Financial Burdens From Church Leaders

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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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.

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Could You Be a Married Adulterer? - For Christians Only

Adultery has been going on for centuries and obviously was a problem 2500 years ago or it wouldn't have been mentioned in the Bible so many times. Could you actually be married to someone and be considered an adulterer? It's time for you to learn all the rules in the New Testament about adultery.

Here's a Bible verse that could get a lot of Christians in trouble. Mark 10:11-12 (New King James Version)" 11 So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries commits adultery against her. 12 And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

It looks a little more complicated than most of us could have ever thought. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, has committed adultery. That means that there are millions of Christians all over the world who have committed adultery.

I've got some more bad news for Christians who might have looked at a woman lustfully. Matthew 5:28 (New International Version Bible) "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." This isn't looking good, for men or women is it?

If you've never been married, but while you were at church, notice an attractive woman or man and had lustful thoughts, about them, you're an adulterer. I know, it sounds a little harsh, but I'm not making anything up here, it's right out of the Bible.

I know things aren't looking good but I would like to leave you with a comforting thought. If you were divorced from your spouse because of an adulterous relationship, things might be starting to look a little different with this next Bible verse.

Matthew 19:9 (New International Version Bible) I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

These are typical contradictions and they are located throughout the Bible. Mark 10:11-12 states that all divorced people who have remarried, commit adultery. Matthew 19:9 states something completely different, if your divorced and your ex spouse has been unfaithful during your marriage and you remarry, everything is okay.

Are you even more confused than when I started? There's a good chance that you are. I'm even confused and I wrote the article. The real question is, can we remarry or can't we.

This would be a good topic during Bible study. You can start by asking, how many people are adulterers?

Read This Today

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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.

Click here if you're interested in the Bible truth.

My Message From God - Christian Spirituality

This is a special article to me and I would like to share it with you. It seems like, every one that I have ever met, who refers to themselves as Christians, have received a special message from God.

I would like to share my message from God with every person in the world.

Why would God go out of his way to create evil people? To create people that wouldn't convert to his religion. To understand the true meaning of the one true religion. To have the ability to comprehend the truth and wisdom of Christianity.

I have been listening to Christians for years, talk about evil, the influence of the Bible on Christians, gifts from God, questioning their beliefs, lacking understanding for things that God doesn't give them or things that he takes away from them and excluding sinners from their lives.

I've been listening to Christians talk about love and caring, but excluding sinners, homosexuals and women from their church. Not allowing women to hold decision of authority or allowing them to perform certain tasks, inside of the Church.

I've been listening to Christians, quote from the Bible, with limited knowledge of the origins of that individual Bible verse, let alone the origins of their church or how Christianity was formed.

I've listened to them judge me for my beliefs and condemn others for theirs, while they are telling me about decision's they are making within their own lives, that don't support Christianity.

Just because you go to church, read the Bible or simply believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, doesn't make you an educated Christian. It only makes you a Christian.

My message from God is simple. Learn more about Christianity and this will allow you to do one of two things. Either you will become a stronger Christian or you will relinquish your beliefs in Christianity.

Either way you will have learned more about Christianity and could consider yourself an educated Christian or simply an educated person.

Advanced Bible Study

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.

Click here if you're a Spiritual Chrsitian.

Is Overpopulation a Religious Problem?

Overpopulation really isn't that hard to understand. People love each other, want to reproduce and have offspring. Their parents took care of them, and they will take care of their children. People love to have families and these families love to have more families. It doesn't get any simpler than that.

Now is overpopulation a religious problem? If you listen to religious text and understand a few simple sentences, you will see that there are plenty of religions all over the world that encourage the multiplication of mankind.

In the Bible, God tells man to be fruitful and multiply. If you read this a little differently, you might take it that God wants men to eat as much fruit as he wants to and plant more trees so that he can have more fruit and be fruitful.

That's not exactly how most Christians read this Bible verse. Christians need to have more children, and their children need to have more children. This is how they interpret the words, to be fruitful and multiply.

I do believe that religions all over the world play an important part in our worlds population problem today. It's not the people who are educated, that are constantly reproducing, in today's world.

Most religions support population expansion, but what are they going to do, once the world becomes so overpopulated, that we can't even take care of ourselves. This should give you another point of view to look at, especially if you one part of the problem and not the solution.

What About The End of The World

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, 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.
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 superior biblical knowledge , answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

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Be Glad the Hard Times Are Upon Us!

If you ever had a hard-driving athletic coach, these and other phrases will probably bring back memories and might even summon his screaming face back into view:

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going!"

"Show me someone who loses and laughs, and I'll show you a loser!"

Vince Lombardi, legendary Green Bay Packers coach, said there's something in "good men" that loves a struggle. You're being beaten up on the playing field, bruised and bloodied, but you give the game all you have, exhausted as it ends, but you WIN!

Or, you may have heard it this way: "Winning isn't everything; It's the ONLY thing!"

I summon these quotes because they're designed to have what psychologists refer to as, "sleeper" effects. Like messages in bottles, they're cast across our consciousness from the land of our youth, and they're intended to wash up and be read some time later, on a distant shore of adulthood.

We might have goofed about them privately, outside of earshot of our coaches. But if these proclamations didn't rouse us and help us to perform in the games at hand, that grouchy leader with the whistle or clipboard knew these admonitions wouldn't be forgotten, completely.

Some day, circumstances would arrange themselves so we would feel deeply dejected, helpless and hopeless before seemingly overwhelming odds, and a small voice would echo in our mind:

"Winners never quit and quitters never win!"

And like Rocky Balboa, we'd struggle to our feet and miraculously knock out anything or anyone standing in our way.

Well, looking at our economy and world events, it seems like a fine time to deliberately awaken these sleeper messages, and to put them to work.

If you have ever played sports or striven in any competitive environment, you already have what it takes to respond to adversity. Recall all of the steps you took to achieve in those arenas.

Remember as well, the self-doubts you overcame. Because now, we have a chance to prove, yet again, what we're made of, who we are, and what we can do when we want to, and need to.

Someday, when these difficulties are overcome, you'll look back and realize times were hard, "But YOU DID IT HARD," as motivational speaker Les Brown would say.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top speaker, sales, customer service and negotiation trainer, best-selling author, and TV and radio commentator. He conducts seminars and convention presentations around the world and can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com. His profile can be read at: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/a91/833.

Third Eye Meditation

Many people, in particular teenagers and college students, are interested in third eye meditation. What is third eye meditation? How do you practice it?

The practice of third eye meditation is very easy to understand. On your forehead, above your nose and in between your eyebrows, is a spot which is often called the "third eye." In third eye meditation, you concentrate on that spot with concentrated visualization. The purpose is to bring chi or prana to a dormant chakra, or energy center, which is located right at that spot. When it opens we say that you have tentatively succeeded at third eye meditation.

The visualization that you perform on this spot is usually a picture of a little diamond, silver flame, white moon, a Sanskrit letter, a Hebrew letter, a Buddha, or some other auspicious silverish or bright white figure. The principle is that when you concentrate on a region inside or outside of your body, the chi energies of your body will tend to go to that point. Because the chi or natal energy of your body goes to a particular point, it will mass in that region and when it masses, it will open up the chi channels and chakras in that area because of the friction.

