There was a recent news story about teen-ages smoking pot with a two-year-old child. The media was hysterical about this poor kid being led into a life of addiction. Criminal action is being taken against the teens.

I have witnessed an equally criminal form of child abuse. The child of which I speak is two, is mal-nourished, under-weight and showing signs of spiraling into Autism. Why aren’t the social workers and the police knocking down this kid’s door to rescue him? Because the drug that his parents are perpetrating on him is sugar (refined sugar that is).

This child’s parents (One of which is obese the other is a coffee junkie) feed him ice cream for breakfast, lollipops and soda all day and God knows what else. Consequently, he is suffering from eczema, for which the pediatrician has prescribed Benadryl. And of course he is in constant need of cough syrups, antihistamines and more. At two and a half he is a junk food junkie and a walking drug store, yet this form of child abuse is legal. Hell, it is peddled to children and families all day long on television.

As the former co-founder of the first Sugar Detox Center in the country I am heartsick from meeting child after child like the one described above. The dangers of refined sugar are all over the media now. But our government is still subsidizing the multi-billion dollar sugar industry, so there is no end in sight to this subtle form of genocide. They are out to get our children! It’s time to put aside our shame and guilt and face our cultural eating disorder.

Sugar is not a food group. We’ve consumed enough comfort foods to feed a whole other planet and yet we are more uncomfortable then ever. Obesity is not comfortable, neither is cancer, diabetes, Autism or Alzheimer’s. What will it take for us to wake up from our sugar-induced fog of denial?

Denise Martin has a varied list of credits, including proud mom, third degree black belt and Tae Kwon-Do instructor, promoter, professional body guard, writer, and free-wheeling entrepreneur. She now pours her business and writing talents, as well as her spiritual energy, into her mission to create a global supply of earth-friendly, people-friendly, God-friendly foods.

Finally after weeks of intense training, you finally start to feel yourself change. Your running endurance is higher than it’s ever been. So you decide to take a break and reward yourself for all of your hard work. Maybe eat some fast food…

This is the absolute BEST way to lose whatever stamina you have gained over the past couple of weeks. How about it? All of those weeks of hardcore training, down the drain. Just because you got lazy and decided to take a break from training for a week or so.

If you don’t want all of your hard work to be wasted, but you also don’t feel like doing any hardcore training, than I recommend at least running in place for 30 minutes inside of your house while watching television. And as for the food, eat some fresh fruits and vegetables.

Not being consistent is why a lot of people lose what they gain. They lose momentum when they stop, and then have a hard time starting again. Remember: Getting in shape is one thing. But staying in shape is truly a great, on-going accomplishment. Not only do you get stronger after each training session, but you also feel good as well.

So don’t stop training. Whatever your training regimen is, stick to it. If you accidentally forget to exercise for one day, don’t give up. All hope is not lost. If someone loses a tooth, they don’t knock the rest of their teeth out of their mouth. They have that one tooth replaced. So if you skip a day, don’t sweat it. Just make sure you pick it up the next day.

Ryan Dodson - Personal Fitness Trainer - Learn to enjoy your training and not ever think about taking a break by visiting http://www.ebookchi.com/inhumanstamina.html

I received an email recently from a woman who had suffered through bi-lateral breast removal. She wrote:

Do you have any insight on why I developed this disease? It’s been very difficult for me to handle what they teach in” The Secret” and all the Unity Church beliefs and that we create illness through negative thinking because I worked so hard to heal my life and have lived a life of joy for the past two years.

For several months I have been receiving calls and emails from people who are distraught over the guilt-producing messages contained in the video “The Secret.” These people have been told that:

. . . you create in reality, in one way or another whatever you focus your attention on. Your life is going to be an outcome of where you predominantly place your attention.

This is a resurrection of the discredited “Law of Attraction” foisted by new age teachers, MLM organizers and get-rich-quick real estate infomercials. The idea is a simple one: what you place your attention on will manifest in reality.

