Self Improvement Information

The only thing between you and your desire to be successful and wealthy is one single fact: You are not successful or wealthy because of how you think. This little known fact keeps many from reaching their goals of success and wealth.

Do you find yourself spending lots of time doing things to change what you don’t like in your life? Problems are caused by the way you think. If one thing doesn’t work, we try something new, then another, and another.

The trick to solving problems is to understand what is going on in your mind. Focus on your thoughts and become aware of how your thoughts hold you back or push you forward. Then you can realize your dreams and goals.

All thoughts begin in your subconscious mind. Before they can be expressed in your physical world, you must know how to set them in motion. This in turn, produces a certain result. What then, is the ‘missing ingredient?’

It is no other then this: you need to think differently. If you are to be, do, and have all that you wish for - success, wealth, health, positive relationships, you name it - you must learn to think in a new and different style. When you enhance the new understanding of your thoughts, there is nothing in your life that cannot be gained.

In order to do this, you must ‘wake up’ and mentally ‘watch’ your thoughts. Just thinking that you wish to be successful and wealthy is not enough, You must also ‘see’ it. When you watch yourself think, your mind is open to receive the answers you desire. This new way of thinking is based upon the true understanding of your mind and the way you think.

You are at the mercy of your thoughts! You can’t stop them - so o must be aware of them and understand them. This powerful insight ’awakens’ you. With this kind of power over your thoughts, you magically know what’s happening in your life. And the understanding of your thoughts helps you answer any problems you may have, too.

In order to stay awake, you must live in a constant state of awareness. Of being totally surprised about everything around you. Learn to think in a new way. When you do, you start living the kind of life you wish. You change because your way of thinking has changed. You begin to get ideas you’ve never had before. You see things in a whole different way. You notice things, people, places, events - in a new way.

You become aware of opportunities. Learn how to identify them for what they are and how you want them to benefit your life. Remember, the only barrier between you and what you desire is your lack of understanding. Knowledge alone of a certain thing isn’t always the answer. Understanding is the knowing how and why a certain thing happens.

Success lies just beyond your thoughts. Know that this understanding is what inspires you to accomplish what you really desire in life. And if you are satisfied with yourself -and-your thoughts, there is nothing you cannot do or be.

Copyright 2005

Author, publisher, and writer Gerri D Smith desires to inspire you. Now is the perfect time to invest in your future. Subscribe to DBW’s Free inspirational newsletter for women business owners and entrepreneurs. Through articles, special reports, business opportunities and resources, you are inspired to succeed. You receive business and personal self-improvement tools to empower you and to change your life. Visit:
distinctivebusinesswomen.com distinctivebusinesswomen.com

Have you ever considered how many organizations require that your give up your ego before joining? Do you know why? Because they are afraid of anyone which such high self-esteem that they might take over or can think for themselves and thus you ought to be very weary of any group, political organization, club, religion or non-profit endeavor which demands that you ditch your ego.

You will be amazed at the lengths to which they will go to deflate your self-confidence, self-esteem and ego. One trick is to use social conditioning, calling you arrogant or rewarding you for self-critique. Often they will dodge questions and insist that you are not yet worthy to know certain information, secrets or that your questions are invalid until you have been in the group for a while.

College Professors use this to demand obedience - it is a tactic of control and nothing else. If you surrender yourself you have only yourself to blame. If you need to belong so badly that you will handover self, you will lose either way. It is much better to quit while you are ahead and confront them another day. If a group tells you that ego is bad, ask them; Why is your group afraid of people with an “ego” as that is somewhat puzzling to me?

See what they say and if they cannot give you any decent rational then ask them if it is because you cannot control and manipulate them? Not to be insulting or insinuating, rather to point out that other organizations use this posture and advice to control. Examples - Religion, societies, coaches, schools, governments, etc.

If the group cannot answer that question then ask them this one: Is your group afraid of the “Unreasonable Man” who causes change, yet simultaneously promotes change using only their vision? And to that point, who is in charge of this vision? Is it a mystical “Wizard” and if he, she, it has no ego, self-esteem, self-confidence or strength of character why would one follow?