Let's take another example that you can easily understand. You can visualize any of the bones in your body by imagining the shape of the bone and that its color is bright white. In time, with continued practice you will send the chi or energy of your body to the bone. This will often cause the bone to seem to glow inside your mind. By sending energy to a bone in this way, you can also banish sickness and pain. If you suffer from arthritis, this often improves the pain in a bad area. All you have to do in your visualization practice is concentrate on a region inside the body and thereby send the body physical energy to a mass at that point.

When it comes to the region of the third eye you are performing the very same function. But why should you do this at the region of the third eye? That's because the third eye is the location of a chakra in the body called the two-petalled "Ajna" charka. This is a major upper termination point of the chi channels (acupuncture meridians) in the body that stretch all the way from the perineum up your back and to the front of your head. When you concentrate on that point because of the visualization, you will tend to send the chi to that area which will in turn help to open up the chakra in that region.

It is very easy for people to develop slight psychic abilities from doing the technique. In Anthroposophy, for instance, people often visualize the stages of germination of seeds at this point in order to help open up the chakra. In Tibetan Buddhism, many people are advised to visualize a bright image at this point, within their throat, behind the breastbone and in their bellies. Many spiritual schools have similar visualization teachings to open up chakras.

However some people who do this visualization never experience any psychic effects whatsoever. The reason is because in order to power the Ajna chakra of the third eye, the chi energy (known as prana in Indian yoga) from the lower regions of the body has to ascend upward. If all the chi channels stretching from below to above are blocked or obstructed, which is normally the case, then very little energy will ever reach the third eye no matter how much visualization practice you do. You have to practice a long time to first open up these other channels as well. That's why only advanced meditators who have practiced meditation for years, and whose chi channels or acupuncture meridians are thereby somewhat cleansed because of the prior practices, experience any of the psychic abilities that are often reported to occur from this practice.

The reason that you practice this method, however, is not to develop psychic abilities. The main reason you want to practice it so that your chi from down below will enter the region of the head and help quiet your mind so that you can enter an advanced meditative state called samadhi. That's why this technique is often practiced in Taoism and in yoga. But it's also practice in Esoteric Buddhism, western alchemy, and Sufism. The purpose is not so that you develop psychic abilities so that you can see spirits and ghosts and other beings made of Chi, but so that you can learn one-pointed concentration and let go of your view of being a body. Concentrating on the Third eye through meditation is just another way of trying to bring about this spiritual result and enter the real spiritual path.

You'll find a wealth of free information on how to meditate, measuring your spiritual progress and on third eye meditation when you visit MeditationExpert.com's vault of rare lessons on spiritual cultivation and meditation techniques.

I Am Just Exploding With Excitement

I feel fired up for life. I just can't keep it to myself. I never felt energy in myself like this before. I love giving off this high energy. I think it is contagious. Just give off the energy that you can't help but bring a smile to somebody.

The week before the Summit , I dropped off 4 cards in 4 of my neighbors doors. They have no idea that each other had it done to them. I could believe the responce my cards. They were blank cards that I had filled in something that I appreciate about them.

First Cosmo, I told him he was my hero. He has a brain tumor to big to do anything about.He lives each day to the fullest and never takes a day for granted. I saw him 2 days later and He was so happy to have recieved my card.

Then there is Carmen, She lives on my floor. She used to take my kids for 2 hours once a week to let me have a break. That is years ago when my husband worked nights. We are just good neighbors. We look out for each other. So Her card said thanks for always being there. 2 days later she dropped flowers at my door. I had made her day. Ha! She made mine, i love fresh flowers .

Lynn, She lives on the 6 floor like Cosmo. She is very sick. She won't tell me what is wrong. She looks really sick. We have gotten to know each other in passing throughout the years. We have done nice gestures for each other as well. Her card said , I miss you. I haven't see her in months and I just wanted to tell her HI, I miss seeing you. She called last night. She said she couldn't bring herself to call me and tell me how she felt about me. She in my mind reasures me that I am a amazing human being. That I know how to touch hearts and change lives.

The last card I didn't hear from. I hope it brought a smile to her face, like the thought of her brings to mine.

My name is Dana Malave. I am 35 years old. I am a wife and a mother of 2 incredible children. My life is dedicated to personal development . Whether it be helping people through my writing http://www.mylifeinabundance.com

Inerrancy of the Bible - Are There Mistakes in the Bible

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 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.

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

The Solar Wind Blowing through Your Consciousness

If you follow Space Weather (on the Internet), you may be aware of the solar winds caused by active sunspots facing towards Earth. On Space Weather they mention how these may cause auroras in the night sky, but do not mention what affects these winds have on Human Consciousness.

Last night in bed, I noticed myself bathing in a stream of very high-vibration energy and remembered that Space Weather had predicted auroras. Subjectively, I feel I was noticing this strong magnetic energy coming direct from the Sun.

The energy seemed very pure and clean; the frequency was off the scale of my normal range of experiences with energy I felt I was being downloaded with information. At present, I do not have the awareness to interpret this subtle Energy at these exceptionally high frequencies.

The flow of energy was so strong it woke me up; I lay there just feeling the energy, being aware of its nature and looking for the information it contained.

I raised my own vibration through Meditation, to see if I could match the Energy flow a bit like a radio tuner searching the frequency bands to tune in to the signals contained within the light of electromagnetic radiation.

As I raised my vibration, I could feel the Angelic presence of a pure light. It reminded me of the Kabbalah and the Tree of Life. The Kabbalah refers to the planets of our solar system as the Archangels, all radiating their influence down on Earth and touching each individual's life.

Astrology aims to interpret these subtle energies and their influence and to use crystals to adjust the power of each heavenly body in our lives. By adjusting the various influences it aims to change one's destiny or path in life.

The power last night was such that I feel this was more to do with the Ascension process and the moving of Human Consciousness into the New Earth.

As more people awake to the raising of consciousness and breathe their awareness into these more subtle levels of their being, we are seeing the Quantum Field, which underlies our nature, awaking and becoming aware of its own nature: it forms the junction point between all matter, consciousness, and spirit.

The Quantum Field also forms the link to wholeness, between the plants, animals and their environment so we see everything as a whole, in the Oneness of Life.

The flow of energy from the sun in this subtle form seems to be energizing the field of electromagnetic forces around the body the Human Aura. As this field of Love grows, it creates the power to attract into your life what you desire. It brings healing and wholeness to your body, so you feel charged up and full of life.

The flow of consciousness into matter has been going on for millennia but it is only now in human history that this conscious awareness is reaching these more subtle levels. We are now starting to think within the light. This is the ultimate refinement of consciousness and what computer designers have been trying to do for years.

As this happens, Human Consciousness flows naturally into Oneness; the light connects all things in your environment with you, in this electromagnetic world we live in.

