body building efforts relies wholly on your diet, the exertion when training and the amount of rest you get during your workouts. The ABB firmly believes that when you combine your intense body building workout program with an effective diet and adequate rest you will achieve your goals much faster.

Their products are extensively tested and have been scientifically proven to be very effective in the competitive body building product market. Not only they they strive for superior quality and service. They are also very stringent in the quality control of the ingredients used in their products. So much so that their supplies are required to supply Certificates of Authenticity to ensure that the ingredients are of the highest quality.

While many fitness centers frequently sell these products to body builders they are just as easily available online also.

It is important when choosing body building products that you choose quality products made from superior ingredients. If you short-change your nutritional supplements you will only be short-changing your body building goals.

Nutrition is only one part of your body building plan. I recently put a number of body building products to the test to siphon out the products that really do work to the ones that are pretty useless. My results will surprise you. Check out the website below for more information.

Copyright 2007. Body builders are spending a fortune on body building products that just dont work. Thats why I put the so-called best body-building products to the test. Not all body building weight training products are created equally, nor do they live up to the amazing results that they promise. The shocking truth is exposed at my body building weight training review site. Only go with body building weight training products that you trust. To find out more go to http://www.body-building-natural.blogspot.com.

What Is The Best Muscle Building Supplement Available Today?

What's the best muscle building supplement available today? You might not like the answer.

And if you don't, you might want to consider getting away from all those "steroid-like" results ads you are bombarded with in all the magazines.

If you get a chance, take a look back at all the muscle magazines from eight to ten years ago. What do you see?

I'll tell you. You see a lot of ads for "wonder" supplements, many of which were called the best muscle building supplement available at the time. Only problem is, you don't see any ads for those muscle building supplements today. Why is that?

Because they just don't work! Eventuall, consumers figure that out and the supplements stop selling. So the supplement companies come out with the latest, greatest, cutting-edge, best muscle building supplement for you to spend your hard earned money on.

There are a couple of supplements that you still see ads for today. But they aren't sexy, they aren't new, they aren't cutting edge, and they aren't "drug-like" grey area supplements. So I give two answers to the best muscle building supplement question - protein and creatine.

If you want to make outstanding muscle building progress, put together a solid weight training program, train with a high level of intensity, add poundage to your exercises as often as possible, eat six high protein meals every day, and make sure you are out of the gym often enough to recover from your workouts so that you can build the muscle you are triggering into growing.

Oh, and add the dual "best muscle building supplement" to your program - protein and creatine. Protein powders make it extremely easy and convenient to eat six meals a day and to get enough quality protein into your body.

Use Protein Shakes - This will make it easier for you to consume enough calories and protein each day, as well as making it much more convenient to have 6 meals a day.

Here's a sample weight gain drink you can make up with the best muscle building supplement and use in your muscle building diets.

100 grams of protein powder

2 quarts of whole or 2% Milk

2 cups of skim milk powder

2 cups of chocolate ice cream

4 tablespoons of peanut butter

1 banana

Mix in a blender and drink throughout the day, in addition to your regular food meals. Add or subtract ingredients based on individual taste preferences and number of calories needed.

High quality protein, aka, 'the real best muscle building supplement' should be the center point of all your meals. Intense exercise increases demand for protein, which support muscle repair and growth.

When you train with weights, you should eat a minimum of 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you weight 150 pounds, try and take in at least 225 grams of protein each and every day.

I know this sounds like a lot and you could probably do okay with 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. But if you find it really difficult to gain muscle, this extra protein can help. You don't have to have carbs or fat at every meal, but you must have protein. When I say protein, I am referring to high quality protein derived from animal sources.

For getting bigger and stronger, the only protein you need to be concerned with are those found in whey, casein (cottage cheese), eggs, beef, poultry, and fish. This is the best muscle building supplement and the cornerstone of your muscle building nutrition plan.

Through in a high quality creatine product and you are good to go. As for the rest, save your money and stick with the dual stack 'best muscle building supplement' for massive muscle mass gains.

Gregg Gillies

Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com His articles have appeared in Ironman Magazine and he is a regular contributor to Body Talk Magazine. He has written two books, available at his site. He has also written a free report, Fast Mass, available at Fast Mass Muscle Building Secrets

Friday, July 4, 2008

How to Will Yourself to Success

One challenge of the human condition is gathering the strength and courage to break through the barriers we erect which keep us from confronting personal problems and challenges. It seems that avoidance and fear are the twin killers to personal progress. Why is it that some of us can motivate ourselves to accomplish everyday tasks and set long-term goals? Why is it that others of us often avoid, procrastinate, and waste valuable time agonizing about our inability to carry out self-rewarding behaviors?