Further you might consider Groucho Marx who asks; “Why would I join a group, who would have me as a member?”

Start asking questions. Have you ever wondered why people strap bombs to themselves to die in battle for Allah? You would think that they would ask their handlers, well why don’t you die in battle for Allah, are you chicken - you go first? Why is it that these young people fall for this trickery? Why would someone join a group of followers of an ideal that they have problems defending its merits, ethics, hypocrisy and so on and will not lead by example?

The reality is that the meek inherit nothing, why do religious groups perpetuate yet another myth, while working hard to bust the others? Look here is the deal, any group or organization which is afraid of your strength of character is filled with lesser and why would you join a group of losers who have less self-esteem than you. And to that point, why would you even care to lead such a group even if they gave you’re the reigns? Hmm? Think on that.

L. Winslow is an Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entreprenuer. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by Calling-Plans.com Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. ” (Ps. 24:7-8) David, the author of this psalm, praising God with all his might as he enters the temple in Jerusalem, was so jubilant that he commanded the huge iron gates and doors of the sanctuary of God to be in an attitude of praise as well!

Many Scriptures, especially the psalms, remind us repeatedly to praise the Lord. When the Lord repeats His Word, it is to make you sit up and take notice. First of all, He deserves and commands praise! Then the powerful by-product is that while you are caught up in awe and adoration, you let go of your feelings and circumstances. As you look into His wonderful face, you enter a totally different realm. Your issues and pains suddenly seem far away, the devil flees as he hates praise, and joy takes a hold of you! God is literally shouting at you throughout the numerous psalms and praise verses, leading you to the secret to your success. Yes, it is the answer to your health, prosperity and happiness!

“For ye shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” (Isa. 55:12) What an exuberant description of praise! It reminds me of “The hills are alive with the sound of music,” the theme song of the movie The Sound of Music. Do you remember it? Maria, the main character portrayed by Julie Andrews, was singing and dancing across the meadows, praising God for something new He was going to do in her life. It was as if the whole world was in an attitude of praise!

Praising is the vehicle to lift you up, out of where you’re at, right into His everlasting, loving arms! If you do not know how to start praising Him, don’t worry. You don’t need a how-to manual, learn a unique position, or be in a certain place. Put on a praise tape/CD and start singing. If you don’t have one, then just start by thanking Him for being who He is and for all the things He has already done in your life. Don’t ask Him to get you out of today’s problems. He already knows them! Just thank Him for the outcome as He knows what is best for you.

Praise is your direct communication line with Him. It is not cluttered with debris of broken dreams and hurting circumstances. It is a pure, holy delight in your Maker, who is your Provider, your Healer and your Strength. He is the “I AM” of every possible situation you may be in. So, give Him the praise He is due and be lifted up into a realm of joy, hope, love and ever-increasing faith! Through praise you are telling Him that He is in control. The Lord of your life inhabits your praises! (Ps. 22:3) So, before you step into His spiritual temple to ask your petitions, “enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise!” (Ps. 100: 4) Your greatest reward comes when He reciprocates! “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” (Zeph. 3:17)

Ann Stewart is the author of “With Wings As Eagles,” It motivates, inspires and encourages others to stand victoriously in their trials.
lifealteringwords.com/with-wings-as-eagles lifealteringwords.com/with-wings-as-eagles

Her inspirational newsletter:
lifealteringwords.com lifealteringwords.com

Stress is an inevitable part of life, but how you respond and manage stress is completely under your control. Being stressed is perfectly normal especially if you have numerous obligations to fulfill, but it can take your life if it exceeds the threshold. You need to know and apply effective stress management tips if you want to free yourself from all the strain you’re under.

One of the biggest causes of stress is the workplace. From worrying about job security, dealing with heavy workload, and going through the daily commute, your job carries with it a lot of pressure.

Studies have shown that stress can have a severe negative impact on your health and well-being. Heart problems are just one of the physical manifestations of the tension you feel. If you bring your stress home as well, it can also severely impact your personal relationships.

