Actually, it has little or no cost at all. For you see, the ability to live well or have quality in lifestyle depends on where your Human Thermostat is set and the standards and values you hold for yourself.

We are all in business and we all have a life to live. Our business is securing the sustenance required to survive and that we deem important to comfort and continuation such as:

However, there are others areas of life that must be addressed during the years. Relationships are a major source of emotional extremes and often test the boundaries of comfort and discomfort. Health issues and overall physical and mental wellbeing and stability also eventually demand the attention of the individual. Even death is something that one must learn to face with dignity.

You don’t have to go in circles or live in that inescapable rut. Simply turn up your Human Thermostat. Examine yourself with a clear and rational mind. Identify your weaknesses and learn to refine the person you are. Raise your standards as a human being. The quality of your life, what you are and will be and what you have is your choice. You choose to be who you are right now.

Define what it is in life that you envision as living well and the components that make up such a lifestyle. Those should be your focus. If you are ever going to attain a more vibrant and productive life you need to focus on the aspects that define what such a lifestyle means to you.

Stop wasting your time on an existence that doesn’t fulfill you as a person.

Once you learn to change the person you are you will find that the process also changes the results you get and ultimately what you become and have in life. You create your own future in the level of the Human Thermostat. Many of the people who are interested in extreme makeovers and personal change focus on weight, clothing and physical alterations.

True change comes through the revision of how you think and what you base your thought on. Once you think differently your mind responds by telling your body to function in a manner that will make this thought pattern a reality. If you raise your standards and live well your mind accepts this as true reality and guides you along this elevated lifestyle pattern.

Changing your belief structure and the way you live has little cost. Certainly, this is not a call to go out and purchase expensive items. This is a personal challenge to revise who you are and the way you think on a daily basis. Poor people think poorly. They surround themselves and marinade in poor and personal misery. They sit and ruminate over what has or might have been.

People who live exciting and fulfilling lives think at a higher level of quality. They are not accepting of mediocre results and don’t seek the easiest or cheapest way. Because they think with quality, they also live with quality. They are not just living better, they are living smarter. Each day they seek out new methods of living a fun fulfilling life.

Think about your life right now. Are you focused on quality and living well or the negative issues and things that you see as problems? You are what you focus on the most. If you focus on problems your life will become a repository of just that. Learn to break that pattern of focusing on only the problems and negatives of life and begin to realign your focus on the quality and purpose of your living years.

AJ Gentry, author of The Human Life Map: The Secret Path Of Life, and Human Excellence Technologies, has pioneered human behavioral research for more than three decades. He invites you to visit the The Human Life Map | The Secret Path Of Life Blog http://www.thesecretpathoflife.com/blog or Hu2 Q&A Blogcast http://blog.thesecretpathoflife.com as he shares knowledge from precursors like Living Dynamics and Success Dynamics.

My storytelling father always seemed to be able to hold our collective breaths with his tales of ghosts and the undead. You knew how effective his scary stories were by the number of under the bed inspections that were held in our house. I’m sure my mother appreciated it since my father worked at nights at the New York Times. My father’s imagination and storytelling were legend and so were our nightmares. Just don’t ask me to go down to your basement.

I was listening to “The Second Half of Life” in my car last week. The author, Angeles Arrien, PH.D, talked about how Storytelling can trigger memories, associations and one’s imagination

She went on to recount a true story by Dr. Charles Garfield who has written about high performance people.

It unfolded something like this:

Back in 1984, Dr. Garfield encountered a toll booth employee on the Oakland/San Francisco Bridge who was dancing to loud music that was blasting from his toll booth. The doctor asked what was going on. The dancing man in the booth said that he was having a party. What about the other people working in the other booths? Oh, they were not invited to his party. Loud horns blasted from impatient drivers (don’t you just love them) and ended the conversation abruptly but the doctor made a note to find the dancing man again.

And he did.

The dance party was still going on. The Dancing man remembered the doctor and asked him what the other 16 booths looked like to him. The doctor had no clue. “No imagination, no imagination” was the reply that came from the toll booth. “Look again, look again.”

The doctor was stumped, gave up and asked for an answer from the dancing man.

“Vertical Coffins. These 16 people come to work everyday at 8:30 and die in their booths and then at 4:30 they come back to life just in time to go home. They look like Vertical Coffins.”

“What makes it different for you?” The doctor needed to know why this one man was so happy.

“I have a corner office with glass on all sides. I can see the Golden Gate Bridge, Berkley Heights, and San Francisco and while thousands of people travel everyday to visit, I get to live it. I get to dance. I get to do what I love.”