According to “The Secret” and some success trainers, if you want to cavort with Daniel Craig or Selma Hayek or be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams, all you need do is to send $34.95 to the producers of “The Secret” for their CD and then align your intention by thinking really, really hard.

The flip side is that if it doesn’t work it’s your fault. If you do not become rich and successful, you have not done it correctly or prayed hard enough, (or read the right book or bought the right CD). If that doesn’t help, you can send an additional $49.95 to the producers of “The Secret” for their Secret Genie Lamp.

And if you are unfortunate enough to develop cancer or heart disease, that is your responsibility because you have obviously screwed up and created that reality for yourself.

The Law of Attraction comes from part of the new age community that lives in the Land of Oz and frankly just doesn’t understand how The Universe works. These people also apparently have little regard for the harm they do or the people they hurt so long as they can make money off of other people’s pain and the ever-present human desire to find a magical way out of life’s problems.

The teaching that, ”What you place your attention on is manifested in reality” is untrue as it is presented and is a significant misunderstanding of the way The Universe works.

God is an incredibly compassionate being who has created a perfect and powerful way for us to achieve enlightenment. We know that transformational process as life. Enlightenment is the natural state that occurs when you resolve the inner disharmonies that keep you in your ego and out of the God Space. Life is about resolving your inner disharmonies.

You are on earth to learn to live from the God Space, and the painful events of your life are generated by your inner dissonance. What happens in your life is determined by forces far greater than the simple ego-based desire for notoriety, wealth or even contentment. The events and circumstances of life come neither to reward or to punish. They come to teach.

Regardless of what some new agers believe, our minds do not control what happens to us, especially our conscious minds. Our lives are shaped in reaction to what we believe, not by what we think, and that is an enormous difference. At first blush, this might seem like a small distinction, but it is extremely significant. We do control how we feel about the events of our lives, but that is a different issue.

Some people can function outside the boundaries of normal reality. The achievements of psychic healers, shaman, trans mediums and other gifted people have been studied and written about for years, but there is little understanding of the source of their gifts. None of them learned their art from listening to CDs.

To be blunt, The Universe isn’t concerned about earthly matters. What The Universe cares about are the beliefs you need to release in order for you to move to the God Space. And, if being poor or sick or anything else, is what needs to happen in order to sufficiently stress your beliefs (especially the ones you hold about yourself) so that you will release them, then that is what is going to happen, no matter how many affirmations you put up on your refrigerator.

It is difficult to explain all this in a few words, so please forgive the length of this article, but if you would like to know more, put on your faux Prada Ruby Slipper’s, (available from www.rossbishop.com for $69.95), click your heels together three times, say “There’s no place like home,” and read on:

The qualities of the God Space are eternal, such as love, compassion, openness, gentleness and kindness. In that space energy flows easily, and there are no barriers or blockages. At our present level of conscious development, we hold beliefs that keep us from moving in harmony with the God Space. These beliefs are primarily about compassion for ourselves and for others. The emotional qualities we find on earth such as fear and anxiety are energy contractions that inhibit the free movement of energy, and are incompatible with the free movement and flow found in the God Space.

We believe that if we are exposed to the light of truth, we will be found wanting. Conscious of it or not, some part of us believes that our separation from The God Space is the result of personal shortcomings. Although this cannot be true, and there is nothing specific we can point to as the cause, the feelings are there, nonetheless.

When you believe that you are inadequate or unworthy then you must create barriers both within yourself and to others for “protection” from the risks of life. We compensate for our “inadequacies” by thinking and using our egos for protection. These are poor substitutes for the guidance of the God Space. The result of our efforts to compensate for our “failings” is that we create problems for ourselves.