Message channelled by George E. Lockett -- HealerGeorge(C) Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved. Tel: +44 (0)1286 882701 George has recently published his new book, which contains many more articles and advice to bring Joy into your life. The book is titled: "A Journey into the Self -- the multi-dimensional nature of being human": HealerGeorge Web Site and New Book Description: What is this book going to do for YOU? For those who are seeking a complete energetic makeover, as you read it you will feel a stirring and awakening in the depths of your heart. For those who have questions about Shifts in Consciousness, Energy Balancing, and Healing within the body, you will find clear answers. Ask a question of HealerGeorge at: Ask HealerGeorge

You Shouldn't Believe Everything In The Bible - Spare The Rod

Spiritual People I Admire
Religious Education And Fear
Ignorant Excuses Who Needs Them
Your Hardest Day In Life

Thoughts To Ponder

These little known quotes from a variety of well-known philosophers, authors and professionals bring a perspective worth contemplating.

"Russia on its path has oftentimes discussed and over discussed what had happened earlier, instead of moving forward. The result is always the same: It is very difficult to move forward when you're looking backward. - Mikhail Khodorkovsky

"Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile." - Vince Lombardi

"It's easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner, when you're number one. What you've got to have is faith and discipline when you're not yet a winner." - Vince Lombardi

"Part of the issue of goals is to be able to set realistic goals, but that's one of the hardest things to do because you don't always know exactly where you're going, and you shouldn't." - George Lucas

"Basically, our goal is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful." - Larry Page

"I've been blessed to find people who are smarter than I am, and they help me to execute the vision I have." - Russell Simmons

"You will encounter many distractions and many temptations to put your goal aside: The security of a job, a wife who wants kids, whatever. But if you hang in there, always following your vision, I have no doubt you will succeed. - Larry Flynt

"Leaders need to be optimists. Their vision is beyond the present." - Rudy Giuliani

"One of my goals is to inspire people to be all that they can be and, hopefully, be a good example and teach some useful, interesting principles. Perhaps I can be the key that turns on the engine in their life, and then they can take their car where they want." - Mark Victor Hansen

"Perhaps my most important goal is to create a million millionaires." - Mark Victor Hansen

"How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I'm committed to?" - Anthony Robbins

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

Are You Caught Up In A Life Of Guilt

Guilt is one of the largest causes of stress in your life. Stop reading this article for a second and think about the people in your lives that often make you feel guilty.

Now did you really stop reading the article and think about the people in your life who make you feel guilty? Okay well if you did this get back to the guilty feelings so many of us have. Guilt goes all the way back to your childhood, your parents, teachers, friends and relatives have gotten to be pretty good at it over the years, often learning from the same group of people when they were children.

Guilt is definitely a big part of our society and can be found almost everywhere you turn. Have you ever turned the television on to notice a commercial about weight loss. A large majority of Americans are overweight and are targets for a guilt creating society.

I was reading a book on writing magazine articles, when they mentioned a fact that I never thought of, most women's magazines run articles on dieting in every issue. Guilt sells magazines.

Do you think weight loss, dieting or nutritional eating habits, sell magazines? If your answer is no, you should check the financial statements of these companies. They know what sells magazines and guilt or fear is one of their best friends. If you answered yes to the question, you won't have to suffer from the guilt of not knowing the answer.

Guilt seems to work on our subconscious mind in negative ways, often producing harmful thoughts that create stressful feelings in our lives. The longer these negative thoughts are held as truths, the harder it's going to be on our self esteem.

If you find yourself around people that make you feel guilty for something you do or don't do on a regular basis, I would suggest finding new people to hang around with. Gathering negative information from people you consider your friends can only create more damage to your conscience.

If you truly and sincerely do not like something about yourself, tell your friends in a nice way, that you would rather talk about your problems in a negative way. If they have constructive and helpful comments, you would love to hear them. Guilt causes stress and stress can lead to death. If you don't believe that, do some research on stress related illnesses.

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, The Intuitive Way

Greg is currently working on a personal development library filled with great subjects 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.

3 Steps to Compelling Communication

Communication is the primary tool we use to interact with others. It is vital in the development of successful business and personal relationships. Helen Keller who was blind, deaf and mute needed to learn ways to communicate so she could participate in the world. Participating in everyday life requires the development of effective, respectful communication skills.

The 3 key steps to compelling communication are Listening, Awareness and Questions

Listening
Sometimes silence is the most effective listening tool available. Have you ever noticed people who frequently interrupt conversations in order to make their point? What is the message to the person who was talking? Other times people rush to speak as a way of showing they understand or perhaps they have a solution to offer. To really listen means to give someone your complete time and attention without judgment or assumptions.

An employee went to her manager for suggestions and support in dealing with a difficult client. As she began describing the situation, her boss kept interrupting her and making assumptions. She never got the chance to fully clarify what had occurred and as a result the recommendations she was given for handling the situation were not particularly relevant. The impact of being a good listener can bring positive returns in not only working with colleagues but with clients and suppliers as well. When you do not fully listen and understand the concerns, how can you deal with it?

Awareness
In order to be truly aware you need to recognize what you are saying and doing as well as noticing other people's actions and reactions. In the work world as you move your way up the ladder of responsibility you will have managers and bosses who guide you and give constructive criticism. However, if you dislike your job or some aspect of the job you need to be aware of how your dislike might be coming across. How do you deal with a colleague or boss with whom you are having problems? What is your response? As you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings about a challenging situation, you are better able to manage and plan your actions.

It is equally important to be aware of how others may be feeling or behaving. If you are interacting with people face to face you may notice their body language. In today's world this can sometimes be challenging as you may be doing a lot of communicating by computer and phone. Therefore it is important to pay attention to tone of voice and the tone of emails. Your awareness and sensitivity of yourself and others invites collaborative solutions to problems and concerns.

Questions
Asking people questions instead of making assumptions is a useful way of gathering information. However the kind of questions you ask and the tone of your voice is key. Questions which are critical and judgmental disrupt communication, whereas questions which come from a place of curiosity and inquiry invite more meaningful conversations.

According to the "Inquiry Institute" there are two main types of questions, "judging or learning." Questions which have an accusatory tone such as "who's at fault, why are they so irritating or why can't I do anything right," generally contribute to people being stuck. Questions which invite possibilities like "What can I learn from this, what are the options and how can we do it differently the next time," tend to produce a more positive outcome. Which kind of questions would you respond to more favorably?

To move your conversations forward in the direct you want them to be going remember to really listen to what people are saying, be aware of yourself and others and ask questions which invite collaboration.

Copyright 2008, Gail Solish, Communication and Relationship Coach. All rights reserved. Visit http://www.actualizeyourgoals.com for more tips and information on communication skills and developing positive business and personal relationships. Subscribe to the monthly newsletter "Actualize Your Goals".

Gail Solish, provides Executive/Personal coaching to managers, directors and executives focused on workplace development and relationship management. Claim your copy of "7 Keys to Effective Communication" Today at http://www.ActualizeYourGoals.com

Need Help Remodeling In Carlsbad

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.

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

Goal Setting Activities You Must Follow

Do you want to buy a castle? Do you want to play basketball with Michael Jordan? Do you want to have dinner with Bill Gates? Do you want to be a millionaire? Do you want to visit the world's most exotic place? Well, as you already know, with the help of goal setting, it is possible for you to achieve all your dreams.

In fact, goal setting can be divided into 3 phases; they are, the formation phase, the setting phase and the action phase. Without any of these phases, your goal setting activities will not be completed and you will never achieve what you want.

