Gratitude For You

Mysteries of the Bible - Advanced Bible Study Techniques

2009-10-02T13:51:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wanted to really know what the mysteries of the Bible really are? Was Jesus more important than God? Why were the Jewish people considered to be the chosen ones, even though they don't get to go to heaven, because they don't believe that Jesus Christ was their Lord and Savior? I would like to help you solve some of the mysteries of the Bible.

Whether you're a Jewish or believe in Christianity, each if you share an interest in the Holy Scripture. Jewish people obviously don't believe that Jesus was the Messiah and are still waiting for their Messiah to come and free them. Christians obviously believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the true Messiah and fulfilled all the prophecies.

One of the mysteries of the Bible that I would like to share with you, is that your actually going to need to read the Bible to find them. The biggest mystery of the Bible is actually reading it. You don't need to read the entire Bible, to figure out, what it's actually saying.

Start reading certain sections that interest you. Two of the most read books in the Bible are the books of Genesis, which is the first book in the Old Testament and the book of revelations, which is the last book in the New Testament. Both of these books are extremely popular reads.

The book of Genesis is about the beginning and the book of revelations is about the end of times and this seems to be the biggest interest for Christians. In other words, you're not going to be able to find the mysteries, within the Bible if you don't at least start to read some of it.

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If You're a Christian Woman, You Had Better Watch This Video on Problems With Women Speaking in church. Are women really allowed to speak inside the church, you won't believe what you're about to see.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

Thanks

Properly Exercising Faith - People Who Represent Christianity

2009-10-02T02:48:00.001-07:00

It's your responsibility as a Christian to properly exercise your faith and to express your opinions as such. If you don't know something for a fact, you are obligated to seek and gather more information about these so-called facts.

With this said, if you hear a Bible verse quoted to you by someone and you don't necessarily understand 100% of what they are saying or you think that they might be twisting around the Scripture, it's your obligation to find out, the truth and nothing but the truth.

Let me give you an example of how to properly exercise your faith. An atheist walks up to you and asks you why you believe in God, you reply," Because it says so in the Bible." Wrong.., wrong answer. Because it says so in the Bible, isn't what I would consider a good answer. It's what I would consider to be a controlled Christian answer, simple but untrue.

The minute that you start referring to things in the Bible and you don't really understand what it is that you're talking about, you're not doing Christianity any favors. The minute that you listen to another person quote out of the Bible and start repeating, what it is that they were saying, without clearly understanding the truth, you're simply spreading rumors.

Think about this, the next time that you tell someone something that you heard, just because you hear something three times, doesn't make it a fact. I would like to tell you a little secret, so pay attention, simply because someone within your religious community, who others look up to, say something that sounds believable, don't start spreading rumors, find out for yourself, if it's actually true.

Christian Bible Problems

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Understanding the Bible

Financial Burdens From Church Leaders

2009-10-01T15:21:00.001-07:00

I really can't believe how many people that don't have enough money and could be living below poverty levels, often he as much as they can to their religious organizations. It saddens me to see those who don't have enough to eat, giving money to their church, even though they needed more than God does.

I realize that the Bible tells its followers to give at least 10% of their earnings to their church or temple. The problem is, that the Bible doesn't provide any information for people that constantly give money to the church, even though they can't afford to. They need this money for food and to educate their children.

I guess it's okay, to form a dependency on your church, even though you could provide for yourself, if you didn't give away all of your money. There are plenty of churches that will provide their patrons with close, food and some of them will even provide shelter for the poor or homeless.

The financial burdens that are produced by some church leaders, make me sick. They make those who can't afford to give, feel guilty and this guilt eats away at them like a cancerous disease, working its way through your vital and important body parts.

I'm going to suggest something to the church leaders. Quit making people feel guilty, simply because you need more money to accomplish the things that you are planning to do. It doesn't really matter, if the stuff that you are doing is great for wonderful, if you're doing it at the expense of others.

I would also like to give some advice to those people who can't afford to give away their money. Quit giving it away. Save your money, feed your family, by your own clothes, and save up for your children's education.

Some of, the money that you are giving to your religious organization, might be squandered away on your church leaders programs. These programs might have nothing to do with God's desire for a better world.

Click Here For A Fascinating Journey Into Christianity - Great Book About The Bible

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If your interested in a different point of view READ THESE ARTICLES - Great Articles For Christians

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Thanks

6 Step Guide to R-E-A-L Change

2009-09-15T01:01:00.001-07:00

More than three weeks into 2009 you have ambitiously begun to tackle resolutions to bring forward in your life changes to enhance your quality of living, health, relationships, and many other areas. Unfortunately, at this point you might also be feeling the beginnings of your resistance to sticking to your resolutions and asking yourself why discipline and will power seems to elude you. Research and surveys indicate that there is a 75% failure rate in first attempts at resolutions. Personally, I don't make resolutions. I, also encourage others not to. Resolutions often set people up for failure. This article outlines a guide for R.E.A.L. (realistic, empowering, aligned, likely) Change that will more effectively support you in achieving your desired goals

My personal experience and experience working with others has consistently shown that there is a failure to accept that creating change does not happen overnight. Rather, change is a process with many components that includes resistance. The best way to manage resistance is to accept that it may very well be inevitable, and plan for it.

In George Leonard's book Mastery, he brilliantly defines homeostasis, specifically, in regards to human beings and the change process. The dictionary defines homeostasis as the tendency for a system (particularly of higher animals) to maintain stability and a state of psychological equilibrium obtained when tension or a drive has been reduced or eliminated. What does this have to do with your new year's resolutions? A lot! What this means is that your physical and psychological system fights to maintain what it perceives as normal or balanced; hence, comfortable. However, in order to really change and grow you have to move beyond your comfort zone. And yes, sometimes moving beyond your comfort zone to create desired change includes sweat and tears.

There are times when I walk into the gym and there is a loud voice in my head yelling, "Oh God, do we have to workout today?!? Can't we just go home, get back in front of the computer and keep writing?" At times it seems it would be so much easier to turn around and leave than actually get through my workout, and on occasion, I have turned around and walked out. However, I also know that this is exactly the resistance that needs to be managed. I know that if I can move beyond that voice, put on my workout clothes, get on the floor and start lifting weights that the voice goes away, my energy goes up, and I am grateful I didn't leave. Also, in order to achieve the results I want from my workouts I have to push my muscles beyond their comfort zone and perceived normalcy. And you know what? It hurts! Sometimes I just don't want to keep pushing. But again, I know that it is moving beyond homeostasis; stretching beyond my comfort zone, that supports my growth on all levels. In addition, the gym is one vivid example of how consistency and discipline in the face of seeming discomfort helps produce results.

Below I've outlined a plan for you that will support you in creating R.E.A.L. Change:

1. Set Goals and Intentions, NOT resolutions

Setting goals and intentions is a more complex process than simply stating a resolution. This includes mapping the big picture and breaking your larger goal into R.E.A.L. actions. R.E.A.L. actions are realistic, empowering, aligned with your overall goal, and likely to be done. For instance, if you're beginning a new workout routine (ideally with a trainer) and have barely set foot in a gym for the past 6 months you're not going to immediately start bench pressing 200 pounds. Rather, you break the goal of 200 pounds into R.E.A.L. actions. This might include starting with 90 pounds, stretching yourself beyond your comfort zone and continuing to work your way up in weight until you eventually reach your desired target of bench pressing 200 pounds.

2. BYOB

BYOB means bust your outdated beliefs. If your goal is to attract a new relationship and you have unconsciously held onto an old negative belief that "Men are unavailable, and uninterested in commitment," this could sabotage your success. Enlist the necessary support to uncover and update the unconscious negative patterns and beliefs that are getting in the way of you achieving your desired results.

3. Schedule Time

Perhaps you have decided that you want to release some undesired weight this year, which includes a workout routine. It does not serve you to arbitrarily throw a specific number of workouts onto your calendar. I see people do this all the time. They say, "I plan to get to the gym 5 times a week." Actually, they don't really plan anything, which sets themselves up for failure. When they do finally pull out the calendar and take a realistic look at how much time they really have, they find that they can only get to the gym 3 times per week. This is a critical element for success as it informs the goal. For instance, knowing that they can only get to the gym three times a week instead of six informs how long it will take to realistically drop the weight.

4. Implement Support Systems

Who said you have to do it alone? I strongly encourage you to enlist the support of a friend, coach, partner, etc. who you fully inform about your intention. Ask this person to help hold you accountable by checking in with you regularly. Invite them to specifically ask what you have accomplished and what your plans for future action are during the check-in. A support system can also include non-people support. For instance, meditating or keeping a journal can be very supportive tools to help get you through the challenging moments on your path to success.

5. Plan for resistance

It is quite likely that you will hit some bumps along the way. Life happens, and as previously illustrated, we have a natural inclination to maintain comfort and normalcy. However, if you know this ahead of time you can plan to manage it. Simply being aware that this is a likely phenomenon will support you in moving through it when it shows up. I even encourage you to ask yourself what some of your typical resistance patterns are (i.e. procrastination, distractions, over committing to things that will pull your attention) and set up resources to manage yourself. I now have two computers. One of them is strictly for work and I have made an agreement with myself that when I am on the "work" computer I will not engage in frivolous online surfing that encourages distraction and procrastination.

6. Celebrate Milestones

I know for me it easy to get into the mindset of always feeling like I must do more and constantly do what appears to take me closer to success. However, sometimes moving closer towards success means taking a break and acknowledging yourself for what you have accomplished. It is easy to overlook current accomplishments when we have not yet reached the goal. However, it is the little accomplishments along the way that are the true success. The goal in and of itself is just a destination. So acknowledge yourself, set up times for personal celebration and doing what you love. For me, something as simple as going to the theater can be a celebration. I love the theater. Going to the theater is a gift to me and so when I have theater tickets I am even more driven to achieve little successes. This way going to the theater is truly a gift and a way for me to acknowledge myself for what I have accomplished.

You can create change for yourself! But it doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't occur in a vacuum. It occurs amidst the sometimes chaotic glory of our every day existence. Therefore, it is critical to intentionally set yourself up for success by implementing support systems, plans, and celebration. In addition, be good to yourself, particularly when the change you are striving for gets uncomfortable. And remember, embracing what is unfamiliar or uncomfortable can indeed result in some of your greatest breakthroughs to having the life you desire.

Jason Mannino, MA, is a Life/Career Coach, and writer. He is deeply committed to empowering people to courageous action that propels them into living lives that are inspired, balanced, and fulfilling personally and professionally.

Jason has a decade of experience in Corporate and Executive Recruiting, consulting for the Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros., TV Guide, Ascent Media, Universal Music, and University of Southern California. He is well equipped to strategically support people in their career growth and transitions as many are currently experiencing. As the recent founder of Los Angeles based A.C.T.ion Centered Transformation he helps clients transform their lives and careers through one-on-one coaching and his seminars: The Call to Self Discovery, The Call to A.C.T.ion, The Mating Call, and Beautiful Mind, Beautiful Body

Jason is featured every Friday in the Living section of Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-mannino and is a contributing author in the new Thank God I book series, which has reached #1 on amazon.com. He is an active member of International Federation of Coaches and International Association of Coaches and participates on the LA Leadership Council of Out & Equal SoCal. Jason holds a BA from Rutgers University in Psychology and is completing his MA in Spiritual Psychology at University of Santa Monica, Spring '09.

You can learn more about Jason and A.C.T.ion Centered Transformation by going to http://www.jmannino.com

Crispin the Cross of Lead - Book Review

2009-09-14T11:56:00.001-07:00

Newbery Medal winner of 2003, Crispin The Cross of Lead is an action packed historical novel set in the 1380's of England's peasant revolt. The protagonist is a thirteen year old peasant boy known only as "Asta's Son" (Asta being the boys mother) because he has never been called by his own name. In fact he doesn't know he has a name until his mother dies. The village priest discloses he baptized him and gave him the Christian name of Crispin.

Also, after Crispin's mother dies the only home he has ever known is burned to the ground. Crispin is forced to begin his life as a fugitive for thievery and murder. He is declared a "wolf's head" by the corrupt steward John Aycliffe, for crimes he didn't commit. This means that anyone can kill him like a common animal and collect a sizeable reward.

Feudalism is the way of life for many in 14th century England. There are countless taxes that lowly peasants must pay and constant violence. People were either very poor or very rich. Common people had no say over their destiny. The church is unable to protect parishioners and subject to many cruelties.

"Time was the great millstone, which ground us to dust like kerneled wheat. The Holy Church told us where we were in the alterations of the day, the year, and in our daily toil. Birth and death alone gave distinction to our lives, as we made the journey between the darkness from whence we had come to the darkness where we were fated to await Judgment Day."

There are plenty of chase scenes as well as undisclosed plans shrouded in mystery. Avi develops a couple of compelling characters but Bear, a traveling juggler, will become Crispin's deliverance from the bounty hunters that follow them everywhere. The relationship between the juggler and the peasant become the heart of the story.

Learn more about children's writing tips and award winning book reviews by visiting Carma's Window at http://carmaswindow.blogspot.com Download the free EBook, "Unite to Write," a compilation of thirteen top expert authors as read on Ezine article directory and "Free Tips on Freelance Writing."

The Weird and Wonderful World of Wonky Cakes - How to Make and Decorate a Wonky Cake

2009-09-13T22:42:00.001-07:00

Wonky cakes are designed to be exactly the opposite of traditional cakes, with their straight sides and flat tops. Instead Wonky cakes have both sloping sides and top. This type of cake is usually round, and preferably a fruit or Madeira mix - and ideally four inches deep. An electric carving knife comes in handy when cutting cakes. It makes a clean cut and is quick to use. Some types of cake start to crumble when cut, so freezing them for an hour or two will make them easier to handle.

There are two ways of making cakes look 'wonky' one design is more extreme than the other, as not only are the cakes wider at the top than the bottom, but they also look as if they are about to topple over! To arrive at this shape place a thin cake board, 2" smaller than the size of the cake - or use a saucer, of the same size - in the centre of the top surface of the cake.

Then, starting at the edge of the card carefully cut the cake so that it gently slopes from the top down to the base, which should be end up 2" wider than the top. Next turn the cake upside down so now the wide surface is now at the top. Then cut the top edge of the cake into a small curve. Your cake should now resemble a traditional plant pot.

The method given above, is a relatively easy way of cutting cakes into a type of Wonky cake. A different style is to use the same design as above but with the cake cut at an angle - giving the it a topsy-turvy look. When cutting a cake to make it 'wonky' the angle of the cut must be quite acute, otherwise it will look as if the cake should to be level, but something has gone wrong! It is a good idea to make a paper pattern of the height and width of the cake and try out the angle on paper before you begin cutting. Using this method will leave a spare piece of cake - this can always be frozen and used for trifle or truffles in the future.

Another method entails cutting the cake at an angle, then removing and reverting the top section. For instance, on a four inch deep cake, make a small mark one inch from the base of the cake. On the opposite side of the cake - one inch from the top - make another mark. If necessary, make several more marks to use as a cutting guide. Next carefully cut from the base mark to the top mark. Remove the top layer and coat the surface of the bottom layer with either apricot jam or butter cream, depending on the type of cake. Now, instead of replacing the top section back in its original position, revert it, so that the narrowest edge of the top section now rests on the narrowest of the bottom layer of cake. The cake should now slope from two inches at one side to six inches at the other.

If Wonky cakes are being stacked on top of each other, place each cake, apart from the bottom cake, on a thin cake board he same size as the base of the cake. The cakes - apart from the top cake - will need plastic dowels in to support the weight of the cake, or cakes, above. Dowels are always cut level with the top surface of a cake - after it has been iced. And remember, the dowels on a Wonky cake should be cut at the same angle as the cake.

A Wonky wedding cake will be a talking point at any wedding - and in years to come, although other memories may fade, the Wonky Wedding Cake will always be remembered!

Pat Lock is a cake decorating expert with over 25 years experience who runs the excellent Cake Decorating Ideas website. She has won awards at the prestigious international competition at Hotel Olympia, London and is also an accomplished author.

Cheddar Cheese Soup

2009-09-13T09:24:00.001-07:00

Wisconsin Cheddar cheese is a cheese that can vary in taste from very mild to having a sharp flavor. Cheddar is one of the most well liked and famous cheeses in the world. Here in America, the state of Wisconsin is famous for its wide array of cheeses that are award winning and delicious.

Cheddar has been around for a very long time. The name cheddar comes from a small village in England that first made the cheese around the 1100's. The village is named Cheddar.

When you think of cheddar often you with associate it with the color orange. This is common because of a old tradition of adding various dyes to the cheese to change its color. In reality, a cheddar cheese is creamy to pale white. This is its color without any dye added to it. Cheddar cheese has a wide variety of flavors. The flavor depends on how the cheese was made and how long it is aged. Young cheddar cheese is mild, while the longer aged cheese has a sharp flavor. The shortest duration of aging is three months and the longest is 30 months.

Wisconsin cheddar is a great addition to many different foods. You should get creative and try different flavors. Try a mild cheddar once and then use sharp cheddar the next time you make the dish. Do not be afraid to experiment. I have put together a recipe using Wisconsin cheddar for a great soup that people and kids will love. Give it a try.

Cheddar Cheese Soup

Cook Time - 30 min

Yield - 6 servings

Ingredients

* 4 tablespoons butter

* 1 large onion, finely chopped

* 1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

* 1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

* 4 cloves garlic, minced

* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

* 2 cups chicken stock

* 1 1/2 cups whole milk

* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

* 12 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated (about 4 cups)

* Salt

* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

* Crumbled bacon or salsa, chopped parsley leaves, optional for garnish

Directions

In a large, heavy saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and peppers and saute until vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the stock, milk and heavy cream. Bring soup to a low boil and reduce heat so that the soup barely simmers. Cook, stirring frequently, until the soup is very thick and flavorful, about 20 minutes. Add the grated cheese in 1/2 cup increments, stirring after each addition until completely melted and smooth. Do not allow soup to boil. Season with salt and cayenne pepper, to taste.

Serve in shallow bowls, topped with some crumbled crispy bacon bits, a dollop of salsa, and chopped parsley, as desired.

I am a local chef in Chicago. You can visit my site at http://americanbaking.blogspot.com/ and find further recipes.

Confessions of a School-Supply Junkie

2009-09-12T19:55:00.001-07:00

I have to confess it - I am an office supply store junkie. When my children were in elementary school and it was late August, other parents were looking forward to getting their kids back to school. Most of them were busy shopping for back-to-school clothing, or doing the last minute rounds of dentist appointments, hair cuts etc. Meanwhile I was happily drifting round the stationery store, three class lists in hand.

I loved those crisp, fresh notebooks, some with wide lines, some with regular lines, some with half the page blank for drawings. Oh, who could resist those beautiful colors, crayons for the little ones, pencil crayons for the older kids. I would pick out boxes of shiny new pencils and lovingly sharpen them all once home.

Well, time goes by, and even though I insisted on shopping for supplies through high school and even into college years, the sad time came when no-one in the family needed me to buy school supplies any longer.

At last came new hope. My grandchildren reached school age. My school teacher daughter thought I was crazy when I pleaded to be allowed to do the school supply shopping - no luck there, my granddaughter's school sells pre-packed kits. My other, still-a-student-herself daughter was delighted to let me buy the school supplies for my grandson and I was in business once more.

However, for all you school supply lovers out there (surely I can't be the only one!), let me give you some advice. Never take a six year old with you when shopping for school supplies. I thought my grandson would have a ball, shopping for his Grade 2 kit. I didn't bargain for all the bright shiny things the middle and high school students need. After many "no"s - "no you don't need a geometry set, it is not on your list. No, you only need crayons, not color markers. No, there is no calculator on your list......." I had a rather disappointed little boy on my hands. A quick trip to his favorite burger joint soon fixed that - wonderful how easy it is to distract a six year old!

Well, last year he started Grade 3 in a new school. This time I went to an office supply store that prides itself on great customer service. I asked for the Grade 3 list for his new school. "Here we are" said the helpful girl, "Just wait here a moment." In about three minutes she was back with everything on the list. Sigh!

Dear grandson's school has now also gone to the pre-order system, but I still need my fix occasionally, which explains why our home is full of half used notebooks, packets of pens, pencils, rulers.....

There is hope on the horizon for me. In another five years my new little grandson will be starting school. I can hardly wait!

Gillian is the proud grandmother of two 9 year olds and a new grandbaby boy.

For grandparenting ideas, you can visit her website: http://www.grandparentscafe.com

This site offers information on grandparent's rights, distance grandparenting, as well as photos, stories, games, recipes, travel hints and more.

Feng Shui Bedroom - Bringing Harmony to Your Life

2009-09-12T06:44:00.001-07:00

Feng Shui has been used for thousands of years to improve the quality of life and bring harmony, among many other things, into the home. You can use Feng Shui in any area that you would like but many people use it in the bedroom.

Feng Shui is pronounced "Fung Shway" and can be used to help you sleep better and enhance your love life. If this sounds like something you would like to do to your bedroom, here are a few "rules" that you need to consider to help you achieve a Feng Shui bedroom.

Feng Shui Tip Number One
The bed is the most important piece of furniture in the bedroom. Your bed should be in a command position. This means that your bed should be in complete view of the door but not in the direct line of the door. You also need to leave plenty of room on both side of the bed for each partner to get in and out of bed with ease.

Also, never have your bed in the position where your feet are facing the door. This is very bad Feng Shui. This position is called the death position because the dead are usually carried out by their feet.

Feng Shui Tip Number Two
It is best if you choose to have your bedroom in the farthest room from the door. This is said to give the mind more security because there is that much more distance between anything coming in the door and you sleeping in bed.

It is extremely bad Feng Shui to have you bedroom facing the front door. However, sometimes we have no real choice where the bedroom is located but you can still use other tips to Feng Shui your bedroom.

Feng Shui Tip Number Three
Remove the clutter. Any kind of clutter that reaches over your head that can make you feel uneasy therefore you need to clean anything that should not be piled up on your dresser or side tables. The clutter will prevent the Chi from flowing naturally as it should.

Anything in your bedroom that has to do with other things that do not have to do with sleep or the bedroom should be taken out. For example if you have work related items in your room, they need to be taken out. Computers, televisions and other electronics do not belong in the bedroom either.

These are three of the best tips that can be given for those who want to turn their bedrooms into a Feng Shui paradise. Not only will Feng Shui improve your life but using Feng Shui in the bedroom can help improve your sleep habits so that you wake up feeling more rested and fully regenerated.

There are many other things you need to consider when if you intend create a Feng Shui bedroom. Make sure you do as much research as you can before you begin. You need to know what you are doing and how to do it before you get started. You do not have to be a believer for Feng Shui to work wonders in your life.

Click Here to get Free Tips on how to improve your life with Feng Shui. Lynn Lee is a celebrated authority on the traditional Chinese art of Feng Shui, providing valuable advice on Feng Shui Decorating.

Landscape Gardening - Feng Shui With Foliage

2009-09-11T17:03:00.001-07:00

Landscaping your garden can make a vast difference not only to its appearance but also to the value of your property if you are putting it on the market.

There are some very gifted gardeners out there but generally landscaping work would need to be carried out by specialist contractors. Not only do they bring their years of experience to the project but perhaps even more importantly all their expensive equipment, not to mention their discounts at all the local gardening retailers.

What features might you include in your newly fashioned garden?

Water landscaping or water features are very popular, whether it is a pond, fountain or something else of that ilk. Obviously with ponds and other such water features a degree of excavation work is normally involved and this is best handled by expert professionals.

Gates, trellises and arches are also amongst some of the more popular features in a well landscaped garden. Even fencing may be found under this category. Design is important to make your garden look balanced and beautiful. Why not discuss your own design ideas with a landscaping professional to see just what is possible and perhaps discover what unseen potential your garden may have.

Every garden is different but especially here in the United Kingdom, usually the predominant colour is green. Trees, shrubs and lawns for that matter form such a large part in British gardens and the planting and arranging of these trees and shrubs is yet another vital ingredient in the landscaper's arsenal.

Perhaps you will have concrete patios or block paving in amongst the lawns and foliage or pathways winding through some trees or leading to a garden pond teeming with wildlife.

The experts will be able to tell you which trees will suit your particular garden and whether your ground is suitable for certain species of shrubs and trees. Knowing how quickly the plants and trees grow, which nutrients they need and how much light they need are all considerations that the landscaping experts will be able to advise you with.

Quality landscaping professionals should be able to show you examples or a portfolio of their work to date. Where do you get your own ideas from? Well unless you have your plans already, magazines, books and even online searches can assist you in making your choices for that dream garden.

It is only when you have your ideas and plans in place and have discussed them with your chosen landscaping company that you can assess the cost and most efficient ways of achieving your gardening goals.

Producing a beautiful garden involves hard work and planning, landscaping experts can offer a wealth of information and guidance. Jules researches and writes for website SEO company sigma web.

Feng Shui Rules - Cracking the Code to Universal Abundance

2009-09-11T03:10:00.001-07:00

A Story That Puts Feng Shui Rules into the Context of Your Life

We are members of this vast and expansive organism that we call the Universe. I believe that as sentient beings, our lives were originally designed to be infinitely more abundant, in every aspect, than they are right now. To create the best possible life and world, we must live in accordance with Universal Principles.

You might be thinking: "Philosophy is nice but...what the heck do you mean?"
Good question!

Here's a metaphor I like that helps people get the picture:
Imagine grocery stores didn't exist and you only had 1 neighbor. Now... you need to eat, and the only food you could ever eat is what you grow in your back yard. You are given a beautiful piece of land with rich soil, an infinite supply of fresh water, and hundreds of absolutely magnificent seeds... to grow countless numbers of vegetables and fruit trees. Are you with me so far? Good. Simple, right?

You are given simple instructions: Plant the seeds in the soil, water them, nurture them, appreciate them... and let them grow.

THAT IS a "Universal Law" A.K.A a Law of Nature: Growth! Understand? Good.

Now...because you are curious and you just feel like it...you decide to ignore the instructions and try growing the seeds your own way... by drowning them in water. Nothing grows, so no food.
You try planting them in the grass and choose not to nurture them, still no luck.. You even try injecting the seed with steroids and sprinkling them with some soil, still nothing grows.

Now your neighbor... who has been following the simple growth principle... sees that you are starving and offers you some food and maybe some advice on how to grow your seeds, seeing that you must have obviously forgotten the SIMPLE instructions for Abundance and Success!! HIS land is RICH with a BEAUTIFUL garden... Growing fruits and vegetables fit for a king AND his court! The environment.. is just so full of life that now many beautiful animals live there! There is so much abundance that he is now living with a lover and they are going to have lots of kids and raise a BIG, Happy family! If heaven exists on this earth, then your neighbor has it!!!