Fear and anxiety are incompatible with the God Space and The Universe is obliged to apply pressure to anything that is disharmonious with it. Thus every dissonant thought or action you have ripples out into The Universe and is met with a corresponding pressure “encouraging” you to change your disharmonious beliefs. This push comes at the “soft spots” where your disharmonious feelings originate, and of course, this is the one place we do not want to go. We react protectively and in the process create what is known as a “problem.”

In a rather curious twist, our problems generate pain so that we will pay attention to the fears and anxieties (contractions of thought) that drive them, thus eventually bringing us to confront the very feelings that created the problem in the first place. Our pain is a signal that we are out of alignment, not that something is wrong with us, but we often do not see it that way.

The purpose of The Universe’s pressure is not to irritate, although that is what it usually feels like. The pressure is an invitation, an opportunity, to change. We tend to focus on the situation and blame others or ourselves for our failings and miss the greater opportunity that is being offered. We react. We become defensive. We either collapse inwardly and withdraw, or push back with aggression and rage. We have the opportunity to move to compassion, but we do not often make that choice.

God cannot simply give us enlightenment because we have free will. This means that if humans are to develop, it must be of our own choosing. Put yourself in God’s place. There are billions of souls who do not yet live in the magnificence of who they really are. You cannot give them Grace because they have free will. So what would be the most powerful way to get them to know and deeply hold the truth about themselves?

You create a place where they can live from their egos (shamans call this the shadow), outside the God Space if they wish. When people live in their shadows it puts them out of harmony with The Universe, leading to an inevitable consequence. Then you create a process through which people will become sensitized to the places where they do not move in harmony with the God Space. This is called childhood wounding and it happens to every child on the planet – that should tell you something.

Let’s take an example: Say that you want to be free of economic difficulties. You want things to be better. You wish, you hope, maybe you even pray. You put affirmations up on your refrigerator, cut pictures out of magazines, buy The Secret, or call a psychic or a therapist that one of your friends used. You’re not asking for wealth, just for things to be easier. So, you pray. You ask for God’s help.

On the surface this seems like a reasonable request. But actually it is not. In seeking the result (more money) you are actually trying to skip over the work on yourself that would be necessary for that to happen naturally. The Universe has created the situation you are in so that you might learn from it, and you want off the hook! It is like asking for a hall pass from life. What you have brought to the table is conditional. You will participate so long as you don’t have to give up your ego or your beliefs. The Universe will not accept those conditions. You cannot come to the table with dirty hands.

The thing most people do not realize is that The Universe does respond. What happens, is that a life experience will be created to show you the ways in which you push love or abundance or whatever else it is that you have asked for, away. In other words, you will be presented with a lesson, or what I will call a “learning opportunity.”

Your problems provide an opening for you to examine the resistance you create to what you have asked for. This means that you will most likely experience a failure, and it can feel like torture. After all, you have asked for help, and instead of being given salve, you got sandpaper. And to be fair, we must remember that you are not starting out in the best frame of mind, anyway.

But this is the route you must take in order to receive what you have asked for because that is where the problem is! The block to abundance or love or peace or whatever it is, isn’t on God’s end, it’s on yours!

It is helpful to remember that the Universe is a place of infinite abundance. God has more love or gold or anything else that you might desire in amounts beyond your wildest imagination. And, He freely offers it all to you just like He does fresh air and sunshine. So, the issue is not the availability of what you want. I will say again that the difficulty isn’t on God’s end. It’s on yours, so that’s where you will have to go to fix it!

We of course, don’t want that. We do not want to have to give up the comfort of our limiting fears and beliefs. We would rather have someone hand peace and joy to us so that we don’t have to give up our protection. The unspoken promise in “The Secret” is that there is a free lunch, that you can have anything you want by having “happy thoughts.” People respond to this because they are reluctant to give up the beliefs that brought them this far. It doesn’t really matter that the old beliefs don’t work very well. They provide a sense of security. Many people are just not ready to take off their old clothes and see the image that is reflected in the mirror. That is why life gives them a push. But the truly ironic thing is that what is in the mirror is absolutely breathtaking!