The first phase is the formation phase where ideas, visions or dreams come to you and you want to make them come true. With that means, you need to know exactly what you really want before you can set goal to achieve it. So find out what you really want to achieve in your life right now. Do you have any dreams? Do you have any visions? What do you want to achieve in the next 10 years? Who are you going to be in the next 5 years?

Next comes the setting phase, this is where you set your goals. Goal setting is not as complicated as you think. All you need to do is to grab a pen and write down your goals on a piece of paper. Remember, you need to be as specific as possible and don't forget to write down the deadline for each of your goal. After that, paste that paper on somewhere you can see often. This will constantly remind you about your goals.

The final phase is where after you have set your goals; you need to take action to make your goals come true, and hence, the action phase. Nothing is going to happen if you are not taking any action. Goal setting is not a magic wand; it is not like after you have written down your goals and they will come true automatically. You need to consistent action that will lead you toward your goals.

These are the 3 phases of goal setting activities. By combining these 3 phases together, you will be able to achieve your goals, guaranteed. Remember, success is about getting things done. First find out what you want, set goals and develop plan to achieve them, and then take massive and consistent action everyday.

If you are serious in achieving what you really want in your life, goal setting is the right tool for you. I'm going to share with you the 3 phases of Goal Setting Activities, you are about to discover the real and guaranteed strategies how to achieve your goals

For more information about Goal Setting Activities, please visit: http://www.Goal-Setting-Activities.com

Did Jesus Actually Ever Get Mad

You Have Got To Read This Book
Stop Lying Today
Make A Live Out Of Your Life
What The Bleep Do You Know

Hope in Religion

I was reading a book on advertising when the author mentioned, "All Advertising Is about Hope."

This got me thinking about other people's dreams and aspirations, most of this is wrapped around them hoping to accomplish something or do something. I never gave it much thought but hope is one of the most important things in our lives. Some people go around hoping that they will keep their job, when the economy is in bad shape. Others go around hoping for forgiveness for their sins or other bad deeds they have done in the past.

What is it you're hoping for? There's got to be something. Are you hoping to become a multimillionaire or even the world's first trillionaire. Are your dreams big or small? Are you the kind of person who is happy living a simple life with very little possessions like a Buddhist monk or are you one who is seeking the lifestyle of the King.

Hope supplies us with the will to continue through hopeless obstacles during our lifetime.

Most people seeking hope are looking for a way out of something or a way toward a better life. These people often fall easy prey to large religious organizations, as they take them under their wing and slowly start to brainwash them. They seek the weak minded, helpless, poor and trusting people and build their organizations using them. I once believed in Christianity, but it no longer offers me true hope, the more I study Christianity and other organized religions, I noticed certain similarities based on inspiration.

I hope I live the good life, so I can go to heaven, the promised land, our ultimate enlightenment.

I hope I am living the true will according to God, Buddha, Krishna or other supreme beings.

I hope that the Bible is wrong about the 144,000 people from the 12 tribes.

I hope I'm living a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

If you're part of an organized religion, ask your religious leaders, any questions that you have about your religion. If they can't answer these questions, try to find them on your own. Books, videos, and the Internet are great sources for information. If you're living your life for the sole purpose of going to heaven one day, you could be disappointed, when that day arrives.

Ask a couple of questions and I hope you will get honest answers to them.

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, Read This Book

Greg is currently creating articles on religion filled with great subjects 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

Reduce Workplace Stress

So you want to reduce workplace stress, increase your job satisfaction, achieve greater productivity and, maybe, get promoted. These are great goals and something that we should all be proud to support. But what if none of this is working for you? What are the answers and how do you relieve the stress and get the sort of job you want?

If you are going to go to work, you should be happy. You will spend a lot of time at work, 2000 work hours per year for 40 years - 80,000 hours altogether. You do not want to join the 20 million American adults who have some form of mental disorder annually (includes depression, anxiety, phobias etc). you DO NOT want to be one of the 18.1 million adults who experience either dysthymia (mild, chronic depression) or a major depressive disorder. So what are some of the secrets for being happy and effective at work?

My number one solution is to know yourself. Being self-aware, understanding your skill set, knowing where you are good and where you are not so good all help you to fit in to the workplace culture and expectations. I have talked before about person-environment fit and I firmly believe that if people have a poor fit that they will be unhappy. Being unhappy for 40 hours a week leads to some nasty consequences - not only mood disorders but alcoholism, thrill seeking (perhaps through affairs, adrenaline charged outdoor activities), and de-stabilized relationships.

So coming to grips with yourself in the workplace in a realistic and not negative way is a very important part of how we deal with work or workplace stress. A half an hour ago I declared to my wife, after returning from work at the end of a long week, that while I am good at large scale conceptualization, creating research cultures, building strategic visions etc, when it gets down to supervising administrative staff to make sure that they have attended to all the necessary details and minutiae of my work place - I am definitely not very good. So I have to find a way to work around this so my colleagues and my supervisors do not suffer from my big picture view of the world.

I enjoy the research from Harvard and the work of people like Daniel Goleman. I am very supportive of the research that suggests that self-awareness and emotional intelligence are two of the major performance characteristics that predict successful outcomes. I generally look at five performance factors in an organization: productivity (not easy to measure in some organizations); punctuality (and time on task); absenteeism (sickies etc); presenteeism (at work but doing virtually nothing); and staff turnover. All of these variables impact job output and job satisfaction.

People, especially leaders and managers who are low on self-awareness and emotional intelligence will not be successful in their workplace. They will add to work stress, not reduce it. The productivity of their organizational units will be lower. They will have higher absenteeism, presenteeism, turnover, and lower productivity. Those who work but do not supervise who are unaware and emotionally dull create upward problems just as effectively as managers create downwards problems.

What does it mean if one has a high or very high emotional intelligence (EI)? I will draw upon some material from an earlier article as it sums up nicely why self-awareness and emotional intelligence is important. If you have high levels of EI, you probably have a fairly positive self-esteem, you are probably very happy, you probably maintain good relationships and understand people quite well, you manage life's stressful events and challenges well and you are probably handling virtually all aspects of your life very comfortably.

So you want to improve your lot in organizational life? Start with yourself. Reduce your stress, lower the stress levels of your partners, and minimize workplace stress for your colleagues by sitting down and doing an audit of your personal and inter-personal style. Ask a good but frank and honest friend to give you advice. And, to reduce the stress issues that seem to surround you, work on a personal improvement plan as outlined by your friend.

Dr Jeff, a psychologist, writes about stress. In this article he provides additional insights into the concept of self-awareness and emotional intelligence in terms of their effect on workplace stress. People need to learn how to manage stress and they need help to relieve stress. Dr Bailey integrates sound research with extensive clinical knowledge from his therapy with his patients. He works hard to make his articles practical and helpful but all of his articles are based on sound research evidence. To find out more about how he helps people with stress relief and to learn effective ways to manage and reduce stress, visit his website http://www.drjeffbailey.com/free_stress_book.html to get a free book that will introduce you to effective stress management.