Being so hungry...you can't think straight... and you have become quite BITTER and for some reason are in this "competitive" mind set. Like an idiot, you refuse because you are determined to show him you could do it too. You now have something to prove...The thing is, he doesn't care about that...he's just happy and wants you to be happy, too!

After such a long time of trial and error of your own ideas... you are a wreck. Your environment is dreadful, there is nothing of life...no plants, no trees, no animals, no food, no nothing! For this reason, you are always angry and in a state of lacking, and to survive you steal food from your neighbor. Shame on you...all you're doing is perpetuating your crappy way of life.

Are you seeing the Problem? You live in a world, and you try to go against it's natural order, so how could you reap all it's benefits? Whatever intelligence has designed the world surely can see things from a much bigger picture and so in a sense the natural flow of things is a more ultimate state of being. Just look at your neighbor!

The Solution? Get in harmony!

Why? So you can reap all the benefits (there are so many you can't even imagine from where you are now) that Life really has to offer!

Now of course, I'm not talking about you literally! Just trying to get you in character to hold your attention...

So what does this story have to do with Feng Shui Rules? Think of Feng Shui Rules as "the simple instructions" you were given in the beginning of the story. Remain in Harmony with the Universal Laws and Natural Order of things, and enjoy the best possible life you can!

Wait are you waiting for? Come and change your life, using Feng Shui at This Feng Shui Rules Lens

Enter Feng Shui Paradise

Traditional Chinese New Year Food

2009-09-10T13:11:00.001-07:00

When ringing in the new year in traditional Chinese fashion, you have to consider the importance of Chinese New Year food as well. Food plays a huge part in such celebrations. The Chinese New Year is a particularly special one. It is one of the most important Chinese holidays. Sometimes called the Spring Festival, sometimes called the Lunar New Year, it takes place on the first day of the first lunar month, as denoted by the Chinese calendar. It ends on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Now, back to the subject of food - it is indeed hugely important during this celebration. Foods which are considered lucky and fortuitous are served throughout the entire fifteen days. The qualifications for lucky or symbolic foods vary.

In some cases, foods are considered precursors of good fortune because of how they appear. A whole chicken, for instance, is a symbol of family togetherness. Thus, offering a whole chicken during the Chinese New Year festivities promises that the family will remain together throughout the coming year.

Noodles are another food traditionally found during Chinese New Year's celebrations. In fact, they are practically required. In the Chinese culture, noodles symbolize a long, long life. For that reason, certain superstitions say they should not be cut. To do so would bring bad luck or worse. The inclusion of clams and Spring rolls are used to bring luck in matters of wealth. Clams are said to look a lot like bouillon. Spring rolls represent wealth because they look a bit like bars of gold.

Other foods are significant during the New Year because of the way they sound. Literally, they are used because of the Chinese pronunciation of the word. Lettuce is a good example of this. In Cantonese, the word for it sounds fortuitous. Likewise, certain citrus fruits are served because the words for them sound like forebears of good fortune, such as "luck" and "wealth."

Fish is symbolic in several ways, and thus is frequently served. One reason is because the word for it is "yu." This word resembles the terms for "wish" and "abundance." Both of those are good things to have on your side in the new year. Symbolically, serving the fish whole is good luck as well. When the head and tail are still attached, then the fish is a symbol for a good beginning and a good ending in the year ahead.

Henry Fong
Feng Shui Consultant
Feng Shui Absolutely

Window Header Framing Problems

2009-09-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

As a building contractor it is my job to assemble the house to meet the specifications from the architect and the structural engineer. I do this by looking at the building plans and installing the specified lumber sizes. I can take it upon myself to install a larger size wood beam or window header adding an additional cost to the job of course. I don't think so.

It's not uncommon for a framing contractor that has an additional 5 foot scrap piece of 4 x 8 left over that he now has no use for. He can then choose to use the 4 x 8 instead of a 4 x 6 for the window header. This type of building is common and acceptable.

If the structural engineer calls out for 4 x 6 window and door headers do not take it upon yourself to replace the 4 x 6 with a 4 x 4. I have seen too many framing contractors or carpenters make an on-the-job judgment like this.

A good example would be a single story house with 2 foot wide windows that require a 4 x 6 window header. As the carpenter builds homes over the years he can come to his own conclusion that a 4x4 will work fine for this application. Again keep this in mind as a framing contractor and a carpenter you are assembling the home not designing it.

Do not change the sizes of any headers or beams.

A long time ago carpenters used a standard rule of thumb, you could go up two sizes larger than the window opening for your header. Let me give you an example of what I'm trying to explain.

A 4 foot wide window opening would require a 4 x 6 window header. A 6 foot window opening would require a 4 x 8 window header. This should give you an idea of what I mean by going up two sizes larger than the window opening to figure out the lumber necessary to use for your window header.

This rule of thumb does not necessarily apply in today's building industry. The reason for this is structural changes from earthquake damage. The structural requirements that are required for building a home require a lot more metal bracing and strapping. Therefore some of the lumber requirements for beam sizes and window headers will be different.

This message is for general contractors, framing contractors and carpenters. When installing a window header and you take it upon yourself to change the size you also assume the responsibility if the building fails. This type of mistake is common and you guys know what I'm talking about.

It's not worth it. Keep in mind you are the assembler and not the designer of the building you are working on.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and House Framing Structural Repairs

If I Hate My Brother

Manipulate Anyone With Revolutionary Form Of Hypnosis

2009-09-08T01:40:00.001-07:00

Imagine if you could manipulate anyone you meet through the power of conversation. How different would your life be? Conversational hypnosis is a revolutionary form of mind control which allows users to place anyone under a spell, and get them to do exactly as you want, when you want. This may seem like a scam from the outset, but I assure you it is a legitimate form of mind control, only practiced properly by a select few.

How Does It Work?

All of us have experienced some form of mind control at various points in our life. Politicians, salesman and advertising companies are well aware of this phenomenon and use it to their advantage wherever possible. Did you ever wonder why you had a sudden urge to buy that Ab Cruncher at 3am? You hate exercise and have a bad back - but for some reason you could not resist the sound of that voice. The human language is full of inflections, tones and emotional triggers which can all induce a trance when used effectively. Once someone is place under a trance, it becomes relatively simple to command them, manipulate them, and get them to do exactly as you wish.

Where Do I learn It?

It used to be very difficult to find teacher of conversational hypnosis. Recent developments in online courses have produced some fantastic results. There are most certainly some things to watch out for - as like anything on the internet - there are scams to be aware of.

Firstly always seek a course designed by a real life practicing hypnotist who comes with some form of qualification and reputation. Secondly always seek testimonials from people who have used the course and are succeeding - be aware of unrealistic scenarios- many people fake testimonials online. Finally one of the most crucial things to seek in a hypnosis course is that it is delivered in audio format as well as written. Believe it or not there is no better way to learn conversational hypnosis than via cd.

What Results Can I Expect?

If you truly master conversational hypnosis you will be able to gain control the minds of almost anyone you meet. You will be able to manipulate people in reason - you will not be able to force them to do things that are harmful or against their morals. You will however be able to easily convince them to things which seem plausible. This could be a promotion or raise from your boss. It could be finally getting the girl or guy of your dreams. It could be influencing your bank manager to lend you another $100,000 for your home loan. These decisions will be for you to make once you can manipulate anyone who crosses your path with the power of conversational hypnosis.

Want to learn more about The Power Of Conversational Hypnosis a revolutionary conversational hypnosis course which shows you how to manipulate anyone, skyrocket your income and get the girl or guy of your dreams? Please Visit: http://learnhypnosisreview.com/Power_Conversational_Hypnosis.html

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

2009-09-07T23:40:00.001-07:00

As a bathroom remodeling contractor, I get calls from people, that have no idea what they want or how much anything is going to cost. Here's some simple tips that can be very helpful when planning a bathroom remodel budget.

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

In 2008, the average mid-range bathroom cost around $16,000 and you could recoup around $12,000 of your original investment upon the sale of your home. According to a popular remodeling magazine, larger bathrooms using expensive fixtures, tile, bathtubs, woodworking, toilets and showers had an average of $52,000. Upon the sale of a home, you could recoup around $36,000 of your original investment.

Finding out How Much Things Cost

My first suggestion, would be to visit your local home improvement center, lumber yard or plumbing supply warehouse. Larger stores like Home Depot and Lowe's, seemed to provide you with value pricing but don't have a large selection. While doing some research on the Internet I noticed that some of their pricing is outrageously, outrageous. Some plumbing supply warehouses can provide value but beware others won't.

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

You can get a good idea of your bathroom remodel costs for your budget by making a list of bathroom parts with pricing and then adding them up for a grand total. If you're a total bathroom remodel budget is $15,000 and you have a $6,000 bathtub with $4000 worth of tile, you could have a budget problem.

Figuring out the Labor

You will have to contact a contractor to get an actual cost for the labor. Sometimes you can double the cost of your bathroom remodeling parts to get a rough idea. If you have a list or a couple of lists and a few pictures of some sample bathrooms, this will make the contractor's job easier and often they can give you a labor price within a few days.

Give Yourself a Cushion

I would suggest leaving yourself a small financial cushion for any additional remodeling items. For example, you could see a different toilet, or instead of painting the walls, you now choose to wallpaper, you could incur additional expenses that you haven't planned for. If you know exactly what you want and stick to the original bathroom remodeling plan, you shouldn't need the cushion.

Financial problems often transfer into construction problems, so spend some time figuring out, how much money you want to spend on the bathroom remodel and try not to go overboard on the budget. I hate to see homeowners struggling with home improvement loan payments. Try to create a bathroom remodeling budget that is realistic and will not create a financial burden upon you or your family.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Does God Make Mistakes

The Mind Body Connection

2009-09-07T18:06:00.001-07:00

An interesting incident is narrated by Gordon Rattray Taylor, the famous Chief Science Advisor, BBC Television in his book The Natural History of Mind. The Mind Body connection is a baffling subject even to the scientists. And hence it is worth reading the incident to understand the mind- body connection.

Taylor narrates: During the war I was so fortunate as to form a friendship with a man named Clifford Troke. He had been an air-raid warden in London for four years, repeatedly at risk and short of sleep. Among his more stressful experiences were the following. After a heavy air-raid in which more people were killed than the burial arrangements could cope with, an empty school in Trokes district was taken over and the unburied bodies placed in it. The following night a time-bomb fell near the school but did not explode. The health authorities decided that it was an unacceptable health risk to leave the bodies in situ. Volunteers were called for to enter the school and rescue not the living but the dead from the expected explosion. One night, after various such adventures and during a raid, Troke was assailed with the feeling that all Hitlers bombs were directed at him personally, and that the German air force would continue to drop bombs in his vicinity until they got him. He sat down on the edge of the pavement and began to weep.

In hospital next day, the doctor took his blood pressure and whistled. He told him that if he did not take things very easily from then on he would probably explode himself. In point of fact, he survived a few years after the war, but succumbed, while still relatively young, to a heart attack.
I recall this story to emphasize the point that mental stress can produce physical disease.

Stating this incident Mr Taylor points out that the connection between mind and body is subtler and more intimate than most people realize or are ready to admit.

The Upanishads declare:

Mana Eva Manushyaanaam Karanam Banda Mokshayo: in Sanskrit means the mind is the reason for the human beings to bind or release themselves. Amrutha Bindu Upanishad, one of the 108 important Upanishads teaches this.

The Mother of Aurobindo Ashram emphasizes this point:

There are people as soon as the least thing happens to their body, their mind is completely upset. There are others still who may be very ill and yet keep their mind clear. It is rarer and more difficult to see a mind that is upset and the body remaining healthy. It is not impossible, but it is much rarer; for the body depends a great deal on the state of the mind. The mind is the master of the physical being. And I have said the latter was a very docile and obedient servant. She further points out that, Normally one uses the mind ill as badly as possible. But instead of letting the mind do the disastrous work; one can use the same capacity to make favorable formations. If one knows how to do that, one gets wonderful results in a few seconds.

Mother advises us: Organize the Mind. Purify the Mind. Quiet the mind.
The great secrets of the Upanishads are to be learnt to achieve the above.

S. Nagarajan is a vehicle body engineer by profession. He has written more than 1300 articles in 16 magazines and published 18 books. He is revealing Eastern Secret Wisdom through T.V. Programmes, magazine articles, seminars, courses. His email address is: snagarajans@gmail.com. His articles on Yoga, laughter, efficacy of mantras and sound, Hypnotism, Tele Kinesis, Power of Prayer, Vastu and Feng Shui, Auto suggestion, Success Formula, Out of Body Experience etc are regularly appearing in ezinearticles.com. So far sixty three articles have been published in ezinearticles.com.

Change Your Thinking About Life

2009-09-07T16:12:00.001-07:00

What do I do when I get down and out. Well that use to happen to me often and I seemed to suffer with some minor depression. It would seem like time would stand still. I would look at the clock and notice the time. Let's say 2:23 in the afternoon. I would look back to see what time it was about fifteen minutes latter and it would be 2:26. Wow what in the heck is going on with this clock.

I just couldn't believe it seemed like the day would never end. I would just sit there and think about all the stuff going on in my life, good and bad of course. This seemed to last until I was in my early twenties. I just didn't want to feel like this any more. I made a Conscious design not to get depressed period. I never wanted to feel like that again.

I read a book on ESP and in the book it described visualizing a rose as you went to sleep. I started doing this every night and while I was doing the exercise it seemed to make me feel relaxed in a way I never had felt before. The reason for the exercise was to teach you to visualize something peaceful. This in turn would put you in a peaceful state of mind.

Then a thought came into my noggin. What if when ever I start to feel bad or seem to be going into a sort of depressive state of mind I change my thoughts. It worked... I would start to visualize something else that made me feel comfortable and give me a peaceful feeling. Man was I surprised with my results.

Keep in mind I didn't think of this all on my own but I did put the pieces of the puzzle I needed to together that I needed to change my life. It seemed like I could use this form of self control in different parts of my life. If I was at work and someone made me mad.... Well this didn't work all the time... I still got mad. Let's pick something else OK.

I would worry about something on the job that wasn't going right. Then I would get irritated over something else that wasn't even related to what I was worrying about. Why did I take it out on the other person when what I was really mad about was something else. We do this all the time in our lives. We seem to get mad, get even or give up. Why do we do this and what can we do to stop it.

My main point to all of this is we can change our thinking and change our lives. We can learn new things to change our thinking. We don't need to give up hope that we will always be like this. Change the things you don't like about yourself. Do it today. If you need some help there is a great book that will help you change your life for the better.

You can find it at http://www.live.spiritualideas.com This book has a lot of tools to create the change in your life you want to have a more full filling life.

Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown. Ross Perot.

Start Living Your Dreams Today and Create a Wonderful Life For Yourself And Your Family. Greg Vanden Berge is one of the best inspirations on the planet. You will be hearing a lot about this guy in the future. You can count on it.

What Happens To Nonbelieving

Top Keynote Speakers and Event Speakers

2009-09-07T10:30:00.001-07:00

There are many people who have the skills and understanding necessary to be effective when it comes to public speaking. However, not all speakers have what it takes to command an audience, making them effective keynote speakers. When choosing the right keynote speaker for your engagement, it is necessary to choose a speaker that can command your audience properly and can maintain their attention long enough to get their message out. Five of the most effective keynote speakers are Keith Harrell, Vince Poscente, Joseph Michelli, Ram Charan and Michael Treacy.

Keith Harrell -- Keith Harrell is a former marketing executive for the IBM Corporation, and has more than thirteen years of corporate experience as one of IBM's top training instructors. Keith Harrell travels all across the world in other to impact the lives of his clients on both a professional and personal level. Keith Harrell works as an author, a consultant, a trainer and a speaker, and is highly recognized for the enlightening and innovative presentations that he makes in order to share his ideas with other business owners.

Vince Poscente -- Vince Poscente has the mind set which is necessary in order to meet the demands of corporate culture, including the perfect balance of a passion for excellence, a dedication to the journey and a balance of mental toughness. Vince Poscente had what it took to turn himself into a Olympic skier from a recreational one in the span of only four years. Willing to try absolutely anything and everything once, he took part in his first Hi-Tek adventure race in July of 1998, then went on to the competition at Castaic Lake in October of that year. Against 259 teams, Vince's team emerged in 45th place.

Joseph Michelli -- Joseph Michelli is a speaker who is sought-after on an international level. He is also an organizational psychologist, and a business consultant. Joseph Michelli is known for urging people and businesses alike to achieve the extraordinary. Joseph Michelli is known for writing best-selling books about business principles, and he also hosts a radio program in Colorado. Joseph Michelli works to share his knowledge of business practices by delivering keynote presentations which work to develop productivity in the workplace.

Ram Charan -- Ram Charan co-authored a title called "Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done", and is an active advisor to CEOs who belong to fortune 100 companies, as well as emerging firms funded by venture capital. Ram Charan strives to convert visions into action and reality using his business techniques and ideas. Visit Rams new book Know-How The 8 skills that separate people who perform from those who dont.

Michael Treacy -- Michael Treacy is an expert on corporate strategies and the transformation of businesses who is widely known and recognized for giving companies what they need to help them achieve leadership in the market. Michael Treacy has been working to help improve businesses for more than 25 years and continues to be a strong presence in the business marketing industry. Michael Treacy takes on the greatest strategic challenges in order to transform businesses all over the world, and has plenty to say about business practices and what it really takes to get a business off the ground.

2007 RightNow Communications

Public Speakers

Dr. Joseph Michelli Video

Vince Poscente Video

BOOKING INFORMATION:

Brooks International Speakers Bureau
763 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204
PHONE: 303.825.8700
FAX: 303.825.8701

Putting God on Trial

2009-09-07T09:00:00.001-07:00

I was listening to something interesting the other day when someone mentioned putting God on trial for some of the atrocities in the world. If God is the creator of the universe and all that is, or all that ever will be, how can we put him on trial, he's our creator. We can't put our spiritual master on trial can we, he'll just escape anyway if we convict him, won't he. He's got to be smart enough to break out a prison.

As a child I often thought about God and why he would allow such suffering throughout the world. It never made sense to me when I was child and it still doesn't make sense to me today. Why would the creator, want us to suffer, with even the littlest of problems. Other religions have explained it as if God was teaching us a lesson and that's why we have hardships in our lives.

Do you think God ever went through these hardships? Did God have problems finding a job or gathering some food? Does God even eat? Okay now I'm getting off the topic here,(I wonder what God does eat)... if children do something wrong, most of the time their parents will discipline or correct them. If adults to things wrong, the government will discipline and reprimand them. Sometimes these punishments can be severe. It depends on the crimes committed.

If man has to be put on trial for committing crimes like murder, genocide, and general atrocities towards mankind, should God also be put on trial or is he above man because he's God. I can't imagine the creator of the universe ever being put on trial for man's crimes against humanity or other men, but it seems like someone who is all powerful and all knowing could help his children out of this little mess that we're in today.

Couldn't God help us like we help our children. We as parents might not have all the answers, but we do not claim to have them. We are not all powerful and all knowing, like we would assume God to be. When is God going to help us solve some of our major world problems, like genocide and starvation.

Putting God on trial might not solve all of our problems today but it would be nice to have some help with our problems. If he created us to please him, do we have to go on trial one day, for all the things we did or ignored while we were alive. Something to think about isn't it.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing and personal development. Check This Out What Happened to the Wise Men's Gifts

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

Are Your Prayers Being Answered

Be Happy 101: the Happiness Course

2009-09-07T02:59:00.001-07:00

Your Happiness Resources

This time, thirteen is a lucky number. Here are thirteen books that can really help you on the road to finding increased happiness:

1. Authentic Happiness -Martin Seligman
A great place to start. Discover your "signature strengths" and use them as much as you can to produce true, long term gratification in your life.

2.The How of Happiness - Sonja Lyubomirsky
Twelve positive steps you can take to being happier, working on areas you can influence, instead of those you can't change much.

3. 50 Self-Help Classics - Tom Butler-Bowdon
The "50 Classics" series of books provide extraordinary summaries of self help books, respectively on prosperity, success, the spirtual classics and several others. Having these excellent books is like having a self help library at your fingertips.

4. Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart - Gordon Livingston
A best selling author, Dr. Livingston uses his experience as a practicing psychiatrist to help us deal positively with many of life's common problems.

5. Your Best Life Now - 7 Steps To Living Life At Your Full Potential -Joel Osteen
The famous tv evangelist provides suggestions for living a positive life. Christians will be able to relate easily to the beneficial message this book contains, but this book can benefit anyone, whether they are Christian, or if they don't believe in God.

6. The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People -Stephen Covey
Provides an excellent structure for setting goals and accomplishing them.

7. A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life's Purpose -Eckhart Tolle
A thorough, step by step presentation to help you discover your guiding purposes. Even though this book was highly promoted by Oprah Winfrey, it would be a real mistake to think that it is only "a women's book". Anyone can benefit from it.

8. Blink - Malcolm Gladwell
Great stories that emphasize the point that good decisions can often be made by "thin slicing", using a small amount of information that leads us to a decision that might be the same as if we had taken more time and done more research in making it. Our quality of life, and our happiness, is greatly impacted by our decisions and our thoughts . This book present an alternative view for making decisions, without deprecating more traditional methods.

9. George Foreman's Guide To Life -George Foreman
This is not just "a man's book", nor is it a boxing book, it's one that can benefit anyone. It contains excellent practical advice for getting the most out of life.

10. Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
This classic work provides great guidance for living daily life. Its principles are as applicable today as they were in Roman times.

11. The Right Words At The Right Time -Marlo Thomas
Short two or three page stories by celebrities telling what events made positive turning points toward success in their lives. Interesting reading and contains many good lessons.

12. Happier- Tal Ben-Shahar
Let the author share the secrets with you of finding happiness from Harvard's most popular course. Everybody wants to be happy!

13. The Working Poor -David Shipler
This might not sound like a book that relates to happiness, but it is, because its insights can truly help people stay away from things that are going to make them very unhappy. The Pultizer Prize winning author explains what it's like to be part of the working poor. Anyone who isn't, but thinks they have a good handle on this type of life should read this book. It not only encourages concern and assistance, but it provides very valuable lessons on how getting into this state can be avoided. Poverty is not a plus when seeking happiness, so this book also serves as a valuable cautionary story to anyone who is making major decisions in their lives, regarding education, child bearing, marriage and so forth.

We all need to eat to sustain ourselves physically. Make self-help reading a regular habit to support and guide you mentally throughout your life.

Larry Danks is an Assistant Professor of Business at Camden County College in Blackwood, NJ, near Philadelphia. To these books above, I also add my book, Your Unfinished Life: The Classic and Timeless Guide To Finding Happiness and Success Through Kindness. Let it help you be happier, find personal fulfillment and develop higher self-esteem. http://www.yourunfinishedlife.com where samples from each chapter and reviews of Danks' book are available.Comments may be directed to the author at helpfulmedia@yahoo.com

My book, and the others listed above, are all available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and all major booksellers.

Bathroom Moisture Problems - Home Repair

2009-09-07T01:33:00.001-07:00

Right above my bathtub in my master bathroom the paint is peeling off the wall. The area is peeling above the tile in my bathtub and shower combination. I tried to glue the peeling paint back and only made the situation worst.

First things first. The paint is peeling because there is to much moisture in the bathroom while you are using it. Do you have any windows you can open or a ventilating bathroom fan. If you have a window crack it open part way while you are showering.

The water droplets will accumulate on the walls and drip into any cracks. Right above the tile grout is a great place for moisture to accumulate. Oh yeah moisture loves grout and drywall. If you have any unpainted areas or an area that has cracked. Guess what you have now.

Your paint is peeling because the bathroom gets hot and cold. Moist and dry. If you have the door and windows shut. You just created a moisture trap. Most people prefer their privacy and will closes the door when using the shower. Well then open the window and let some cold air in while you are taking a nice warn shower. I don't think so. Most showering fools don't like that idea either.

Ok one more idea keep the windows shut so you don't let the cold air in. Then lock the door so no on barges in on you. If you have a ventilation fan turn it on. This will at least pull fresh air in from under the door and send the moist air out of the house.

But the fan is so noisy and I can't enjoy my nice warm vapor producing shower that will eventually cause me to get sick from mold particles floating around in the air while I am using my bathroom.
Does this about sum it up for you and don't we all do this from time to time. We want to enjoy our shower time, so we close up everything and when we are in our bath sauna environment relaxing our house is getting some damaging moisture that could cause mold and mildew.

Open a window or door a little when you shower. Get some air circulating through the bathroom and prevent damage to your nice house.

Put up with a little inconvenience for you homes sake and your pocket book.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business in California for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building in North San Diego Home Remodeling Carlsbad Home Remodeling

Visit us now for Bathroom Ideas

Religion Articles

Discover Your Keys to Success, Marcus Buckingham - "Now, Discover Your Strengths" Review

2009-09-06T19:32:00.001-07:00

Let me guess...You are miserable in your job. Don't feel bad, most of us are. In fact, in a recent survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com. 84% of the nations workforce are unhappy at work

Marcus Buckingham, seen on Oprah, Dec 19, 2008, has a radical strength training approach to help people discover your keys to success and happiness at work. He has worked with hundreds of employees at places like Coca-Cola, the Gap, and MicroSoft. His key to success is simple,

"focus on what makes you feel strong, instead of trying to fix your weaknesses. If you want to know what your strength is, you've got to pay attention to how you feel. It feels like focus. It feels like concentration. You feel invigorated. Energized."

He has helped hundreds, and now has a book out, Now, Discover Your Strengths, that teaches people to recognize their innate abilities.

Unfortunately, most of us have little awareness of our talents and strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them. Instead, guided by society, we become experts in our weaknesses and our lives revolve around trying to fix our flaws. In the meantime our strengths lie dormant and neglected.

Think of something you are really good at. Some area of your life were you show a natural advantage , talent, strength or passion. "That's where you start," Marcus says.

How do you discover your keys to success and turn them into strengths? With the innovative program developed jointly by Marcus Buckingham, and Donald O. Clifton, Chair of the Gallup International Research & Education Center. Called the StrengthsFinder Profile, it is an internet based product that helps to identify the most prevalent human strengths. It helps guide the user to pinpoint their talents, build them into strengths, and capitalize on them.