The Self within the heart is like a boundary
which divides the world from That.
Wherefore he who has crossed that boundary,
and has realized the Self;
if he is blind, ceases to be blind;
if he is wounded, ceases to be wounded;
if he is afflicted, ceases to be afflicted.

Chandogya Upanishad

Copyright©2007 Blue Lotus Press

Ross Bishop is a shaman praacticing in Charlottesville, VA. You can learn more about him andfind more of his writings at his web site, http://www.rossbishop.com

Have you tried every diet fad out there, but still suffer from weight problems? If you are overweight, you don’t feel happy about the way you look and you don’t feel confident or attractive. The media reports seem to show that hoodia is a natural weight loss pill that is helping many men and women to lose weight; have slimmer and attractive bodies and enjoy their lives. Are these reports true?

The success of Hoodia in helping people lose weight is well-reported. Many people have shared their success stories regarding weight loss using Hoodia, as reported on main television channels, in magazines and on the internet. The main appealing fact about Hoodia is that it’s safe because it’s a natural product.

Is the “hoodia gordonii pill” really effective and safe?

Hoodia is a plant that grows in South Africa. Hoodia contains properties that are powerful in controlling appetite and hunger. This can help dieters to feel full so that they don’t eat, and at the same time it also increases your metabolism.

Cutting down on your food and calories intake and increasing the rate of burning of fats stored in your body are some of the key things that can help people lose weight for good. Based on the way it works, a hoodia diet supplement addresses the main factors that are important in weight loss.

It is reported that hoodia gordonii pills are helping people to lose weight, regardless of their initial body size. However, just like any weight loss diet or pill, you also need to make some lifestyle changes so that you can quickly achieve your weight loss goals.

For maximum results while using the hoodia weight loss pill, you must exercise regularly, follow a balanced diet, avoid eating unhealthy foods, drink lots of water and follow some relaxation techniques such as yoga.

Hoodia gordonii pills mainly come in pill form, but can also be found in shacks or juices. Some people ask about where to buy hoodia gordonii. It is very convenient to get hoodia weight loss pills because you can order online. However, make sure that you buy from authentic suppliers of hoodia.

For optimal weight loss results while using hoodia gordonii pill, you must eat healthy foods, drink a lot of water and also exercise regularly.

Nikki Montgomery is a health and fitness expert who has helped many people lose weight using hoodia weight loss diet pills.

If you want to know more about the best 5 hoodia products that will help you to finally lose weight for good,

and a thorough Hoodia Gordonii Review, visit her website at http://www.hoodia-weight-loss-pill-review.com

The following is a list of possible teacher interview questions. I have broken them up into several different categories to make it easier for you to prepare for your next teacher interview.

*Background Information*

Most teacher interviews begin with a handful of questions pertaining to your background. Don’t forget…the interviewers obviously want to hire the best teacher, but they also want to hire a teacher that they will be able to work with for a long time to come. These background interview questions are important as they let your potential employer know who you are as a person…so don’t hold back.

1. What are your hobbies and interests?

2. What is a recent book you have read?

3. Why did you choose to become a teacher?

4. Tell me about the three people who have most influenced your own education and educational career.

5. What contributions can you make to our school outside of teaching in the classroom?

*Teacher Relationships With Students*

When answering this teacher interview question remember to stress the importance of the student-teacher relationship. This interpersonal relationship is one of the most important factors in having and maintaining an effective classroom. It is also one of the most underestimated factors in being an effective teacher.

1. What kind of students do you like to work with?

2. What do you do when you must teach students that are reluctant learners?

3. What do you do when a student ridicules an assignment, saying it does not make sense?

4. How do you help students experience success?

5. What are some of the ways you get to know your students personally?

6. How would you challenge the slow learner and the advanced learner within the same class?

7. Are you friends with your students?

8. How would your students describe you?

*Teacher Relationships With Colleagues*

Again, during a teacher interview, your potential employer is not just looking for the best teacher, but he is also looking for the best colleague…someone he can trust and work with for a long time.