So many of us don’t get to live the lives we are entitled to. We go by someone else’s rules and expectations and we forget that we even had dreams that were so full of hope and adventure. We find ourselves getting by on “no imagination, no imagination” and we struggle in our own vertical coffins.

How would it feel to dismantle one or two of those vertical coffins that keep you from what you really want to do? It could be as simple as saying “No” to some of the requests that others pour on you (and not feeling guilty!) so that you can have 30 minutes to read, take a walk or just sit and listen to your own hear beat. It can be as grand as reexamining where your life is going: does the job do it for me, would going back to school open me up again or would Jimmy Choo’s heels really make me feel better? The latter was what Gwyneth Paltrow asked me….in a dream. I assured her that they would.

So it might have been a little stretch but how about try taking a look at one of your vertical coffins and scream “boo” at it and make it go back under your brother’s bed?

elizabeth cassidy,CTACC
Branching Out Life Coaching.com
BranchOutLife@optonline.net
http://www.BranchingOutLifeCoaching.com

Here are a few beliefs of some successful people:

1. God is in charge.

2. One’s level of success is directly affected by his or her contribution to others.

3. You can achieve as much as you’re willing to work for.

4. Each relationship is important - you never know where or to whom it will lead.

5. Work on yourself as hard as you work on your day job.

6. Patience wins over impatience.

7. Don’t be afraid to dream big. The bigger the dreams, the greater the success.

8. Your vision of yourself, either positive or negative, will eventually become your reality.

9. Everything that happens, no matter how small, does not occur in a vacuum. It’s placed in your life to be used later as a reference source.

10. You’re sowing many seeds every day. Those seeds will eventually mature and manifest themselves in your life, or the lives of subsequent generations.

11. Your life and some of it’s circumstances are the manifestations of seeds(and prayers) sown by past generations.

12. Having a million dollars doesn’t necessarily make you a millionaire. Before you can become a millionaire in the truest sense, you must first develop a millionaire mindset.

How do your beliefs stack up against these? What do you truly believe in?

Suggestion..place this list beside your bathroom mirror in order to see it the first thing in the morning and perhaps by your beside, so you can read it before going to sleep. Memorize at least 6 of these beliefs and you will be amazed at the changes in your life. Then memorize the remaining 6. Your life will never be the same!!

Louie Jones is a radio talk show host broadcasting in the Chicago area on WCFJ AM 1470, in addition to podcasting over the internet at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thelouiejonesshow. His message is one of self determination and positive motivation. He firmly believes that everyone can accomplish their goals, only if they have a firm belief and a strong self image.

His website is http://www.louiejones.com

One year, I decided to be a puppy-raiser for Canine Companions for Independence, an organization that trains dogs to serve people with disabilities other than blindness. My eight-week old lab/golden mix came with a puppy-raising video and a manual. “Doc” had to learn over 35 commands during the year I raised him. One of those commands was, “drop it.” Obviously this one taught the pup to immediately let go of whatever was in his mouth at the time. Since labs and retrievers naturally “retrieve,” Doc was a master at picking up anything and everything in his mouth. The instant I dropped anything, it was in his mouth. Since he was being trained with the hope of becoming a service dog, he had strict rules about what was and wasn’t allowed in his mouth. People-food, for one, was a no-no. Rocks (one of his favorites) was also on the forbidden list.

And so “drop it” became one of the most frequently practiced commands. The second was, “leave it.” This was to prevent the pup from picking up a taboo item in the first place. On the “leave it” command, the pup was to immediately back away from whatever his sniffer was interested in. Doc became highly skilled at “drop it.” As quickly as he heard the words, the item left his mouth. However, satisfied that he had fulfilled all requirements, he would pick it right back up again as soon as it hit the floor! And so, “drop it” was quickly followed by “leave it”. “Drop it-leave it” soon became a single command. There was no point in saying the one without the other. Sometimes, in my own life, there are some hurts that, even once I’ve done the work and truly forgiven the person, I just can’t seem to let it go. Maybe it is the devil trying to destroy my peace of mind. Whatever the demon, it is real and annoying. Resentment comes without warning, without relenting. Thoughts come, memories surface, conversations are reenacted in my mind.

At some point, I needed to just tell myself “drop it.” Just let it go. Sometimes that is enough. Other times I needed to use the elongated “drop it-leave it” command. And I may have needed to do it seventy times seven times a day. John Pezzenti, Jr. who spent 25 years studying and photographing eagles for his book, The American Eagle, told a story of one bird that snatched onto a huge king salmon. It was so heavy, the eagle couldn’t lift it out of the water. But it would not drop its catch. In the blink of an eye, the eagle was dragged under the water to its death. Let go. Do it before it does you in.