Before your life reaches this point due to stress, you must take action to keep it from happening. Instead of always resorting to dealing with stress negatively, there are other means for you to approach stress in a healthier way. Here are a few stress management tips to help you overcome stress.

Stress Management Tip # 1: Take a break. Yes, that’s right. To be able to cope with stress better, you need to step away from what you’re doing and get your energy together. Working under pressure and completing your duties while you’re stressed will only wear you down and could also affect your performance. Removing yourself from a stressful situation, even for a brief moment, will help you breathe more easily and give you a fresh perspective.

Stress Management Tip # 2: Pamper yourself throughout the day. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate and lengthy. You can do it by enjoying a hot soothing cup of herbal tea, particular ones with calming properties, or buy yourself a small massager to soothe your aches and pains.

Stress Management Tip # 3: Be organized. If you’re juggling too many things all at once, you tend to forget how to schedule your work properly. Make a list of everything you need to do, and then arrange them in order of urgency and when they need to be completed. This will help you stay focused on the things that need to be done right away instead of turning your attention to the ones that aren’t as urgent.

Stress Management Tip # 4: Say “no” to more responsibilities. You already have too much on your plate and not much time to work on them, which is why you’re getting frazzled and stressed. You don’t need more responsibilities. But don’t worry; this won’t make you look irresponsible and incapable. If you have a hard time saying “no” to extra work, simply think of all the work you need to do and the time you don’t have to accommodate more work.

Stress Management Tip # 5: Get help. You might want to talk to a friend or a loved one to help you vent out your frustrations or perhaps even distract you from what’s causing your stress. Acknowledge that you’re not capable of doing everything, and don’t be afraid to get help around the office too.

Now that you’ve armed yourself with these stress management tips, it’s up to you to put them to good use. You’re going to need to make some big changes in your life if you’re perpetually on the go, but you’ll find that it’s much more rewarding to finally be stress-free.

Michael Lee has dramatically changed countless lives with his powerful self-improvement advice. Get 20daypersuasion.com/articlelist.html free self-help success secrets and audios now at 20daypersuasion.com/articlelist.html 20daypersuasion.com/articlelist.html and be the next big success story!

Most people in our culture today are so busy running around trying to arrange their lives to be somewhere else. We all want to be somewhere else geographically or financially or in our relationships. We want to be anywhere but here as we’ve been led to believe that if only we can be somewhere else then our lives would work. This escapism acts like a drug that only gives temporary relief to a chronic problem.

Apart from wanting to be somewhere else, most people today also live by a philosophy of “some day” that allows them to manipulate time. “I can do it, but just not today. I’ll do it when…” and they use these excuses to stay in their comfort zones. The problem is that both someday and somewhere are undefined and illusionary. Somewhere does not exist and someday never comes, although you keep hoping that it does. This can be very disempowering and is responsible for a lot of disappointment and frustration for a lot of people.

The truth, however, is that right now is all you’ve really got. Tomorrow is never promised to you and learning to fully live in and for the moment is a vital distinction to make in creating a great life. Being grateful does not mean that you loose your drive or purpose, but allows you to slow down and really enjoy the ride. Not only is it healthy to want more from life, but it is also required to be truly fulfilled and knowing where you are is critical in getting where you want to be. Using someday as an excuse to soften your problems will not create long term success and fulfilment. Be honest with yourself and stop making excuses only to make yourself feel better. A little pain can be very useful as it will at least move you to action. There is always something you can do right now to turn your ideas into reality. There is always one small step you can take.

One of the most powerful resources you have is resourcefulness. This means that right now you have all that you need to achieve whatever you desire and that you have the ability to take action with exactly what you’ve got and exactly where you are. You do not have to wait for “some day when” or “when I am…” before you take action on your dreams and goals. The smallest idea acted upon can make all the difference as it immediately makes your idea real and smothers someday because you used your will to consciously take charge.