1.What kind of teachers would you prefer to work with? Why?

2. Do you prefer working alone or as a team?

3. What extra curricular activities would you like to get involved with at our school?

4. What qualities do you have that would enhance our teaching staff?

5. What are some personality characteristics you find desirable or undesirable in people that you work with?

6. What needs and/or expectations do you have of other teachers and the school administration?

*Teacher Relationships With Parents*

During any teacher interview you will have to express the importance of not only the teacher-parent relationship, but also specific strategies you plan to use to increase and improve that teacher-parent relationship.

1.Why is the parent-teacher relationship so important?

2. What are some effective ways to communicate with parents?

3. How would go about increasing parent involvement?

4. What do you do about parents who do not speak the same language as you?

5. Describe the reasons why you would contact parents.

6. What would you include in your Open House presentation to parents?

7. What community activities would you like to be associated with? Why?

*Teaching Strategies*

When push comes to shove this is the most important category of any teacher interview. You absolutely must convey to the interviewers that you are well versed in the most effective teaching strategies…Anything else is simply unacceptable.

1. How would you integrate technology into the curriculum you would teach?

2. Describe some innovative projects or hands-on activities you have been involved with.

3. Give an example of how you have used cooperative learning in your classroom.

4. What teaching strategies do you use to motivate students to learn?

5. How do you integrate curriculum across subject/content areas?

6. How do you handle classroom management issues?

7. What are your classroom rules and classroom procedures?

8. What teaching strategies do you use to address the different learning styles of the students in your classes?

Want to know how to answer the 25 most common teacher interview questions? If you’re serious about getting a teaching job and want an unfair advantage over the competition then read “Your Basic Guide to Acing ANY Teacher Interview” @ http://www.TeacherInterviewTips.com

“I can trace my ancestry back to a protoplasmal primordial atomic globule. Consequently, my family pride is something inconceivable. I can’t help it. I was born sneering.”

That’s from, The Mikado, a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera that opened at the Savoy, in London, in 1885 and ran for 672 performances. It gave Gilbert the opportunity to satirize British politics and institutions by disguising them as Japanese. Nothing funnier than holding a miror up to myself and thinking I see someone else.

I certainly have a gift for showing my flaws, by projecting them on to someone or something else. I think flaws are a sign of weakness, and I have been taught early on not to be weak. It’s OK for the other guy, cause he’s different in race, color or creed. I must be the same in order to be powerful. I can’t show my true self, for that doesn’t measure up in a judgemental society, so I lie. I hide in order to fit in. I become what others think.

So, I then spend a lifetime trying to figure out where I come from. Where are my power roots? What is my ancestry? Is my family pride something inconceivable?

Well the good news is, I could trace myself back in time and become what I believe, if I give myself the chance. I could change my perceptions of how I want to interact within my world. I could look at myself as consciousness, that is expressing life in a specific way. I could view everything as Love, instead of segmenting it, because my beliefs are distorted. I could look at myself with both male and female qualities, to unite myself in physical form. I could begin to laugh at myself and forgive myself for ignorance. I could do all those things, if my thoughts change from lack to abundance, from bad to good, from flawed to perfect. I will become what I think, and I will be the ancestor I’m looking for, be the family pride I desire, and find the root of truth where I exist.

As Gilbert said, I am protoplasmal primordial atomic globule, filled with the energy of the universe, here to become a grander version of myself. Realizing who I am, expands my vision of my ancestry to include all life, and All There Is, Love.

Hal Manogue is a poet and author of Short Sleeves A Book For Friends. Insightful thoughts for the 21st century. Hal’s 2006 collection and 2007 collection are available in bookstores and online. Visit Hal’s website: http://www.shortsleeves.net or blog: http://halmanogue.blogspot.com/ for more information about his work and life. Download a copy of the new E-Book,”Unite To Write” a collection of articles written by writers around the globe, that will inspire and fill you with useful information. It’s value is priceless. It’s Hal’s gift to you.