Mary Lee Bensman has written over 200 articles that have been published in more than 40 magazines and newspapers. She has published two books of fiction, “Antipodean, The Secret of Mirror Lake” and “Through Mary’s Eyes, Conversations with the Mother of God.” She is a regular columnist for The Chaffee County Times in Buena Vista, Colorado.

For more information, go to http://maryleebensman.com

Are there people in your life that can still push your buttons?

You can be solid and centered, coming from a place of love and contentment, being YOU - feeling wonderful and then bang there it is just that one person that can push all the “wrong” buttons and instantly your whole mood and each moment for the next say half an hour until you have cooled down - can change!

Sound familiar - for me it is my mother - in - law.

I don’t know how she does it and my husband ensures me it is not intentional but sometimes ….

I am a woman in my own right - well, I am learning to be comfortable as a woman - my hips and thighs are definitely changing shape and I have grown a bit of bust, so from that I can assume that I am entering a peaceful place with regards to womanhood, I guess I missed that bit out in puberty. The reasons for this are now clear and I so want to fit in this piece of puzzle and be feel completely comfortable in my own skin.

When I meditate now I can see the Goddess within me, last week I could only see her feet. She is growing stronger.

So is my mother - in - law pushing the wrong buttons - or are they the right ones? If I stop to think about it when she is around I feel powerless and insignificant - so much of her takes me back to that same vulnerability as a child - no voice, powerless.

She is being a mirror, showing me there is still more to do. For that I love her, whether she knows it or not, she is helping me to see that I still have work to do. I know that if I can remain in the same “space” of peace when she is visiting - then I will no longer being given my power away and the reflection will change.

I am cooling down quicker after she has gone - so that is a start. A while ago I would be spitting teeth for days!!!

Bit of a big one isn’t it *smile*.

But achievable!!

The Goddess within is stirring - watch this space *smile*.

Michelle is an Angel Therapist and mother of four based in the UK.
In December 2000, while severly ill in hospital, Michelle recieved an Angel visitation. A beautiful sparkling energy that offered to carry her to health, to strength and most of all to remind her of who she really was.
The light that shone in her hospital room that bleak winter’s day has become her life’s mission. Michelle has dedicated herself to empower others to see who they truly are and shine. As well as writing for children, Michelle runs http://www.sanctuaryofangels.com, an estashment that holds self development workshops and courses for all ages.
Life is a gift, you are a gift. Not one person is more special than another, and if you can trust this, you are on your way to finding YOU.

Imagine — only 25 years ago we believed that the Bible was the Word of God! In the intervening years much mayhem has happened, the latest the bloodbath at Virginia Tech. Could there be a correlation?
“Whereas this Nation now faces great challenges that will test this Nation as it has never been tested before….” Yes!

CONGRESS DECLARES THE BIBLE “THE WORD OF GOD”
97th Congress Joint Resolution

[S.J.Res. 165] 96 Stat. 1211
Public Law 97-280 - October 4, 1982
Joint Resolution authorizing and requesting the President to proclaim 1983 as the “Year of the Bible.”

Whereas the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribution in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed nation and people;

Whereas deeply held religious convictions springing from the Holy Scriptures led to the early settlement of our Nation;

Whereas Biblical teachings inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and the constitution of the United States;

Whereas many of our great national leaders-among them Presidents Washington, Jackson, Lincoln, and Wilson-paid tribute to the surpassing influence of the Bible in our country’s development, as the words of President Jackson that the Bible is “the rock on which our Republic rests”;

Whereas the history of our Nation clearly illustrates the value of voluntarily applying the teachings of the Scriptures in the lives of individuals, families, and societies;

Whereas this Nation now faces great challenges that will test this Nation as it has never been tested before; and

Whereas that renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through Holy Scripture can strengthen us as a nation and a people: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President is authorized and requested to designate 1983 as a national “Year of the Bible” in recognition of both the formative influence the Bible has been for our Nation, and our national need to study and apply the teachings of the Holy Scriptures.

Approved October 4, 1982.

1 U.S. Cong. & Adm. News ‘82-29 96 Stat. 1211
Legislative History - S.J. Res. 165:
Congressional Record. Vol 128 (1982)
Mar. 31 considered and passed Senate.
Sept. 21 Considered and passed House.