It is important to realize that the purpose of pursuing a goal or a dream is not just in achieving it but even more so in the experience of achieving it. You do not travel for the purpose of reaching a destination but for the purpose of travelling. Whatever dream or goal you are pursuing you will probably spend more time in pursuit of it than actually achieving it and most goals are an anti climax when you actually achieve them anyway. The process is where the true fulfilment comes from and the actual experience is what makes you become something instead of accumulating something. If you can’t be happy and grateful without your goal then changes are that you won’t be happy and grateful with it.

Live in the present, but know where you are going. Be right here and celebrate and capture the magical moments of your life. Hold on to them as the treasures you get to take with you into your magnificent future. Life is not just lived in the moment but also created in the moment. Now is the best time to design the next ten years of your life. Let your thoughts and knowledge serve you through action. Action is what eventually determines you destiny. Move confidently in the direction of your choosing and don’t get seduced by the popular belief that some day things will come your way or some day your luck will change. You are the source and the creator of your own prosperity and it all starts with a sense of immense gratitude for everything you already have exactly where you are right now. One of the greatest privileges you have in life is that you can start right now with exactly what you’ve got to create anything you desire as the ultimate resources to life are within you.

Living in a place called somewhere really won’t serve you long term although it might feel good as a short term escape or excuse. Having to consistently lie to yourself that you will act on your true desires some day when x, y or z is just right will only create an unnecessary burden. When you turn your “some day” philosophy into a “same day” philosophy you can start to adopt the mindset where you take action on your ideas immediately with exactly what you’ve got and exactly where you are.

What someday and somewhere really comes down to is that you falsely admit to yourself that what you need is not available to you. This creates a belief that you are not in control of your life but that you are waiting for something else somewhere else before you can take charge. Ironically, you will only get full access to your true resources when you take action exactly where you are with exactly what you’ve got, despite your excuses. True happiness and gratitude never relies on external conditions but is purely determined by your evaluation of where you are now. Now contains the seed of the rest of your life. Plant it with joy and water it with gratitude and rejoice in your life for you are its creator.

Deon Du Plessis is the creator of selfimprovement-gym.com/personaldevelopment_course.html” target=”_blank A Course of Action, a free e-course designed to empower you to break through your limitations, take action and transform your ideas into reality. Visit selfimprovement-gym.com/personal_development.html” target=”_blank The Self Improvement Gym for more self improvement and personal development insights and resources.

“I learned that inspiration does not come like a bolt, nor is it kinetic, energetic, striving, but it comes to us slowly and quietly and all the time, though we must regularly and every day give it a little chance to start flowing, prime it with a little solitude and idleness.” –Brenda Ueland

If you have decided to make the changes necessary to build a perfect life for yourself - as you define it - you need to bring that inner intention out into the world. This is often the first obstacle people face in making conscious life changes and can sometimes stop change dead in its tracks. Great results take a strong commitment.

The first step in communicating your intention to change your life for the better is to acknowledge to yourself that some people in your life will object. The sad truth is that some people in your life are satisfied with the status quo. There are several reasons for this. For instance, your improved life may make others more acutely aware that their life is not the way they want it. They may be used to relying on you for always stepping in to do the lion’s share of the work and don’t want that to change. In some of these cases, you and they may even have to face the fact that your friendship is based on mutual dissatisfaction with your life and gripe sessions that no longer work for you. It is challenging for you to let these types of relationships go if they can not grow with you and be restructured into positive supportive relationships. Family, too, become used to the roles individuals have taken on within the family dynamic and resentment can surface when one person seeks to improve or change their traditional role or level of activity/responsibility within the family.

Once you accept that not everyone will become a cheerleader for your new life, the process of communicating your intention with grace and love is simple, if not always easy. The first thing to do is be very clear with yourself as to what you actually intend. Take some time to sit and reflect upon the specific changes you will make and who in your life may be affected. Then, be clear with yourself as to why you want to tell each person about the changes you are making. This step is important because you want to avoid having an emotional reason for conveying the information. Avoid any air of vindication if you are bowing out of volunteer work or altering longstanding holiday arrangements. Be prepared that people may respond with anger so that you can maintain a neutral tone and demeanor. Remember you are not hurting them, you are helping yourself.