The implication of willing ourselves to success affects every aspect of our life. Some of us desire to lose weight, change jobs, exercise, make new frien5B4ds, or learn new skills, but create resistance affecting our chances for a positive outcome. Why do we choose the road of self-defeating behavior even though we know that a different course of action will bring us to our desired goals and a sense of fulfillment?

The will to act must be greater than the power to resist. In other words, the urge to accomplish a task or goal must create an inner momentum until its force becomes irresistible. For some, this means a mounting cascade of frustration and anger, or a sense of being fed-up with the status-quo. The constructive passion to achieve drowns out the inner voice of inertia. Often, people tell me that an inner voice keeps hounding them until the clamoring sounds of change are strong enough to break the impasse.

Often people will resist the road to change because of a pattern of prior failure. They might say, Ive tried that route and it didnt work. They may view the motivation to change as an either/or process. Either Im 100% successful or Im a total louse. They may overlook the subtle changes that are necessary to complete a task. Established goals may be unrealistic and set the stage for failure. An additional obstacle may pop up when one starts down the road of progress and faces a period of regression. The back-sliding may be viewed as a monumental setback rather than a part of the growth process and may lead one to completely give up on5B4 a new endeavor.

Those who are unmotivated tend to harbor self-blame. They will blame themselves for their inability to change or will chastise themselves for any behavioral setback. With a mind-set of victim-posturing, the unmotivated individual will say, Its no use; no matter how hard I try, I will always come up short; its just my nature. Self-blame becomes an excuse for not trying. The self-centered focus is on personal failure rather than the impetus to move forward in spite of failure.

Often people remain unmotivated because they fear success. Those who contemplate losing weight might say, What if I lost weight and start to look more attractive? How would that affect the way others view me? My friend might want to date me and I dont know if I am ready for that! The fear of success often keeps one tied to the safety-net of the past.

The foundation for willing oneself to success begins with the process of setting goals. An individual must start with identifying what he really wants and needs. must be reframed to reflect a positive way of perceiving events. A friend who was unhappy with her life once told me, I know that I am withdrawing from people and I believe that it is bad for me. What she really needed to say is, I need to feel connected to other people; I want to find a way to make that happen. How we frame our thinking helps us to determine ways in which we will a5B4ct on them.

It is very difficult to move forward when you dont know where you are going. Setting realistic goals is essential to increasing our self-motivation. Goals need to be identified and chunked down into smaller steps. This makes getting motivated less overwhelming and easier to manage.

Giving yourself permission is an important ingredient to creating motivation. Often, people lack a sense of inner permission because they have relied on others to lead their lives. The fact that they have depended on others to direct their life makes them feel incompetent and thwarts forward-moving change.

Fully functioning people dont wait, they dont procrastinate, but they act. Life is too short. The fear of passing time may give us a sense of urgency about changing our life and making things right. Such a feeling of urgency may create the conditions necessary for changing the quality of our character and behavior. We dont have forever to will ourselves to success. Today is the day to redeem that which we have put on hold.

James P Krehbiel, Ed.S., LPC, CCBT is an author, a freelance writer and cognitive-behavioral therapist practicing in Scottsdale, Arizona. He can be reached through his website at http://www.krehbielcounseling.2B3com.

5 Great Tips To Make Your Goals Your Reality

Goals are a great tool for motivation. But if you don't use them correctly, they can also be a source of frustration. Goals are only empowering if they are used properly. So how do you make a goal into something that is a benefit for you?

Goal-setting strategies are important especially for to help you create the type of success you desire and deserve. Here are five goal-setting techniques to help you realize them.

  1. Balance Your Goals: In your life you will have personal development goals, personal finance goals and things goals. Don't neglect any of them. It is ok to want things, but don't forget to balance those pursuits with your own growth as a person. All of these goals are important so be clear about all of them and make them real for you.
  2. Plan Actions From Your Goals: Goals are not items for your to do list. Your goal is what you are striving for. Plan specific actions that lead you towards those goals. Use the goals to provide your compass for those actions. When you plan actions for the day you can easily tell if they're going to be effective if you have clear goals to compare them against.
  3. Share Your Goals: If you were an archer, would you keep it a secret that your goal is to hit the bull's-eye? Too many keep their goals a secret. Share your goals with people who will support and encourage your aims.
  4. Write Down Your Goals: Make your goals real by recording them. Put copies of your goals on index cards and keep copies in the car and in the bathroom and review them regularly. Make them the center of your focus. Don't just set them and then ignore them. Your goals are like a compass to tell you which way to go. The exciting part is that you get to chose the alignment of your compass.
  5. Don't Give Up: Your goals and the actions you take to get them are different things. Don't be afraid to try something, f57Dail and try something else. Take effective and massive action to meet your goals and understand that any true goals will take many steps to achieve. Sometimes you will make a misstep, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the goal. Everyone makes mistakes, but it's only those who abandon their goals who don't achieve them.
  6. Dave Saunders is an author and speaker on motivation and finding balance between body, mind and spirit. Visit http://www.the-time-management-guy.com and receive free time management and goal setting tips.