Writing articles is an excellent way to market and promote your products, your services, and you, both online and offline. If you are new to marketing yourself you must find a way for people to get to know who you are and what you do. This is also referred to as the “know, like, and trust” factor. Writing articles, especially informative articles in a conversational tone, is a great way to accelerate the know, like, and trust factor for yourself. You will also become known as an expert in your field.

First, you must let others know what business you are in. Think about your target market and write articles that will appeal to and educate this group of people. Try to narrow this group down with specifics. What information does this group want to know more about that you could provide for them? Give them tips or mistakes to avoid when writing to them. Share stories with them that are directly related to your products and services and their needs and wants. Draw them to the conclusion that you have the information that will help them.

You will want your potential clients to know that you are very knowledgeable in your field. Article writing helps to position you as an expert in whatever you are writing about. Give as much information as you can so that others see you first as a resource and then as a vendor. You will sell more products and services if people are able to see how much you know and care about the area you are specializing in.

Building your database of people interested in your products and services will also be helped immensely through the articles you write. When people who are interested in your area of expertise read your articles they will be more willing to give you their contact information. Be sure to ask for their physical address as well as their email address. Marketing to them both ways, online and offline, will give you the maximum exposure you are looking for.

If you are directing people to your website be sure to give them the opportunity to sign up for your ezine or newsletter and also for a short, free report or other information. This will serve as an incentive for them to leave their contact information so that you can stay in touch with them regularly. Your newsletter can consist of two or three additional articles that will further convince people that you are an expert. You can also use your ezine or newsletter to directly sell your products or services.

Many people have difficulty getting started with writing their articles. It is recommended that you write down any ideas you have on a notepad that you keep with you at all times. Make notes about things that you may write about at a later time. When you have an idea that you feel will make an interesting and informative article make a simple outline with the points you will be addressing in more detail in your article. You will most likely need to do some research to flesh out and expand your ideas before you actually write your article. Do this research and then expand upon what you already know. Be sure to give people excellent information in your articles. Take the time you need to produce quality articles that will inform and educate your audience in the areas of your expertise.

Think about how you want to present the information in the article you have now written. You may want to post all or part of it on your blog or website. The posting on your blog may be a shorter or abbreviated version of what you will post on your website. You may then choose to submit the article to an article directory. It will have greater exposure through a directory and will have a greater chance of being used by others in their newsletter or ezine. If others use your articles they are required to keep your article intact as you wrote it, including the information about you and your website that you have include in the resource box at the end of the article. You may also want to include your articles in your own newsletter or ezine. It is a good idea to make some changes to your work as you present it in the various formats but it is not required if it is your own writing for your own publications.

Remember that your article will be around for a long time, months or even years. Make sure that what you have written is clear and helpful to the many people who will read it over an extended period of time.

Connie Ragen Green is a motivational writer, speaker, and mentor. To find out more visit her at http://greenhouse.typepad.com/law_of_attraction

Humans have two states of being. You are either in the God Space or you are not. In other words, you either live from a place of compassion or you are dealing with some kind of fear. There are levels of intensity to the fear, but basically it is an either/or proposition. When you are in the God Space, you live according to The Universe’s principles of harmony and flow. When you have separated from the God Space, you must find other ways to manage your existence. You must turn to rational thought and your ego as substitutes for Universal guidance.

When in the God Space you are free to choose the kind of relationship you want with the present moment. When you operate through your ego you lose that freedom because the ego has an investment in limiting risk. Your life will be dominated by your ego’s need to defend you from the perceived threat of change.