Stair Lighting Problems

Walking up and down the stairs in the dark could become a safety issue. If the stairs in the house are not that old, there should be a light switch at the top and a light switch at the bottom of the stairway. This is a three way switch and is designed to allow you to turn the stair lighting on as you walk up the stairs and then turn the stair lighting off, once you've safely reached the top of the stairway. And vice versa as she walked down the stairs.

If you don't have a light switch, there are motion sensor lights that are battery operated and can be installed easily in the stairway. These lights can provide you with peace of mind, while protecting your family from accidents.

Stairway accidents are nothing to joke about, I lived in a two-story house with four other people and was the last one to fall down the stairway. None of us got seriously injured and the stairway was built to meet local building codes and was inspected by a building and safety inspector. The stairs were built correctly and the stair lighting was no problem, but people still fell down the stairway and it always happens in the evening.

During the day time there were two windows that let plenty of light into the stairway and in the evening the stairway became quite dark, rarely was the stair lightning ever turned on. This could have been outright laziness but nevertheless, it was rarely used and eventually became a safety issue.

Lighting your stairway might not end all of your problems but it can and some of your problems. There are plenty of stair lighting systems available on the market today and some of the battery operated stair lighting systems can be installed by most homeowners.

Think safety always and do your best to solve your stair lighting problems as soon as possible to prevent injuries or accidents.

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 building stairs or home building ideas.

How to Overcome Fear of Darkness Using Self Hypnosis

The fear of darkness is one of the most common fears among children. You may be surprised to learn that a good number of adults find themselves paralyzed by this same fear at various times in their lives as well. You do not have to live your life in fear of what lurks in the darkness ever again. Keep these things in mind to help you overcome your night time fears and see what a difference these changes can make to your anxiety levels.

Become Your Own Light

Don't let anyone or anything dictate how you react to darkness in your life. Whether it's a literal darkness that is causing your phobia to take front page in your life or a dark place in your life that is cause for concern you can make changes you need to be comfortable in the world in which you live. You can, on occasion become your own light and overcome the feeling of darkness closing in by concentrating on the light within.

Make Your World Bright

For some people this means sleeping with the lights on -even a small light that chases away total darkness. Others need to sleep with every light in their houses on. Dark corners are as frightening to them as a darkened cemetery is to most people on Halloween. When you become a beacon of light in your darkness, you can learn to live with fewer lights on around you. Eventually you may even be able to turn off the lights completely. Take one step at a time though and handle your fear of darkness with care.

Find the Root of Your Fear of Darkness

Almost every fear has a starting point. This will be either the first place the fear manifested or the act that created the fear to begin with. You need to find out what caused your fear of darkness in order to address the problem and move on to actually overcoming the fear.

Learn to Love the Darkness

There are many great things to see and do in the darkness. Start with small steps and lesser degrees of darkness -such as movie theaters or planetariums, or work your way into places that offer more complete darkness. This gives you the opportunity to build new memories that are fond memories of the dark and erase those that led to your phobia or current anxiety level in regards to the dark.

Give Hypnosis a Shot in the Dark

Hypnosis has been used as a tool for overcoming many different fears and addictions through the past few years as well as many impressive behavior modification endeavors. If you are interested in putting your fear of darkness to rest then hypnosis is a highly effective method for accomplishing this goal without potentially harmful or anxiety ridden side effects.

Putting Out the Light and Saving Your Nights

Isn't it time that you were able to face the night once and for all? Are you ready to put out the lights and get a great night's sleep for the first time in years without worries over what the darkness brings? Put your fear of darkness behind you today with the help of hypnosis and the power of suggestion.

J. Seymour is a writer with Self Help Recordings. 'Overcome Fear Of Darkness' is an excellent recording by Steve G Jones, who offers twenty years of experience through these recordings. To find out more, visit Fear Of Darkness. A range of other self hypnosis products can be found here - Phobia Of Darkness. All of the recordings on Self Help Recordings are backed by an impressive sixty day guarantee, so to find out more simply click on the links.

Anxiety Self Help - Methods That Can Work!

If you have had anxiety for any length of time you will have gone through all the doctors appointments and all the counselors and therapists and most likely taken all the medication that your body and mind can stand only to find your self at the same horrible place you started at!

Having anxiety and anxiety attacks is an emotionally traumatic experience that only those who have had it understand, all the drugs and medications in the world will not cure your anxiety problems either, because they do not treat the reason behind the anxiety, they just block the symptoms temporarily.

There are numerous natural methods that can help you get control of your anxiety from meditation, acupuncture, aromatherapy, as well as plenty of herbal remedies!

The problem lies in knowing which one is suitable for you, and that can take quite a bit of trial and error on your part! Anxiety can be with you in some form for the rest of your life, what really matters is how you deal with it so that it does not interfere with your daily life and activities. Once you have your anxiety under control although it will probably still be lurking there you can get on with your life and enjoy the things you like doing without fear or apprehension!

I have personally had anxiety problems for all my life, and although I feel fine now, I know that they are still there, but thankfully I am now easily able to control them so that I can get on with things and go places I never would have been able to go when I had anxiety problems!

If you are having severe anxiety attacks or you worry or panic unnecessarily, and you want to put an end to it for good then Click Here to find out how you can cure your anxiety attacks once and for all, so that you can live the life you deserve free from anxiety! http://www.anxiety-online.info

Don't Tithe If You Can't Afford to - Poor Christians Beware of Motivated Church Leaders

Secret
What Changed My Thoughts
What The Bleep Do You Know
Experiment With Your Waitress

Can a Change in Mindset Really Create Abundance?

You've probably seen more than a handful of people making some pretty amazing claims connecting the power of one's outlook with their ability to experience abundance. There's an entire industry built on books, tapes, seminars and groups that claim certain visualization powers and adjustments in perspective can create wealth and happiness.

Is it for real? Can a change in your perspective really stuff your pockets? Can positive thinking take you from barely getting by to flying high?

The skeptics out there will tell you in absolute terms that there is no evidence to suggest that a change in thinking will somehow bend the world to your favor. They'll chuckle at the idea of visualization and positive thinking producing anything physical or real.

If you quiz the true believers, you'll get a different story. They'll swear that merely expecting success has turned them into successes. They'll tell you stories about how they have "manifested" everything from business success to health improvements.

Who's telling the truth? Is either side right in this debate?

My guess is that the truth of the matter, as it so often does, lies between the extremes. Both sides of the argument seem to be a little exaggerated and unyielding to me.

There are many good reasons to believe that a change in your outlook will change your life. If you're thinking differently, you're behaving differently. When you're behaving differently you're producing different results. Thus, any change in perspective can encourage abundance because it can shift the way you interact with the world.

The skeptics fail to recognize just how powerful the human mind is and they don't seem to want to admit that there's a connection between beliefs and actions. The true believers prefer to cast a fairly logical case in favor of positive thought as something more like a magic spell than self-improvement.

This is what I know. I know that when I'm positive, dedicated, motivated and expecting the very best out of life, I tend to get just that. When I believe it, I eventually receive it.

I don't think it's because of the hoping and expecting as much as it is the fact that all of those awesome and powerful feelings help to mold my behavior and decision making in a positive way.

So, can an adjustment in thinking result in abundance? I can certainly encourage the kind of action that will. There's no doubt about that!