Thoughts To Ponder #52

When Betty Eadie was 31, she died in a hospital after undergoing surgery. What happened next has been called by some, "the most profound near-death experience ever." Betty journeyed to a beautiful world beyond this life. She met Jesus there. Jesus gave her a message to give to others when she returned. These quotes from her books, Embraced By The Light, The Awakening Heart, and The Ripple Effect give a glimpse of her profound experience.

"Every encounter we have, even if brief and seemingly unimportant, may have more significance than we know. A brief encounter may begin a greater ripple that reaches its intended purpose years later. Everyone who comes into our lives may be part of our mission, and we, a part of theirs. Understanding this can give meaning to the common events of life. By being positive and helpful towards others, even in casual moments, we can make the most of our time on earth."

"We will never know all the effects of our prayers in this life. We won't know all the good we do, the hearts we touch, the lives we bless. We will not even know what good we have brought into our own lives through prayer. And we cannot knowuntil we get therewhat joy we give heaven by the power of our prayers."

"We may become like the angels themselves, helping others who are in need. In prayer and service our lights will always shine. Service is the oil to our lamps generated by compassion and love."

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life." Mind, Body, Spirit healing and Physical/Sexual Abu3E9se Prevention and Recovery. As an inspirational leader, Dr. Neddermeyer empowers people to view life's challenges as an opportunity for Personal/Professional Growth and Spiritual Awakening. http://www.drdorothy.net

Self Development And Growth

When starting out the the area of self development and growth, one of the most important anAA8d basic skills to learn is the skill to deal with issues in your life.

Many sources often overlook the process of how to change. The process is long and hard, and often you will lose motivation and forget your goals for self improvement. While you may yearn for instant gratification and instant change, the reality is that it just wont happen overnight. Habits take a long time to form and break; deeper psychological issues that a long time to resolve.

Often when people deal with their issues, they're dealing with it in a LOGICAL manner. This doesn't motivate you because motivation is EMOTIONAL. When you feel emotionally affected towards the issue, you will have the drive to resolve the emotions. This is the basis for my model of dealing with issues.

Without further ado, here it is: Dealing with issues, the 4 steps.

1. Figure out what the issue is.

This first point is ridiculously obvious, but incredibly important and oftentimes looked over. In many instances, we believe that we're dealing with one problem when in reality we're actually facing problems with a deeper inner issue.

For example, in the world of dating and relationships, the actual act of meeting members of the opposite sex can be quite daunting. The possibility of rejection, the fear that they will dislike you is present. No one likes to think that they are incompetent with the opposite sex, and this is the issue that may arise and challenge them if they approach and get rejected. So they sit at the back of the bar with their friends talking about how they're 'pimps' and 'could pick up anyone in this bar' but 'they don't want to' because 'no one here is worth it'.

What is happening here is an avoidance of the real issue: they depend on other's approval and reactions to feel good about themselves. An issue of low self esteem and low self confidence.

This issue would not be realised without some serious hard thinking and the ability to see things for what they really are. Your mind and ego will throw up a million different cognitions to throw you off the real issue because the truth hurts your sense of self.

This first point is ridiculously simple yet hard to realize.

2. Experience the issue.

This is different. I swear by this technique 100%.

When you figure out what the issue is, it's going to try and hide. It's going to throw up excuses as to why you have those cognitions. You're going to want to avoid the issue. Yeah that's right, you know what I'm talking about. This is the nerd realising that they suck with women but rationalising it as due to their studies or the fact that they "don't have time", then using that as a constanB07t excuse not to GO OUT and MEET women. Or the woman who has emotional issues that affect her relationships but blames her relationship problems on her looks.