Now, Discover Your Strengths contains a unique identification number that allows you access to the StrengthsFinder Profile on the Internet. A virtual interview analyzes your immediate reaction, your are presented with five of your most powerful signature themes such as Achiever, empathy, strategic, and shows you how to leverage them for powerful results.

The fact that Now, Discover your Strengths,it is endorsed by Oprah says enough. More than that, it has to be one of the most fundamentally useful business books ever written. Giving the reader profound insights on their keys to success, turning talents into strengths and the immediate on-line feedback of StrengthsFinder, it is truly a ground breaker.

MaryAnn Eastman is an online entrepreneur.
People all over the world have changed their lives by discovering their Keys to Success. Now they have a career that they feel proud of. Best of all, their happiness has filtered over to their family and the people that are most important in their lives. Flip the switch now. http://www.squidoo.com/keyforsuccess

Inerrancy of the Bible - Are There Mistakes in the Bible

2009-09-06T18:03:00.001-07:00

What does the word inerrancy main? Inerrancy would refer to text that is accurate and totally free of any errors or without any mistakes. Does this sound like any book that you have ever read or have knowledge of. Maybe there is a one sentence book that could fall into this category.

Most books however and even this article has mistakes. If I made a decision to base my life, my entire life and that of my children and grandchildren, I would want to make sure that it was accurate as possible.

Is the Bible, 100%, 90%, or even 50% accurate. Are these stories that were written by people many years ago and the lessons have been helpful but now need to be rewritten.

Does the Bible actually contain the will of God? Some scholars believe that certain sections of the Bible meet this criteria while others do not. How can these people judge if they are not God and how can we believe in this stuff is not true.

If the Bible was inspired by God but written by men, this could actually mean that God had complete control over writing the Bible or does this mean that the man wrote the Bible with gods inspiration. I'm inspired by God daily and often write about it, but don't seem to have enough followers to make it into the biblical Hall of Fame. I'm writing with inspired beliefs right now.

If there are errors in the Bible, how extensive or how many errors are there actually. There are actual stories that can be documented as historical facts. This doesn't mean the rest of the Bible is factual, nor does it mean it is historically inaccurate.

The Bible has some errors in it and some facts that we can prove but leaves us with the question, is this a book from the Creator of the universe or a book written by men, to make us believe, it was written by God and if so why are we still believe being in it. Why do some people read this book and other religious text daily? What motivates them to read holy Scripture regularly but doesn't seem to allow them enough time to find out if they are reading accurate information.

The biggest problem I have with the inerrancy of the Bible is the fact that most people tend to ignore certain truths and cling to their childhood beliefs about religion. If this is not the way or the truth, I would want to start looking for it, instead of following someone else's dreams or religious doctrine.

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion. Religious Education And Fear

Religion Articles

Is Workplace Conflict Destructive or Creative?

2009-09-06T12:09:00.001-07:00

Whenever you work with people, conflict is inevitable. The tension created by daily conflict either results in wasted time, decreased productivity, and poor decisions or the sort of internal competition that pushes each individual to do their best, if for no other reason that convince their coworkers that they can do it.

This inevitable conflict is either destructive or creative. The destructive conflict is toxic to relationships and hurts people and organizations and this is the one that needs managing. In my experience creative conflict seems to be cultural in nature. It's how the people themselves react and address each other and the situations they face together.

If you've ever seen "American Chopper" on the Discovery Channel you know what I mean by creative conflict. There is a lot of yelling going on. These guys are not shy about sharing their opinions when they disagree with one another. If you were a stranger who walked into their shop you might think WWIII had broken out.

In fact, that is how they relate to one another - there is no ambiguity, they tell it like it is in the moment. Imagine how much more they accomplish because they use the tension to air their different opinions, right now - and then get on with it. It's possible that this is just a TV show and these guys have nice quiet meetings in the board room, listening to various committee reports, before the speak up, but that's not likely. I bet they are who we see them as being.

In three decades working with family businesses I have seen dozens and dozens of companies who harness conflict creatively, and in so doing get the most out of everyone as well as optimum results overall. They don't waste time on what's not working just because it was the bosses idea. They stop what they're doing and point out the other person's mistake then show them how to fix it. Nothing and no one or their opinion is sacred - it's all about getting the job done.

Sadly I have seen experts try to get them to change their behavior, be more polite to one another and offer more politically correct input in an ever more constructive manner. In other words they (the experts) want other people to be more like them.

So instead of helping their clients manage the destructive conflict that exists, they are offering suggestions on how to fix what isn't broken.

I am talking about the conflict that distracts employees and managers from otherwise productive use of their time. Studies reveal that up to 30% of a typical managers time is spent dealing with conflict. And that 42 percent of their time is spent reaching agreements with others when conflicts occur.

Sometimes destructive conflict is simply because the people don't like each other. In the universe of family owned companies sometimes brothers, sisters, cousins, and in-laws are thrown together in ways none of them like. Conflict is the only way they have of displaying the frustration they feel about the situation they're in.

It is no wonder that an estimated 65% of performance problems result from strained relationships like these. Between employees who are not happy with each other - not from deficits in their training, skill, or motivation.

The most common way that destructive conflict shows up is about "how" a certain task should be accomplished. I met a farmer once whose son (age 50) refused to do things the way he wanted them done. He sited an example by driving me on the back of his four wheeler (you could not get there any other way) to a field that illustrated his point.

He and his father before him had always plowed the field north to south - his son was plowing it east to west. I am not making this up. It didn't have anything to do with soil erosion, conservation, or the environment - he was doing it this way against his dad's wishes, just to get his goat. And it was working.

I bet you can think of things at your company that are being done a certain way because that's the way they've always been done. And if you're the one who wants to change history, good luck!

Destructive conflict about how things are being done, what things are being done, and whether or not a certain thing should even be done can paralyze the organization.

Wasted time arguing about things that don't matter, an unwillingness to consider another person's point of view based on their experience, and the blame game when the results are in all cry out for a self-help process you can use to manage your differences so that all conflict is creative.

The end result of a successful self-help mediation process is that you (as a group) turn together and focus on the challenge or opportunity you all face. You see the problem as the stumbling block and not your coworker.

Self-help mediation tools allow two individuals the opportunity to discuss their assumptions about the other person's motives. In many conflicts the simple process of testing these assumptions face to face using active listening skills will resolve the issue entirely, because the parties realize the conflict is simply a misunderstanding.

Self-help mediation tools pave the way for more effective decision making. Obviously decisions made under conditions of conflict are going to be inferior to decisions made when cooperation prevails. If ongoing conflict (even a low grade resistance to cooperation) is present between people who share decision-making authority, the resulting decisions are likely to be flawed by the power struggles between those people.

As business owners we know that good decisions must be based on an optimum quality and quantity of objective information. So when information is withheld or distorted by those we are depending on to provide it, the decision cannot be the best one possible.

There is now doubt, workplace conflict resolution strategies - especially those that will allow you to do it yourself - will save you money, time, energy, and enhance your workplace by helping you make better decisions, retain your best employees, and design a future course for the business everyone will actively support!

Wayne Messick's web site http://www.iBizResources.com has many additional conflict resolution articles and strategic planning resources to help you grow your business. If you are a small business advisor and want to maximize your professional and financial potential, here are the resources we are using to systematically multiply our new business, our revenues, and our client's satisfaction.

Installing a 32 Inch Back Door

2009-09-06T10:20:00.001-07:00

In some older houses you will find a 30 inch back door. Have you ever tried to move a refrigerator or some large furniture through a 30 inch door? Keep in mind most bedroom doors are 30 inches wide and are in 36 inch hallways. 30 inch doors and bedrooms make it tough to move some furniture in too.

Let's start with the price difference between a 30 inch door and a 32 inch door. The cost difference is usually going to be around $20. If you are building a hundred homes this could become quite an additional expense. So we can understand why the home builder installed a 30 inch door in the back of our home.

He got the extra money in his pocket, you got a headache.

Here's the big problem. If you ever want to install a larger door you will need to replace the structural door framing. Now this is where you could run into a little bit of an expense. Changing the framing for a wider door could become quite costly. It could actually cost over $1000 in some cases.

Now if the homebuilder would have originally installed a 32 inch door in your house it might have ran him as high as an additional $45. How can this be? I will give you the first clue. There is a good chance the homebuilder will not be moving into any of these houses. If for some strange instance he did move into the house, he would learn the same lesson whenever he needed to move a large item into the house.

I'm a contactor and learned this lesson in a long time ago.

If you are building a new home you might even want to consider installing a 36 inch back door. This door will give you plenty of room when it comes to moving large items in or out of your house. The cost difference between a 36 inch door and a 32 inch door is usually around $20 also.

When building a new home most people don't give very much thought about their interior or exterior doors. Here's a simple chart I made to help with some basic door decisions.

Bathroom Doors Should Be 28 Inches Wide Minimum.
Bedroom Doors Should Be 30 Inches Wide Minimum.
Front Doors Should Be At Least 36 Inches Wide
Back Doors and Garage Doors Should Be At Least 32 Inches Wide

If you are a professional football or basketball player don't use these numbers above.

If you have large sliding glass doors or French doors throughout your home and can use them to move large items into the house you can install whatever size doors you choose that are comfortable to walk through.

Give some thought when installing a new door on your next project and keep some of the above tips in mind..

If you are designing a home give some thought to the stairways and hallways in the home as well.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Bay Window Ideas

Should The Bible Be Edited

The Trap of the Common Sense

2009-09-06T04:26:00.001-07:00

Many people are not satisfied with their lives and want to achieve more. However, only few actually make their dreams come true. Why does this happen?

It seems to be logical that if you are not satisfied with life you are negative about your current situation; you have negative thoughts and constantly complain. For many people it is also logical to blame others for things that didn't work out in their lives. This kind of logic actually keeps people where they are today.

Many things that seem to be a "common sense" and "intuitive" in reality just ways everybody does things. It is our collective thinking that makes them common sense and intuitive. If you look at lives that people live you will see how these "common sense" habits, perceptions and beliefs make their lives miserable. They keep people at their current jobs, stiff all their creativity, promote fear of taking risks, keep them glued to their comfort zones. This results in deep inner dissatisfaction and is a direct way to depressions and different self-destroying addictions.

"Think outside the box" is not just a common self-improvement textbook phrase. It has a deep meaning of questioning all the "common sense" things in order to see the way out which is usually just in front of you. You can't see it because it is not part of your belief system, it doesn't go along with how you perceive the world.

Let's go back to a "negative" situation you find yourself in. The non-intuitive and only way out of it is to be positive. Do you want to have good things in life? Be positive about what you already have, be deeply grateful for every single thing, no matter how little, that you have in your life right now. Do you want to have more control over your life? Never blame anybody for anything that happened to YOU. Take full responsibility for attracting people and events into your life. How you can attract anything good if you are always negative?

It seems to be hard to be positive and grateful when everything is wrong however it is just a matter of forcing yourself to repeat positive phrases in your head even if you don't agree with them or they don't sound to be true. With time you will start actually feeling the truth in your statements.

As your perception of the world changes, slowly the physical world around you will change to reflect better who you are.

Do you need help to make your dreams come true? Visit http://www.pathstopower.net for a free book and more details.

Are you interested in natural health, weight loss, energy secrets? Visit http://www.nutrifitpower.com/ezine.html for free reports and more details.

Lynn Alex is a Life-Skills Coach, Yoga Teacher and an American Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner.

Is Money a Big Part of Organized Religion?

2009-09-06T02:52:00.001-07:00

Where do you think most modern day religious organizations would be without money? Is money really a big part of modern day organized religion or is that something in the past. Why do certain scriptures require their believers to donate a portion of their earnings?

Does this money improve the lives of religious believers? I'm asking these questions because most people won't. Most people don't even no where the money they earn is going. If you donate money to a religious organization and they choose to hire someone to install stained glass windows throughout the sanctuary, is this really going to help the congregation. Is this a want or a need?

When does a religious group become too powerful for its own good. Do you think the Catholic religion, which at the time of me writing this article, is the largest organized religion in the world, by itself, is very powerful or driven by finances. This organization has seeked wealth and power for centuries, creating an establishment that has its hands in everything all over the world.

Is it fair to have religious leaders living a life of luxury, while some of their followers suffer and go without food or shelter. Should some of this money go towards the aid of others who choose not to believe in the religious culture of their patrons?

Why do some people give money to their religious organization, even though they can barely survive. Are these people driven to contribute money because someone makes them feel guilty? Some of these people give money and time, even at the expense of their own family. It's just not fair, when I see people who are barely scraping by but give faithfully to an organization that promises them a better life after they die.

Your rewards for living a good life on Earth will be received after you die and are allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Does anyone have any proof of this? If you choose to base your life entirely on faith instead of seeking knowledge and wisdom, or even questioning your religious doctrine, you're not doing yourself any favors.

Money plays a big part in organized religion and honestly does a lot of good throughout the world. Christianity has had a large impact on the United States of America but only time will tell if it was a good thing or not.

If you have extra money and desire to give it to a religious organization of your choice, feel free, but if you're giving 10% of the money you've earned and really can't afford to, I wish you would take the time to research what your church actually spends it's money on. If your church is building another church in Mexico but you don't have enough money for food, clothes or other necessities, I would suggest that you let other people donate their extra money instead.

It might not be mentioned anywhere in your religion, but I'm sure your God or the ultimate Almighty power of the universe you believe in, does not want anyone to suffer or go without, because your religious organization chooses to make you feel guilty if you do not contribute a certain amount of money, for whatever reasons they can possibly come up with.

If everyone that believes in this interpretation has the keys to the kingdom of heaven, wouldn't Jesus be suggesting a life kind of like Mother Teresa but without any money. She wouldn't be allowed to ask any wealthy people for money, let alone use it if she acquired it somehow.

Have you ever ask yourself is there any Hope in Religion .

Would it be safe to a sound that by asking for money from a wealthy person would mean I would not be going to happen. Does it say anything in the Bible about using money from a wealthy person for great earthly deeds and you get to go to heaven but he does not. If this is starting to sound a little confusing, welcome to my world. There are very few people that follow organized religion, that even ask these questions, let alone seek the answers and find the truth and keeping an open mind to future information that possibly could change the old answer that they accepted as a truth but now realize, the possibility that the old information could be wrong.

If you were a religious leader and could not answer some of the major questions that you yourself had, would you continue living a life of confusion or seek relentlessly to find the answers until you are satisfied. Knowing that if you were satisfied with the answers to your questions and now your religious beliefs have changed considerably, would you retire or quit working with the religious organization you were involved with.

This is one of the biggest obstacles for most people that seem to get comfortable in their religious environments. If the interpretations of a you Bible verses are incorrect and can be proven, either scientifically or through translation errors, does this mean that there are more verses in the Bible that could be incorrect or misleading.

What Happens To Nonbelieving

Perceptions of Self - How You See and Treat Yourself is Expressed in Your Reality - Part 1

2009-09-05T20:42:00.001-07:00

Many individuals do not recognise that their self-esteem or self-worth needs improving. As long as they have the personal good looks, status and material needs they think that is all that they need for success and no one else is the wiser to what is going on in their inner world! It goes deeper than an outer faade. Self-esteem and self-image is an outer reflection on their inner level of self-love and self-worth. Their level of worth is expressed in their quality of life, within their experiences and what is happening in their reality.

Human self-esteem problems, issues and challenges can be broken down into four primary categories:

1. Recognise and address your issue
2. Acknowledge and respect yourself
3. Stand your ground with assertion and empowerment
4. Release disempowering events, things and people

Let's take a look at each individual category:

1. Recognise and address your issue. The most important factor for you to be able to raise your self-esteem is for you to uncover the issue that is giving you a low self-worth in the first place. Nobody and nothing outside of you can do it for you. Dressing well and living in a nice environment only addresses a perception of your worth on the outside - it is a faade, if you have imbalances within you, or conflicts with those you live and work with, you are just covering up an unfinished business. Even if you are successful at your work, your life's experiences, your health and the quality of your relationships will tell you how much self-love, self-worth and self-acceptance you have. Once you realise that you have a low self-worth you must be ready and willing to do something about it.

2. Acknowledge and respect yourself. You need to be aware that you attract to you what you are within. You need to acknowledge yourself, accept yourself, love yourself, honour all of your experiences and choices without regrets and to have compassion for yourself etc. Eg. If you do not respect yourself, you will attract others to you who will treat you in a very disrespectful manner. You were born with 100% worth and that is up to you to claim your worth. A lower self-esteem or worth is due to allowing others to belittle you, to influence you into thinking that you are not 'good enough' or you do not deserve to be, do or have something. You have taken on their old truths as your own. You now believe that you are unworthy, it is an old truth and that is how people will treat you. If you feel that you don't deserve, or are unworthy or you do not love yourself in anyway - it is a truth that you have formed, your masquerade story, which is now your lie. It is only your perception on how you see yourself and therefore how you treat yourself either with belittlement emotionally or physically. How you see and treat yourself is reflected back to you as 'like attracts like' scenario in your health, relationships and abundance aspects.

3. Stand your ground with assertion and empowerment. Once you make a conscious choice to raise your self-esteem and self-worth - be alert to sabotage or you will retreat from exploring this empowering journey fully. The level of your self-worth also relates to the level of your assertion and empowerment. Once you begin to practice self-worth strategies you will soon develop more assertion and empowerment qualities. You will not be so timid in standing your ground towards others manipulations. Once you begin to stand your ground, your family, friends and workmates may dislike it as your personality-identity changes. The sabotage is: when you have a low self-worth, people usually walk all over you and when you hold high regard for yourself and honour yourself and stand in your power, you will not allow them to wipe their feet on your worthy doormat. This can create a conflict in your relationships and you are in danger of retreating if you are not prepared to get out of your comfort zone and 'stand alone'. Change may cause a conflict in the beginning, but if there is unconditional love present with that relationship they will come around to support you, otherwise they will leave your life, because they cannot get what they want from you. If you give up on continuing to raising your level of worth due to family or social challenges, you can retreat back into appeasement, obligation and compromise. If you are not prepared to release anything and anyone who is feeding off you or stealing your energy in order to support their self-absorbed needs you may stop trying to improve your perception of self. That means, if anyone who cannot support you and allow you to choose your own journey, those who do not respect you for who you are and who you can become or those who try to control you through their agendas to get what they want - let them go, they don't serve you in an empowering way. That is conditional love.

4. Release disempowering events, things and people. The greatest gift anyone can give to you whilst you are choosing to raise your self-worth and your consciousness is their love and support - with compassion but without judgement and agendas - no matter what you choose to do, even if it seems a silly or wrong choice for them. Whatever path you choose to walk down is appropriate for you, for that is what you need to experience to develop your growth and awareness.

True compassion is not just about sadness and pity - it is allowing you to choose your journey without others trying to control you, without others trying to change you or to enforce their righteous ways upon you. Having an agenda or expectation of trying to enforce and change you or what they think you should be, do or have, places limitations and controls onto you. They will disempower you if you allow others to control you, which will result in you retreating into submission or resisting and rebelling with conflicting drama games. Any self-absorbed limitation combined with conditional love suffocates relationships - causing conflict and breakdowns within relationships, as well as your health and abundance levels. This also means that you need true compassion for yourself for all the choices and experiences that you have had. To be able to raise your self-esteem is to release anything or anyone who does not serve your growth.

As you let go of things or people who do not serve you, you may feel that you are left stranded or alone with only a few to support you. As you stand in your power, you will attract other people into your life who will respect you for who you are, you will attract new relationships based on unconditional love into your life and you will attract more abundant opportunities.

Pamela's new revolutionary Self-Help Personal Development Review is a unique and complete report that reveals new insights, perceptions, direction and empowerment for personal or business problems, issues and challenges. It reveals new ways to address and solve problems, to expand the understanding of self-love and self-worth, the attraction of new relationships, the manifestations of abundance of all kinds, empowerment and self-awareness concepts. It provides new refreshing 'out of the mind' information that gives greater awareness, clarity, wisdom, acceptance and understanding to inspire and expand consciousness. Please visit http://www.self-help-on-line.com to discover new 'out of the box' insights about Self-Help Personal Developments Reviews.

What Does a GFI Do? - Electrical Problems

2009-09-05T19:17:00.001-07:00

In your bathroom you should have a GFI electrical outlet. Most new homes or newly remodeled homes require you to have GFI electrical outlets in the kitchen. Most older kitchens do not have GFI electrical outlets. GFI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter.

Why not call it a GFCI instead of a GFI electrical outlet? Well it is called a GFCI in some instances. GFI is short and is the most common name used by most electricians and builders for this type of outlet.

GFI 's come in 15 amp and 20 amperage outlets. GFI outlets must be wired properly. Make sure you're using the proper wire size when hooking up the GFI outlet.

How do I know which size wire to use? This all depends on how far away you are running it from the electrical panel. There are charts you can use to figure this out. If you are not running the electrical wire more than 80 feet from the electrical panel you can use 12 gauge electrical wires for a 20 amp GFI. This is a general rule of thumb for most electrical house wiring.

If you're going to be using a 15 amp GFI and you are going to be less than 80 feet away from the electrical panel you can use 14 gauge electrical wires. Again this is just a general rule of thumb for most electrical house wiring.

A GFI is a light duty electrical plug used in bathrooms, kitchens and the exterior of your house. The sole purpose of the GFI is to shut the breaker off faster if there is any moisture or light load problems.

Let's say for instance you have your hair dryer plugged into the GFI outlet. The hair dryer somehow falls into the sink while it is on or plugged in. The GFI outlet will instantly shut off because of the sensitivity of the breaker inside of the plug it self.

The GFI plug has a test button and a reset button on it. If you are continually resetting the GFI you will wear it out eventually. I have had GFI plugs after resetting the button about 10 times break and no longer able to use them.

The GFI electrical plug is a great idea and if you don't have them in your bathroom or outside of your home it would be a great idea to have an electrician install them for you.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Home Building Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

San Diego Termite Damage

Effects Of False Prophets

Awakening - White Sun

2009-09-05T12:51:00.001-07:00

If we are not in the state of awakening and enlightenment, then we are still in the state of slumber and drowsiness. This awakening is not that we wake up from our sleep and aware from our dormant state. It is very difficult for the soul to wake up from its deep slumber without the guidance of Truth. Buddha in Sanskrit means the awakened one and it describes a person who has come to the understanding of the Truth and reality of life. It is to wake up from the delusions of the transient world of illusions.

We can look at the meaning of being awakened from two points of view. Firstly, being awakened means to be conscious or aware of what is going on around us. If we are wide awake, then no thieves would dare to steal the treasures from within us. Being awakened also means realization that is to understand the real and true purpose of life. When we come to this realization, we can put together and manifest fully the precious divine qualities in us. Unfortunately this is not easy to achieve because most of the time we are still lost and trapped by the colorful world around us. Our basic senses, like what we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think, often deprive us of our peace of mind. This is akin to our precious treasures being stolen without us realizing it.

Secondly, to be awakened is to come to the realization of ones True Self. He makes sure that whatever he says, acts, and thinks are faultless. He maintains tranquility in his sensual organs. He gives convenience to others. He makes no distinction between himself and others. He conveys the Truth to others so that all, including himself; can become Buddhas. He vows to save the world out of his mercifulness.

If we are not awakened then we will find it very hard to let go of attachments and do not know how to untie entanglements. Many people would do anything to acquire what they desire to the extent of jeopardizing their own integrity and morality. They may act unscrupulously and ruthlessly to fulfill their innermost desires induced by the six senses. Such unrighteous behavior of mankind is a consequence of the attachment to the myriad worldly objects. The attachment to the temporal world will give rise to all obstacles and entanglements.

What do we mean by obstacles? The path of Truth is originally bright and smooth. It is because we choose to act in opposition to our conscience that our heart is then fill with guilt and remorse. The path thus becomes rough, narrow and full of pains and sorrows. We were originally a liberated soul that was free from troubles and worries. It was due to the attachment to the physical world that we became blinded and confused. We then cannot be the master of our destiny unless we are awakened to the Truth of life and its purpose. Fate will then determine our lives but if we are awakened then we can change our fate by knowing how to let go of attachment and untie the entanglement that can suffocate us to death.

The saddest thing of all is that we have been entangled in the worldly realm for too long that we are used to living in such manner and considered it as normal for human to live, grow old, fall sick and then die. We are confused and lost and our sense of spiritual awareness may not be deep enough to help us out of this misery. Sufferings become normal and thus we live in this world helplessly and lack the courage and wisdom to find a way to free ourselves from all these entanglements. Fortunately there are people who are awakened to this misery and search for the Truth to end this suffering.

We all wish to live a meaningful and fulfilling life that will end up with the attainment of eternal life like the previous Saints and Sages who managed to transcend the cycle of birth and death. To achieve this, we must firstly recognize that the worldly realm is not our real home and the physical body is not our true self, it is the false self. We know very well that one day we will all die. There will be a time when this body is no longer usable. When our time is up, we need to leave our body and everything we possess behind. Therefore, this body and this world are actually not ours and thus cannot be depended on but however, we need this body to save the true self, meaning using the false self to save the true self.

In the teachings of Tao of Heaven, we say that an awakened lives in the adulterated society, yet he is not tainted by emotions and desires. He devotes himself to the spreading of Tao to the world, transforming Hell into Heaven. He points out Tao of Heaven to those who are lost so that they can also realize their True Selves. He acts according to Tao. He will correct all his bad habits, perform good deeds, speak only of the Truth, practise only Tao, take only what he justly deserves, think of only righteous thoughts, be honest, and have an everlasting reputation by establishing his virtues. He takes ferrying those who are predestined to encounter Tao of Heaven as his mission. He vows to save the world out of his mercifulness and spread benevolence, justice, virtues and the truth.

This is the advice from my Heavenly Teacher JiGong, Everybody can become Sheng-Xian (saints and worthies); everybody can become Xian-Fo (angels, immortals and buddhas). It only depends on whether the person has aspiration or not. So long as one has aspiration, one can cultivate no matter if one lives as a commoner or leaves home and lives as a priest, a monk or a nun. For those who have aspiration, although they live at home, they would regard their wives or husbands as friends and their children as companions. The worldly affairs cannot pollute them and conjugal love cannot bind them. They take the Spirit and Life as the vital, and take Truth and Virtue as the honorable. They borrow the worldly and common way to cultivate the transcendent and uncommon way. For those who lack aspiration, they cannot see through the reality behind the worldly affairs; they focus on the unreal but slight the real, and they do not realize that Spirit and Life and Birth and Death are a great matter indeed.