We provide mentoring and guidance to help entrepreneurs improve their business results by learning advanced online marketing strategies and success mindsets.

Advantages of Framing With Steel Studs

I have heard all sorts of stories over the years of the advantages in framing with steel versus wood studs. One time I even heard you could build an entire house with the amount of recycled steel from a large automobile such as a Cadillac. I find this hard to believe unless you're building a very small home.

My personal favorite for framing with steel studs is that they are extremely straight. I have built nonbearing partition walls using 12 foot 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs and after the drywall you can lay an 8 foot level to check it for straightness on the wall with amazing results.

If you use 3 1/2 inch wide steel studs with 5/8 of an inch drywall you will get an extremely durable and sturdy wall. Framing was steel studs is common in office renovations or remodeling. Most of the steel stud framing is done via the drywall contractors.

Steel studs and termites do not mix. You'll never have to worry about these little buggers or other uninvited house pests damaging your walls.

Over the years I have heard stories that steel framed buildings are earthquake and fire proof. They might be more resistant to fire than wood but keep in mind when metal is hot enough it will bend and warp making it unusable.

When I hear people talking about a fireproof building built with metal framing components my first thought is all of the other materials used in building the house that are not fire resistant. Don't get a false illusion when buying a house framed with steel studs and think it is 100% fire proof.

As far as steel framed buildings being earthquake proof this is another story. I really can't comment too much on earthquake damage to a steel building. The problem with earthquakes is they seem to create fires. So even if you're building does survive an earthquake it could get damaged by a fire in the area.

I have framed more wood homes than steel homes over the years and my steel stud construction is limited to nonbearing partition walls usually located in office buildings. I love framing with metal because of its light weight and ease of construction.

I still love framing with wood. There is something about what framing that I have always loved and always will.

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 House Framing Ideas

5 Ways of Dealing With Depression Without Drugs

Feng Shui can be used to help alleviate depression and feelings of being "stuck," which are so common in today's society. Often, an individual just needs a gentle nudge to return to his correct path, where he can be his true self.

I should know; I've battled feelings of depression and low energy. A combination of Feng Shui, proper nutrition, exercise, meditation and re-connecting with nature alleviated my depression and placed me on a path toward fulfillment. My career has soared. I have a stronger drive for achievement and activity and I am truly grateful and happy. As a result, I've been fortunate to help many others welcome energy, drive and the feelings of joy and gratitude back into their lives. That is my true path.

1. Feng Shui Your Space: A Feng Shui consultation may be the first step in getting "unstuck." A Feng Shui consultant can recommend ways to shift the energy of a person and space, creating amazing transformations.

When I perform a Feng Shui consultation for a client who is feeling stuck or depressed, I pay close attention to the entrance of the space. The entrance should not be blocked, which prevents energy or chi from entering the area.

I'll also take a look at the work environment, specifically under a person's desk. That part of the office should be clean, clear and permit plenty of leg room.

I often introduce life energy into a space. You can do this in your home or office by adding living plants, fresh flowers, raw fruit or moving water.

There are also specific Feng Shui cures and remedies you can employ. For instance, you can use Feng Shui Wind Chimes To Help With Depression.

2. Reconnect With Nature: It's easy to lose your connection with nature and, for many people, this leads to depression.

Don't you feel rejuvenated after spending a day at the beach or a few hours hiking in the mountains? Try to make nature a small part of your life every day. Spend more time outdoors walking, hiking, cycling or simply sitting in the park appreciating the environment.

3. Diet & Nutrition: Chronic fatigue is an indication that the body's "batteries" have run down. Resistance drops and illness or disease may strike.

Often, fatigue is caused by a critical deficiency of active enzymes in the diet and an overabundance of "dead" foods: processed, preserved and over-cooked foods, eaten in incompatible combinations.

Many fad diets literally starve cells of nutrition and energy and permit toxic wastes to accumulate in the tissues. This prevents the body from generating and directing energy for work or play, since all available energy must be used to keep the body alive.

According to The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity, denatured, processed, preserved, canned and cooked foods should compose less than 50 percent of the daily diet. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains to give your body the energy it needs and combat chronic fatigue.
Sun Ssu-mo, the Tang Dynasty Taoist physician who correctly diagnosed and cured the nutritional-deficiency disease beriberi 1,300 years ago, a full millennium before European doctors did in 1642, wrote in Precious Recipes: "A truly good physician first finds out the cause of illness, and having found that, he first tries to cure it by food. Only when food fails does he prescribe medication."

4. Proper Exercise:

"The Tao of nurturing life requires that one keep oneself as fluid and flexible as possible. One should not stay still for too long, nor should one exhaust oneself by trying to perform impossible tasks. One should learn how to exercise from nature by observing the fact that flower water never stagnates and a busy door with active hinges never rusts or rots. Why? Because they exercise themselves perpetually and are almost always moving."

(Sun Ssu-mo - Precious Recipes)

In this passage, Sun Ssu-mo succinctly distills the essence of Taoist exercise principles. If we observe nature, we see that rhythmic movement is the foundation for cultivating essence and energy.

Balance and moderation are also key factors. How many times have you started a difficult or time-consuming exercise regime only to abandon it after a few weeks-or a few days? Start slowly so your early success will spark your drive to continue. In addition to structured exercise, look for ways to introduce more physical activity into your everyday life.

The Spring and Autumn Annals tells us: Essence and energy, body and breath, are indivisible: when the body does not move, essence cannot flow; when essence cannot flow, energy becomes stagnant.

Keep your essence moving like a mountain stream by practicing controlled deep breathing balanced with rhythmic physical movement. Body and breath will harmonize and vital energy will circulate to every organ and tissue in the body.

5. Meditation: Meditation purifies the mind and restores the spirit's primal powers by withdrawing all distracting thoughts and disturbing emotions from the mind. Meditation is to spirit what diet and nutrition are to essence - an indispensable tool for cultivating and conserving that treasure.

Emotions are regarded as major causes of disease in Chinese medicine. When unbridled by firm intent, they can cloud our minds and vandalize our precious reserves of essence and energy. To restore conscious awareness, one must empty the mind of all thoughts and pacify all emotions in the solitary silence and peaceful serenity of meditation.

In an article entitled "Mental Muscle" (Omni magazine, June 1992), Kathy Keeton writes:

"When the psychologists Charles Alexander of the Maharishi International University in Fairland, Iowa, and Ellen Langer of Harvard University, taught transcendental meditation (TM) to a group of octogenarians in eight Boston-area nursing homes, 100 percent of those who practiced meditation 20 minutes a day were still alive three years later, while 38 percent of their peers who did not meditate had passed on. This is reminiscent of legends of Himalayan yogis using similar techniques to live more than a hundred years...

Alexander is one of a growing body of scientists who believe that we can muster the power of our brains to stay healthy, to heal ourselves when we're sick, and, quite possibly, to extend our life expectancy."

Combining Feng Shui with proper nutrition, exercise, meditation and time to reconnect with nature will put you on the path to health, happiness, longevity, peace of mind, greater drive and ultimate success.

Ken Lauher, a gifted Black Sect Feng Shui consultant and speaker, empowers individuals and their environments to transform their quality of life naturally.