By experience the issue I mean to feel it fully. You KNOW it's there, you aren't going to avoid it. You just broke up with your partner? It feels crap. Don't avoid having the feelings. You're scared of chatting up that cutie? Don't avoid the issue. Immerse yourself in the experience of feeling like that.

Only then do you have a solid base for your motivation to get the problem fixed.

3. Act on resolving the issue

After experiencing the feelings that you don't want to feel, make a decision to ACT upon the issues. After all, just pointlessly making yourself feel bad is... pointless. So what did you do? Make a commitment to take steps forward in solve the issue. If you're afraid that people will 'reject' you then approach people until you emotionally realise that 'rejection' by a stranger means nothing more than the fact that you approached them in the wrong way. If you're avoiding exercise because of an underlying issue of laziness, get out there and exercise! Do you actually WANT to be unhealthy? How does being unhealthy feel?

Experiencing the issue should give you the MOTIVATION to ACT on the issue. If you don't act, you'll just stay the same. Do you really want to feel the way you felt when you were experiencing the issue? I doubt it.

4. Figure out your other issues

In self improvement, it is critical to remember that your problems will NEVER end and you will ALWAYS have issues to deal with. Reality is harsh.

If you're serious about improving yourself, keeping this in mind will help you a lot. You will always have something to fix. Take a break once in a while, moderate how much you work on yourself, but never forget that you always have something to improve. Read "The way of the superior man" by David Deida. It gives a good description of this point.

I'd dare say your not as good with women as you wish you were, your looking for something that can take you above and beyond 99% of men for free, it's here, you just have to reach out and grab it.

Have fun,

-- Solace

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Shifting the Paradigm of Knowledge

Much is written about knowledge being power and that is still true. Yet, if individuals and businesses in todays knowledge driven economy truly wish to be successful a shift is required to being able to apply knowledge.

One of the most frequent challenges that I hear from potential and current clients whether they are small business owners or multi-billion dollar corporations is implementation or the inability to take action. These individuals have a tremendous wealth of knowledge, yet their efforts are brought to a screeching halt because of the inability to implement or to apply knowledge.

The question then arises how do you bridge this challenge. From my experiences this answer is two-fold. First, individuals nB2Feed to change their belief systems that knowledge is power to applied knowledge is power. This is not easy because of the F.E.A.R. (false evidence appearing real) of failure. No one likes to fail. . However, to improve our performance (the application of knowledge) requires us to learn from our past mistakes and to move forward. John Maxwell provides great insight into overcoming the fear of failure in his book entitled Failing Forward.

Secondly, a process needs to exist to ensure that the knowledge is applied. From my perspective, I recommend goal planning and goal achievement through a proven tool. This tool, a goal sheet, takes the knowledge and provides both a structure and a process to implement or to take action. Many individuals have a long list of dreams and goals, but far fewer consistently achieve their hopes and desires.

With the end of the year coming to an end, possibly now is the time to assess if you need to shift your paradigm to one where applied knowledge has greater power. If you havent achieved your goals or dreams from taking that cruise to increasing sales by 50%, then ask yourself is this because of a lack of knowledge or because of the inability to apply knowledge?

Copyright 2005(c) Leanne Hoagland-Smith, www.processspecialist.com

This article may be freely published. Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. CEO of ADVANCED SYSTEMS located outside of Chicago, IL, is the Learning & Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business & education experience, she helps her clients to double their performance. By uniting systems, strategies and people to create loyal internal customers, Leanne delivers ROI solutions in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth & innovation within a variety of industries including education, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services. As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential: 7 Capacities for Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please contact Leanne at 219.759.5601 or visit http://www.processspecialist.com if you are seeking to connect your passion to your purpose to double your performance for unheard of results.

Concentration Is The Power

Have you ever taken note how you breathe when you feel in love with the whole world or with some one special and that noble emotions which thrills you. When you are fille111Cd with good thoughts, you breathe a plentiful supply of oxygen into your lungs and love fills your soul. Love develop a person, this feeling changes them physically, mentally and socially. They breathe deeply when they are happy and they will gain life and strength; they will steady their mind and will develop a power in concentration and become magnetic and powerful. If you want to get more out of life you must think more of love. LOVE is the GIVER. Unless you have real deep affection for something or some one, you have no sentiment, no sweetness, no magnetism. So arouse is your love and deep affections by your will you enter into a FULLER life. A FULLER life is sweetness in itself. The Energy , the POWER.

The hand of love always magnifies, but it must be steady and controlled. Love can be concentrated in your hand shake, and this is one of the best ways to influence another. The handshake that is steady and firm will be the controlled mind.