Once you are clear on your purpose and attitude for delivering your message, it is time to think about the content of what you will say. The best way to convey your message, particularly if you expect it to be unpopular, is straight and to the point. Write down what you intend to say and practice stating your intention to yourself in the mirror or to a friend using clear and direct language. Avoid getting caught up in justifying your decision. Practice being comfortable with silence so you won’t rush to fill a void in the conversation with more promises or explanations.

Once you know why and how you will convey your message, set aside a short time with the person. You do not need a lot of time but you also do not want to blind side a coworker in the ladies room to drop off a committee. Deliver your message in a clear and direct way. You do not have to justify or make excuses for your choices, just state them clearly. You are not trying to convince them you are right, just inform them of what you are doing.

As always, support is a vital part of this process. It is extremely helpful to arrange with a close friend or your coach that you will telephone him or her after each conversation to debrief. This will help you release any emotion, particularly if you felt uncomfortable with the conversation. It will also help you to see where you can improve your technique for future conversations.

Be patient and forgiving of yourself if some of your conversations do not go exactly as you planned and practiced. This is a difficult though necessary process and it is important that you remember to give yourself credit for stepping outside your comfort zone and being willing to make changes to get the life you really want and deserve. You may feel strange or even awkward at first having these types of conversations. It may be both a new way of communicating for you as well as a bold statement of new behaviors. Again, be patient with yourself. It will become easier as time goes on and you will be laying the foundation for your perfect life.

Six Tips for Communicating Your Intentions with Grace and Love

1. Understand that not everyone will be pleased with the changes you are making.
2. Be clear about your intention.
3. Practice what you will say and how you will say it.
4. Convey your message directly and succinctly.
5. Get support before and after each conversation.
6. Be patient and don’t forget to congratulate yourself!

Although it can be frightening to stand up for what you want, your perfect life is more than worth it. Stepping outside your comfort zone in this first step is excellent practice for taking the future actions necessary to creating your perfectly confident life.

Ruth Hegarty is a confidence coach who helps people in the education field increase their personal and professional confidence for greater self-esteem, happiness, and success. For more information go to coachruth.com coachruth.com.

Have you ever noticed that most people in our society are not so happy? The statistics show that eighty per cent of the people do not like their job. This is interesting because this is where you spend most of your time with. Apart from the job we also have family, relationship, our physical health, and our spiritual mind to take care. However, no matter how good the status is, a lot of people are not so happy with their status quo. This is because we have the wrong focus. We focus on the bad things and we feel bad. In this article, we will talk about the effect of our focus and how we are going to make use of it.

What is focus? It is the area that you think of at the moment. If you focus on something for a long time, it will linger in our mind. What we focus create our feeling. We will feel good if we focus on what make us happy. We can feel bad if we focus the other way around. What we feel on a regular basis will form us the attitude. And it is attitude that is the first element in forming our life. We need to learn how to have the right focus.

What you focus depends on your habit of looking at things. The habit comes from how you were raised, taught and grow up. It also very much involves in what type of information you take in a regular basis.

1. Associate with the good news. Everyday news is one of the major sources of the wrong focus. But if we look at its nature, we will understand. News, from the ancient days, was to tell the bad news that affected a lot of people life. It might be announcement of how to behave when there were plaques. Or it might be the news on crime and arrest.

The modern day news succeeds its nature and the press knows that only bad news sells. The worse news they publish, the better sale they get. And it becomes the habit of the media to emphasize on the bad news. This is their focus and it unfortunately becomes our focus. This is why the majority of the people are so negative on things.

Avoid reading the negative news will dramatically improve your focus. Choose the media that is reliable. Choose the one that has creative comments and suggestion. Once you practice this, your focus will be a lot better than before.