Author: T.A Chew

T.A Chew was told that in order to save the True Self (soul), we need the False Self (body) and only human can be awakened. Upon initiation of Tao, he realized that it is very important to restore his True Self and overcome emotions and desires. Website: http://www.white-sun.com

New Home Buyers Beware

2009-09-05T11:33:00.001-07:00

Ican't believe how many homebuyers purchase a house, with very little information and a Lotta hope. I'm a general contractor and often work on these homes, after they have been purchased and a homeowner has their money, the real estate professional is no longer involved in the transaction and the new homeowner is starting to experience the pitfalls from buying the home, that they sincerely believe was in good condition.

It's usually somebody like me that gets involved with the new homeowners after everyone else is out of the picture and chooses not to return their phone calls or explains to them quite simply, it's not our responsibility, you're the new homeowner and we really feel sorry for you, please call us again if we can help you with anything.

You couldn't even help me with that, why would I want to call you again if I had a problem. I never could understand this thinking but have ran into it often. It sounds like an oxymoron when someone refuses to help you but offers you help in the future. What ever!!!.

If homebuyers had something else to rely on besides their real estate salesperson, home inspection service, mortgage or insurance professional, I believe they can eliminate some of these problems. Where do you start and how do you get the information. You can gather information from reputable people, books, the Internet and so on.

The problem is how do you know these people are reputable and the books on the Internet have good information. This brings us to another problem, but I've got the solution that will help eliminate some of the grief. I'm not going to remove all of the grief from your life but have a suggestion for you that will eliminate some of the pain when buying a home.

Arm yourself with a good home inspection checklist. You can search the Internet and they have quite a few good home inspection checklist to work with. These checklist can provide you with things you might not have thought of, and this is where you can eliminate some of the problems.

If you took one of these checklists with you while you were shopping for a home, you would be aware of some of the problems with the home. You might not find all of the problems but these checklist will help you with some of the problems.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more home inspection or home building ideas.

Religion Articles

Brainwave Entrainment to Fall Asleep - Fact Or Fiction?

2009-09-05T05:16:00.001-07:00

Brainwave Entrainment (sometimes known as Brainwave Synchronization), is the term used for bringing brainwaves into a certain state. Whether that state is Alpha, Delta, Beta, Gamma; there is some real truth in the ability to sync both hemispheres of the brain for a desired result.

Many scientific studies have been going on for years, researching binaural beats, which are tones release to the ear through the brain, and helps "synchronize" the two hemispheres to a certain state. Mainly here we are focusing on the Deep Delta state, that which is mostly associated with sleep.

When we are in the Delta brainwave state, we are in a deep dreamless sleep. Sometimes it is hard for many people to enter. Think about it. Do you wake up in the middle of the night? Or do you find that it's hard for you to go to sleep?

According to multiple products, it is able to produce delta brain signals and put the listener to a deep state of relaxation and sleep. Many scientists are still researching this, and there are still some unanswered questions. Only you can decide.

Because of today's society, unfortunately many people are taking prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications to help them fall asleep. What they don't realize (the sad part about it, most do) is that there are many side effects that can occur that have nothing to do with the symptom. Brainwave Entrainment is an alternative to sleeping medication in that it has no reported or proven side-effects.

Brandon is a Hypnotist who is the owner of http://www.HypnoticSubliminals.com

Window Header Framing Problems

2009-09-05T03:59:00.001-07:00

Do not change the sizes of any headers or beams.

A long time ago carpenters used a standard rule of thumb, you could go up two sizes larger than the window opening for your header. Let me give you an example of what I'm trying to explain.

It's not worth it. Keep in mind you are the assembler and not the designer of the building you are working on.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and House Framing Structural Repairs

Are Your Prayers Being Answered

Stopping Panic Attacks - The 1 Step Solution

2009-09-04T21:55:00.001-07:00

Stopping panic attacks is not easy. I know from experience; I lived with it for more than 17 years. During that time I was always on the lookout for ways to improve my condition and my quality of life. Most of the things I tried didn't help at all, but a couple of them did.

What I'm going to talk about next is one of the few things I found that really made a difference and helped in my recovery.

What I'm talking about here is a book. It's called "50 Self-Help Classics," and it's written by a man called Tom Butler-Bowden. What makes this book so different from most others I read in this area is that it's a book about other books. The author has read hundreds and hundreds of self-help books, looking for the handful that are excellent.

And he took the best 50 books on the subject that he discovered and condensed them all into this one little book. That means that by reading this one book you'll actually be learning the information from over 50 books. Pretty neat, eh? It's like stopping panic attacks on turbo!

The reason I recommend this book so strongly to people who are living with panic and anxiety is because so many of the self-help books out there are terrible - a complete waste of your time. But this book, which collects together the ideas and information from the best 50 books out there, contains nothing but great information. The author has done the hard work of reading the books that are terrible so you don't have to.

I believe you'll find dozens of nuggets of information in this book that will help you with your panic and anxiety. In fact, if stopping panic attacks is your main goal right now, then I recommend that buying and reading this book is your very next step.

Since overcoming a lifelong battle with many forms of anxiety disorder, Alex Taylor now devotes his time to helping others recover. He achieves this via his highly-acclaimed online course, "Beat Panic Today." So if you want to stop panic attacks right now you can access the course, free of charge, by going to Alex's website: http://www.PreventYourPanic.com

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

2009-09-04T20:23:00.001-07:00

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

Finding out How Much Things Cost

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

Figuring out the Labor

Give Yourself a Cushion

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

What Happens To Nonbelieving

Primal Leadership - A Book Summary

2009-09-04T14:23:00.001-07:00

Primal leadership takes center stage in this book. This concept goes beyond the set of conventional competencies on the making of a leader. Beyond bottom line figures, this book takes a leap forward with the concept of primal leadership through a keen and in-depth understanding of emotional intelligence and its link to leading and building emotionally intelligent organizations.

The authors explore the idea of leadership as an emotional
function. They propose that the fundamental task of a leader is to create resonance at work, thereby unleashing positive traits and attributes in people. Emotionally intelligent leaders bring organizational success to the fore because they inspire, motivate and foster commitment in people.

Harness the power of primal leadership in this book and bring out the emotionally intelligent leader in you.

Primal Dimension of Leadership

The use of emotion in leadership functions is a primal task that sets leaders apart. Great leaders move people by channeling emotions in the right direction, whether it is in formulating corporate strategy in the boardroom or a series of action items in the shop floor.

Resonance Effect

The positive channeling of emotions that empowers people to be top performers is called resonance. The culture of resonance brings out the best in people. On the other hand, when leaders negatively drive emotions dissonance is created. Dissonance is not conducive to harmonious working relationships as it can undermine peoples potentials.

Key to Primal Leadership

Emotional intelligence is the foundation of making primal
leadership work. An emotionally intelligent leader knows how to handle himself and his relationship with the people he works with in order to drive up performance.

Good Moods, Good Work

A good mood is essential for a team to function effectively. It is crucial for a leader to foster positive working relationships because emotional conflicts in a group can hamper a teams performance.

A study of CEOs from Fortune 500 companies revealed that
positive overall mood of top management people leads to better cooperation and better business performance. This argument takes the view that it is top management that creates the conditions for workers to work well.

Resonant Leader

For emotionally intelligent leaders, resonance comes naturally in their dealings with people. Their actions reinforce synchrony within their team and within the organization. The strength of an emotionally resonant leader lies in the emotional bond he forms which allows people to collaborate with each other even in the face of change and uncertainty.

Four Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence

The creation of resonance is a hallmark of primal leadership that can only be fostered by emotionally intelligent leaders. For a leader to promote prime resonance in a group, it is important to understand the four EI competencies. Interestingly, these competencies are not innately inherent but are learned abilities. According to research, an effective leader typically demonstrates at least one competence among
the four dimensions.

1. Self-Awareness

2. Self-Management

3. Social Awareness

4. Relationship Management

Approaches to Leadership in a Nutshell

1. Visionary

2. Coaching

3. Affiliative

4. Democratic

5. Pacesetting

6. Commanding

The Five Discoveries of Self-Directed Learning

1. First Discovery: My ideal self Who do I want to be?

2. Second Discovery: My real self Who am I? What are my strengths and gaps?

3. Third Discovery: My learning agenda How can I build on my strengths while reducing my gaps?

4. Fourth Discovery: Experimenting with and practicing new behaviors, thoughts, and feelings to the point of mastery.

5. Fifth Discovery: Developing supportive and trusting
relationships that make change possible.

Final Notes

Primal leadership is anchored on emotions. These emotions have underlying neurological explanations to them such as the open loop system. Thus, a leader must work hard to obtain emotional intelligence competencies that will make him a resonant leader
because resonance is the key to primal leadership.

A resonant leader builds a culture of resonance by emonstrating emotionally intelligent abilities that permeate throughout the organization. A resonant leader aims to live a resonant life for him and his people in order to make resonant work. It is this kind of work that builds an emotionally intelligent
organization a kind of organization that can survive the changing business climate because it has built-in processes that can sustain change.

By: Regine P. Azurin and Yvette Pantilla

Regine Azurin is the President of BusinessSummaries.com, a company that provides business book summaries of the latest bestsellers for busy executives and entrepreneurs.

http://www.bizsum.com "A Lot Of Great Books....Too Little Time To Read" Free Book Summaries Of Latest Bestsellers for Busy Executives and Entrepreneurs

Mailto: mailto:freearticle@bizsum.com

BusinessSummaries is a BusinessSummaries.com service.

Luck is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity

2009-09-04T13:00:00.001-07:00

You must be ready when an opportunity comes before you, opportunity often comes in the form of work and that's why most people seem to miss it. Most people are too busy looking for the easy path through life. They seem to lay around waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime,... to simply fall at your feet.

Why would you want to spend so much time complaining about something, or someone? Other people can help you along the way, if you let them, but it's up to you, ultimately, to become the most you can possibly be. I have had plenty of opportunities in my life and have took advantage of some, while letting most of them pass by.

I'm no different than most people but now seem to be aware of my surrounding opportunities, all the time.

How many times do you wish for an opportunity to come along? It's probably one that you missed already, at some point during your life. Are you going to be prepared for the next opportunity when it comes along? These opportunities seem to repeat themselves throughout our lives and if we're not in the right state of mind, we often overlook them and let them pass by, time and time again.

You need to prepare yourself in advance for the next opportunity. If you are prepared and have your eyes open, you will be able to see the next opportunity that comes your way. Preparation will increase your chances for success and good fortune always.

Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. Be on the lookout, when you're walking to the grocery store, taking a break at work, reading the newspaper, talking to your neighbor, walking down the street or even while you are sitting alone, letting your mind wander away. Your chances for success could come while your in your quiet places, or relaxing. Be prepared.

Should The Bible Be Edited

Quit Smoking Today - An Ebook Review

2009-09-04T07:01:00.001-07:00

The desire to quit smoking is probably more widespread these days, as the world is more exposed to the potential dangers of this unhealthy habit. Still, the process of quitting can be so complex and excruciating that it affects the resolve of even the most resolute of people. Some individuals relapse after the first few attempts, while others don't even have the heart to try at all.

There are currently a variety of products available that can help you stop smoking, but some don't work while others have a long list of potential side effects. Because of this, a lot of smokers hardly seek help and eventually give up any efforts to become smoke-free.

One solution is Quit Smoking Today, a technique created by Rob Mellor, an expert on Neuro-Linguistic-Programming, which is a branch of psychotherapy that deals specifically with nicotine addiction. In this article, we will share some vital information about Mellor's approach so that you can make an informed decision on your quest to stop smoking.

The Quit Smoking Today program consists of an mp3 audio file that lasts for 38minutes and 13seconds. The program promises to teach you to quit smoking without suffering any withdrawal symptoms. The author further claims that more than 90% of 5,000 test subjects completely kicked the habit after using his method. Additionally, he claims that the majority of test subjects were able to stop smoking within a month after listening to his recordings only once, and most did not relapse after more than six months.

The central idea of the Quit Smoking Today mp3 is quite similar to the principles of hypnosis. It aims to access the subconscious and change the smoker's perception of cigarettes & nicotine cravings.

Most reviews of Mellor's technique have been mostly positive, with numerous people vouching for its effectiveness and reporting no untoward experiences. The only unenthusiastic response so far is that of people claiming that the method still lacks sufficient testing data. However, more than any official research, we value the voice of the product's actual users, and to date, the results have been extremely encouraging.

The Quit Smoking Today audio book is not a miracle product that will serve as a shortcut to an otherwise painstaking process. However, we encourage you to try out this product and see if it works for you. Since it has produced impressive results for others, there's no reason why you won't benefit from it as well. Improving your health is well worth the try.

To download your copy of the Free Quit Smoking Guide, and to read more articles related to Quit Smoking Today, please visit this quit smoking website.

DIY Bathroom Remodeling Or Hiring a Contractor

2009-09-04T05:20:00.001-07:00

The first question you need to ask yourself when remodeling a bathroom is can you actually do the work yourself or do you have someone that can help you with the remodeling. If you don't know anyone and can't do the work yourself, I would suggest hiring a contractor with experience remodeling bathrooms.

If you can do the work yourself or think you could do the work yourself, why not give it a shot. Any experience you have in construction or home remodeling, is going to be beneficial to your bathroom remodeling project. There is plenty of information on the internet or in your local libraries on bathroom remodeling and these often prove to be great resources for do it yourselfers.

As an experienced contractor I have gathered a great deal of information through books, at work and watching local home improvement shows. The biggest problem with the show's and quite a few of these books, is they don't provide enough information. Most of the time they provide you with the basics of bathroom remodeling and you could soon find yourself in trouble or seeking the advice from a home improvement professional.

The largest benefit for doing the bathroom remodeling project yourself, could be the money you save, along with the satisfaction of completing the project. It makes homeowners feel good when they've completed a large home remodeling project, like a bathroom remodel.

If you don't have the time, lack the experience or a combination of both, I would suggest hiring a contractor to relieve you from the stress and frustration of your bath remodeling project. The more complex your bathroom remodeling project is, the greater the degree of difficulty, the longer it will take to complete the project. Some of these projects can take up a lot of your time.

If you're working on galvanized water supply pipes or old cast iron waste pipes, you could find yourself hiring a plumber to install your bathtub and fixtures. These old pipes create problems for most do it yourselfers and I would suggest hiring a professional, whenever you run into a problem you don't feel comfortable with.

Choosing to tackle some of these difficult problems yourself, could lead to water leaks and more damage to the home eventually costing you even more money than the original cost of hiring an experienced plumber in the first place. When it comes to water, structural framing and electricity, think twice, especially if you're not experienced in these areas.

My advice to do it yourselfers is to hire a professional if you're not comfortable or seek the advice from a contractor or someone with considerable experience bathroom remodeling.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more House Remodeling Pictures or home building ideas.

Spiritual Dictionary

Live with High Energy Drive Successfully

2009-09-03T23:19:00.001-07:00

Imagine a world where what you do is enjoy life and work is simply a part of your enjoyment? Can you see it yet?

I woke up this morning to cloudy gray skies and drizzling rain, chilling the atmosphere. After I prepared a lovely breakfast of rye muffins, eggs, and grape juice I settled in front of my computer with a nice hot cup of tea. This is my favorite place to write.

Im not rushing, Im just enjoying my life, and youre reading what I love to do.

You can do what you love to do and earn a living doing it too. It doesnt have to be writing, it can be anything. Ill show you how.

1. Take a vacation.

Have you ever noticed, the most successful people take time to have fun? They plan vacations into their lives, the keep family time separate from work time, and they enjoy what they do. Its a choice. Take time out for fun and enjoy your life.

2. Give generously.

Donate to charity. Give to the poor. Tithe to your church. Give generously from your heart. What you have comes from God, it was given to you - give it back. God is your Provider, and He provides plenty. When you see someone in need, give.

3. Forgive those who trespass against you.

Forgive those who owe you a debt so you may be forgiven. When you hold a grudge against your neighbor, you prevent the gift of forgiveness from being given to you. You cant open your heart and accept the gift of love until you learn to let go of the grudges and forgive.

4. Love without fear.

The love you give comes from an endless storehouse of love. You can love without fear, without worry. Theres more love to give. Youre not limited to a specific amount of love in your life, theres always more available. Give it away freely.

5. Take care of yourself.

Youre important. Youre a valuable being, created in the image of God. You deserve to be cared for, loved, and provided well, because you are precious and wonderful.

6. Save something for tomorrow.

Because planning ahead is important, keep something for tomorrow. Invest in your future and show good stewardship with your finances. Follow the old principle of owing no-one. Live a life free of debts and encumbrances by planning ahead for any emergency.

7. Do what you love.

Learn to do well that which you love and do it expecting to earn good wages for what you do. Charge what you deserve and always give more than you get. Your value is far above jewels and precious metals, because you are worthy of your pay.

So, where are you at today? Are you feeling low and down, wondering how to get out of the hole, or are you climbing close to the mountain top, hoping you can find a pentacle to rest upon?

Or are you enjoying life?

Claim your FREE 3-Part Traffic Report and more http://secret2prosperity.com

2007 - J.D. Verhoeff

Inerrancy of the Bible - Are There Mistakes in the Bible

2009-09-03T21:52:00.001-07:00

Is the Bible, 100%, 90%, or even 50% accurate. Are these stories that were written by people many years ago and the lessons have been helpful but now need to be rewritten.

Are Your Prayers Being Answered

Questioning About Your Religion - Movie Video

2009-09-03T15:35:00.001-07:00

Are you one of those who believed in your religion wholeheartedly and never has doubted it. Watch this video to gather some more information about questioning your religion.

Home Improvement Tip - Fixing a Squeaky Floor

2009-09-03T14:16:00.001-07:00

Question: I have a floor that every single time I step on it I get the most annoying sound. I don't know what it does to me or why it bothers me so much. My kitchen floor squeaks and actually moves up and down if you are standing on it. The whole floor moves. How do I stop it from moving and squeaking. Help Me Greg!

Answer: It sounds like you have a broken floor joist. You are going to have to go under your house. If you have a basement this will be a little easier to fix. It is my guess that you don't have a basement or you would have seen the broken floor joist by now.

Have someone stand on the floor in the spot that squeaks and have them move up and down while you are under the house. Don't have them jump up and down while you are under the house. This could cause more damage to the structural framing of the floor. Once you are in the right position under the floor you can have them start moving slowly. What you are looking for is one of the floor joist that are moving.

If you see one of them moving. Look to see where the damage is. Is it a split, crack, wood rot or a big knot in the wood that has loosened up and fell out. Once you find the damaged floor joist you can now think about repairing it.

If you don't see any floor joist moving. Have the person on top start moving a little bit more and you can even have them jump on it a few times until you see something out of place. If you still don't see any broken floor joist. Start looking at the sub-floor, this will be plywood of some form, 1 x 6 or 2 x 6 materials.

What you are looking for is movement of any kind. Is there a separation or movement between the sub-floor and the floor joist. If you still can't find the problem maybe it is time to call in a professional.

The main thing you are going to be looking for is movement of any kind.

Most squeaky floors are caused from the sub-floor rubbing up and down on a nail. If you have carpeting and you have a squeaky floor you can do your best to locate a floor joist and screw right through your carpeting into the floor joist.

For more help on fixing squeaky floors visit http://gregvan.com/wood_repair.htm

Thanks for the great question. I hope it helps.

Greg Vanden Berge has been in the home building and remodeling business for over 30 years. With this knowledge he has created a few websites that provide useful information for home owners as well as contractors. His main goal is to educate professionals in the home related businesses, dealing with problems that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of information.

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

What Happens To Nonbelieving

Motivational Humorous Speakers

2009-09-03T07:55:00.001-07:00

Motivational humorous speakers can help to inspire people to laugh more at meetings, if you follow these simple yet effective suggestions below.

Aptness of Humorous Speakers for Meetings

Ideally, business meetings should be interesting, engaging, effective, and provide a platform for a smooth exchange of ideas. Meetings should be conducted in a relaxed atmosphere to encourage the emergence of path breaking ideas and effective dissemination of information. Importantly, business meetings should have an element of cheerfulness or fun underlying its proceedings. Are business meetings fun at all? They should be, but they are not. That's why you should consider hiring a motivational humorous speaker for your next motivational humorous speaker meeting.

Far from being funny and peppy, business meetings are made to be solemn affairs. Visualize a typical meeting scenario - do you see people falling off their seats with laughter or you see people frozen with seriousness, with their mobile phones switched off, body highly strung with stress, and their minds on "alert" mode? The latter image is more likely to form than the former. How often do we see an executive jumping with joy and proclaiming that he has a big meeting scheduled the next day? Very rarely. The topic of meetings have staidness writ all over them. Meetings are serious events. Unfortunately, they are invariably made to turn out that way when actually the need of the hour is - meetings should be easy, fun and yet purposeful - motivational humorous speaker to the rescue.

Professional motivational speakers meet this cardinal need of the world of business as they are gifted with the ability to transform drab and boring business meetings in to beautiful, lively and engaging platforms. Funny motivational speakers are much sought after for they have the knack of diffusing unwanted tension in the air of a meeting room. Meeting attendees' like to laugh and appreciate a motivational humorous speakers' wit and commitment to making the meeting successful.

Inspirational motivational speakers become indispensable when meetings become events where motivation is in short supply; the underachievers are pulled up; and competitors are lauded grudgingly for their successes. Keynote laughter speakers lighten up the atmosphere and put things in perspective in business meetings where big monetary figures are put on the tables; falling graphs are dissected to tiny atoms to be analyzed; and achievements are celebrated briefly only to facilitate the announcement of the next set of ambitious and sometimes over-ambitious business goals.

Doug Dvorak is the CEO of DMG Inc., a worldwide organization that assists clients with productivity training, corporate humor and workshops, as well as other aspects of sales and marketing management. Mr. Dvorak's clients are characterized as Fortune 1000 companies, small to medium businesses, civic organizations and service businesses. Mr. Dvorak has earned an international reputation for his powerful educational methods and motivational techniques, as well as his experience in all levels of business, corporate education and success training. http://www.dougdvorak.com

Planning Your Bathroom Remodel Budget - Home Improvement Ideas

2009-09-03T06:47:00.001-07:00

Bathroom Remodeling Investment

Finding out How Much Things Cost

Create a List of Bathroom Remodeling Parts

Figuring out the Labor

Give Yourself a Cushion

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

If your looking for some more bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Religion Articles

Real Help For Out Of Control Anger

2009-09-03T00:25:00.001-07:00

It is very easy to get angry, with the way the world is today. Most people have stress levels off the charts due to family, work, social problems, and worst of all, financial and debt issues. With everything that is on your plate, it's no wonder that most days you feel like screaming and ranting until things finally start to make sense. So, what can be done to soothe your raging spirit and bring calm to your life when everything feels so out of your control? Anger management is a collection of techniques and methods that are designed to help you learn to better control your anger and feel more at peace with the world around you. The following four anger management methods will give you the information you need to help you decide how and where to get help.

Relaxation Therapy Since stress and the feelings of pressure are often the leading reasons for uncontrollable anger. The best way to curb this type of anger is through relaxation therapy. Relaxation helps reduce stress levels and allows you to better control your anger. One of the most common relaxation technique is meditation. Meditation is focused breathing often accompanied by a specific and meaningful word or phrase repeated under your breath. This word or phrase is also called a Mantra and frequently represents something important to your life.

Aromatherapy has more recently become a favorite way for people to relax and relieve stress. By adding a scent to your bathwater, floating to candlelight and maybe reading a good book or listening to soothing music, you will be able to feel your tension melt away.

Many people also find exercise, particular yoga, to be relaxing in a meditative way. Not only does yoga relieve stress, it also helps you get into shape. I know looking good improves my attitude!

Support Groups When your stress levels are high and your anger is out of control, you can feel lonely, scared and isolated. As if you are the most horrible person in the world and the only one who can't handle your anger. Joining a support group can show you that there are many, many people who struggle with the same anger problems that you do. If you are shy or just prefer not seeking out a support group in the "real world", the Internet offers assistance through forums and chat rooms. On the Internet you can enjoy the feeling of belonging that you need while still getting the feeling of anonymity that you want.

Self-Help Books Maybe you are the type of person who learns best through reading. Self-help books for anger management can discuss many different ways to analyze your problem with anger and get to the root of your issues. Some of the other methods discussed in this article will be discussed in more thorough detail and other methods will be introduced. Many anger management self-help books were written by medical professionals (mostly psychologists) and can effectively help you cope with your out of control anger.

It is important to note that it is net recommended to only use self-help books to treat anger. Reading a book can only help so much and should be combined with other methods for treating anger management.

Therapy If you feel that your anger is seriously out of control and you may be a danger to yourself or others in a fit of rage, you should enlist the help of a professional mental health counselor. A counselor will talk with you about your anger, try to determine the root, and introduce you to the most effective techniques in controlling anger. Therapy isn't only a last resort for anger management; it is a good option for people who have only mild anger problems too. Anyone who believes they could benefit from talking to a professional about their anger should go ahead and schedule an appointment without fearing judgment.

http://www.livingmybigdream.com
http://hubpages.com/hub/Anger-Managment

Nailing Or Screwing Drywall

2009-09-02T23:32:00.001-07:00

Nails versus screws who will become the winner. When drywall first came out the installers used everything from regular steel nails to galvanized roofing nails. After a short amount of time they started to develop major problems from nails popping out of the finished drywall.

Nail popping results when the nail is driven into moist lumber and as the lumber shrinks the house settles and nail can actually pop out to the walls. Hard to imagine the nail could actually pop out of the drywall as the wood was drying out.

How far the nail would actually pop out was determined by how far it was driven in to the framing studs or ceiling joists. Well pretty soon drywall installers started to use ring shank nails to eliminate this problem. This worked great but these nails were hard to drive in and would often break.

As time went on the nails improved and were made out of galvanized metal with cupped shaped heads and came in a few different sizes. The size of the nail used was determined by the thickness of the drywall. These new nails worked great and had good holding power and eliminated a lot of nail popping.

Using nails means driving them in with a hammer. If you miss the nail you damage the drywall. This seemed to be a big problem and was virtually eliminated with the screws.

Well pretty soon people started using screws which had greater holding power and pretty much nail popping. Another advantage to using screws over nails is the simple fact you need less screws than you do nails to attach the drywall to the metal or wood framing.

This means less labor installing and finishing the drywall.

There is one problem with the screws and that is they have to be set perfectly. They can not break the paper surface on the drywall but have to be set enough into the drywall so that it can be finished properly. Most screw guns have an adjustable setting used to get just the right depth for the screws installed in the drywall. But this also was a problem when screwing into a hard piece of wood you can actually snapped the screw head off, strip the screw head or break the screw.

