Recently, one of my clients told me that her thinking was often muddled. Clear thinking is crucial for carrying on a conversation, making decisions, and practically everything we do. Thinking can be clouded by a host of conditions including stress, dehydration, and poor nutrition. Now, studies reveal that rejection and criticism also have a significant influence on how well a person thinks.

In a series of experiments at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, participants were exposed to a series of situations that resulted in manufactured feelings of rejection. The participants were given before and after intelligence and analytical skill tests. The researchers were amazed to learn that the intelligence scores plummeted by 25 percent and the analytical reasoning skills declined 30 percent on average.

We are born with the fear of abandonment. As humans, one of the most powerful drives we have is to connect, and be accepted. When rejected, some people\’s self-esteem tends to become unstable.

A person\’s self-esteem is forged in the first seven or eight years of life. Low self-esteem is fostered in an atmosphere of conditional love. It robs an individual of the psychological defenses needed to ward off the slings and arrows of life. One of the most vital responsibilities of a parent is to cultivate a robust self-esteem in their children. It is unconditional love that nurtures healthy self-esteem. So equipped, an individual can brush aside the occasional rejection that is bound to occur.

During research at Montreal\’s McGill University, social psychologists found that people under stress tend to pay more attention to frowning faces than smiling faces. Like the Law of Attraction suggests, whatever you focus on, you will attract more of. A person\’s depressed mood filters out positive situations, causing more focus on social threats like rejections and criticisms. These in turn will feed muddled thinking. Negative emotions can inhibit cognition, memory, and generally fracture human wholeness.

Bestselling author and international speaker, Brian E. Walsh retired from a 30-year management career to further his earlier interest in NLP and hypnotherapy. He returned to formal study, and within four years had achieved his PhD.

Dr. Walsh regularly conducts workshops and teleclasses on enriched learning. He is a master practitioner of NLP, an acupuncture detoxification specialist, an EFT practitioner, and a clinical hypnotherapist.

His eZine, “Personal Enrichment Digest” has subscribers around the world. His most recent release is a 90-minute DVD of his presentation, “Enriched Learning”. He has also co-authored with John Gray and Jack Canfield in the self-help book, “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life: Volume 2.”

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

At the most fundamental psychological level, there are, essentially, three kinds of people: Those that see the glass as half-empty, those that view the glass as half-full and those that will argue for hours as to whether it\’s a glass at all!

Now ask yourself, which category do you fall into? Do you inflate and encourage - or are you more like a human vortex, a steady drain on emotional resources? Are you a courage-builder or a spirit-sucker? Do your colleagues view you as a burst of upbeat energy - or as a vitality-vampire, sucking the positive lifeblood out of your co-workers? Are you an ego-booster or an ego-buster?

When you truly begin to embrace the fact that your words and actions contribute to the overall energy and happiness in your life and the lives of your co-workers, you\’ll make a radical decision to positively reframe your outlook, speech and actions. Now, let\’s look at the seven top ego-busting behaviors - How we can help those who use these destructive communication patterns, and how we can change these behaviors in our own speech.

1. Overwhelmingly Negative Speech - In order for an organization to flourish, and not flounder or experience flat growth, they need to pump up their positive speech. Quite often, these are people who suffer from the ball-and-chain syndrome - where every task (no matter how small) - is a crushing chore, an insurmountable burden.

• You: If most of your day-to-day dialogue is negative, pessimistic, sarcastic, hurtful, harmful, blame-ridden, guilt-inducing and filled with, “I can\’ts augmented with extra doses of, “poor-poor-pitiful-me,” it may be time for you to make a healthy change to the positive. Try to strike a better balance by choosing positive, optimistic, reassuring, encouraging, morale-building, forward-thinking, “I can” words.

• Others: If you hear others engaged in negative dialogue, first acknowledge them by saying, “Gee, it sounds like you are really unhappy,” or “I can tell by what you are saying that you are frustrated.” Then ask them, “Share with me something that is going right.” You can also offer a comment such as, “Do you realize that when you complain/are negative about ________ that it really has a negative impact on my morale - and what I need from you is to hear you offer up some of the positive things that are going on around here.”

2. “I Didn\’t Do It!” - Truth be told, no one really cares about what you are unwilling to do or can\’t do. They\’re only interested in finding out what you have done, are willing to do, or can do. Experts agree that if every person involved in a task took a mere 10 percent responsibility in a project\’s outcome (negative or positive), the work responsibility could be evenly distributed and shared.