2. Associate with good people. Your peer group has a lot of influence toward what you focus on. You will be very similar to the people around you. Your focus and attitude will be according to the ones you mingle with. If your spouse, friends, family have so negative focus, you may need to tell them. Otherwise, you may want to choose how to handle it. I know family is important but so is your life. You can love your family but spend more time with the right people.

3. Have a sense of gratitude. Feel thankful on everything you have. Be thankful to the persons that give the opportunity on your life. Whatever status you have, be grateful of it. Being grateful is one of the secret on having the right focus.

4. Visualize your way to success. You need to learn on visualization. It will help you have the right focus. This step will stimulate your subconscious mind. The mind will help us attract more good things into our life. Regular visualization on what you want will create the habit of right focus. It will stimulate your reticular activating system (RAS). I will talk more about RAS in my next article. You can use background sound to help your visualization process. Attraction accelerator can be one of your choices and it is available in the market.

The habit of right focus can be one of your assets if you can mange it right. The four tips in this article can help you achieve the right focus and more success in life.

Jim Somchai
Read more of his articles from his site. visualizationmeditation.com visualizationmeditation.com
visualizationmeditation.com/cgi-bin/go/to.pl?l=Articles Get The Attraction Accelerator to help your visualization and attraction.
visualizationmeditation.com/rights Geting FREE REPORT ON SUCCESS SCIENCE and Earn Money.

“Hillel said; Be like the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace”
Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, 1:12

“In the presence of one firmly established in non-violence, all hostilities cease”
Patanjali, Yoga Sutras, 2:35

The Jewish Sabbath runs from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday and as any observant Jew will know, the summer months make for extremely long Shabbatot. One traditional way to use the time constructively has been to study Pirkei Avot (The Ethics of the Fathers). The Jewish yogi might use the long afternoon to do some yoga practice before sundown, and they might even combine the this with Torah study. This series of articles, Ethics of the Yogis, will take an idea from Pirkei Avot, and look at how we might apply it to our yoga practice.

Ashtanga means ‘eight-limbed’ and refers to the eight categories of principles that guide the Ashtanga yoga practice. The first limb, the Yamas, are moral codes that a core are “indicate how individuals should respond and relate to other people and all living beings and to the environment, in order to achieve a peaceful and harmonious world” . The first principle in the Yamas is Ahimsa, or non-violence, and Patanjali explained that in the presence of somebody who is successfully practicing this idea, there will be such a strong effect of peacefulness that everybody in the surrounding area will also experience that peace.

This is an incredibly powerful idea, but there is an immediate challenge for the Jewish yogi. The Torah does not demand absolute non-violence at all times, and there are various moments when we are expected to do everything except turn the other cheek. The principle of a rodef, or a pursuer, is understood to mean that if somebody is out to get us, we should get them first. The mishna in Sandhedrin (8:7) explains this common-sense decree, that if there is a rodef - somebody who is pursuing you to kill you - you are allowed to take their life. So how on earth does this interact with the yogic principle of non-violence?

I think the Rabbis were merely giving us advice for protection in an extreme case, rather than outlining the ideal scenario. The word rodef also appears when referring to the disciples of Aaron the High Priest, who are commanded to “love peace and pursue peace” . This rodef is somebody who idealises the concept of peace and actively tries to make it a reality.

The principle of Aaron can be directly applied to our yoga practice and Shabbat is the perfect time to meditate upon the principle of Shalom. Whether it is the challenge of achy and resistant limbs while you are moving into a posture or the challenge of unhelpful family members while you are trying to clear the table after a meal, if we continually try to achieve a sense of peace within ourselves, it cannot help but emanate outwards. There is no place for violent thoughts or violent actions, and so the virtues of Shalom and Ahimsa can immediately enhance our quality of life.

It was over 2000 years ago that the prophet Isaiah discussed the messianic age when there will no longer be any pain or hurt – a time of pure Ahimsa if you will – when swords will be beaten into ploughshares, and all war will cease. Perhaps we can begin this age in our own homes and yoga studios.
Marcus J Freed

Have you ever found yourself in a bad mood for no apparent reason? There is a very strong possibility that it could be related to what you have been reading, or what radio station you have been listening to.