Nails on the other hand can bend while driving them into a hard surface.

Who wins the nails versus screws while installing drywall? I have got to give it to the screws. That doesn't mean the nails just got screwed or the screws just got nailed.

I couldn't resist. I actually preferred the screws over the nails except for when nailing the drywall corner bead on. Some drywall professionals use nails to hang the drywall and go back with a screw gun and some screws to finish the job. The nails sometimes seem handier than the screws when installing the drywall.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Carlsbad Home Improvement

Was Jesus A Good Example

Ethics in the Workplace

2009-09-02T17:06:00.001-07:00

We've all heard these rules to live by: Don't hurt, don't steal, don't lie, and the more famous "Do unto others as you would have done to you." In our personal lives most people try to follow these rules. Ethics are often thought of by many as something that is related to the personal side of life and not to the business side. In some businesses, having ethics may actually be frowned upon. This is usually due to the fact that business is about doing what's best for the bottom line and not always about doing the right thing.

It is commonly understood that there are ethics and then there are workplace ethics. Often we don't stop to realize that there is no difference between personal ethics and ethics in the workplace; ethics are the same whether at work or in personal life.

After all, ethics are about making choices that may not always feel good or seem like they benefit you. Ethical choices are the "right" choices to make and are examples of rules to live by.

Practical Impact
Executives typically want the answers to two key questions about ethics in their offices: "How do workplace ethics apply to practical goals of my organization and the work of my employees?" and "Is there reliable data to support these assertions?" The Ethics Resource Center (www.ethics.org), a nonprofit organization, assists leaders to impact their organizations by identifying ethical risks and establishing systems to emphasize higher standards for business conduct.

The Ethics Resource Center annually conducts a National Business Ethics Survey (NBES) - a rigorous telephone survey of 1,500 U.S. employees. The NBES findings are encouraging for organizations that have an emphasis on positive workplace ethics. For example, employees have high expectations for ethics within their organizations. Nine in ten respondents say that they "expect their organizations to do what is right, not just what is profitable."

This suggests that most employees are not cynical about ethics at work, encouraging news when considering the implementation or development of ethics initiatives as the long term success of any program rely on the active support of employees.

Formal ethics programs and informal ethics practices were shown to affect certain key outcomes. Employees who work in companies with active ethics programs who observe leaders modeling ethical behavior, and also observe the application of values such as honesty, respect and trust applied frequently at work, report more positive experiences that include the following:

Less pressure on employees to compromise ethics standards
Less observed misconduct at work
Greater willingness to report misconduct
Greater satisfaction with their organization's response to misconduct they report
Greater overall satisfaction with their organizations
Greater likelihood of "feeling valued" by their organizations

Findings of Concern
The NBES uncovered a substantial gap between senior and middle managers and lower-level employees. A consistent finding with management was the perception that their organizations have a positive ethical environment. This conflicts with the perception of lower-level employees however. This suggests that executives may underestimate the importance of specific ethics issues and concerns facing employees.

This disconnect may also position executives to fail to address these issues adequately within their organization's ethics programs. Therefore it is important for executives to include input from employees at lower levels in the development of ethics programs and to continue to seek out their input and feedback on a regular basis.

In addition to the communications gap between employees and executives, one in three employees believe that their coworkers will perceive them as "snitches" if they report misconduct. This is roughly the same proportion of employees who believe that management will see them as "troublemakers" for reporting ethical concerns. A key element to take away from this discovery is the need to address and eliminate retaliation systemically, at the management and peer levels throughout the organization.

Questions Answered
Let's go back to our two key questions: "How do workplace ethics apply to practical goals of my organization and the work of my employees?" and "Is there reliable data to support these assertions?" There are a variety of practical reasons for executives to focus on workplace ethics and reliable data that supports these efforts. The NBES findings consistently link ethics programs to more positive organizations outcomes and increased employee satisfaction.

It would be nave to suggest that an emphasis on ethics will improve the work environment and solve the company's problems overnight. In many cases a well developed and organized effort to target key ethical issues sends an important message. It tells employees that your organization is moving in a positive direction, one that is positive for them as individuals.

Establishing an Ethics Program
Establishing an ethics program is not an exact science. As with any organizational program, it will involve the input and cooperation of many people. The effectiveness of any organization's approach will depend on characteristics that are unique to its culture, the leadership styles, proper planning, and so on. Since some people may be uncomfortable talking about the issues of ethics it can be helpful if management first asks, considers, and then responds to the following questions:

Why might good people in this organization do unethical things?
What are our organization's values?
Have we adequately articulated these values internally and externally?
Does our organization have written ethics policies, procedures, or structures?
To whom is our organization accountable?
What do we mean by "success"?
Does the leadership of our organization support the idea of an ethical workplace?

With the feedback obtained by discussing the questions above, management will have a better idea of the perceptions their employees have on how the company is performing ethically.

In the end, it's all about beginning with our personal and collective understanding of ethics. The second step is awareness of, and solutions to, questions concerning ethics as applied to the workplace. Many universities are now heavily applying the teaching of ethics to their curricula. Graduates of these programs take this information into the workforce with the understanding that solid, positive ethics need to be applied there as well as in the private sector.

In a perfect world, corporations will be better able to avoid embarrassing scandals that appear and reappear in both national and world-wide news scandals. Small businesses will be able to keep and attract more clients and customers. Negotiations between businesses could be accomplished with increased consideration for the other company. This is something for which we can all strive.

Christian Del Monte: creator of iBlogMarketing Internet Marketing Blog and Director of Operations for TMA E-Marketing has a B.S. degree in Marketing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. In addition, Christian has over 10 years in personal sales experience and has directed the operations for TMA for the last 4 years

He has directed and worked on Internet marketing projects for mid to large-scale clients including several fortune 500 companies. Christian continues to head up the operations for TMA as well as lead research and development on vertical search markets and business blogging

Inerrancy of the Bible - Are There Mistakes in the Bible

2009-09-02T16:01:00.001-07:00

Is the Bible, 100%, 90%, or even 50% accurate. Are these stories that were written by people many years ago and the lessons have been helpful but now need to be rewritten.

Are Christians Really Interested

Sometimes You Need to Cry

2009-09-02T09:47:00.001-07:00

I recall a period in time, at about 18 months after my husband passed away, that I felt pretty good about myself. I had handled what life had thrown me and come out battered, but mostly okay on the other side. After caretaking my husband for almost a year, I was battling some minor health problems of my own, related mostly to stress, but most days I was certain my life was on track. Steady and focused, my three boys were also adjusting and it seemed we all had a grip on reality.

On this day, I was on my way to an appointment with my holistic doctor when the radio began playing a song I had never heard before. The singer's words stirred something inside me. The song spoke of loving someone through the years, and even with that person gone, the threads of memory remained.

The words reverberated through me, and I experienced almost a kind of shock as their meaning sank in. Out of nowhere, I began to cry so hard I had to pull off the road. I had no control over the rush of anguished emotion. All my hard won calm fled, chopped off at the knees as I hugged the steering wheel of my car.

I cried as if a great well had opened inside and pulled my guts out. When I finally began to calm and the tears subsided, I had to wonder where this emotional outburst had come from. How could a song open a wound of such profound loss?

I arrived at my doctor's office, and as usual with holistic doctors, they not only want to know about you physically, but they dig deeper into the emotional aspects of your life. I hesitated only briefly before telling him what had occurred on the way to his office. I felt embarrassed by my earlier semi-breakdown. I tried to explain that I'd been feeling good, and then to suddenly have this upheaval had thrown me for a loop.

He explained it was to be expected there would be days where emotion could still catch me by surprise. With the loss still relatively fresh in my life, how could I expect to be 100%? I admitted to him that I'd been feeling excruciatingly lonely, but I thought I was handling it. Some days my idea of "handling" it meant ignoring or burying my feelings. Always a very private person, I hadn't shared much of my thoughts with anyone. When friends asked how I was doing, I would usually say I was okay. Inside, I kept thinking, who wants to hear that I just want to get through another day?

I felt much better after speaking with him. Not only was he a sympathetic ear, it felt good to open up and share my worries about being alone, my concern for the kids' welfare and fears that I wasn't handling my finances to my best advantage.

We talked extensively about the triggers that stirred my own private misery. Something as straightforward as a song, or as complex as past memories, seemed to have the power to entrench me in great emotion. He made me realize there would be times I merely needed to cry as part of grief's healing process. There was nothing complicated about it. Each time we are brave enough to reach down and allow our true emotions out, it brings a little more healing into our lives. As time passes, and we remain true to ourselves, a new sense of empowerment emerges.

Elaine Williams 2008

Elaine Williams is a writer across various genres. She is a mother and a widow of four years. She can be contacted at onwingspress@yahoo.com - http://www.ajourneywelltaken.com

Need Help Remodeling In Carlsbad

2009-09-02T08:39:00.001-07:00

What you are thinking about remodeling your house and you live in Carlsbad. Let me give you some advice about some local contractors and some of the people involved. I used a company called Service Magic to find a local heating and air conditioning contractor. All I had to do was go on the internet , type in some information about my self and what I wanted to have done to my home. This didn't seem that bad of a idea at the time. But look what I found out.

I went to their web site, filled in my information and with in minutes I had received the names of at least 4 contractors. Wow this is neat. I didn't even get to start calling any of them when my phone rang. It was one of the contractors secretaries. She introduced herself and asked what would be a good time for someone to come out to look at the work I wanted done.

I was surprised at the speed things were taking place but in a way glad that I had a reputable contractor from one of the largest construction referral services on the internet. I told her 10:00 would be fine. I got a call shortly after that from one of the other companies. He wanted to meet me that mourning at 8:00 if it was Ok with me. I told him of course, let's do this. Then the next one called and I thought great you can come at 1:00. Well you guessed it the next one was coming over at 2:30.

The first contractor showed up as scheduled at 8:00. We talked about what I wanted done and he whips out his note book and starts figuring out a price. This took place around 15 minutes into the meeting. This guys good I thought. Being a General Contractor in Carlsbad myself, for a job like this I would go back to my office and figure out a price and then double check my figures for a accurate estimate. It took this guy less than 5 minutes to create a proposal of around 10,700 dollars for every thing.

Well I was thinking to myself, the job should be around 7,000 dollars but what do I know about construction. I informed him that I would think about it and that I was going to meet with a couple of other contractors that day. He ask me who the other contractors were. I proceeded to tell him that I probably shouldn't tell him who they were. Well your not going to believe this. He put on his physic hat and told me who was coming over. The only thing he didn't know was what time they where coming over.

Oh I forgot to mention before he left he told me he would knock ten percent off the job if I signed the contract right now. I pretended like I was excited just to see his reaction. He looked at me like he had won the gold metal in sales. I told him thanks but I bet your new offer with the ten percent discount will be good for the next few day. Right I asked. He wasn't looking that excited any more as he replied with a Yes it will be good for a while. I thanked him and he went on his way.

My 10:00 never showed but his secretary gave me the old, " He had to go do a emergency job and could he reschedule tomorrow at the same time. I said that would be fine. As a contractor myself I have always put the work I had to do first and foremost.

About 12:30 I get a call from my next heating and air conditioning contractor. He is running late but will be there at 1:30. I appreciate the call and I will see you then. The only problem now is that I have another contractor coming at 2:30. That give the next contractor less than one hour before the next guy shows up. I never liked going over to someone's house and running into another remodeling contractor.

The next contractor was very informative and knew his stuff. I listened and learned. He told me he was going to have to go back to his office and would have a price back in the mourning. Great I told him as I hurried him out the door.

The last contractor of the day shows up and wants to know whose been over to the house, was it these guys or those guys. I told him I wasn't going to tell him who was over. Now this guy was a salesman. He did a little more probing before he let me in on the fact that his company doesn't do complete home installations. He made up some story that his company only replaces the forced air units. I could tell he didn't want to do the job once he found out I knew what I was talking about. So I said my good byes to Mr. Salesman.

The bad part about him was latter on that week his company sent us some mailers. The kind that doesn't have your name on it and everyone in the neighborhood get's one. I couldn't believe my eyes when I started to read this letter. It said we would be glad to give you an estimate on all your heating and air conditioning needs or services. " We Do Complete Installs". I told my wife we could have used this a few weeks ago. Then I recognized the name of the company and now knew that the salesman had lied to me for sure.

That night I started to think about what was going on here it seemed like I was being set up. Everyone knew what was going on but me. It seemed clear to me that these people knew each other.

Well as time went on we ended up hiring the first guy that came over. He seemed to have the best product at the most reasonable price. His company also did a great job. Keep one thing in mind here out of five contractors that I gave the opportunity to bid the job. Only three showed up and from them I only got two bids. Why didn't I get more bids? Quite frankly I was to busy working at the time and of course the other two guys were always going to show up and that kind of strung me along. My mistake.

Here's the kicker to all of this. Service Magic calls me up one day to tell me they would like to start sending me construction leads as a General Contractor.

I listened to what they had to say and was almost ready to sign up with them again. That's right, I was signed up with them when they first started until they changed the rules on me. The salesman that originally contacted me said if I paid them the 100 dollar sign up fee they would let me pick what jobs I wanted to do. That lasted about 5 months before I noticed that they were not sending me siding referrals to pick from. I called them up only to talk to someone who didn't understand the State Of California Contractors Licensing Board.

Well I wasn't about to reinvent the wheel. I simply told them that I should a least get my money back, right. They said they would look into it further as I never heard from them again about my 100 dollars. Well things have changed at Service Magic since I was with them when they started.
As a home owner you don't think you are paying Service Magic because all you do is fill out a simple form giving some information about yourself.

I found out that Service Magic sent all four of these contractors my original information. Each contractor then had to pay 55 dollars each to Service Magic for a total of 220 dollars. All I have to say is how are they getting away with charging this much money for sending a out a simple referral to these contractors.

The contractor unfortunately passes this expense on to his customers. You as the home owners end up paying these fees as a cost of doing business with them. Some contractors think this is a great way of doing business but you might think differently in the future if you start paying over 100 dollars for a simple construction referral.

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Are Your Prayers Being Answered

Flowing Through the Universe

2009-09-02T02:10:00.001-07:00

We live in an electromagnetic sea of light which is flowing through the universe. This sea of light is a part of our human consciousness.

The many millions of Lightworkers in the world have now brought enough conscious awareness into the level of the light on earth to start and connect the whole underlying field of light to become integrated and conscious in its own right, like a huge supercomputer.

Everything in the universe has this sea of light at its core. Physical matter is a hologram of light which has condensed; a thought-form where light has slowed down and changed from a wave into the fine particles which cluster together to form the finest building blocks, the atoms, that make up matter and everything in the Universe.

When we are relaxed, happy and going with our soul's purpose, we flow in this sea of light; guided and supported by the universe, we feel pleasure when we go with the flow.

Everything around us now has this same conscious awareness which formerly was experienced only through the human system. Our body's energy field, the human aura, reaches out and connects to the underlying lay lines and magnetosphere belonging to the planet.

Connect the earth to the sun and the other planets in a web of light. Gamma ray bursts flow right through the Universe, creating a superhighway of integrated conscious connections.

We are now becoming increasingly aware of these more subtle levels of energy which have become Self-aware and conscious, creating a matrix of intelligent communication throughout the whole universe.

Astrology has proved over many centuries that the heavenly bodies have an influence on our lives, emotions and feelings.

When we are driving our car, we feel guided and if we listen to our subtlest emotions, feeling and inner voice, we can transmit and receive messages to and from the underlying field of the intelligent light matrix, which keeps us safe and free from danger.

All the various control systems seem to link into our emotions and feeling; if we are feeling in tune and supported, we get green lights all the way when we drive. Parking spaces are free in the perfect place for us.

As we drive we seem to pick up messages from the things around us. We may notice synchronicities occurring, like the numbers on the dashboard clock being similar to those on the mile counter or temperature gauge or the number plate of the car in front.

We may start to notice messages in billboard signs which seem to be meant just for us.

It is as though what is outside of us is also inside, like we have a built-in satellite navigation system. It is unusual to go far astray when you are connected to your internal navigation system; it is as though you can drive on your emotions and feeling and be guided to the right place.

When you use your subtle energies while driving, it goes without saying that for safety's sake, you need to stay consciously aware of the five senses and your connection to physical reality. All I am suggesting here is to allow the awareness to expand a little by gaining depth as well within the subtle energies.

New book - "A Journey into the Self - The Multi-dimensional Nature of Being Human" by George E. Lockett, visit the Website for details: http://www.healergeorge.com

If you would like HealerGeorge to send healing to you or someone else, please click the link:

Request Distant Healing

What is Distant Healing?

Distant Healing is similar to prayer and its advantage is that it allows patients to receive Healing energies just as effectively as if they were in the presence of the Healer. Patients receive Healing equally well even when they are too ill to know that it is being sent. Distant Healing is equally effective whatever the patient's beliefs, although a desire to get better intensifies the effect of Healing. Any aspect of the body, mind or spirit can be reached by Healing.

Bathroom Faucet Leaks

2009-09-02T01:19:00.001-07:00

Faucet leaks can waste more water than you think. Have you ever put a cup or bowl underneath a leaky faucet and actually seen how much water is wasted. Leaky faucets should be repaired as soon as possible to prevent the waste of water in your home. Water is a precious resource and should be used wisely.

One slow drip from the faucet can waste over 5 gallons of water per day. If you think that's not a big deal, let me put it in perspective for you. 5 gallons of water per day equals 35 gallons per week, times 52 weeks in a year, that equals over 1800 gallons of water, and that's a lot of water.

The problem with a faucet leak isn't just the amount of water it waste, it will soon start to deteriorate your sinks, bathtubs and showers and could damage other sections of the home, like the wood framing. I've seen a water drip in a steel kitchen sink, in just a few years, wear a hole right through it. Keep in mind water and wind formed the Grand Canyon, water can be extremely erosive.

Faucet leaks can attract house pests, like mice, flies, ants and a wide variety of other insects.

Most faucets can usually be repaired for under $20. Most of the time the problem will be in the valves or handles that turn the water on and on. If you're not familiar with plumbing parts, you could pick up a do-it-yourself home repair manual or go online and look up the manufacturer of your faucet, for more information.

Usually the manufacturer has a diagram of the faucet, broken down into sections and you could get a pretty good idea, what parts you will need to remove, in order to replace the damaged part or parts that are creating the water leak.

Calling a plumber seems to be most homeowners last resort. They only do it if they absolutely have to. If you don't understand how a faucet works and have no desire to learn how, I would suggest you call a plumber or contact someone who can help you with your faucet leak, but get the faucet leak fixed and quit wasting water.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a Home Buyers Guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.
If your looking for some more bathroom remodeling or home building ideas.

Meditating On Religious Scriptur

Self Help Books - Do They Help?

2009-09-01T18:33:00.001-07:00

I recall seeing a study somewhere that suggested self help books don't really help. I believe it looked at financial self help books. If I remember correctly, three or ten years after reading various "get rich quick" and other money-related books, the readers were generally making more money, but so was everyone else (on average) that didn't read the books. The conclusion was that the books didn't help.

Now that is jumping to conclusions! Consider the assumption implicit in it. Researchers assumed those who didn't read books did nothing special. This seems unlikely, to say the least. From what we see of people, we might wonder if most really want to work on general self development, but we also can see that almost everyone regularly tries to better their financial situation.

In other words, people in the control group were doing things other than reading self help books, and those efforts got them further ahead also. Think about this for a moment. How does this show that the books didn't help? It's like "proving" that a car can't get you across the city because walking and biking and taking a bus can also get you there. They are just different ways to the same goal!

In other words, the books may have helped (on average), just like the other things people tried. Perhaps people choose the things that work best for them. Based on this hypothesis, a better test might be to have one group choose their self help methods while another is forced to use methods chosen by the researchers. If the first group shows more improvement, it suggests that many methods work, and that each person intuitively knows which will be more helpful.

It might show the opposite too. It is difficult to design such research. It is also difficult to have a proper "control," and to start with the best hypothesis. One lesson from this is to be skeptical of research where things are hard to define and measure.

Self Help Books Clearly Can Help

There are those of us who don't need research to prove that a good book can help. We clearly recall a book that changed the course of our lives, or that obviously helped us in our relationships, or even boosted our income. Yes, of course self help books can help us.

Now, there is the question of why they don't always help. You may have a friend who has told you all about a great new self help book or theory, yet doesn't seem to be much affected by it in the end. You may have read some books yourself that got you excited, but didn't seem to "stick" in our mind or change your subsequent behavior or life.

One reason for this apparent ineffectiveness may be that you need to read each book more than once, and that self help books in general help most if they are read regularly. (It is also possible that the effects of such books can be powerful, yet too subtle to notice right away.)

This reminds me of some research on eating I read about once. Researchers had people eat a meal. They then concluded that eating didn't increase the odds of survival, since everyone died of starvation two months later. Okay, I made that up, but do you see the point? Just like you have to eat regularly to get the maximum survival benefit, perhaps you need to get those self help books out again and feed your mind from time to time to get the most out of them.

Copyright Steve Gillman. For more on Self Improvement, and to get the Brainpower Newsletter and other free gifts, visit: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com

Dangers Using Wood Stair Cleats - New Stair Construction

2009-09-01T17:56:00.001-07:00

I would imagine most people don't even know what it wood stair cleat is, in construction we have so many words that describe the same thing. A stair cleat is another word for a thread bracket. In other words it's the part of the stairway that connects the stair stringer to the stair step. These have been used for years and over time, most of them will develop the same problem.

Most wood stair cleats loosened up and create a safety hazard. If the stairs are located outside in extreme weather conditions, for example, if it rains or snows a lot, extremely humid humid weather, or extremely hot and dry temperatures, your staircase might not last that long, if it is or isn't maintained properly. It's not a bad idea to use steel or concrete for stairways in these climates.

If you're ever walking up a set of stairs with wood cleats and the stair steps feel a little loose or wiggly, make sure you examined the stair cleats for safety. It's not uncommon for someone to be walking up or down a set of wood stairs and having the stair step or tread giveaway because the wood cleats has loosened.

If the wood stair cleats are nailed to the stair stringer, the nails can loosen up, causing it to become loose, as you walk up and down the stairs applying pressure to the stair cleat, this will create movement in between the stair step and the stair stringer. This could cause the cleat to crack, break and separate the connection between the stair step in the stair stringer.

I would suggest using metal brackets instead of wood cleats. The metal brackets will not crack or disintegrate like some wood cleats. Stair building brackets of course can loosen up and should be maintained regularly.

If you decide to use wood stair cleats, I would suggest using screws instead of nails and drilling holes in the wood stair cleats, most of the time this will prevent cracking the cleat. Try to use a thicker material for the stair cleat, for example using a 2 x 4 with lag screws and washers would be better than using a 1 x 4 with nails.

If you're walking up a set of stairs and a stair step feels loose, contact the owner of the property and let them know, they have a problem with their staircase.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more stair building books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Ask And You Might Receive Or Ask

The Healing Codes - Unconscious Intention Trumps Conscious Intentions

2009-09-01T11:02:00.001-07:00

If you're like many of us, at some point you've visited a bookstore hoping to find the answer to a problem in your life. Self-help books and recordings abound and, predictably, they define the source of our problems several different ways.

Let's narrow down our focus to the five main causes for our problems that most self-help writers cite. Those are: physiology, behaviors, thinking patterns, emotions, and conscious beliefs. What you'll find offered by most writers as a root cause to life's difficulties falls into those five categories.

A second opinion

Another school of thought says that while it's true you may be able to change yourself to some extent by addressing deficiencies in those areas, those inadequacies are actually symptoms of a much deeper problem.

What that means is that lasting change cannot be accomplished in life until you recognize the true source of your problems, rather than simply identifying the symptoms. Unless we're able to go directly to the root of problem areas in our lives, we continue to deal with symptoms which tend to return.

Think of it as a tree with a deep taproot. If the tree becomes diseased, you can choose to cut it off at the ground (get rid of the obvious symptom), but new shoots will probably appear from what's unseen under the ground. You can, however, dig out the taproot as well as cutting down the tree and completely remove the disease.

Lasting change - the true goal

Here's another way to think of it: we've heard a great deal recently about "conscious intention" and its power to bring about change. Unfortunately, conscious intention or "willpower" doesn't always bring about lasting change. If it did, we'd all be skinny, happy, and rich!

The reason conscious intentions alone don't bring permanent change is that they seek to overcome symptoms, not cure the root source. When that fails to make us happy, we usually move on to any number of negative behaviors that move us further away from peace and satisfaction.

When all else fails...blame!

One of the things we tend to do when our conscious intentions don't overcome damaging behavior is to turn the spotlight on someone else's behavior. Blaming someone else for our life's failures is much easier than looking for the root causes of them. Becoming judgmental, however, actually just adds another layer of pain in our relationships instead of solving our problems. Whether we blame a politician, a spouse, or even God for our pain, it's still a negative behavior that moves us farther away from solutions.

Intentions - Conscious or Unconscious?

Doesn't it make sense to instead find and deal with the root causes? To begin to do that, we must first identify the things that are blocking us from life and health. Those stumbling blocks are our "unconscious intentions." If those unconscious intentions don't match the efforts of our willpower, we're doomed to failure!

As Dr. Alex Loyd, founder of The Healing Codes reports, scientific research has already proven that basing your future happiness on conscious intention almost never brings the results you desire. The key to lasting happiness in life is in aligning what we really want (our unconscious intentions) with what we say we want (our conscious intentions). Only then can all our energy be focused on improving our lives.

Once we're willing to stop blaming others and stop focusing on the symptoms, rather than the source, of our problems, we've taken the first step to finding health, peace, and happiness in our lives.Commit to discovering the deeply embedded roots that anchor you to unhappiness, and begin focusing your energy on healing that pain for good.

And now I'd like to invite you to get your free instant access to a special report explaining the basic principles of The Healing Codes when you visit http://thecoachingpair.com/thcreport.php

You'll receive information on a new revolutionary healing system which is definitely changing lives.

From Jerry Graham - aka DocJerry & the other half of The Coaching Pair

Structural Framing Beams

2009-09-01T10:26:00.001-07:00

Let's start with the beams. They can be Glulam, Parallam, Microlam or even wood beams. What are all of these and why do I need them in my house. The beams are used to hold up parts of the house and are located in your walls, roofs and floors. Beams are used to transfer a load from one point to another.