In our separated space there is unworthiness, there are insults, shame, judgment and criticism from which we must be protected. And we will go through incredible gyrations to avoid, suppress and manipulate in order to keep our defenses functioning and our beliefs intact, regardless of the truth. This also keeps our focus on ourselves, and on our pain and fear rather than on the seemingly risky behavior of opening our hearts.

Fear and anxiety are incompatible with the God Space, and The Universe is obliged to apply pressure to anything that is disharmonious with it. Thus every dissonant thought or action you have ripples out into The Universe and is met with a corresponding pressure “encouraging” you to change your disharmonious beliefs. This push comes in a place where you feel vulnerable or insecure (unworthy or inadequate). We know these pressures as “problems.”

The purpose of The Universe’s pressure is not to irritate, although that is what it often feels like. The pressure is an invitation, an opportunity, to change. We tend to focus on the situation and blame others or ourselves for our failings and miss the greater opportunity that is being offered. We react. We become defensive. We either collapse inwardly and withdraw, or push back with aggression or rage. We do have the opportunity to move to compassion, but we do not do that very often.

Copyright©2007 Blue Lotus Press
(from Ross’ new book to be released this spring.)

Ross Bishop is a shaman practicing in Charlottesville, VA. You can learn more about him andfind more of his writings at his web site, http://www.rossbishop.com

In our last issue we took on the fun and rewarding task of putting a Vision Board together. Is yours in a conspicuous place where you can gaze at it and dream your dreams? I hope so.

It is known that we create what we want in three steps: Ask, Believe, Receive.

The Vision Board is one way you learn to ask for what you want. It helps you get very clear about what it is you want. Now you just need to believe that what you want is yours! It’s important to realize that your brain, from the moment of birth, has actually been programmed to have certain beliefs, usually inherited or instilled by well meaning people who wanted to protect you from disappointments or injury. All of these beliefs have brought you to this point in your life. If you are not happy with where you are right now, this is an indication that your beliefs need to be changed. To do this you need to build some new neurotransmitters in your brain.

This really is actually based on science! Everything is ENERGY. Thought is the most potent form of energy. All thought is in a constant state of vibration. All of these vibrations have a certain frequency and all we need to do is align our thoughts with the desired frequency in order to attract what we want! You have the power to choose those thoughts.

So let’s take this a step at a time. For each picture of your desires that you have on your Vision Board, formulate words to describe it and write them down. ie: “I’m enjoying eating the delicious foods compatible with my best health”, or “I’m feeling fabulous at ___ pounds”, or “I’m earning more than ___dollars every month selling my/working at my____”, or “I’m feeling the warm, moist ocean breeze on my face while standing on the deck of my brand new sailboat”.

Use very descriptive “feeling” language. Ensure that the sentence is worded in the present tense. In other words stay away from phrases like “ I will…” or I want….”, these keep you in a state of “willing” and “wanting” instead of ‘having’. Avoid words such as “lose weight” or “debt” for those will become the focus and you don’t want to focus on loss or debt. Instead, use a phrase such as “I feel full of good health and energy at ___ pounds”, “I have ____dollars in my investments that are earning ___% interest”. This will become YOUR LIST.

Let’s begin building those new neurotransmitters of ‘belief’, new programming for your brain. To do this you will need to write this list every day. In the beginning these sentences will feel very awkward and your brain will try to sabotage you with thoughts like “This is stupid, I don’t weigh ___pounds, how on earth am I ever going to own a sailboat, but I don’t like the foods I have to eat to lose weight, etc. etc..” Just brush those thoughts aside and continue your daily writing.

Within 26 to 32 days you will start to feel differently, you will find that you have almost memorized the list, you will be perhaps astonished to find that some of the statements you are writing are actually happening!

There is one rule. You cannot skip of day of writing your list. If you do, when you begin again, it will be as if you are starting at day one again.

I just have to slip in one more rule. Be centered in gratitude for all the things that you currently have in your life. This is part of step three, the receiving part.

Now you have your Vision Board, your daily statements of ‘wants’ and you are grateful for the life and the things you have.