In a recent study involving our moods, John Bargh, Mark Chen, and Lara Burrows made a game that involved a scrambled sentence test. Subjects were given a scrambled sentence of 15 words, and then had to make as many 15word sentences with those words as they could. Now, one group was given words that had to do with poor behavior: “intrude”, “aggressively”, “sarcastic” etc. There were two other groups as well. The neutral group that had very neutral words, and the polite group that had words like ” kind”, “joyful”, “cooperative”, etc.

The subjects were not aware that there were different versions of the test, and had no idea what the real purpose of the study was. Each subject had about 5 minutes of doing the puzzle. The crucial point came when a subject walked out of the room to inform them that they had finished the test, only to see the person who was running the experiment speaking to someone. Here was what the study was really interested in: would the subject interrupt? The results are very revealing!

Just over 15% of those who had been doing the puzzles with polite words interrupted within 10 minutes. Those who had been using poor behavior word puzzles had a 60% interrupt ratio in the same ten minute period.

This technique is called the Velten Procedure and is super effective at inducing moods in groups of people. This method was developed in the 1960’s and has unlimited possibilities for personal development. This experiment shows that in only 5 minutes of manipulating words, just words, behavior can be predictably influenced.

Our moods are heavily influenced by what we read, who we hang out with, the music we listen to, and countless other things in our daily surroundings. Without an increased awareness of and selectivity on our part, we don’t even have a say on whether to accept the influence or not.
Once in these foul moods, everything else we encounter will be tainted by them. If you anticipate someone is going to be rude to you, you become rude yourself first, and then infect the other person with your mood. It’s really scary how easily we push other people into roles without realizing it, and thus our own predictions are confirmed.

Listen this week to what the words of the music you listen to are “priming “your mind to think about. Do you listen to country music and songs of divorce, sadness, hangovers, and hard times? Is it possible that you could be setting your thoughts in the wrong direction each morning? What if you were to listen to upbeat instrumental music?

Have fun investigating this for yourself, and find out how many little alterations you could make that would thrust your mind in empowering new directions.

Vincent Harris is a Professional Speaker, Trainer, and Consultant. His focus is on the new science of happiness, positive psychology. Join his FREE weekly Ezine and receive a FREE Mp3 audio download, and a Special Report ” How to Make Others Crave to Be Near You.” Go to successpath.info/Consultations.html successpath.info/Consultations.html

What are your New Years Resolutions this year? To lose weight, buy a new house or car, further your education, or maybe meet that special someone? Whatever your New Years Resolutions are, you will be much more likely to achieve them if you set a system in place that you can follow on a daily basis. Big dreams don’t manifest into reality overnight, but by taking small steps toward these dreams every day, little by little parts of the dream become reality.

Set Reasonable Goals

Every year you should begin by setting reasonable and specific goals. For example, if weight loss is a goal for you, you should start off by assessing how much weight you need to lose, and then setting a reasonable goal for the year, one that can actually be achieved. For example, given that it is healthy to lose a maximum of ten pounds per a month, no yearly goal should be set to lose more than one hundred and twenty pounds in any given year. You should also set a specific amount of weight to be lost, although one hundred and twenty pounds is the maximum amount that can be loss, perhaps you want to lose only fifty, or twenty. A specific amount should be specified, don’t just have a vague, unspecified goal to lose weight vague.

The same is true for any other goal that you might set; you have to take into account, the time that you have to achieve your goal and the resources available to you in the pursuit of your goal. When you truly consider the time and resources at your disposal, you should be able to set a reasonable and specific goal in any area.