Hope, at best is a fragile thing, but as years pass with no evidence that hope is being fulfilled, it slowly disappears. But as long as there is life, there is hope!

When the call came, it was more than a surprise; more like the heavens had opened and a voice from the dead was speaking; a voice I had never heard before. She was just a baby when I last saw her almost 40 years ago. There was a time during the latter years when I actually convinced myself that she was dead. Now after decades of wondering what had happened to her, my daughter was talking to me.

Her mother and I had been blessed with her when we both were merely kids ourselves, without the good sense to know that life is not always the fairy tale we dreamed it would be. That dream came to an end just a few short years later when my wife and I went our separate ways. They moved to another state a short time later and started a new life as a new family, with a new name and with a new husband and father. That was the last time I saw my daughter until she called that night a few years ago.

“You’re the answer to a thousand prayers!” I exclaimed after I composed myself enough to speak. One month earlier I had reconciled myself to the fact that she was gone forever and that it was time to put the issue to rest. I had one picture of her when she was eleven months old, my constant reminder of the child I had lost. That day, I slipped it into an envelope and stuffed it into the trash can.

Television today generally depicts the father as being a dunce without any noticeable intelligence and with little feelings for anything but himself. In real life it doesn’t always work that way. At least it didn’t for me. Many times I had wished that it did.

The first twenty years were the roughest. Every time my children from a later marriage would reach some milestone in their lives; little league, girl scouts, band, etc., I would wonder how my other daughter was faring in the same situations. Certainly I was proud of my kids for their achievements I, but a little sad at the same time.

There’s no good excuse for allowing someone else to adopt your child when you’re capable of rearing that child yourself. In later years I tried to convince myself that I was young and scared, more boy than man at that time. I remember the brow beating and sage advice from people I thought at the time were friends. Finally it seemed that I would be making some noble and mature gesture by agreeing to the adoption. As I see it now, it wasn’t noble or mature; just cowardly.

Time does not heal all wounds without help from the wounded. While it marches on, the pain of loss always seems to be bringing up the rear. After the initial shock of a divorce and the remarriage of her mother a short time later, I found that I still had a life to live. Years swiftly passed with my new family taking up most of my time and thoughts, but still in idle moments, there would be the vision of my daughter and what she might look like at that moment.

Her mother had told me those many years ago that they were moving to Texas. Not knowing exactly where they moved, whenever I visited that state on business, I would look in the telephone books and hope to find some sign of their presence. That never happened. I’m not sure what I would have done if I had found them.

Finally after I had finally given up any thoughts of finding her, she found me! She was told about me in her teens. Twenty years later, she became determined to find me. Her grandmother gave her enough information about my family and where I lived to give her search a chance to succeed. But still, it took her five years to get up the courage to dial the number she had found. She wasn’t sure how she would be received. Thankfully, she had enough guts to put aside her fears and call.

After that evening’s call, I’ve spent the last seven years running up tremendous telephone bills. I think we talked almost every night for the next six months, getting to know each other again! I have two beautiful grand daughters I didn’t know I had. I’m sure both of them will grow up to be Miss Texas someday.

My daughter and I have a relationship that is stronger than I could ever have imagined. Maybe it’s because we’re both mature now and we both know what we’ve missed not knowing each other. She thinks I’m a pretty cool guy. She gets her intelligence and good looks from my side of the family!

I have to believe that God had a hand in getting us together again. I don’t know why she appeared shortly after I gave up and tried to push her from my mind. Maybe it’s his way of showing us to never give up on anything important. Knowing her and seeing the bright, determined woman she has become, lets me know that God was keeping an eye out for both of us all the time.

I know my daughter well enough now to know that there’s no quit in her. Maybe that’s the way it should be for us all!

Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:

http://www.bluemarlinbob.com

http://www.redfishbob.com

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agree that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.

However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the island, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked , and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God’s blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, Why are you leaving your companion on the island

My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them, the first man answered. His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.

You are mistaken! the voice rebuked him. He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.

Tell me, the first man asked the voice, what did he pray for that I should owe him anything.

He prayed that all your prayers be answered.

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.

http://bahlatul.googlepages.com/myself

I have a question for you. I want you to be completely honest with me. If I were to ask you how you feel about yourself, how would you respond? Would you be the person that loves their life and lives it to the fullest? Would you be the person that feels you are a wonderful person but you need a little improvement in some areas? Would you be the person that cannot stand the hand that life has dealt you? This voice or dictator of your life is what is called your self esteem. This is one the driving forces in your life that causes you to either be successful in whatever you do, or be a complete failure throughout your life. It’s like that fire that burns deep within your soul that gives you that extra nudge to press forward when the going gets tough. On the other hand, it can also be that voice inside that constantly degrades you and tells you that you are a nobody.