Structural framing beams allow the architect to create large openings, floors and roofs in your house. The beams are also used to support the weight over the doors, windows and other openings in your home. These beams support massive amounts of weight in some cases and are even made of steel if needed.

Another growing problem is the lack of old growth trees in the forest. If we just used wood beams with out using the new engineered beams we would have to cut down a lot more of the bigger trees. So you can add these guys to your Christmas list. The lumber or wood engineers have come up with all sorts of alternatives for new building products. These new beams are just some of them. Keep up the good work guys...

Glulam is a engineered wood product comprised of wood laminations, or 2 x 4s that are bonded together with strong, waterproof adhesives. If you use a Glulam beam on the buildings exterior you will have to order a exterior Glulam beam. In this case the manufacture will use special exterior rated glues for the beam.

When ordering any wood engineered beams specify to the lumber yard what you are using the beam for. Exterior or Interior of the building. If you use a interior glulam over time there is a good chance of the beam delaminating or cracking apart.

Parallam is made from almost all of the wood on the log using veneer strands that are aligned parallel for maximum strength. The end product is a rectangular beam; which is longer, thicker, and stronger than solid-sawn lumber. They are often used as beams, headers, columns, and posts, among others uses.

Microllam is an engineered wood product that uses multiple layers of thin wood assembled with adhesives. It offers several advantages over typical milled lumber: it is stronger, straighter, and more uniform. It is much less likely than conventional lumber to warp, twist, bow, or shrink due to its composite nature. Made in a factory under controlled specifications, Microllam products allow users to reduce the onsite labor. They are typically used for headers, beams, rim board, and edge-forming material.

These beams come in all sorts of different lengths, widths and heights. They are engineered to hold amazing amounts of weight. They really are great engineering marvels.

Tip: I have had to replace almost all of these types of beams over the years due to some form of damage. Like anything else in your home if it is used improperly there is a good chance your are going to have some sort of failure. I have seen people add weight to these structural beams with no thought of them ever failing.

If you are planning on building a room addition, rebuilding your roof, adding a floor or any other type of construction where you are adding a addition load to your house. You might want to consult with a building contractor or structural engineer.

Thanks Greg For Another Super Article On Home Building. For more great articles visit Greg at http://gregvan.com/

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry. Causes of Structural Failure

Another Crappy Rule In The Bible

How to Motivate Yourself With Real Results

2009-09-01T03:49:00.001-07:00

One of the hardest things for almost anyone to do is to keep their level of motivation at a peak level so that they achieve the results that they are looking for. Their is no question that being in a peak state of motivation is key to achieving whatever it is that you want. When you are inspired enough to keep going even when there are obstacles in the way, you are that much closer to getting the results that you desire.

So, what is the trick that can help you to keep yourself going even when it seems like the odds may be against you?

Passion is a key element. You have to be passionate about the results you are after. If you are not passionate enough, it will be easy to give up at the first signs of adversity. Setting goals that you can be passionate about is something that you must do in order to guarantee you stay motivated and stay in line with what you want to achieve.

Believing that you can and will get what you want is also necessary. When you have a strong belief in yourself and your ability to break through any barriers and climb over any obstacles, you are going to be able to keep yourself inspired to keep moving forward towards achieving what you want.

Believe with passion that you can and will achieve anything that you want to and that you can do this. This will help you to stay motivated so that you will keep moving forward in your life.

Learn how to attract love, money, or happiness or all three in YOUR LIFE NOW! Go to http://www.successfulfather.com and SIGN up for the FREE newsletter and BOOKMARK the site and return as often as you can!

You can attract the life that you truly desire! All you have to do is learn HOW!

Law of Attraction Secrets

Bryan Appleton is an investor/entrepreneur who has dedicated himself to teaching others how to achieve their dream life. He is also a proud single father with one son.

You can publish this article as long as you leave it intact and in full as well as keeping the url link clickable.

Home Improvement Tip - Fixing a Squeaky Floor

2009-09-01T02:57:00.001-07:00

The main thing you are going to be looking for is movement of any kind.

For more help on fixing squeaky floors visit http://gregvan.com/wood_repair.htm

Thanks for the great question. I hope it helps.

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Will All Men Ever Hate Jesus

Energy and Life Work Effectiveness - What Are the Factors That Matter?

2009-08-31T20:25:00.001-07:00

In a recent survey with working woman from all over the world I wanted tofind outhowtheyare able tomaintaina healthy levelofemotional, physical and spiritual energywhile living and working in an environmentof constant exposure toever increasing demandsfor speedand an ever increasing flow and exchange ofinformation?

The results are varied,interesting and speak for themselves.

Question 1: At what age did you experience the highest level of effectiveness both in life and work?

35 to 40

Question 2: At what age did you for the first time become aware of a lack of energy?

20 to 30

Question 3: Describe how do you recharge your energies?

Highestscore:sleep

2ndExercises in form of walking, swimming

3rdRelaxation, music, retreat

4thReading inspirational books, positive thinking

5thFamily and friends

Question 4: Think of the last time you felt your energy being drained. In which areas did it happen? What was the trigger?

Work87%

Family69%

Colleagues/friends 52%

Other20%

Question 5: In which area do you possess a higher energy capacity?

Mental 73%

Physical 26.1%

Question 6: At what age did you start to practice self-care on a regular basis?

Between the age of 30 to 35

Question 7: How much time do you currently spend onwhat type of self-care/exercises, etc. on a regular basis?

Average time for self-care per day: 1-2 hours

Highest score:Walking

2ndSwimming, biking, yoga, meditation

3rdNutrition

4thPositive affirmations, reading, planning, alone time

Question 8: Imagine that at the age of 45 you have already sufficient savings for a comfortable retirement. Would you prefer to -

A) continue working full time in the same job until the retirement age of (for example) 65, or

B) work at a reduced rate in your current career and spend more quality time with your loved ones now, or

C) re-fire and change careers and do what you had always been dreaming of doing on a full-time basis, or

D) re-fire and change career and work on a part-time basis

The answers were:

A) Work full-time until retirement age 0%

B) Work at reduced rate in current job 17.4%

C) Re-fire full-time in dream career21.7%

D) Re-fire part-time in dream career 60.9%

Question 9: In which are(s) of your lifewould you love to achieve a higher degree of joy and satisfaction right now?

Highest score:Relationships

2nd Self

3rdCareer

4th Leisure

5thFamily

90% of the participants selectedthree and more areas where they wish to benefit from a higher degree of joy and satisfaction!

It is also clear that there is no magic formula that works for all. You need to define and create - for yourself and nobody else - your personalformulafora well-balanced life. You are the master of your life, and it's all up to you.

Let'slook atthe three basicfactors that influenceour emotional, physical and spiritual well-being:

The Emotional factor - only the wholesome approach works

Emotional harmony is an essential element in health. Mind and body are connected, and what affects one part will eventually affect the other. Your health practices (exercises, adequate sleep, the nutrition you take), positive and negative emotions - all these influence your energy levels and your life work effectiveness.

The physical factor - make your well-being prioritynumber ONEin your life

Well-being and good health are totally personal to everyone. You will want to create a personalized self-care program that serves your needs and fits into your lifestyle. Once you have successfully integrated self-care in your daily routine, you will soon experience lower stress, higher energy and increased effectiveness in all areas of your life.

The spiritual factor - keep living in balance, purpose and joy

What resonates with your heart and inspires your soul? Focus on what works for you. You are a unique and special person and you deserve to live your best life! What leisure activity do you enjoy? Remember, in the game of life, emotional and physical health is wealth, and lifeis about thriving and not just surviving.

Thank you for reading this article. If you have any questions you are welcome to contact me.

About the Author, Ursula Goh, Life and Career Change Coach:

Providing professional coaching with a holistic approach that centers around you as a unique individual and as a whole person with your life in context, I will help you rediscover that central connection with who you really are.

I have helped my clients learn to expand their vision, take the action that resonates with their heart and create meaningful changes in life and career, so they could spend more time doing the things they are passionate about, and live and work with greater purpose, joy, and fulfillment.

Based in Switzerland, I offer one-on-one coaching to clients across the globe. Languages - English and German. For further details and to get started with a complementary introductory coaching session please visit http://www.newhorizoncoaching.net or contact me at Ursula@newhorizoncoaching.net

Inerrancy of the Bible - Are There Mistakes in the Bible

2009-08-31T19:28:00.001-07:00

Is the Bible, 100%, 90%, or even 50% accurate. Are these stories that were written by people many years ago and the lessons have been helpful but now need to be rewritten.

Personal Development

Life and the Little Things

2009-08-31T12:59:00.001-07:00

If you have ever read a New Age book only to walk away thinking "what the hell were they talking about" then this is for you. If you have ever tried meditation only to be drowned in your own thoughts then this is for you. If you have ever watched Oprah and been left feeling that somewhere along the line you missed the New Age boat then this is for you. Why? Because this is a not another article trying to turn you into a mini me Wayne Dwyer or a clone of Eckhart Tolle, it respects the unique divine creation you are. Repeat after me "I am enough" or put another way "I am therefore I need be nothing more." I am not here to make you do anything or to make you feel guilty you are not something more because as far as I am concerned the moment you were born 'you were greatness'. Let's talk about an authentic life where there is acceptance of our humanity, where the fact you had a not so charitable thought because someone cut you off in traffic doesn't cancel your "I am good person" card. Let's have a conversation about what it is like to walk through this world with all of its challenges as a mere mortal rather then a superhuman. Like two old friends on the back porch on a Sunday afternoon, with no where to be and no where to go, we will talk about the life and the little things.

To touch the stars you must feel the ground beneath your feet

'Before enlightenment chop wood light fire after enlightenment chop wood light fire.'

You have to deal with realities, there is no bill fairy or clean my house fairy or make my family love me fairy. No such thing, no short cuts or magic wands or New Age pills I could make something up if you want and I am sure someone out there would buy it but reality is hard to hide from. The bottom line is you cannot do anything about something you refuse to acknowledge exists in the first place. Some people think they are very clever and make up an alternative reality, but like I say "you can bury your head in the sand but eventually someone will come and kick you in the butt."

This is the interesting part most of the time the things we fear are actually not that bad it is our own insecurity and inability to deal with them which creates within us a mindset of helplessness. We have the ability to walk through life's challenges it resides in all of us and can be accessed at anytime. So why does reality scare us so much we run from our truths?

Admitting you are human appears to be a difficult thing to do in a society filled with expectations, assumptions and judgment. Standing naked in your truth or your reality can be tough but rest assured the risk far outweighs the pressure of being someone you are not or living a lie for a lifetime. What are your realities what don't you want the world to know?

Dealing with reality

So you finally said out loud "I am in debt and don't know what to do about it" or "I don't know how to have healthy relationships" what next?

Give yourself a pat on the back, it takes courage to stand in truth and you deserve to be acknowledged for yours, "well done!" Try this; sit on a chair and have a friend stand in front of you doesn't that feel a little bit intimidating doesn't your friend look way bigger than normal? Then stand up and face them how much more empowered does this make you feel? Reality is no different when you are down and out everything looks bigger than it is and when you stand up and face it suddenly it is not nearly as overpowering.

What happens next is little mind monsters try and intimidate you into sitting down. You will know them when they come by the way they use their words;

"Don't rock the boat don't make waves if you look at your reality we have to look at ours and that just isn't going to happen!"

"Why are you trying to do this just give up its too hard?"

"You don't deserve anything better I never had a good life why should you!"

It is not uncommon at this stage to let doubt and fear in, sometimes shame also creeps in and guilt 'how stupid am I' or 'if I had done something sooner I would not be in this mess.' Hindsight is a wonderful thing to have and everyone one of us at some point in our lives wishes we could go back and make different choices but that is a pointless waste of energy. Rather than beating yourself up for not being perfect pat yourself on your back for being honest about your imperfections. You may have made some choices which didn't have the result you desired but maybe you didn't have the right tools or knowledge or maybe you were a little too arrogant, think of it this way a mistake is a lesson waiting to be learnt.

When a lightning strike starts a fire which burns out a forest we look at the blackness and think "oh my how could the anything recover from this there is nothing left?" But what we don't appreciate is the fire is nature's way of clearing away the rotting undergrowth and giving the seeds that lay dormant underneath the opportunity to grow. When you face your reality no matter how bleak it may look there is always a seed of hope underneath waiting to bring new life in. Sometimes you have to face the darkness of the night to appreciate the beauty of the light.

The 'P' word

Pride the most useless of all our emotions, it is the anchor which keeps you where you are and away from that which can get you where you want to be. So someone thinks you should be able to do everything your self and you should not ask for help because it is a sign of weakness, tell them to talk to the hand because the ears are not listening. Forget New Age theory think about it logically, out there somewhere are the resources you need to build the life you want and you would rather stand in your pride than go looking for them....why in Creators name would you do that for? By all means hold onto your pride wear like a badge keep it to show company but when no one else is around and your reality stares you in your face pride is going to be a very poor companion.

Change meets with resistance

'Every action causes and equal or greater reaction.'

No man is an island, I know this society has led us to believe we are not dependant on each other but again this is rubbish. Whatever you do or say will impact someone somewhere and in some way it is the six degrees of separation you are always hearing about go rent the movie. So here's the scoop when you start to look at your realities and acknowledge them chances are good someone somewhere who has a vested interest in keeping the reality just as it is, is going to try and push you back down in your seat. This happens a lot with families living with a pink elephant in the living room, which everyone sees but pretends not to see. No one wants to deal with reality when you start talking about the pink elephant you make people uncomfortable because now they have to deal with it too! And chances are they are not ready to do that.

Important point it is not about anybodies else's truth but your own, you have to honor another's truth's even if they are a denial of the reality. Their resistance should be considered a road block which can be navigated with the knowledge you are honoring your self and the life Creator gave you by dealing with the things which may be stopping you moving forward. It is one of those "I love you but...." moments. However if the situation is one involving others you might want to travel gently through the terrain rather than going full steam ahead like a steam train, a little give and take never hurt any conversation.

Excuse me but can you help me?

We can say those words at a hardware store or a grocery store, we quite happily admit I don't know how to build a birdhouse or what aisle the canned beans are on but heaven forbid if we should utter them when it really counts when life has overcome us and we don't know what to do next.

"Excuse me can you help me please?"

Use the resources available to you and if you do not know what or where they are then ask someone who does. And if anyone brings out the little mind monsters to make you feel less for wanting more then hold onto the fact they are trying to keep you from standing because they can only feel big by looking down at you. This is not about you not being enough but about you not having enough, knowledge, skills or resources. You are always enough in Creators eyes no matter what your life circumstances, he /she simply wants you to manifest your greatness. Some people at this point might go well then if Creator is such goodness he/she wouldn't let us struggle like this, which is a fair enough question and it can be answered in a few ways. Firstly if Creator didn't believe in our greatness we would not have been given free will and the ability to make our own choices. He is someone saying "I believe in you" and is still saying it. Secondly there are human Angels among us people who can help us if we would only ask. Remember a parable which went something like this;

A man was stranded on an island for many years, one day a fishing boat sailed past "Hop in" they said. "No came the reply I am waiting for God to save me". The next week an airplane flew past and yelled "we will land and take you home". "No thanks' the man replied "I am waiting for God to save me." The next week a helicopter went by and the same thing happened. Eventually the next week God looked down and said "why are you still here?" "Because I have been waiting for you to save me" the man replied. To which God said "I sent you an airplane, a boat and a helicopter what more could you have wanted?"

I am sure it lost something in translation but you get the message Creator has not deserted you the resources are there but sometimes we are so focused on that one window of opportunity we don't see all the possibilities. Or we are so caught up with the drama we miss the boat so to speak. Having been a single parent for 14 years I can relate to stubborn pride and feelings of inadequacy, plenty of times I turned my back on help being offered and even more times I struggled on just to prove I could. But if I had known then what I know now I would have been knocking on any door I could find to access the resources I needed. It is an enlightened soul who seeks what they need and a fool who doesn't realize our greatest weakness is often our strength.

Grant me serenity

'Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.'

Some things are never going to turn out the way you want them too no matter what you give to them, there is no point denying this truth. Sometimes you have to accept people for where they are in their own growth and decide whether you honor them and you by allowing the situation to stand as it is. Always remember nothing is set in stone tomorrow is a new day and new beginnings can begin at anytime anywhere.

Here is another thing to keep in your pocket change does not have to involve monumental leaps of faith or drastic measures. Things do not have to be done yesterday and when one thing does not work there will always be another to try. Maybe you will have to take a few survival jobs along the way to your dream position and maybe those jobs will give you little lessons which will make sure when you do get the job you want you have all the knowledge you need to do it well. Stepping into the dream without building the foundation is like building a house with no nails eventually it will all come falling down. Maybe you do not need to confront your Mother with all of your grievances in a single day perhaps a little bit at a time will promote greater trust and communication. Understand some people are simply not aware of how their actions are hurting others until told we all have had moments where we have gone "I didn't know sorry."

More importantly this is a time to be gentle with yourself what this means is to talk to yourself as you would a friend going through a tough time. You would not criticize them for their mistakes you would encourage, support and urge them to keep going. When you stand in your truth and start to deal with life realities there are going to be moments of fear and doubt and you are going to need to be your own best friend. But remember once you accept where you are and who you are warts and all then from the ashes the seed of healing, hope and peace can begin to grow. There is never a better time to start than now

A ~ Accept who you are and where you are
C ~ Commit to change
T ~ take the first step

Life is going to challenge you throughout your lifetime this is the nature of being human, there are going to be ups and downs and things to overcome. As humans our greatest tool in building the life we want is our ability to learn and grow through our mistakes. All the great inventors reached their destination by trying and failing but all of them took what they learnt from each fall and used it to create a foundation of knowledge onto which they could build and this my friend is what you need to do.

Spiritual renovation what to do if your house is falling down

So you are trying to deal with life's realities and are seeking the help you need but you don't seem to be making any progress nothing appears to be changing. Well maybe you need a little spiritual renovation not the hallelujah type but an in house inspection to make sure your foundation doesn't have any cracks. When was the last time you had a spring clean of your belief system? If the answer is never this is the first place to start. Keep it simple write down all of your beliefs no matter how small or big then ask yourself two questions;

1. Does this belong to me or someone else?
2. Does this still serve my highest good or do I need to let it go?

Sometimes without realizing it we hold onto outdated beliefs given to us by our parents or things we learnt from our siblings or through our peers. At 10 maybe you were not good at math's this doesn't mean at 40 you cannot learnt to manage your finances. It is unlikely you have inherited your Uncle John's inability to do anything well more than likely you got handed down a family role which you were then expected to live up to. We grow and as we grow the usefulness of our beliefs needs to be re-examined, what served us at 20 probably will not be relevant to us at 40. Not only do we change but the world changes for example the good old days of the gold watch after 50 years of service are gone, these days after 2 years you are considered a long term employee. This does not mean throwing away all you hold dear, my belief in the greatness of the human soul will always remain with me. You have to a spring clean of your mind and soul every now and then because things change and you change and some beliefs are not going to work for you anymore.

This is also the time to update your spiritual toolbox, to seek new knowledge, new skills new ways at looking at things. Maybe in order to deal effectively with the realities of a dysfunctional family you need to find out what a healthy one is meant to look like. If you know speaking your truth will create drama then perhaps a basic conflict resolution course would be a good idea. If you lack the self confidence to look for another job work at bringing in new beliefs about what you are capable of, do a self esteem workshop. If the reality you face is so overwhelming you do not know where to start seek professional help from someone who does have the knowledge to help you build the skills you will need. I ask this question all the time the resources are out there why would you not access them if you are truly serious about creating an authentic abundant life?

Spiritually I think we all need to believe there is something or someone bigger out there. We all need to take the time to connect with our source no matter what or who we see this as being. It is difficult to hear anything in chaos or when we are anxious about life and it is almost impossible to hear our soul voice. Take a moment out from the chaos of the world to reconnect with the core truth the inner voice of soul. Take a breathe.. let it out and say out loud "in this moment everything is okay."

Another important thing to do is to bring in the lightness. When we get caught up in the seriousness of life we often lose the ability to laugh at the little things, to find joy in the small moments for some reason we do not feel we can have fun or be lighthearted. Often we feel guilty abandoning our troubles or believe serious events require serious adult behavior. Often it is a child oblivious social etiquette who brings the laughter and lightness to a situation providing a way to release anxiety and stress. Dealing with realities such a loss of any kind is a tough call and you need a way to release your feelings and what better way than to step into the lightness.

As the sun sets

Like two old friends on the back porch on a Sunday afternoon, with no where to be and no where to go, we have talked about the life and the little things. I hope this will be one of many moments we spend together, but as Richard Bach wrote;

'Never be dismayed at goodbyes because meeting again after moments or lifetimes is certain for those who are friends.'

Robin Newman Psychic/Medium
Creating futures changing lives
http://www.robinjpsychic.com or http://guidetolifeblog.com

What Does a GFI Do? - Electrical Problems

2009-08-31T11:56:00.001-07:00

GFI 's come in 15 amp and 20 amperage outlets. GFI outlets must be wired properly. Make sure you're using the proper wire size when hooking up the GFI outlet.

The GFI electrical plug is a great idea and if you don't have them in your bathroom or outside of your home it would be a great idea to have an electrician install them for you.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Home Building Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

San Diego Termite Damage

Should The Bible Be Edited

Motivation - Your Key To Success

2009-08-31T05:30:00.001-07:00

Motivation is just about the most important element for success in any work at home business. If you don't posses this key element with your business or your websites, then it's very unlikely that you will succeed.

Granted, it is difficult to stay motivated at all times...and we all go through low valleys with our home businesses. But it's through these valleys that we grow and learn from our mistakes.

How do you stay motivated and focused?

There are a number of things that you can do to accomplish this...

Marketing Ideas:

When promoting your business or website, always try and conjure up fresh marketing techniques/methods. If something hasn't been working for you, then move onto something new. The ideas are literally endless with marketing. And the most important thing...there are tons of free promotion out there for the taking. Remember, you don't have to pay for advertising in order for it to be effective. It could be...networking on message forums, exchanging links with other business owners/webmasters, article marketing, getting listed in directories, ezine ads, signature advertising, and others. But, that's a whole other article topic there. The idea is to always strive for fresh marketing ideas. Now, we can't neglect the tried and true "word of mouth." Quite effective, give it a try!

Purchase New Products For Your Business:

Now, we all know that in order for you to be a success with your business, you have to know your products and have a passion for them. You have to love the products you are selling! The better you know your products and love them, the more likely it will be that you will keep getting the sales. What better reason to purchase some of your favorite, featured, new products that are in stock? Show them off! If it's makeup, jewelry, or what have you...take them with you wherever you go. Show the new products off to your friends and family. Be enthusiastic about your products!

The same goes with a website. If you are not a home business representative for a company, but own a website...tweak your website to your liking. Make it something you love and can be proud of! If you love your website, then you will love showing it off and promoting it. If you find yourself getting bored with it or it has become outdated, change it...update it! Whether it be content, color, theme, whatever. Tweak it until you really love it. It's also a good idea to make your website as appealing as you can for your target audience.

Change Your Atmosphere:

Now this one may sound silly to some...but this has worked for me. If you have a particular room for an office, move the furniture around if feasible...If it is a very small room, then you won't have many options as to moving things around. But you can change colors or themes for your office. What colors or themes make you feel most creative? What colors or themes make you feel happy? What colors or themes make you feel most productive? It's something to think about. Purchase a new day/month/year planner. Perhaps a new calendar or a new writing notebook.

Exercise...Take A Break:

Exercise is great for both the mind and body! It's also a great way to clear the mind when you feel overworked or stressed out. When you find yourself not in motivation mode and are lacking in that much needed gusto...take a brisk walk to clear the mind. You may be surprised at what happens. Most of the time when I take a break from my time online, whether it be a walk, lunchbreak, or just watching some TV...I come back refreshed, and even sometimes, with some new ideas.

Stay In Contact With Your Customers:

Always stay in touch with your customers. Call them up. Check to see if they are satisfied with the products they purchased. Are they enjoying the products? Offer some friendly advice. This could also lead into an additional sale for you...and that always creates more motivation! Try and get to know your customers and even establish a new friendship.

Network With Other Business Owners Or Webmasters:

If you haven't already, join some home business or work at home message forums and get to know and network with others. Use your signature on these forums. This will not only get your business out there, but you will also find useful information on most of them. Make sure you always read the rules of the forum first though. Ask questions, offer advice on things you are knowledgeable about. Make friends and have fun.

Music:

If you're a music lover, have some soft music playing while you are working. This isn't for everyone though. Some people prefer not to have music playing and want it quiet. It's all in what you like or prefer. And for some people, music can give that much needed extra push in getting started with the work day. Try it sometime. You might be pleasantly surprised.

The idea here is to do everything you can to remain focused, motivated, and even challenged for being the best you can be at moving forward with your business. Do some research and look up more motivation articles and tips. Motivation is the key to success.

Wishing everyone an abundance of both!

Article written by: Tammy Embrich

Tammy is an Internet Marketer and is the Owner of: http://www.onestopwebemployment.com

And Owner of: http://www.real-wah-jobs.com

Tammy's two WAH websites focus on free telecommute job leads and more.

Inerrancy of the Bible - Are There Mistakes in the Bible

2009-08-31T04:27:00.001-07:00

Is the Bible, 100%, 90%, or even 50% accurate. Are these stories that were written by people many years ago and the lessons have been helpful but now need to be rewritten.

Effects Of False Prophets

Self-Help Reviews - Even More Productivity For Greater Business!

2009-08-30T21:57:00.001-07:00

There is a list of steps to improve your wholesale marketing. Whether it is selling the newest electronic or selling the latest in-demand, the better you market and the more you market, the better it usually is. No matter whether you are at an office or your office happens to seat at your home like the one of many of us, do know that there are simple gadgets and simple tools that can help you immediately boost your productivity time fast.

Among the books that are definitely worth your time reading in order to improve your marketing schedules on the internet, again no matter what is that you are doing: here is a good slice review for you to highly consider. Applying the techniques, strategies and suggestions added in these two fascinating books makes all the difference between getting by, and getting what you want faster.

The first one was an audio that going through iTunes store definitely catch my eyes immediately as it was in the top 3 of the best sellers there. Better yet it has glorious feedback on Amazon. When it comes to marketing, the majority of us are more than ok and even great when we intend to do the job we are supposed, which is to sell.

But among the list of audio books that should be of great interest to you since there is always more time to improve is a book or an audio book called Getting Things Done by David Allen. The majority of the time when we already know what to do, it is all about doing the work or improving it even more. The audio version of Getting Things Done is excellent as it helps systemize your work by showing you examples of how to prioritize and goes deep into the psychological bolts of why we sometimes do not achieve things faster.