Break the Larger Goal into Smaller Ones

OK so, you’ve established your reasonable and specific goals for the year. Where do you go from there? Once the annual goals are set, next comes the process of breaking those larger goals down into smaller more manageable ones. Suppose a goal is to return back to school to further your education. A smaller goal, to be set for the first quarter of the year (January through March), could be collecting information on schools in your area that interest you and researching the various program offered at these schools. It is very important to break the larger goal down into a series of smaller ones so that will progressively further the larger goal. If you set out a series of steps that need to be taken to reach the larger goal, the goal will seem less overwhelming, and much more manageable. Since this is a resolution for the year, it may be appropriate to break down the larger goal into twelve smaller goals for each month of the year. This is just a guideline; your goal may require more or fewer steps depending upon what the goal is.

Set Milestones

While you are setting goals it can’t hurt to also set milestones. Milestones are in between the larger goal that you’ve set for the year, and the smaller goals you have set for a shorter period of time. A milestone is an event that marks significant progress toward the goal. For example, if your goal is to lose fifty pounds, a significant milestone toward that goal could be twenty-five pounds. (Because you are half way there.) If you’re goal is to go back to school, as significant milestone might be completing all of your research and finally deciding upon a school and completing the admissions application. A milestone is a significant accomplishment that occurs on the way to your goal. You can revise your milestones (and for that matter your smaller goals) along the way. But what is important is always having some kind of plan in place. A plan that moves you along toward the goal.

Do at least Five to Ten Small Things Each Day to Achieve the Goal

This is probably the most important advice of all. Take small steps every day toward your goal. This is where goals are made or broken- in your daily routine! It is so easy to begin the New Year in full force, rushing toward your goals with such ambition and zeal! But then life happens. Other responsibilities get in the way-. Before you know it, you missed five gym workouts in a row and you are gaining weight because of it, or working late has prevented you from researching schools. A slump in the housing market is hampering your house hunting or a glitch in your car loan approval process has gotten you frustrated! Once several days or weeks are missed, it is normal to become frustrated, and to want to abandon the goal all together! THIS YOU MUST NOT DO! It is human to fall off the wagon, but is even more important to get back on! Don’t waste time and energy putting your self down for opportunities missed. Just know that this is all apart of the process. Things do occur that get in the way of steady progress toward our goals. But these things can be easily overcome, if we get back on track as soon as possible and return to the daily habit of taking at least five small steps toward the goal every day.

Reflect Upon Progress

This is easy to do if you write down the small steps you take toward your goal every day. At the end of the week, or month, or whatever time period you are comfortable with, take a look at all of the work you have done toward the achievement of your goal. Evaluate the good decisions as well as the missteps. Perhaps you found the perfect house, made a bid on it, but lost it in a bidding war. Don’t be discouraged. Often times we can turn life’s disappointments into opportunities so long as we are willing to keep a positive attitude and learn from them. Stay focused and keep directing your positive energy to the achievement of your goals. Before you know it you will be reaching those significant milestones that you set earlier.

Reward Yourself for Reaching Milestones

This is very important! Celebrate each significant milestone you reach, don’t wait until you achieve the larger goal, milestones along the way are very important! Sometimes what ends up being even more important than the goal we set, is the journey that takes us there, the friends we meet along the way, and the growth we experience as a result of our efforts. Be sure to celebrate all of this! Following the five simple steps above, you just might even achieve your New Years Resolution before the years end. Wouldn’t that be cause for celebration? Even if you don’t, you will have learned so much just from the effort; enough to take you well into the next year’s resolutions successfully!

Amber Maiden is a firm believer in goals setting through the five simple steps elaborated above. Amber is an attorney who has spent the last twelve years pursuing a career in civil rights law, specializing in Equal Employment Opportunity Law, Compliance and Training, as well as Corporate Diversity Management. Recently she has begun a career as a full-time writer and consultant, occasionally, teaching English as an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College. Amber has written numerous articles on a variety of topics ranging from Civil Rights and Employment Law to Domestic Violence and Spiritual Empowerment. She has currently completed two fiction novels in a six book series designed to empower, enlighten, educate and inform young women and men about domestic violence. The Series is entitled The Diamond Life Series. For more information please check out her site at myspace.com/diamondlifebooks www.myspace.com/diamondlifebooks and lulu.com/amberlisa1971 www.lulu.com/amberlisa1971.