Like I said earlier, everyone’s self esteem or (inner voice) speaks to them at a different rate, but the difference is those who have a louder and more positive inner voice will achieve greater heights, accomplish more goals, and will constantly feel good about themselves. Those who (inner voice) is faded or low will always feel that there not worthy or deserve second best. It’s like being in a football game. Imagine your coaches voice being that “inner voice”. The crowd noise is like life’s distractions. The team that you are playing is like your goals in life that you are trying to accomplish. The crowd noise is unbearable and your coach calls a play. Here’s the problem, you can’t hear the coach or better yet you can’t hear your inner voice guiding you. Without this much needed guidance, you will not win the game or accomplish your goals in life.

Those of you with that “low voice” always feel as if you deserve to be second best. You are in constant agreement with your inner voice that this is how your life is supposed to be lived. You honestly feel that this is the lucky hand that life has dealt you. You honestly believe that this is what you signed up for. Day in and day out you look at others and feel pity wondering what is it that happy and content people have that you don’t. You have restless days and sleepless nights. Tossing and turning asking yourself when will this life get better? When will I achieve happiness? When will I be able to stand with my head up, look someone in the eye and smile, and say to them Good morning. Not only saying it to them, but meaning that you are having a good morning as well. Let me tell you it doesn’t have to go on any longer. It doesn’t have to keep you down any longer. Happiness is knocking at your door. Success is just right around the corner.

You have to be willing to accept who you are, and make changes. You have to be willing to go that extra mile to get a taste of success. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself that yes I have a problem, but I am going to fix it. I will agree that this is not going to be a piece of cake. Change does not happen overnight. It will take time, patience, and dedication. Yes in the beginning it may look as if things are not going to change. It may look as if you are wasting your time. It may look as if people are becoming more successful than you, achieving greater wealth than you, are in more stable relationships than you. Yes all this will happen right before your eyes, but here is the key. Listen and learn.

What I am about to say will make or break your success. When you become weary about this whole change thing, get stronger. When you feel yourself doubting change, get stronger. When it looks as if you can’t take anymore of this treacherous life, get stronger. In the game of life, before any major breakthrough occurs, there is going to be a ton of setbacks tossed your way. Look at a thunder storm. The clouds are dark and grey, the wind is whistling in the air, even a tornado or two may touch down, but low and behold what does the sky tend to look like afterwards? You guessed it, a rainbow. Are you ready for a change? Are you willing to go that extra mile to be successful? Are you willing to stand in the eye of the storm just to reap the benefits of being patient and persistent? Are you ready to revive that inner voice?

Raymond Grisby writes articles to inspire and uplift those who are suffering from a low self esteem. He realizes that patience and persistence are the main keys to developing a positive self image. You can pick a free self help audio mp3 along with a self help study guide at http://www.buildmyesteem.com/overcoming_a_low_self_esteem.html

The Tao Te Ching was written over 2500 years ago in China, by Lao-tzu. The work is timeless and covers so many of the topics we face each day. He writes about the Law Of Attraction, but does not call it that. It is a lesson in harmony. Harmony with nature, man, and himself. He knows he is all those things and lives his truth, united with his Source. He is unencumbered by any concept of sin, and doesn’t see evil as a force to resist, but simply an opaqueness, a state of self absorption which is in disharmony with the universal process of unity.

I picked one of his thoughts about government and man for this article, to bring awareness of how things can be solved by looking within, forgiving ourselves, in order to live in harmony with all life. Lao-tzu is speaking to us now, with words that were written in Chinese so many years ago:

“When a country obtains great power, it becomes like the sea: all streams run downward into it. The more powerful it grows the greater the need for humility. Humility means trusting the Tao, thus never needing to be defensive.

A great nation is like a great man: When he makes a mistake, he realizes it. Having realized it, he admits it. Having admitted it, he corrects it. He considers those who point out his faults as his most benevolent teachers. He thinks his enemy as the shadow that he himself casts.
If a nation is centered in the Tao, if it nourishes its own people and doesn’t meddle in the affairs of others, it will be a light to all nations in the world.”

Lao-tzu uses the word Tao, to mean the way, the light, your truth, the higher self. It can be called by many names, as we all know, but it is what you believe in, innately. I believe we can live as Lao-tzu suggests, if we believe we can.

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.