His inspiring and transformational work with well known actors, actresses, TV Hosts, singers, songwriters, CEO's, businesses, and corporations has made him a sought-after speaker on feng shui and life enhancement.

http://www.KenLauher.com

Why Would You Lie to Boost Your Self-Esteem?

Do you lie to boost you self-esteem? Making yourself look good in front of others is meaningless if you are not being true to yourself. You will just end up living in Never-Never Land. The truth will always catch up with you. If you start off being honest in the first place, you are actually giving yourself the strongest starting point to get to where you want to go. You can easily identify what needs to change.

You can argue it is human nature to lie in from of certain people as to save face. Lying uncontrollably in certain situations will prevent you from looking bad. The consequences of lying are further reaching. You may feel you self esteem is boosted in that instant but really it will just create more stress and anxiety for you. You have set a perception of what is now expected of you. If you cannot achieve what you said you can, you will have to tell more lies in order to maintain the perception.

The mountain of lies you create will eventually just cause you to slip up as lies start to contradict themselves. You said one thing to one person, something else to another. Someone somewhere will rumble this, doubt the congruence of your life and also lose respect for you. This will damage any relationship.

So why do you lie? It is because your self-esteem feels threatened. And as your brain does not know the difference between reality and a vivid imagination, you boost your self esteem by deceiving it with the lies. You are only cheating yourself. The only way to stop this is to build a real foundation of self-esteem by accepting who you are right now.

Felix Nutter
Step Up Speak Out
To get more confidence, self-esteem and anxiety tips, visit http://www.stepupspeakout.co.uk to learn more about how to take control of your life.

Should Christians Buy This Book?

Fix Yourself Before Fixing Other
Changing Your Thinking
Powerful Media Influence
Power Of Positive Thinking

Success Starting in Your 40s

You're going to find it hard to believe, but very seldom does an individual peak with creativity until they reach the age of 40. The average individual usually makes the most money between the age of 40 and 60. This doesn't have anything to do with retirement. Most highly creative people keep producing until they die.

If you're 55 years old and looking for a new career or can't seem to find a job in the profession you have worked at your whole life, don't be alarmed or fearful. Do you think you could start your own business? Is there something, you have always wanted to do but have put it off until retirement, or until you had enough time to do it?

Why wait, if you can't find a job in a business you never truly enjoyed, maybe you can find a new job doing something you love.

I have worked in construction for 30 years and at 44 years old started to pursue a career in writing and plan to create award winning websites and best selling books, for the rest of my life. This doesn't mean, I won't work in construction ever again, but I will become a best selling author within the next 20 years.

Most people don't take the time required to learn a new profession. If you're sincerely interested in another career, and you're 50 years old, there is plenty of people out there to give you hope and inspiration.

If you would like some proof, here's a couple successful American businessman who succeeded after the age of 40. Henry Ford is probably one of the most popular and became extremely successful after the age of 40. Andrew Carnegie, an American industrialists who transformed the steel business and did not start reaping the rewards of his efforts until he was well past the age of 40.

I gathered this information from the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. There is a section in the book where he talks about people after the age of 40 with phenomenal success. Anyone who's interested in gaining wealth through spirituality or finances should read this book.

I've often heard the statement, "People Often Over Estimate What They Can Do in a Year and Often Underestimate What They Can Do in a Decade." If you want to accomplish something after the age of 40, I would advise you to start with a plan and then put that plan and the action. Your plan could take five to 15 years to achieve or longer but think about the rewards, whether spiritual or financial.

Gregory Vanden Berge is working to promote personal development ideas and spiritual reform. He has started a web site for videos and articles based on current information about subject he is very familiar with.

"Education has freed me, to pursue other ideas and release me from the bondage and fear of organized religion."

Gregory Vanden Berge

Power To Change

How do we find power for change? There are some basic practices that will help us to make meaningful changes in our lives. The power to change lies within each us. We must recognize the value of learning positive practices that will help us to make dynamic changes in our lives. The power to change is within our grasps.

Action is one of the key elements to change. We must be ready to take some kind of action for change to take place. Positive talk is good, but action must be in the picture for effective change to take place. You must have a plan of action; list your steps. Do not put your plan of actions to far out in the distance future. Taking action sooner then later will help you to feel good about your change.

Another element that supports the power to change is motivation. When we begin to take positive actions toward change we often become motivated. Motivation is like a flame that turns into a fire. Our motivation will help us to continue on the road to successful powerful changes in our lives. Motivation is a by product of right actions, if there are no right it will be hard to get motivated.

Focusing must be part of the process to having the power to change. If we are not focused, it will be hard to change. We will expend a lot of energy without the ability to focus. The ability to focus will increase our ability to make positive changes. Our power to change is related to how focused we can become. By becoming more focused we have the power to make more changes.

In positive writings and books we can find the strength, courage and power to make real changes in our lives. The set aside scriptures can be used as a main source of gaining the courage needed to accomplish this task. Let us find the time to read these types of writings. A regular habit of reading the right materials will give you the strength for powerful changes.

The power to change is within our reach; we must walk the path.

I retired from United States Navy in 2003, after serving over 21 years of enlisted active duty onboard several different ships and a few shore assignments. I am married. My wife and i have two daughters. We have two dogs, Chow Chow's, to be exact. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Arts (Focus area Psychology) from Excelsior College class 2004. http://belwrites.com

The Roller Coaster of Life

As Summer winds down, look around. You're still on the roller coaster. Nine months have gone by since you strapped in for this year's ride. Can you look over your shoulder and still see the person who took your ticket and told you to 'keep your hands inside the car at all times'? By this I mean: has your train barely pulled away from the station? Did you begin the year with great intentions and never really make much progress toward them?

Or have you already taken so much action (clicks) toward this year's goals that you have climbed the big hill and are already enjoying the ride?

If so...feels great, doesn't it?

If not, there is still time.

Here are a few action ideas:

1) Dig back to last January and revisit your intended goals for the year
2) Evaluate your progress (or lack thereof) thus far
3) Re-dedicate yourself to TAKING ACTION toward them

One little decision or action, every day, can make all the difference in the world and bring you ever-closer to your desired outcome.

There is no need to be discouraged if you have not yet enjoyed the ride you dreamed of. Expanding beyond one's current comfort-level can be a daunting task, even with the best of intentions. Thinking outside the box can be a challenge. Actually 'living' outside the box can be downright death-defying for some!

The journey starts with just one step. Start small, just nudge your boundaries. Little successes can give you the confidence you need to climb into that roller coaster for a bigger, better ride.

There are 3 months left the year...plenty of time to click, click, click your way up that hill.

Believe me; the view is much better from the top, especially in the moment just before that last click sends you on a wild, exciting rewarding ride!

And once you've ridden this one all the way 'round, you'll want to get back on over and over again.

Motivation or Inspiration

In a recent conversation a colleague discussed doing motivational speaking. Then she said, "or maybe it's inspirational." That got me thinking about a common dilemma that managers and leaders face, "is it my role to motivate or to inspire?" To me, the two terms are very related but have a definite distinction.

Motivation is something that comes from within. As a manager or leader, I dont believe I can motivate you to do something, especially something that you aren't interested in doing. Motivation is completely personal.