Getting Things is surely an excellent hit in my arsenal of self-help books. Books like this whether you are a season pro or a millionaire should help you more, just one idea to schedule and implement could mean a 10% increase in productivity, especially if you work from your home. It goes deep into the psychological aspects of procrastination, but surely a golden nugget if already you have enough options and reads about marketing.

In a nutshell, this book is the cure for getting things done immediately and finishing them. Next you have a priority book that can be a magnificent read of new significant light if you have never read a book about building a business plan. In reality, the majority of us like to keep simple, schedule and put things in easy to read form in short term, 2-5 years goal and goals for the long term in 10 years.

If you want to start your very first wholesale video games business or electronics business one of the books in my list is called The One Page Business Plan for The Creative Entrepreneur by Jim Horan. Once you are ready and believe you have a good grasp at some important concepts from those books getting a wholesale list should be a next consideration to start your very first e-commerce business or improve upon the one you already have.

Finding Wholesale Video Games is one of the business components Joaquin serves as reference source, e-commerce coach and certified author. His focus today is assisting people receive extra income through the acquirement of an in-demand Wholesale List.

Surviving As A Contractor In California

2009-08-30T21:01:00.001-07:00

So you want to make big money making a living as a contractor in the state of California. Well now I bet you have seen contractors on TV or maybe you know someone who is a contractor. You see these men and women playing the part as Mr. or Mrs. Money bags. If you have the slightest thought that becoming a contractor will provide you with a life of riches think again.

Most contractors that I know and have worked with over the years don't think of there jobs as easy. They have to work everyday and a lot into the night doing estimates or meeting with potential clients because they are to busy during the day. The life of most contractors in the beginning will be difficult to say the least. But if successful you will make a great living for yourself and your family.

Now that we got the false illusion of the contractor answering his cell phone all day at some nice golf course having lunch talking about the money that he just made selling his oil stocks. We can start on reality. If being a contractor was that easy everyone would be a contractor. Right..... Well maybe not everyone.

I have been a contractor for over 22 years and in construction for 30 year. I have seen a lot of changes over the years. I remember when a few contractors that I worked for made a lot of money during the late 1970's. These guys had Ferraris and money to burn with one exception they had no idea how to save any of it. These guys went on vacations and bought extravagant toys for them selves. Out of most of the big framing contractors I worked for about 10 percent are still in business or actually saved their money during the good times so that they could make it through the bad times.

These contractors never thought it was going to end. Life on easy street that is. But it did and most went by the way side. I guess that is the nature of business. Especially the current economic business cycles that we seem to go through over the years. If you don't have the money to advertise or carry a payroll. Your business is going to suffer during the bad times. Sure there is credit and bank loans but you still have to pay that money back. IF you can't save your money stash some away for advertising.

Some of the best advice I can give a contractor anywhere especially in the state of California is " Don't Think The Great Times Of Easy Money Will Last Forever". Save some of the money you make just in case you need to get through the bad times. You will thank me for this latter, Some time down the road. Take this advice and put it into action starting right now.

Greg Vanden Berge has over 30 years of experience in residential home building and remodeling. This provides you with the comfort of knowing that you have a professional with the knowledge and skills to complete your construction projects in a timely manner.

Our low overhead along with our new online estimating system will provide you with the most competitive construction pricing in the area. We continue to educate ourselves about the new home improvement books and building systems in the construction industry. If we have any doubt that something might not work we don't use it. We have found some of these products to be the root of some major home building problems.

Click on the Home Remodeling Ideas to get more information and a possible online estimate for your home improvement project.

Religion Articles

Success And Survival Tips From The Moab Desert

2009-08-30T14:39:00.001-07:00

Bear Grylls is the star in a series of TV programs which contain survival and success tips. In one episode, he visited the Moab desert. He explained his purpose:

"Thousands of tourists come here to experience the most dangerous desert in America but it is a place from which some never return. My mission - to show you the skills you need to survive here."

The Moab desert in Utah, North America is 3600 square miles of canyons, arches and sheer cliffs. Every year, over a million people visit this wilderness. Take one wrong turn and you could get lost for good.

Bear was taken into the Moab by helicopter to be placed in the position of a stranded hiker. All he had with him was a water bottle, a knife and a flint:

"I am going to show you how to survive in one of the toughest places on earth. The thermal updraft is so powerful here that it is too dangerous to land the chopper. There is only one way down - to abseil."

The chopper hovered at 100 feet. Bear could already feel the heat from the desert floor. He crossed himself and abseiled down. The helicopter disappeared into the distance. Bear commented:

"I am stranded 4000 feet above sea level on a rocky table top called a mesa and it's utterly desolate here and it is very, very hot - it's well over 110 F.

"The biggest killer in these deserts is heat stroke and dehydration and they both come on so quickly.

"In this situation the best advice is to stay put; get into the shade and wait to be rescued but sometimes help doesn't come so I am going to find my own way out.

"I know that two huge rivers run through the Moab, the Colorado and the Green. Finding one of them is going to be the key to getting out.

"This whole desert is going to be full of canyons and dry river beds and if I get down to one of these and follow it, it should eventually lead to a river and civilisation.

"Plants need water so signs of vegetation will show me that water could be nearby but, apart from the sage brush, I can't see any at all."

However, Bear could see the rim of a canyon in the distance He would find shade at the bottom and possibly water. There might be streams that would lead down to rivers.

His priority was to get off the mesa or table top - easier said than done on crumbly, sandstone rock. The descent is often the dangerous part of a climb. The risk when coming down a steep face is climbing into a position where you can't go up or down.

This is called getting rim rot. One man in that area got rim rot. He hung on for as long as he could and then fell to his death.

You can, if stuck, jump quite a distance by keeping your feet together, your knees slightly bent and rolling when you land so that your legs and back take some of the force. Bear made a jump of about fifteen feet. He landed and rolled successfully.

"It is the middle of the day and the sun is now at its hottest so I have to get to the safety of the shade of that canyon as soon as possible. Just being at 110F your body loses about a litre of water every hour and that is before you even start thinking about walking or climbing or moving.

"The longer I am exposed to the full strength of the sun, the greater the danger and the most important part of the body to keep cool is the head and the brain."

Bear cut his T shirt to create a head dress like that of Lawrence of Arabia:

"This will keep the sun off me and save me getting burnt to death. The body's internal temperature is usually 98.6F. Once the body's core temperature hits 105F, you've got heat stroke. When this happens, you become confused; the body goes into convulsions and you could fall into a coma.

"This whole place really is Mother Nature at her most unforgiving and this desert has to be one of the hardest places in the world just to stay alive any period of time."

Bear came across a canyon which he needed for the shade and water at the bottom. The water might lead to a river and then to civilization. Finding a way down could be his only chance of survival.

Bear could not find a way down on one side but climbed a giant boulder that bridged the gap to get to the other side. When climbing always try to keep three points of contact and use your leg strength rather than your arms.

These boulders can be unstable. Utah climber, Aron Ralston, was trapped by a boulder like this when it fell on him in a remote canyon in May 2003. He had to cut his own arm off with a penknife just below the elbow to escape.

Bear made it across but still could not find a way down. Search and rescue have a saying in these parts: "A lost hiker is down in 12 hours and dead in 24."

Eventually, he did find a way down. The shade in the canyons means that the temperature is 20 degrees less than on the desert floor above.

One way to find water is to look for clumps of vegetation and water hungry plants like tamarisks. Sure enough he found a water source nearby but it was stagnant and polluted. Drinking just one drop could cause serious illness.

If he followed the water it could bring him to a river. At some points he had to swim and came to a log jam which was caused by a flash flood. It was too unstable to climb over. The temperature of the water was about 50F.

If he was trapped in the water for just two hours, the body's core temperature would fall below 95F and hypothermia would set in.

Before attempting to swim under a log jam, breathe deeply and slowly to get rid of the carbon dioxide in your body and to lower your heart rate. Then go for it and keep calm.

Bear tried this and got to where he could see some light but then had to turn back. Four minutes is the maximum time any one can hold their breath under water unless you practice regularly. In water this cold, Bear would struggle to hold his breath for more than 30 seconds.

He got through on his second attempt and swam onwards. He came to a dead end. However, there was a way out up a gap in the canyon wall. It was narrow enough to use a 'chimney climb' - a technique originally used for getting out of wells.

Put one leg in front and one behind keeping the pressure in both directions. Eventually, Bear reached the top and jammed his fist between two rocks to pull himself up and finish the climb.

His plan to follow the canyon down to a river had failed and he was now back into the furnace of the desert and had still not found fresh water. Before he could make a new plan, he needed to get back into the shade.

The nearest shade was a rocky outcrop about an hour's hike away. He might find a cave there.

He was getting a bad head ache - half from dehydration and half from the glare of the sun. The history of desert travel is littered with stories of dehydrated hikers.

In Northern Mexico, the Tarahumara tribe can move up to 50 miles a day in the heat of the desert by taking in a mouthful of water and not swallowing it. As they breathe in through their noses the water keeps the incoming air hydrated.

Bear tried this and found it difficult not to drink the mouthful of water. However, he thought the technique worked to a certain extent.

But even his headdress was getting roasting hot in the midday heat - so he took it off and urinated on it. His urine was yellow - a sign that he was dehydrated. The wet headgear would keep his head smelly but cooler; it was on fire and extreme measures were necessary.

He still needed to get into the shade. He found a shady cave and lobbed some rocks in to scare out any snakes. Snakes die if they are out in the hottest part of the day. Like humans, they have to have shade.

Bear decided to rest in the shade and to move on in the early morning next day. This is the best time to travel in the desert. His main priority next morning was to find some water.

When you get up in the wild, shake out your clothing and tip out your boots since scorpions love to get into cool shady places.

If you find a scorpion crawling across you, you could use your thumb and index finger to grasp it on either side of the sting at the end. Only do this if you are an expert and have a quick and steady hand!

He was down to his last few drops of water. He listened for bees and insects or mosquitoes - they always live close to water.

He eventually found some water filtering through the rock and created a small reservoir to trap the water in. It looked murky but was probably slightly better quality than tap water.

He used a trumpet flower as drinking straw. Native Americans used it as a pipe because it has a hollow stem. He drank slowly. Guzzling can make you vomit. He filled his canteen and moved on refreshed.

He needed to find another plan for getting out of the desert. From high ground he could look out for the vegetation which would signal there was a river.

He saw a line of vegetation which strongly suggested the presence of a river. But he needed to find some food to give the energy to reach the river. He found two birds eggs.

Bird dropping, feathers and a broken egg shell gave away their location. All birds eggs are edible. Even the shell is a good source of calcium. He ate one egg raw with its shell but there is a risk of catching salmonella so he cooked the second one by breaking it onto a flat rock.

The heat must have been about 120F. The egg fried quickly and he scraped it up with his knife. One egg provided him with about 80 calories and with important minerals like zinc and iron.

The river vegetation he saw on the horizon was still about a day's hike away but when the landscape is uneven it is easy to go round in circles. Bear used a local plant to keep him heading in a straight line

These are compass cactuses which usually grow towards the south. If several point the same way, you can be confident they are pointing south:

"If I always know where south is, I can keep myself in a straight line while I'm heading for that river."

Bear was missing his family: "This whole landscape is so huge and it makes you feel pretty small and for the first time on this journey I am really missing my wife and two little boys and I wish they could be here to see this because it is just beautiful."

The Moab is part of the great basin desert, the highest desert in the US and the furthest north. It experiences extreme changes in temperature. At night it can drop as low as 40 F.

It was now getting cooler and soon would be cold. Bear collected firewood taking care not to disturb any snakes. He then went hunting. Dusk is a good time for hunting snakes since they are nocturnal hunters.

The Moab is home to a dozen different types of snake and they are all edible. To catch a snake, use a rock to stun it and then pin its head to the ground with a stick and crush its skull.

He came across a little rattler. The rattler was a 'faded midget' which is highly venomous. The snake made a rattling noise to warn off predators. Its poison could kill you if you were bitten and did not get treatment.

The 'faded midget' is a protected species so Bear would go hungry that night.

Mountain lions do their hunting in the dark as well. Bear needed a fire to keep warm and to ward off predators like the lion. Fire is a great morale booster in the wilderness.

In the night, Bear heard some rattling outside his cave. He banged his water bottle as snakes don't like vibrations. Next day, he moved on:

"I've been travelling for three days through the Moab desert in search of a river and, at last, I can see signs that I am getting closer."

He entered an area of dense vegetation and emerged to see a large river with a wind mill on the other side. The only river this size would be the Colorado - one of the most dangerous rivers in America:

"It may look placid but beneath the surface runs a powerful current. Every year unsuspecting tourists are swept away and drowned and along its edges are murky pools that could conceal quicksand."

Quicksand forms when a sandy area gets waterlogged. The sand and water mix to make a sludge that can suck you in.

Bear demonstrated how to escape from quicksand and how to cross a fast flowing river.

You escape from quicksand by not struggling. Lean forward and draw your arms out and put them on the ground in front of you then wriggle your way forward, pulling out one leg at a time, until you can do a monkey crawl forwards.

You cross a fast flowing river with a bed of quicksand by swimming rather than wading. You swim diagonally forward with the current which is deceptively strong in a river like the Colorado.

Bear reached the other side and then headed off looking for civilisation along the banks. He commented:

"If I've learned anything out here, it is just how fast this arid, parched, burning desert can sap the life out of you and, on your own, they say that only the strong and the lucky survive and I don't feel very strong. In fact I feel pretty wiped out but I do feel lucky and for me it is definitely time to start heading home."

Bear had spotted a house and headed toward the door.

We can learn several valuable survival and success lessons from this adventure:

Sometimes it is best to stay calm and do nothing. Just wait for help. If you panic and start rushing about without knowing what you are doing, you could make your situation much worse.

Sometimes it is best not to rely on others to help you. They may not show up. Just rely on yourself to get out of a tough situation. Believe in your own ability.

The power of knowledge is enormous. It can help you stay alive and it can help you achieve your goals like getting a healthy drink of water or climbing down a cliff face safely. Keep learning.

Have a workable plan and follow it. If you reach a dead end change your plan.

Make health and safety your priority. Understand what your body can and cannot take. Be aware of possible dangers and find solutions to deal with them.

Learn the skills which can help you survive and achieve your goals before you undertake anything dangerous.

If necessary, take extreme measures like taking a leak on your head covering.

Look for signs that you are on the right path.

Appreciate the beauty of tough environments but be grateful you don't live there!

If stuck and sinking in quicksand or any other overwhelming problem, keep calm and deal with one thing at a time, step by step.

Don't struggle against the current unless you have to and stay above the traps which can pull you down and stop your progress entirely.

Knowledge and steady consistent action can help you solve most problems. So keep learning and keep moving. Bear Grylls provides a great role model for this.

John Watson is an award winning teacher and 5th degree blackbelt martial arts instructor. He has written several ebooks on motivation and success topics. One of these can be found at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety.

Need Help Remodeling In Carlsbad

2009-08-30T13:28:00.001-07:00

That night I started to think about what was going on here it seemed like I was being set up. Everyone knew what was going on but me. It seemed clear to me that these people knew each other.

Here's the kicker to all of this. Service Magic calls me up one day to tell me they would like to start sending me construction leads as a General Contractor.

His website http://gregvan.com provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building issues that could create major damage as well as possible damage to your pocket book.

Visit us now for Home Improvement Tips

Meditating On Religious Scriptur

Meditation Within All The World's Religions

2009-08-30T07:21:00.001-07:00

Many people associate meditation with Far Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, and don't realize that there are also many forms of Judeo-Christian meditation, as well as meditations from other faiths. Below is an overview of meditation as it is generally viewed within each major religion, along with book suggestions and links to resources with more information.

In Buddhism, observing and stilling the mind are the key to recognizing the transience of all thoughts and emotions, in order to connect with eternal, non-personal awareness. Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World by Surya Das is a great book for learning the basics of Buddhism and meditation.

In Hinduism, meditating is the core practice for merging the mind with the energies operating beneath the physical world, through which the mind can ultimately merge with the source of these energies itself. Meditation is considered part of yoga practice - yoga means 'union' and meditation is considered the primary method for merging our awareness with the divine. Yoga periodicals such as Yoga Journal often feature beginning yoga meditation techniques.

In Kabbalah, often called Jewish mysticism, a form of meditation called 'hitbonenut', which involves contemplating a concept or light itself, is used to attain true, meta-intellectual knowledge. A good book for learning about incorporating meditation into mainstream Jewish traditions is Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide by Aryeh Kaplan.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity incorporates the 'hesychasm', or Jesus prayer, performed in a meditative, chanting fashion, in order to connect with the heart of faith. For some more info, go to Hesychasm.

Roman Catholicism includes contemplative practices such as the rosary for lay people, and many silent contemplative practices for monastic initiates. St. Theresa of Avila was one of several Catholic mystics who wrote on the benefits of mental prayer. Check out her writings or the writings of Jesuit Ignatius Loyola for traditional Catholic meditations.

In Quaker meetings participants sit in silence, waiting for the 'inner light' to inspire someone to speak. Check out the writings of Mary Coelho, a modern Quaker and writer, for her insights on the role of quiet contemplation in modern Quakerism.

The Sufis within Islam incorporate both energy center and devotional meditation to merge with the 'beloved divine' responsible for life itself. Sufism has many branches and corresponding meditation techniques, but most are centered on love meditations. Check out How to do Sufi Meditation by Kuriakos for more information.

Taoism is the ancient Chinese mystic tradition and philosophy focused on balance and the interacting forces of yin/yang, passive/aggressive, masculine/feminine, and creating/receiving. Tai Chi is often considered a form of moving Taoist meditation. Sitting Taoist meditation focuses on similar themes of balance and flow.

The Bahai faith, a relatively new religious tradition, founded in 19-century Persia, emphasizes the spiritual unity of all humankind and the common themes of all world religions. Check out this information on Bahai meditation.

Lisa Erickson is a mom, meditation teacher, and writer. Visit her blog http://www.MommyMystic.wordpress.com for spiritual book reviews and information on meditation and spirituality.

The Bible's Power Over One Child

2009-08-30T05:57:00.001-07:00

I mentioned Sean in another one of my articles, the story of a young foster boy that we were taking care of. Sean's father was my ex-wife's uncle, and they were going through some tough times for a while and their three children ended up as wards of the state. We eventually ended up taking the oldest child because he was the hardest one to place and another home. His brother and sister ended up with a family that wanted to adopt them and eventually Sean went to live with them and I believe all three of them were adopted by this family. I don't know this for a fact though.

Sean was a emotionally damaged child. His parents would punish him with some strange and bizarre punishments. They weren't really physical punishments but seemed to leave the emotional scars on him and I often think about where he is and what he is doing.

We watched him for about a year and I learned quite a bit from this young man. He was in the third grade but was still at the first grade level for reading and math. I would spend a couple of hours each night during the week helping him with his schoolwork, I seem to have created some sort of allusion that I would be able to bring him up to the third grade level within a short period of time. Wrong. He must've had learning disabilities and of course I don't think I was that good teacher.

Sean was easy going, polite and extremely obedient. He would do anything to avoid getting in trouble and often blamed others for his mistakes. His punishments must have been more than he could bear before he arrived at our home. I think you're getting the picture about what kind of a child Sean was.

One day I found myself in a dilemma with Sean, I couldn't get him to tell me the truth, even though I knew he was lying. I forget what the problem was but I remember a hollow look in his face. It was almost like he wasn't really there. It was almost like he was just doing time, sitting on the bed, listening to me asking the same question over and over again, "Sean are you lying", but he wasn't even paying attention.

I normally would not punish my children for accidents, and never tolerated lying. I was trying to explain to him that he wasn't going to get in trouble, I just wanted to know the truth. He wasn't budging at all and stuck to his story. I remembered that his mother and father were Catholics and feared the church, almost as much as they loved it.

That's what I came up with my evil plan. I don't know where I come up with these ideas, but every once in a while one pops up in my head and I run with it.

I told Sean that I was going to bring the Holy Bible in, and if he could swear on the Bible that he was telling the truth, I would accept that and this would be the end of our conversation. I couldn't believe my eyes, as he started crying and screaming, frantically and excitedly as a yelled out, I did it, I did it, don't bring the Bible in, I won't do it again.

I couldn't believe that was all it took to get information from him. I have always been a pretty good interrogator and found myself gathering information from those people easily, but this was amazing. His fear of the Holy Bible got me thinking about how powerful this book actually is to some people. I remember when I looked upon this book, pretty much the same as Sean did.

It's just a book, like any other book. It's not made at a holy factory or a secret monastery in the Swiss Alps somewhere, it's made from paper and ink and can be damaged and destroyed like other books. I would be surprised if I threw the Bible into the fire, that it wouldn't burn. I would be even more surprised, if I seen three men standing in the fire, wait a minute that's another story in the Bible.

Is it possible for this book to actually control the lives of people. It seemed to control Sean, I wonder if I, could have actually been driving a nail home that his parents started. Could I have added to his belief, that the Bible is a book from God the creator of everything.

Questions To Ask Your Pastor

The Plain Truth about Easter

2009-08-29T23:52:00.001-07:00

Like dumb sheep to the slaughter, most of mankind continues to blindly follow pagan traditions, rather than obey God's clear commands (Mark 7:7). Has it ever occurred to those stuffing their faces with Easter ham that Jesus would puke at the thought? Neither Jesus or Peter, James or John ever ate forbidden foods. They wouldn't feel too comfortable at plenty of people's dinner tables.

Even the early Gentile converts to Jewish Christianity respected the biblical dietary laws (Acts 15:20), understanding that not all foods are sanctioned by the Creator in the Holy Scriptures (I Timothy 4:5).

When John the Baptist recognized Jesus as our Passover sacrifice, he declared: "Behold the Lamb of God" (John 1:29). He didn't say, "Here comes the Easter Bunny!" Again, like the Easter ham, the Easter rabbit is also rejected in the Bible as an abomination (Leviticus 11:6-7).

The very name of Easter exposes itself as a heathen festival, although it's cloaked as "Christian." Easter/Ishtar/Astarte is the Babylonian spring goddess our British-Israelite forefathers foolishly worshipped. Hence the fertility symbols of rabbits and eggs.

God isn't fooled by such baptized paganism, such whitewashed heathen customs (Deuteronomy 12:30). He commands us to commemorate Jesus' death every Passover and recognize His atoning work of redemption as our resurrected High Priest in Heaven, unleavening our lives of sin (I Corinthians 5:7-8).

The early Church followed Jesus' Jewish example for several hundred years until Gentile opposition (from false converts) threatened them with a death sentence if they didn't bow before Easter observances (the Quarto-Deciman controversy)!

A growing number now know, understand and believe the biblical account that we're to observe Passover and that Jesus was resurrected before sunrise Sunday, "when it was yet dark" (John 10:1). Others prefer to reject this light of understanding to remain in their traditional darkness and die in their sins (John 3:19)-- it's that serious! Because if our nations don't repent of such idolatry and immorality we'll soon suffer national destruction, defeat and deportation! That's why this article of faith is part of our plea to diehard Catholics and Protestants to repent.

Thankfully, every generation has those chosen few who are willing to reject holidays for holy days and "earnestly contend for the faith once delivered" (Jude 3). Hopefully, this plain truth about Easter will cause you to question your beliefs and provide some "kosher" food for thought!

David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall.

Creating Your Electricity

2009-08-29T22:43:00.001-07:00

Creating your own electricity and generating your own power has always been one of my dreams. Having a self sufficient home, not only a house that takes care of itself by generating its own electricity through windmills or solar panels but the satisfaction knowing that no matter what happens to the electrical companies you will always have electricity at your home.

What a wonderful feeling it would be to get a check back from the utility company instead of paying them every single month. I don't know about you but my utility bills are ridiculous and seemed to be going up in price constantly. I can't believe all the fees they have been charging for years to all of their customers. If you add all the fees for every person in the city or county this comes to a large, a very large number and it's getting worse not better.

Generating your own electricity with solar or wind power is definitely green thinking. This is going to be the wave of the future as fuel used to create electricity continues to rise in price. I really can't imagine what the price of electricity is going to be like in 10 years as the mass consumption continues to rise in developing countries.

We have got to start taking care of our own needs through solar or wind power. We have got to start creating our own electricity to become self reliant. The more self reliant we become as a nation the less dependent we will be on major corporations, especially large power conglomerates.

Creating our own electricity can also be used for electrical cars that can be purchased in the future. Think of the money you will say in fuel costs as the price of gasoline continues to increase as well as less pollution into our environment.

This is definitely the wave of the future and common sense tells us this. I suggest you read this article again if you haven't figured out some of the problems coming our way in the future.

Think green and together we can start saving the planet.

While searching for new alternatives and trying to get some advice on creating your own electricity I came across a book you can purchase in digital format. This book seems to have quite a bit of information on creating your own electricity for a totally self sufficient home.

This book has been created in digital format to reduce the consumption of trees and the waste involved in creating a regular book. What a wonderful idea for helping our environment in quite a few ways.

For more information visit http://www.gregvan.com and look for Get Earth4Energy Here Create your own electricity! Save 1000's with Earth4Energy

Personal Development

Motivating Others - The Secret!

2009-08-29T16:27:00.001-07:00

Can you really motivate others? In a word: NO!

I know that sounds weird coming from someone who makes a living in the business of motivation and engagement in the workplace; but I'm not going to waste your time with lies, platitudes, useless slogans and metaphysical crap. The fact is there is no secret when it comes to motivating others. You can provide external motivation, inspiration and incentive but ultimately all effective motivation is internal. If you want to motivate others you need to employ some simple protocols that are too often ignored by organization leaders:

Find out what personally motivates each individual on your team.
Empower people with the resources and opportunities that support each person's vision of success & happiness.
Make sure everyone knows how important his or her role is in the success of the organization.
Hold each person accountable for his or her role in personal and organizational success.

One more thing: Get rid of anyone who will not accept personal responsibility for his or her own success and happiness!

I define power as your ability or capacity to act or perform effectively. Give everyone in your organization the opportunity to perform effectively and the organization becomes more powerful. Simple, not easy!

Too often power is confused with control. Power is not control; control is an imposition of will. Power is effectiveness and a person is most effective when he knows his work is generating personal success and happiness.

But...some managers say it's impossible to know the individual needs of everyone in an organization. Divide and conquer! External motivation is a process of effective coaching and mentoring and that's best done on a small scale. You can manage the scale in two way.