Folks that play the “blame game” lose on all accounts: They fail to function as a team player and lose their co-workers\’ respect. Playing the “blame game” is a career-killing move.

• You: If you are blaming another, and the task truly wasn\’t your responsibility, then give the person who needs the task completed very specific and helpful information. Without this, you will seem lazy, uncooperative and a non-team player. If you continue playing the “blame game,” no one will approach you with any new tasks. Task assigning = trust.

• Others: If someone is blaming another, you can ask them: “What can you do and what are you willing to do in this situation?” In these situations, blaming-throwing can go on indefinitely, so oftentimes, eliciting some information is better than none.

3. Grapevine Gossipers - If you think that you\’ll have nothing to talk about if you omit all of the gossip in your everyday speech - You need to reassess your communications! Gossip is damaging, especially in a work environment. Just how far will employers go to stop gossip? Two years ago, municipal workers in Cascavel, Brazil, were banned from gossiping during working hours under a new law. Any public employee caught spreading rumors or gossip about their colleague ran the risk of being fired. The city claimed that civil servants have the right to work in a professional environment and said the new law promotes integrity.

In 2001, a nationwide study conducted by a UK group, Industrial Society, claimed that, on average, American men gossip more than women. The idea that gossip is largely a women\’s thing is deeply ingrained; saying that men gossip more than women is like saying that men have more shoes than women!

How do you define gossip? The authors of the study described true gossip as meeting five essential criteria:

• The person being talking about is not present;

• The people having the conversation have an established relationship with the subject;

• The information has no direct impact on the lives of the people conducting the conversation;

• The conversation is generally negative in tone, and

• The conversation is morality-based in its implications.

The study concedes, however, that men and women gossip quite differently. While women gossip primarily to bond with one another, and men do it to bolster their self-esteem.

• You: If you\’re the department\’s “gossip grapevine,” try to cut your gossip by 10 percent. You\’ll soon find that it\’s easy to cut back on the time you spend “sharing news & views” about co-workers and managers. You want to feel included and embraced in your group, but what you\’re really doing is serving as the “enabler” of negative relationships.

• Others: When someone tries to share gossip with you, ask them, “Why are you sharing this information with me? I would prefer not to talk about ____ without him/her being here.” Defend others in their absence, just as you\’d wish for others to defend you. And remember, if a person gossips with you, they\’ll gossip about you!

4. “I\’m Okay, But You\’re Not Okay” - Perhaps the most difficult behavioral pattern to deal with, passive-aggressive behavior plays an insidious role in interpersonal communications. This “I\’m okay, but you\’re not okay” (but I\’m not going to verbalize this, I\’ll just subtly undermine you) conduct can prove frustrating.

• You: If you\’re the culprit in passive-aggressive conduct, you need to more carefully identify your needs. Don\’t expect positive responses from your negative innuendos and sarcastic “off-the-cuff” comments. Try to more articulately, concise and clearly state your needs.

• Others: Those that fall into passive-aggressive behavior tend to take negative jabs in their speech and then follow it up with comments like: “Gosh, I was just joking,” or, “Lighten up!” and “Can\’t you take a joke?” remarks. In order to deal with this type of conduct, you can ask the person to repeat any necessary information, deadlines, agreements, etc., and (face-to-face) agree to specified terms. Whatever you do, don\’t be sarcastic or attempt to “even the playing field” with similar negative comments, this will only serve to further “fuel the fire” in passive-aggressive individuals.

Controllers & Micro-Managers - This is, at its primal level, a form of controlling behavior.

• You: If you find yourself micro-managing your employees and co-workers, your core issue is trust. You don\’t trust people. As a result, people will not trust you. Let people set their own deadlines - typically, they\’ll set shorter deadlines than you would and, as a result, they\’ll have a better attitude about their project and their own abilities.

• Others: When you find yourself working for a micro-manager, you need to start a positive communication campaign. Push a constant stream of communication out to your manager. Use phrases like: “This is where I am on this project, and unless I hear from you otherwise, I\’ll move forward to [Step B].” Send out a copious flow of updates and information, allowing the person to (slowly but surely) develop trust in your working relationship.

5. “Poor Me” Victim Mentality - This very damaging ego-busting behavior can spell “disaster” for a budding career.

• You: If you indulge yourself in “victim mentality,” realize that you can badly (sometimes irretrievably) damage your career. Using the “poor me” excuse in professional environs can make you seem ill equipped in handling undemanding situations, thereby allowing others to deem you completely incapable of managing more stressful and challenging ones. Realize that it serves no positive purpose to whine and moan, “The other department got all of the new computers… We never get any of the good stuff,” type of speech. It merely brands you as the department\’s top grumbler, grouch and complainer.