The next time you feel yourself becoming irritable, use your will and be patient. This is a very good exercise in self-control. It will help you to keep patient if you will breathe slowly and deeply. If you find you are commencing to speak fast, just control yourself and speak slowly and clearly. Keep from either rising or lowering your voice and concentrate on the fact that you are determined to keep your poise, and you will improve your power in concentration.

When you meet people of some importance, assume a reposeful attitude before them. Try Do this at all times. Watch both them and yourself. Static exercises does develops the motor faculties and increase the power in concentration. If you feel yourself getting irritable, nervous or weak, stand squarely on your feet with your chest up and inhale deeply and you will see that your irritability will disappear and a silent calm will pass over you.

If you are in the habit of associating with nervous, irritable people, quit them until you grow strong in the power in concentration, because irritable, angry, fretful, dogmatic and disagreeable people will weaken what powers of resistance you may have.

Any exercises that give you better control of your ears, fingers, eyes, feet, will help you to steady your mind; when your eye is steady, your mind is steady. One of the best ways to study a person is to watch his physical movements, for when we, study they actions, we are studying their mind.

As actions are the expressions of the mind. As the mind is, so is the action. If it is uneasy, restless, erratic, unsteady, its actions are the same. When it is composed, the mind is composed. Concentration means control of the mind and body. You cannot secure control over one without the other.

Many people who seem to lack ambition have WEAK or SLUGGISH minds. They are steady, patient and seemingly have good control, but this does not say they are able to concentrate. These people are indolent, inactive, slow and listless, because they lack energy; they do not lose control because they have little FORCE to control. They have no temper and it therefore cannot disturb them. Their actions are steady because they possess little energy. The natural person is internally strong, energetic and forceful, but his energy, force and strength, thoughts and physical movements are well under his control.

If a person does not have energy, both mental and physical, he must therefore, develop it. If he has energy which he cannot direct and hold to a point he must learn to do so. A man may be very capable, but, unless he WILLS to control his abilities, they will not do him any good.

I have heard so much talk about the benefit of physical culture, but the real benefit of this is really lost sight of. There is nothing that holds the faculties at work in a sustained and continuous manner as static exercises do. For, as I stated before, when you learn to control the body, you are gaining control over the mind. I would suggest to you to read my blog "Motivate Yourself To Achieve Anything".

How to Gain What You Want Through Concentration

The ignorant person may say, "How can you get anything by merely wanting it? I say that through concentration you can get anything you want. Every desire can be gratified. But whether it is, will depend upon you concentrating to h5B4ave that desire fulfilled. Read my previous article. By merely wishing for something will not bring it. Wishing you had something shows a weakness and not a belief that you will really get it. So never merely wish, as we are not living in a "fairy age." You use up just as much brain force in "vain imaginings" as you do when you think of something worth while.

Be careful of your desires, make a mental picture of what you want and set your will to this until it materializes. Never allow yourself to drift without helm or rudder. Know what you want to do, and strive with all your might to do it, and you will succeed.

Feel that you can accomplish anything you undertake. Many undertake to do things, but feel when they start they are going to fail and usually they do. I will give an illustration. A man goes to a store for an article. The clerk says, "I am sorry, we do not have it." But the man that is determined to get that thing inquires if he knows where he can get it. Again receiving an unsatisfactory answer the determined buyer consults the manager and finally he finds where the article can be bought. He was persistant to have what he wanted. He made certain that that he would get what he came for. "NO" was not in his vocabulary.

I love helping people who need advice on Home Environment wh4A8ich include help with advice and tips for families with debt and personal problems in sickness, weight loss, back pain, tips on how to save money at home and away from home, internet products. After all love is about giving. If you like this post sign up for my newsletter by clicking on the right and receive some cool stuff and more post that you ask for. You can also bookmark this post by clicking on the icons at the bottom of the post. By the way if you are interested in weight loss I have tried and succeeded in losing 25 pounds. Just let me know.

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Four Secrets To Overcome Resistance To Change

In life one thing is constant... change is going to happen! Everyone desire change and change is inevitable, so why is it difficult for so many people? The process of change in our lives can lead us toward growth and fulfillment if we learn how to cooperate with this unyielding force. When we partner with this force of evolution we can take a quantum leap in our lives. In this article you'll discover why you resist change and the four secrets to move beyond your resistance to create positive change in your life.

When we reach for change, a part of us naturally recoils and resists. If the recoiling is stronger than our reach, we experience stagnation. If we resist change too much we'll experience struggle, frustration and procrastination. During major crossroads in our lives, such as mid life crisis it is wise to surrender to change rather than resist it. If we accept that change is inevitable we can build an alliance and experience greater freedom and success.