What I CAN do is to create an environment that fosters self-motivation, based on precisely what motivates you whether that's money, responsibility, trust, empowerment, social meaning or something else.

And that's where inspiration comes into the picture, in creating that environment. Inspiration is an external factor. It's the spark that lights up an individual's motivators and sets them into action.

One of the most inspirational leaders of our time was Martin Luther King. His words and actions connected with people's internal motivators, specifically ethnic pride and social justice. He connected with people and inspired them with a vision of the future, and then showed them how they could be a part of making it a reality. Did he inspire everyone? No. There were many whose internal motivators didnt connect or align with his vision. There was probably nothing he could do to have them take action.

Think of some of the great energizing speakers or leaders that you've encountered. Did they inspire or motivate you?

One of our jobs as a leader is to create an environment that inspires individuals to connect their own inner motivators to a collective vision. Here's an example. A few years ago, I was coaching a banking executive, a regional sales leader. The collective vision of her group was to provide exceptional customer service while selling bank products and services to customers.

One of the financial specialists in her group was not meeting his goals. To motivate him, the executive kept explaining to the specialist that he was leaving money on the table, incentive money, when he failed to sell these services.

I asked the executive to tell me about the individual, and I quickly understood why this method wasn't working. She told me that the individual spent a lot time volunteering in the community and enjoyed spending time with family and friends; he had been with the bank a long time and really loved to socialize with the individuals he worked with. I explained to the executive that it didn't sound like money was a major incentive for this person and that it might be time to stop trying to motivate and start trying to inspire.

To inspire him, she needed to tap into this man's unique motivators, so I asked her to experiment by talking to the specialist about the future he was helping his customers create - the secure retirements, the college funds for their children and the first homes they were helping young couples purchase.

In a month, the specialist was meeting and in some cases exceeding goals. When the executive stopped trying to motivate with what SHE thought would work and what motivated her, and began trying to inspire the specialist and tap into their own motivators, they found a common ground. She created a vision and environment where the specialist could be self-motivated and thrive.

What motivates the people that you lead? How can you inspire them by sparking those motivators and linking them to the companys or your vision? Find these answers and you'll all succeed together.

Bill Burtch, SPHR, ACC is the President of Harmony Coaching & Consulting a management consultancy focusing on Executive/Corporate Coaching, Human Resource Management, and Training Design & Delivery. For more information on this topic or for information on Bills services you can contact him at 901-272-7390, bburtch@harmonycc.net or visit him on the web at http://www.harmonycc.net

Repairing a Leaking Toilet

Let me explain how a toilet works. First when you go to flush the toilet a little arm pulls a rubber flapper up and lets the water drain into the toilet bowl. The water draining into the toilet bowl forces the old water out along with the number two or number one waste and extremities.

If the toilet sounds like it is running there is a good chance that the seal between the rubber flapper and the plastic rain at the bottom of the toilet is broken somehow. The sound you are hearing is water running around this ring and in to the toilet bowl.

This leak is actually causing no damage to the toilet itself but is wasting water. Hence the water bill will be a little higher if you don't fix the leaking toilet. The best way to find out if this is actually your problem is to take the toilet tank lid off. Then stick your hand down into the toilet bowl and press gently on the rubber flap.

If the water stops leaking or starts running faster this is your problem. Turn the water off to the toilet. There will be a shut off valve on the wall under your toilet bowl in the bathroom. After you turn the water off removed the plastic flap and examine it.

You will be looking for a warped toilet flap or of some sort or grooves on the flapper itself. Take the toilet flapper down to your local home improvement store and buy a new one. Go home and replace the new toilet flapper and this should solve 90% of your leaking toilet problems.

There is one more thing it could be. With the toilet tank lid off, check to see if water is overflowing into the little round plastic pipe. This plastic pipe should have a small hose running from the float valve assembly into it.

If the water is over flowing from the toilet tank into this little plastic pipe you will need to adjust the float.

First thing you will need to do is while the toilet is running lift up on the float lever arm. If the water stops you can simply bend the metal arm of the float lever. The purpose of bending the arm will force the float deeper into the water there for stopping the water from rising over the small tube in the center of your toilet.

There are few parts to a toilet and most parts can be purchased at your local hardware or home improvement centers. Toilet repairs like this can be made simple and the parts used to replace are inexpensive.

Happy Toilet Repairing.

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 House 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 Some Great Plumbing Ideas

Examples of Prayer and Their Effects on Your Life

Suggestions For Lifes Problems
Sai Baba Spiritual Leader
Power Of Visualization
Your Hardest Day In Life

A Review of "Transformational Life Coaching" - A Book For Mentors and Mentees Everywhere

There are many different indicators in today's world demonstrating that humanity has reached a new level of awareness and appreciation for its own existence. If we look at the shifts in the types of occupations being pursued (and sought after), the abundance of life coaches and personal development mentors is like a mirror held up to our collective psyche. It seems to say that life is a precious experience, and we simply want to be sure that we're present for it in every way possible. To coin a somewhat overused phrase: We seek to live authentically.

In 1977, long before having a "life coach" was something commonly discussed at Starbucks, Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott published her first book on the subject and began a career that eventually, would find her labeled, "The Mother of Coaching." New Species (published in 1978) was to become the first of many books Dr. Scott would write on personal development. The long list includes, "Negaholics," a series of 'Rules' books - including "If Life is a Game, These are the Rules," and her most recent work, "Transformational Life Coaching."

Transformation Life Coaching throws open the doors to Life Coaching School and invites us all inside. Although written for those who either are, or espouse to become, mentors in the transformational movement, this book is an accessible "how to" for anyone. It welcomes all those who have spent time seeking to develop a better appreciation with their own life and how they intend to live it. Chapter 1 literally outlines what to look for and how to choose a coach, offering twenty-five important questions to discuss during the interview process.

In this book, Dr. Scott has created a virtual concordance of information, challenges for personal thought patterns and judgment, practical exercise and reference tools to use over and over. Embracing many global teachings, Dr. Scott often refers to the different chakras, or energy centers, as tools to release the ego and be of maximum service to others. As she explains, "You are in the process of opening up and taking control of your power," and by deeply understanding each energy center, we will be able to literally, "open and close each chakra at will."

Imagine being able to consciously open the fifth chakra (which controls speech and communication) in order to more fully participate in our marriage or work relationships - or being able to close down our first chakra, which embodies survival and security, so that we might be more risky and daring in our professional roles or fearlessly take on new adventures in life.

Dr. Scott has spent most of her professional life traveling the world and sharing her expertise on personal empowerment and development at every turn. On her website she shares that, "Writing a book is not done with the wave of a wand. It takes time to reflect and soul search for the universal truths related to each developmental phase." These same words could definitely be applied to the very journeys that Dr. Scott encourages us to make with our lives.

What we know about coaching is that it is not only sought after, but it is necessary in today's fast-paced world of endless challenges. From corporate teams to softball teams, being coached and coaching others on how to live as appreciatively and authenticity as possible is a proactive way to turn roadblocks into paving stones on your road of success.

Dr. Success (aka Andrea Goeglein, Ph.D.)

http://www.ServingSuccess.com

DrSuccess@ServingSuccess.com

(702) 243-4040