Delegate closer contact to smaller groups. Hold each management level accountable for knowing what motivates his or her immediate team.
Make some time for nearly everyone you want to motivate. A little meaningful contact makes a large impression.

I'm not advocating an uncontrollable system of appeasement where everyone gets everything he thinks he's entitled to. Control should not be confused with power, but control is necessary to some degree at every level of an organization. Every individual is, however, entitled to at least one thing and that one thing is opportunity. A motivated person who doesn't see opportunity in your organization is going someplace else; you don't want to lose self-motivated people!

An effective organization understands the motivational drives of its people and strives to provide the opportunity for the individual to satisfy his or her drive for success. That drive converts directly to productivity and profit.

Understand what motivates individuals in your organization.
Establish effective coaching and mentoring that supports individual success.
Provide opportunity for individual development and success.
Hold individuals accountable for supporting organizational success.

You may not be able to motivate others, at least not on an internal level. You can provide external motivation based on the needs of the individuals on your team. Make sure external motivation is in synergy with those needs and the mission of the organization. Be a motivational example for others and you've got real power!

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER!

Visit: http://JimBouchard.org
Download your FREE white paper: The Actual Value of Motivation and Engagement in the Workplace: http://www.jimbouchard.org/BusinessPOWER.htm
Book Jim for your next corporate event, conference, convention or retreat. Call 800-786-8502

Change Your Thinking About Life

2009-08-29T15:19:00.001-07:00

You can find it at http://www.live.spiritualideas.com This book has a lot of tools to create the change in your life you want to have a more full filling life.

Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown. Ross Perot.

Are Christians Really Interested

Book Review - The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide

2009-08-29T08:53:00.001-07:00

The Highly Sensitive Person's Survival Guide: Essential Skills for Living Well in an Overstimulating World

By Ted Zeff, Ph. D.

Get ready for many suggestions and alternatives to life as usual when you read this book! Liberally sprinkled with real-life examples, you get to see how other HSPs like you have adjusted factors in their lives to suit them.

So many suggestions makes this a valuable book and somewhat overwhelming at the same time. Even with the author's own words encouraging you to take it slow and adopt a few things at a time, it holds the possibility of stopping a HSP in their tracks. You might want to read this one slowly, working on chapters with their suggestions one at a time.

What's very valuable about Zeff's perspective is his no-nonsense look at what really has to happen to be a happy HSP. He deals directly with the inner journey that is so important to reshaping life. He asks you to get clear on your goals, whether living the way you are now is either helping or harming you, how the impact of low self-esteem and not loving yourself affects you and how to constructively look at your beliefs to change your habits. He even gives a healthy six-month time frame to cement a new habit -- the longest I've ever heard quoted.

Valuable topics include:

Coping with time pressure
Calming your senses
Finding agreeable foods
Sensible exercise (at about 50% of your capacity, which is great for those of us who hate sweating)
Getting external support while you are changing habits
Thinking ahead to prepare in advance
Learning to be more in control and other attitude adjustments
The importance of routine and pacing your activity
Nurturing your sensitive soul
Finding health practitioners and healers

While highly instructive, Zeff's writing 'can be somewhat annoying. He is very repetitive in his points. For example, food choices, television and yoga seem to come up in every chapter. Additionally, his choice of words can appear somewhat judgmental in how he labels society and cultural norms. Still, I find some assurance in this as I know it was written by someone who is highly sensitive.

You may have heard or read some of this advice before cracking the cover of this volume. It is still good reading because perhaps for the first time, you are getting from someone who shares your sensitivity. That slight twist of perspective shows you how to take what the rest of the world does and modify it for your own peace of mind and body. That's a valuable skill to hone!

Then, there are areas included here that you might never have considered as alternatives otherwise, like Ayurveda. Exploring these choices can lead you in new directions and benefit you at the same time.

With each chapter ending with lists that recap the valuable points, you can easily morph this book into a refresher guide that keeps you in tune with your own nature. Read a list each day and you will keep valuable choices on the top of your mind. How much easier could it be to tune up your life?

Sarah Dolliver is the Founder of InnerVantage, the online community for inner-directed individuals (those who focus inward to restore). Her vision is to remove the stigma from being introverted or highly sensitive (HSP) to allow these individuals to lead rewarding lives that bring distinct contributions to the world. She educates, inspires and empowers them to use their gifts, talents and strengths as the basis from which they approach life.

Subscribe to the Awakening Your InnerVantage newsletter or get other free resources at http://www.InnerVantage.com

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Management (Bentley College, Waltham, MA) and is a graduate of Coach U and The Graduate School of Coaching from CoachVille.

Bathroom Moisture Problems - Home Repair

2009-08-29T08:00:00.001-07:00

Open a window or door a little when you shower. Get some air circulating through the bathroom and prevent damage to your nice house.

Put up with a little inconvenience for you homes sake and your pocket book.

His website provides all kinds of answers to remodeling and new house building in North San Diego Home Remodeling Carlsbad Home Remodeling

Visit us now for Bathroom Ideas

Christian Articles

Why Smart Goals Don't Work - And What to Do About It

2009-08-29T01:30:00.001-07:00

Each year, I receive at least half a dozen identical articles touting the benefits of SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. SMART goals are increasingly seen as the secret to personal and business success. Unfortunately, it's a pretty safe bet that most of these goals will go the way of the proverbial New Year's resolution. Why? Because none of these articles actually tell you how to make SMART goals work. In fact, most people who try the SMART approach for any but small and relatively easy goals frequently find themselves frustrated and disillusioned.

Well-constructed goals are extremely powerful tools for getting things done, increasing concentration and motivation. Successfully completing a well-constructed goal builds self-confidence. Unfortunately, creating a well-constructed SMART goal is not quite so simple as the average article makes it out to be.

To begin with, a specific goal is only useful if it's something you can control. Although this may seem obvious, the fact is that far too many people set goals that appear to be under their control, but really are not. For example, consider the athlete who sets the goal of winning an upcoming tournament: it's specific, it's measurable, it has a time of completion associated with it. Is it achievable and realistic? Depending on the athlete's level of skill, very possibly. However, the athlete has no control over the difficulty of the competition. He may simply be outplayed by a more skilled opponent.

Furthermore, although the goal is measurable, in that the athlete will know whether or not he accomplishes it, the measurement is not particularly useful. At no time will he know how close he is to accomplishing the goal, where he needs to focus his energies, or what else needs to be accomplished. The athlete is far better served by setting the goal of exercising certain key skills in the competition, skills that have a high probability of leading to a victory. Not only will he gain the self-confidence boost of accomplishing his goal, he may just win the tournament.

Another problem is that a goal is simply too big. If a goal takes years to accomplish, it can be extremely difficult to maintain motivation. Big, ambitious goals are wonderful, but they need to be carefully structured. It is vital to break them down into subgoals that can be accomplished in a much shorter period of time. The perception of progress is critical to maintaining motivation, whether for an individual or a team.

Having too many goals is another common problem. Well constructed goals are great, but if you have too many of them at once, they become a distraction. Many people can focus on three to five unrelated goals without a problem, but not ten or twenty. Keeping in mind that each goal might generate numerous subgoals along the way, it's easy to see how having more than a few key goals can easily balloon out of control.

Is the goal something you really care about? Many people have goals that they don't really care about. Perhaps they've been told it's something they ought to do or they believe they should do, but they don't really care about the outcome. If you don't care whether or not you accomplish a goal, it's hard to find the motivation to do it.

Used properly, SMART goals can be a very powerful and effective tool. Well-constructed goals can increase motivation, improve focus, and build self-confidence. Used improperly, they can decrease motivation, and destroy self-confidence. If you're using SMART goals, here are some questions to ask yourself:

Do I control the outcome?

Can I measure progress in a meaningful way?

Is my goal too big? Can I break it up?

Do I have too many goals? Is there enough time in the day/week/month to work on each one?

Do I really care about my goal? Is this something I genuinely want to accomplish?

Good luck!

Stephen Balzac is the president of 7 Steps Ahead (http://www.7stepsahead.com), a consulting firm based in Stow, MA. He can be contacted at 978-298-5189 or steve@7stepsahead.com

Old Versus New Construction Adhesives

2009-08-29T00:37:00.001-07:00

When I first started building in 1978 as a young carpenter and an apprentice to my father. I had the grand illusions of becoming what they call on the east coast a master carpenter and on the West Coast a journeyman carpenter.

Part of my training in construction was learning to use the proper adhesive and caulking for different parts of the building project. We used to use a standard solvent-based construction adhesive when we were building our stairs and they would also use this adhesive on the floors to eliminate squeaks.

This glue dried extremely hard and everyone thought the harder the better. This construction adhesive was great when I started using it in 1978. There wasn't the polyethylene super elastic expandable multi-use glue and caulking construction adhesives at that time.

We used this brittle glue and it always seemed like a waste of time. As the wood dried and started to shrink the brittle hard glue would crack and break away from the wood it was glued to. Normally the glue was breaking away from plywood floor sheeting. I have seen 2 x 12 shrink 3/8 of an inch before in as little as a few months during the summer.

Now as time went on the old construction adhesives were replaced with a new window sealant made by a company called TOPS. This stuff was the hottest and best product of the decade to me. I used this stuff for everything.

This new urethane glue was now being used for sub floors, stair treads, sealing the windows flashing and siding. This stuff is still in use today and is a great choice for all of the uses I mentioned above. The price for this sealant is about double that of most water-based or solvent-based glues. But it's worth it.

So there you have it I like the urethane glues because of their flexibility, elasticity, their ability to adhere to wood concrete or metal and their performance in the years ahead.

There is one thing to keep in mind when using construction adhesives. Most construction workers seem to ignore the fact that the wood needs to be dry and clean before applying the construction adhesive. There have been quite a few times I have witnessed carpenters working with me and ignoring my advice.

Don't put yourself into this category. Doing quality work and following the manufacturers recommended installation instructions for their product will decrease your liability if there is ever a problem. Read the instructions carefully on all of the building products you use.

The manufacturers of these construction adhesives have thoroughly tested them. So use them properly and follow all safety warnings.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes and Carlsbad Structural Repairs

Was Jesus A Good Example

Is the Bible Accurate

2009-08-28T17:59:00.001-07:00

I'm going to start with the first book of the holy Bible, Genesis chapter 1 verse one through five. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

And God said," let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

If the Bible is historically accurate, did God actually create earth. I have been battling over this, my whole life. It's very easy for someone to accept and believe in any religion, government, other people or whatever they truly desire to make real. I see it every day of my life, open your eyes and you will see it to.

It's hard to imagine that a superior entity like God created everything that we touch and see. The moon itself is pretty big and the creation of the sun would prove to be a little more difficult, but if you're God and your all knowing and all powerful, he or she or it, must be one incredible being.

This is only the first couple of paragraphs in the Bible and there is no, I repeat no, historical accuracy to this event. It seems like God or man, whoever wrote the Bible, should have started the Bible with something a little more believable for people that live in the 21st century. It's not hard to imagine someone 2000 years ago, believing in something like this.

2000 years ago the Romans were worshiping their own gods, we might find this ridiculous today but back then the Romans would punish you if you didn't worship their gods. We are not too far from that today. If we don't stop organized religion and their influence on humanity, we're going to have serious problems in the future.

The biggest problem I foresee is common sense. If the Bible has 500 historical accurate facts that can be proven without a doubt by historians, scholars and other intelligent people, but has one thing that can't be explained, how do we handle this. How do we handle the fact that the Bible states God created light? If this is false, what else is false in the Bible.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Have you ever really ask yourself Who is, Jesus of Nazareth?

Greg is currently working on a Personal Power Ideas. If you're ever wondering why some people can achieve success, while others seem to struggle aimlessly, what would it hurt, to take a couple of minutes of your time, if you could actually find the truth.

Home Selling Tips - Best Real Estate Advice Ever

2009-08-28T16:51:00.001-07:00

One of the most important things to remember when selling your home is to keep it as clean as possible. If you need help or don't have the time to organize your stuff, you can hire a home staging professional in your area. Ask your real estate professional for more information.

1. Remove any clutter from the home and place it in storage. Do not store this stuff on the property if you don't have enough room. Storing clutter in closets or in your garage, will often make these areas look smaller. By removing clutter or even large pieces of furniture, the rooms will look larger.

2. Disconnect yourself emotionally from your home. This is a big problem for people who have lived in their house for long periods of time. If you've raised a family here, the children could have emotional ties also to the home. Some home sellers are looking for someone special to buy their home, if you've got the time and money to wait, you can be selective but be careful, because the longer you wait, the market could go up or down.

3. When your real estate professional is showing the house, it's always a good idea to leave the home until the potential homebuyers are gone. One example of this would be if you were in a bad mood or didn't have a good day and were a little upset at the world. Your mood could cause potential homebuyers to lose interest in the property. I've seen this more than once.

4. Make sure everything is operating properly. This would include doors, door knobs, windows, kitchen appliances, garage door openers, cabinet drawers, bathroom fixtures, toilets, faucets, lights, switches, electrical outlets and anything else that moves, slides, turns or rotates that is part of the home.

5. The Interior and exterior walls of the home should be in good shape. Make sure there's no termite damage, wood rot, peeling paint, broken windows or holes in the walls.

6. Make sure the flooring is in good shape. Some real estate professionals will suggest, replacing the carpeting with a neutral color. This method often works pretty good but I have seen plenty of homes that were re-carpeted and after the home was purchased the carpeting was replaced again, by the new owners. Just make sure the flooring is in good shape.

7. Here's a trick that definitely works a little magic when selling a home. Leave some cookies or a nice fruit bowl on the dining room table. There is no need to leave a sign that says "Eat Me". It gives the home a warm feeling, almost like a country atmosphere.

8. Even better than home selling tip number seven would be baking some cookies just before the perspective buyers arrive, it's not the cookies, it's the smell from the cookies that most people cannot resist.

These are just a few home selling tips but the most important is to keep the inside and outside of the home clean.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He has just finished a home buyers guide to take some of the frustration out of home shopping.

Don't buyers sell a home without checking how the problems with poor home repairs.

Meditating On Religious Scriptur

Achieving Inner Peace

2009-08-28T10:18:00.001-07:00

Achieving peace of mind begins with finding an inner peace that can be achieved at all times, not only when a person actively participates in meditation to find it. True peace is something that is within always.

Some simple ways to achieve the inner peace you are looking for can come from other places, not only mediation.

Spiritual Exercise

Practice spiritual exercises and develop strength and understand of adversity.

Practice gratitude for everything in your life

Even for the adversity as it is a lesson for growth. External gratitude leads to inner peace.

Practice the positive affirmations about yourself

Look for the positive in everything and everyone around you. When practiced, a warm glow of inner peach will fill your insides.

Practice choosing peace

Choosing to stay calm in adversity and stressful times will subconsciously allow you to develop positive actions in the face of any challenge.

Learn to love yourself

Learn to practice self love through self compassion and self nurturing. This will lead to building a foundation of inner security allowing you to remain calm and serene.

Learn to forgive yourself

You are human and will make mistakes. Practice not judging yourself and release your resentments you hold against yourself for making a mistake.

Forgive others

Learn to forgive others when you are holding onto judgments resulting in grudges and resentments. This will only lead to disharmony within you. To get inner peace, you must learn to forgive and forget.

Practice Honesty

The most difficult aspect of honesty is to be honest with you. If you can't be honest with yourself, then it is impossible to be honest with others. When you can be true to yourself, this is one of the greatest gifts you can give yours towards obtaining true inner peace.

You are more than your physical body

Your core is your divine essence or your spirit. It deserves peace, true inner peace.

Practice Positive

Practice thinking positively. Look for the good in every situation and every person. Practice positive actions that result in receiving positive feed back.

Practice being Neutral

In every situation practice looking at it from an outside observer taking neither side. This will open your awareness up giving you more choices in life.

A Journey

Remember life is a journey, it is not a destination. A journey that will allow you to learn and grow in self awareness if you allow it that will bring true inner peace.

Practice these simple suggestions on a daily basis to become full of greater inner peace and quiet serenity.

Bright blessings,
Ashira
http://www.ashira.ws
ashira@ashira.ws
Ashira is a Practicing Pagan for over 15 years. Currently she is a featured columnist at
Asknow.com.
The Witches' Child Author
Bacon Bits Author
FFWA Member
Cassel Network of Writers Member

Luck is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity

2009-08-28T09:25:00.001-07:00

I'm no different than most people but now seem to be aware of my surrounding opportunities, all the time.

If I Hate My Brother

Self Help Books to Help Overcome the Little Things

2009-08-28T02:51:00.001-07:00

Hey how's life going? I say this and I really mean it, how is your life going overall right now, at this point in time? Are you happy? Are you where you want to be in your career? Do you enjoy the time you spend with your friends and family? Over all are you satisfied with where you're at with your life as a whole? There are important questions that we need to ask ourselves. It's not a daily thing, but at some point we all think about questions like these. All of us enjoy reviewing our situations, and looking for ways to improve upon it. One way you can improve is to seek help. It's very easy to find, have you ever looked at the self help books section of your local book store? It's a wonderful resource just waiting to help you with any of your current troubles.

Now have you ever actually read any self help books? A personal friend of mine had one sitting in his living room the last time I was over. At first glance I saw it and began poking fun at him, but he claimed that it was self help books that helped him through a rough patch with his job and his relationship. I'll admit I always though self help books were just a money grab by the publishers, but after taking a closer look at it I quickly changed my opinion. I changed my view so much so that I just recently purchased a self help book for my brother. When I first gave it to him he thought I was some how making fun of him. When in reality I really wanted to help. He took the book read it , loved it and now recommends self help books to his friends. Since no one is perfect it's pretty safe to say that at some point in our lives we all require help in some way or another. Whether we find that help from a professional or a book the key is that it's better to get that help sooner then later.

So are you looking for some good self help books to solve little troubles in your life? There very easy to come by at your local book chain or store. Or even easier with the massive number of book retailers on the web you can find just about any title with a few keystrokes and clicks. So fire up your favorite search engine and get over to Amazon and browse their self help books, it's time to straighten your life out today, and you'll soon find yourself on the path you've always dreamed of.

If you'd like more information on Helping yourself check out our website at Help yourself healthy

Tips For the Challenge of Steep Hill Landscaping

2009-08-27T17:44:00.001-07:00

There are some plants that are good choices for steep hill planting. If planted correctly they can prevent future erosion. Ground hugging shrubs like Blue Rug junipers are a good choice, along with groundcover evergreens. Pebbles and shrubs will just wash away, so it is best to avoid these. Larger stones will settle better, and along with the shrubs, can go a long way in erosion prevention.

Another tip for steep hill landscaping is to plant trees that develop extensive root networks. The trees can provide shade while also stabilizing the soil. The stabilized soil can make landslides less likely.

Flower gardens are yet another steep hill landscaping idea that is easy an easy way to add color. Steep hills may not have any other practical use, so why not beautify the area with a multitude of flowering blooms. Making a paved pathway or adding steps can help prevent erosion while giving a nice access up and down the hill.

A retaining wall could be the most essential addition to any steep hill. If you plant trees, shrubs or flowers on your hill you will need to have an effective way to keep them watered. Watering on a hill can present a new set of problems. The water will run down the hill before being properly absorbed while also adding to erosion. The retaining wall is a structure to prevent landslides of dirt, rocks and plants. It can help keep the soil from flowing down with watering and rain.

The retaining wall should be several feet higher than the current soil level. This will keep the accumulated soil from overflowing. The retaining wall also offers a added measure of safety as a landslide from your property can be a dangerous liability to the homeowner.

A steep hill can be a picture perfect addition to any home, but also a challenge to find solutions to landscape. By using these tips for steep hill landscaping you will add beauty to your landscape while also helping your property to survive many years of the natural elements that can lead to erosion and landslides.

To watch video with step-by-step instructions on building a retaining wall and hillside steps, visit http://gardenandlandscapingideas.info

Meditation Ideas and Experiences

2009-08-27T16:44:00.001-07:00

Spiritual Benefits

The Three Sage Kings and the Five Legendary Emperors

2009-08-27T06:32:00.001-07:00

Suiren, Fuxi and Shennong are regarded as the Three Sage Kings of ancient China who made personal sacrifices to improve the lives of the people. They are known for one or more unique contributions to mankind.

Suiren who reputedly lived 18,000 years ago discovered how to make fire by drilling wood. This discovering enabled mankind to eat cooked food and use fire to keep warm and ward off wild animals.

Fuxi taught people how to domesticate animals. He also taught them to make nets to catch fish, birds and wild animals and in the process ensure the supply of food all year round. He was also responsible for creating the institution of marriage and the for a 35 string musical instrument. His most important contribution however was the Bagua or Eight Trigram that formed the basis for the all important I Ching or Book of changes.

Shennong, also known as Yandi, invented the ancient rake, spade, plough and sickle and taught people to grow five types of cereals, rice, two types of millet, wheat and beans. He also invented barter trade and further modified Fuxi's 35 strings musical instrument into a 5 strings one.

However he was best remembered for tasting hundreds of wild herbs to find remedies to treat illnesses. In the process he suffered continually from poisoning and eventually die from eating one too many.

The emperors after Shennong were Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Diku, Yao and Shun and they are collectively known as the Five Legendary Rulers.

Huangdi have many achievements attributed to him. He had good management skills and knows how to use men of ability to help him rule the country and come out with innovations.

He commissioned his subject to develop a written language which contributed to the growth of Chinese Culture. With another he studied the art of healing and compiled "The Yellow Emperor's Medicine Classic". Yet with another he developed the 60 year cycle "Jia Zi" calendar that aided in farming.

Huangdi advocated peace and avoided war. During his reign, the people enjoyed peace and prosperity and it ushered in the age of civilization for the Chinese people.

Zhuanxu who succeeded Huangdi was not his son. He was chosen over Huangdi's many sons because of his outstanding ability. Zhuanxu greatest contribution was to bring law and order to the people plus consolidating the power of the central authority.

After Zhuanxu comes Diku who was a great grandson of Huangdi. Diku was a benevolent king who placed the people's welfare above self. He created new official posts and ministries with clearly demarcated duties such as the Ministry of Land, Forestry, Water, Metal Ores and Fire. And he personally conducted inspections frequently to ensure that the country was well run. He also further improved the calendar which contributed to farming.

Yao was Diku's son. He was industrious and benevolent like his father. He further developed the calendar and modified the timing of planting that resulting in bumper harvests.

Shun was Yao's son in law. Although his mother died when he was very young, and his step mother and father ill-treated him, he remained filial to them. His great virtue helped him to gain fame and he was summoned to King Yao's service at 30. He eventually married King Yao's daughter.

Shun drafted the five rules of etiquette and others rules and regulations which the dukes and princes had to observed. He also divided the country into 12 states with each having its own administrator. He continued to implement changes at the administrative level and set up the department of rites, music, farming, mulberry planting, works, water and land.

Shun was succeeded by Yu who founded the Xia Dynasty. Yu was famed for his ability to control flooding but that is another story for another time.

Henry Fong

Feng Shui Consultant.

Feng Shui Absolutely

The Ultimate Illumination on Mary Magdalene

2009-08-27T05:13:00.001-07:00

This video has more information on Mary Magdalene, great video on advanced spiritual thinking.

If you're really seeking the kingdom of heaven, the glory of God and the true vision that Jesus had, check out some great Christian articles . These articles are designed to teach and educate Christians.

Spiritual People I Admire

Go Green With Finances

2009-08-26T19:44:00.001-07:00

The very first thing I want to say here is that we are not our debt, our house, our cars or all of the things we purchase; we are Moms, Dads, Daughters, Sons, Grandparents who are living the best life that we can with love and purpose. Debt is something that happened along that path.

So now we take that debt and look at it objectively and realistically and don't beat ourselves up about it; while at the same time we sort it out and figure out the best way to deal with it.

The most important thing to do is figure out where you can cut back on expenses on a daily basis, look at your daily expenses; and that goes for everyone in the family. Come up with all the daily "goodies" you can live without, make a list of them. Then list all your monthly bills and see what can be reduced, eliminated and modified. This should be a family affair so that everyone can see that everyone is modifying expenditures.

Start coupon clipping, take advantage of mid-week restaurant specials, shop for sales and specials, make your own lunches, use the library for books, videos and magazines, take shorter showers (set a timer), turn off lights, unplug not in use appliances etc etc, get low energy light bulbs, turn the air and heat down, organize errands, revamp cable service and phone service (maybe you don't need a land line); just look at all of your out go and as a family see where you can cut back.

Call all your credit cards and see if they will reduce their interest rates, or see if they have a zero interest rate promotion.

Vacation in your own yard and invite friends, neighbors and relatives over for a theme party and have everyone bring a dish that compliments the theme. Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions the same way and all together, rather than separate functions and going somewhere.

Check to see if you can downsize your car to something less expensive or more environment green. Ride your bikes more if you live in an area that works, bikes can be ridden to the store for last minute shopping items, to a friends house, to church activities and if not, encourage carpooling as much as possible.

Recycle as much as possible and turn in what is payable for cash and put it into an entertainment fund. Go to dollar night movies and eat right before you go so theatre snacking isn't a temptation.

Whatever you do don't panic or ignore it and hope it goes away, be realistic and aware. Know this does not make you a bad person to have money and debt issues, it is just something that happened while you were doing life and now you are going to become aware of it and figure out the best way to handle it, as a family together.

Darlene has researched, practiced and implemented many spiritual and personal growth paths: Crystal Readings for Vibrant Living; Feng Shui for personal tranquility; Sacred Movements for a disciplined life; Gentle Touch Energy Healer; Whole and organic food advocate-Food as Medicine; Artist of hand woven and beaded amulet basket necklaces. She resides in California in her own personal wellness center and sanctuary. She brings her wisdom, knowledge and spiritual self to you in all that she does. Darlene's mission is to teach and encourage individuals how to find and maintain their balance in mind, body, spirit connection, which brings peace, joy and prosperity into their lives. They learn how to experience the joy of balanced living. She accomplishes this thru her Crystal Readings for Vibrant Living and her Wellness Coach Program, which is offer to individuals and corporations. Receive her f.ree report "Learn 7 Ways to Manifest Abundance With Crystals" at Spirited Boutique

Darlene Siddons

Is the Bible Repulsive or True - Movie Video

2009-08-26T17:55:00.001-07:00

Can you believe this guy, if you look up these verses in the Bible, you will see that there and there, but how did he come up with these ideas about the Sabbath, teenagers and the fact that the Bible is repulsive.

Book Of Life