The 1st Secret: Seek growth rather than change. Growth is the process of reaching fo1A34r something new while releasing the old. Growth always leads to positive change in our lives. Whether that is a new relationship, a new belief or a new experience, growth leads to genuine change as it shifts from the old to embrace the new. Growth is the foundation for evolution and challenges you to become more in some area of your life. Growth always produces change; but change does not always produce growth. Growth is about evolving and becoming more of who you are meant to be.

Tip: Are the changes you desire about becoming more? Look at the changes you want to make, to determine if they are a growth choice (becoming more) or a fear choice (becoming less).

The 2nd Secret: Genuine Change involves your emotions. Some people only seek physical changes. They want to change the physical forms in their life without changing the feelings. Erroneously they think this new form will make them feel a particular way. When change is only about changing the physical (new haircut, wardrobe, mate, house, etc.) personal growth is limited and change becomes temporary. However, when you change on the emotional level then growth is produced and the physical forms will begin to change automatically and without struggle.

The foundation for permanent change begins within our emotional nature. Our emotions provide motivation, they need to change before genuine change can occur. Our ego is concerned with changing on the outside and our soul wants to change and heal the feelings on the inside. When you begin inside out, change becomes more effortless.

Here is an example; A client of mine was "stuck" in a relationship. The feeling of being powerless was a pattern that haunted him for years. He attempted to fix this problem by changing the person he was dating every six months. He never changed the feelings that attracted those relationships in the first place. Once he understood that the feelings needed to change, he quickly attracted a new relationship with someone who reflected his feelings of being powerful.

The 3rd Secret of change: All Change Produces Chaos! This is the most powerful of all the secrets combined. Chaos and change always function together. It isn't change that you resist, it's your egos attempt to avoid chaos that creates resistance. When change happens its always accompanied by chaos. Chaos can be either light or dark and is a vital energy to the process of every change.

Everyone yearns for change and recoils from its chaos simultaneously. We have been taught to believe that chaos is bad and to be avoided, yet even the most incredible changes we desire: i.e., Getting a job promotion or starting a new romance will also produce chaos! The tug-of-war between our ego and our soul creates our resistance to change. Life is not to be controlled, especially by our ego, it is to be mastered by our soul. We can influence the direction of change when we let go of control, embrace chaos and learn to dance with the unpredictability of change.

The chaos of change is energy moving from one form to another. How you relate to chaos influences the outcome of change, positive or negatively. For instance, when you mix fear with chaos, change becomes negative, producing anxiety and frustration. On the other hand, when you mix hope and trust into chaos then the energy can lift to excitement and joy. Anxiety, frustration, excitement and joy are all chaotic emotions and influence the change you want to make.

Chaos is neutral and is a part of every change. This truth can help you relax and stop worrying that you might be doing something wrong. It's natural to feel chaotic when you experience change in your life. If you don't feel chaos then you aren't really changing. Big changes produce lots of chaos, small changes produces a little. So let chaos be a part of your process of change. Trust yourself know that it won't last forever and is living proof you are in the midst of changing.

The 4th Secret: Focus on the positive outcome by visualizing your future self. How often do you think about what you don't want to happen versus what you do want? This only attracts more of what you don't want. To make changes while in the throws of chaos focus on the future of how you'd like the changes to occur in your life.

The best way to accomplish this is to learn to focus your mind with guided meditation. In a state of meditation you can visualize your future self. Find a relaxed position, close your eyes and take in several deep breaths to help relax your body and focus your mind. Begin to imagine yourself in the future with the changes you desire in your life. Think about how you would feel once you've created the positive changes in your life. Your subconscious mind can begin to help you create the changes you desire. To try guided meditation, visit my website at: www.RelaxationMeditations.com

Don't wait to see what the future holds rather create what you want the future to be in your mind. The more emotions you add to your vision of change, the quicker those changes will manifest. Repeat this on a regular basis at least once a week. You will begin changing the course of your future by using the power of your imagination. As you implement these four secrets, you will end your resistance and harness the power of change to become the master of your life.

Michaiel Patrick Bovenes is an author, professional speaker and self empowerment teacher. He is the author of a popular series of guided visualization meditations called, "Soul-utions". To explore his meditations or receive free ebook on Developing Personal Peace visit his website at: Michaiel.com Michaiel currently resides in San Francisco, CA and teaches throughout the USA and Canada.