Okay, I promise this is the last rule….begin acting, speaking and thinking as though you have already received what you have asked for! Remember, everything is energy and when you begin to emit the frequency of having already received, the Law of Attraction will begin to move the people, circumstances and events for you to receive. Leave the “how” up to the Universe.

Today’s Assignment. Action follows thought. Look at your Vision Board and dream, dream, dream. Your mind thinks in pictures, not words. Allow yourself to become immersed in the wonderful feelings of living your dreams. Once again, the feelings put you on the frequency of attraction.

Now look at your written list and for each statement write down one action step you can take to begin to put the wheels in motion toward the achievement of that desire. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Even a small baby step starts your journey. Remember, you are aligning actions with thoughts so they are on the same frequency. You are in harmony with the Law of Attraction.

Anytime you experience frustration with any of the above, realize that it is caused by your old programming that is just attempting to push you back into old behaviours. Stay on your new path. Man walked on the moon because he believed he could, even when to many it was believed as impossible!

“To believe in the things you can see and can touch is no belief at all, but to believe in the unseen is both a triumph and a blessing”. – Abraham Lincoln

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Lynn Moore is a Life Clarity Coach whose specialized niche is educating and encouraging the Family Woman in Business to set and achieve her goals successfully. Lynn has a unique ability to see the bottom line and see it quickly helping you find your hidden solutions. She is a cheerleading, straight talking coach, full of heart and humour with only the best outcome in mind for her clients. Lynn can be reached at lynn@cleargoalscoaching.com and you can visit her website at http://www.ClearGoalsCoaching.com where you can sign up for her free newsletter, “Clear Directions”.

Always remember that your success depends on you and your positive mindset! Knowing what your competitor is doing is helpful, but will not ensure your success!

When starting a new business, or thinking of starting a new business, it is very important to check out who’s already out there, what they’re offering, and what they’re charging and how they are marketing their services/products.

Learning about your competitors will help you to change, improve, or even reformat your products or services, and your marketing techniques.

There are several ways to learn about your competitors, you can go to their store(s), talk and/or survey to their customers, read up in various industry reports, join industry associations, see where they advertise and of course go on the Internet.

The best, and easiest way, to find your direct competitors’ Web sites, (if you don’t have them already) is to do online searches using Google, Yahoo, MSN, or any other preferred search engine. Make sure you search both the names of your competitors, and the general description of your product/service, and if appropriate, the geographic location. If nothing is coming up, you might try using alternative phrases too.

After you locate several of your competitor’s websites, make sure you look through the entire site. Do you like their site? Are the colors conducive to purchasing? Is it easy to navigate? Is it easy to locate their products? Is it easy to purchase something online? (If appropriate) Do they have a contact us page and/or an about us page? After looking though the website, jot down what you liked and didn’t like, then decide to do something better or different with your website.

Completing your review of several of your competitor’s websites, you should see where the common thread is, are your prices in line with theirs? Are you targeting the same audience? What are you offering that is different? Then ask yourself, why would someone buy from you instead of your competitors? Use this knowledge and your positive mindset, (and superior product), and tweak your marketing and sales campaign to enhance your sales.

Make sure that you round out your knowledge about your competitors by finding out how they fit into their local economies. Do they dominate a regional market where your business will have a presence? Ask yourself if this will hurt you, and how you can do something different. Final question to ask yourself is, “How will you be different from your Competitors?”

For more on business success contact susan@amnenterprises.com for a review of your business strategy and start up ideas.

Susan Feder is a certified Life Coach, who specializes in business and success coaching. She is the owner of AMN (Achieve More Now) Enterprises. She currently is offering individual and group coaching, Mastermind Groups and personalized workshops and retreats.

For assistance in the start up or expansion of a small business go to http://www.amnenterprises.com She is also to creator of “This Months Challenge”, check out the blog at http://this-months-challenge.blogspot.com/