• Others: If you work with a person who continually views the half-full glass as half-empty, you\’ll need to assist them in moving their communications in a more positive direction.

6. Cyclops Syndrome - Diagnosing “Cyclops Syndrome” is easy. People who have it, have one big “eye”- that is focused solely on themselves. This self-centered behavior stems from egocentric mentality - “It\’s all about me . . .enough about you . . .now let\’s talk about me!” I also call this “one-upmanship” communication or “OOPS,” syndrome - or Our Own Personal Story (OOPS) syndrome.

• You: If you find yourself using “I”-focused dialogue, it\’s time to reassess your focus on others. If you find you don\’t congratulate others on their victories, but rather use them as (yet another) opportunity to build yourself up: “Oh, I already got a raise” rather than, “Congratulations on your raise!” - stop your egocentric speech patterns.

• Others: People suffering from the “Cyclops Syndrome” don\’t allow others a moment “in the spotlight.” Completely unaware of other\’s needs, they always have a better story, a bigger win or a more impressive development than anyone else (or OOPS - Our Own Personal Story). Self-centered Cyclops-sighted folks will always shift and bring the focus back on themselves: “Oh, you think you\’re having trouble on your ward, just wait until you hear mine,” and “If you think your child is doing well in school, mine is doing better…”

Susanne Gaddis, PhD, known as the Communications Doctor, is an acknowledged communications expert who has been speaking and teaching the art of effective and positive communication through workshops, seminars, and keynote presentations across the United States since 1989. Past clients include: NASA, Oracle, Schlumberger, and the American Nurses Association. For free articles written by Dr. Gaddis, or to purchase her book Communication Booster Shots: Prescriptions for Effective Communication visit http://www.CommunicationDoctor.com or call 919-933-3237.

Good visualization skills will ultimately contribute to success for all those involved in self growth and personal development programs. Visualization is always one of the key factors that must be developed for consistent success, and rightly so. We live in a mental universe and it is our consciousness that actually gives us the sensation of the life that we experience. So if we are unable to create thought images as detailed as we would like, the full realization and satisfaction of our world will probably be lacking.

Everything that we do, we do so in the form of some thought image, a picture with emotions and other sensory information. However, most people have not really developed their ability to create these thought images. A simple test for this is to think about the future you most desire to have. What does that future look like? Describe the image that you see in your mind\’s eye of your goal.

Most people have great difficulty doing this simply because they have never fully developed this skill. When they engage in goal setting, as part of their personal growth and self help programs, they eventually lose interest in the program because they are unable to generate the pictures that are necessary to follow through and achieve their goal.

Without those pictures, those thought images their mind does not have a plan to follow and no clear blueprint, to impress into the universal mind for physical expression. When the image of what we want is unclear or missing there can only be confusion. What the mind cannot see it cannot achieve!

Here are a few tips and exercises that you can do, on a daily bases, to help develop your image creating abilities.

Exercise number 1.

Try observing something around you and record what you see. Write down everything that you observe about that object, and then ask someone else to observe the same object and see if they come up with a similar list. This can be fun if you make it into a game and it is a great way to introduce older children into the world of focused visualization. Most young children have already mastered this skill. Next, close your eyes and see how much of that object you can recreate in your mind in detail.

Exercise number 2.

Observe two similar, but different items, such as two trees. First pick out the things that make them similar, next observe the things that make them dissimilar. Again, just as you did in the first exercise, after you have completed the first part, close your eyes and see it you can create both trees, one at a time, in your mind. Next, to make it even more interesting see if you can create both trees in your mind at the same time.

Exercise number 3.

Observe an object around you, then close your eyes and recreate that object in your mind, only put it in another location. If you observe a tree in the woods, or even your back yard, imagine that tree on a beach, or even in the middle of a parking lot.

Please don\’t attempt to do these exercises one right after another you will only meet with frustration and end up abandoning the whole process. These exercises should be done over a period of weeks, even months. Take one per week and do that one every day or several times per day. As you master one, move on to the next one. Your ability to visualize is like any other talent that you have, it must be developed.

Each one of these exercises will introduce another variable for you to master. As you do each one you will learn how to observe, how to recognize detail, but also how to add detail to your own visualizations and work with your imagination. As you work more with your imagination you will also be opening the door to fuller realization of your intuition. That is the ultimate goal. That is when you will make the most of the law of attraction.

Unique spirituality information tells us that before we entered this physical universe we all made an agreement with God. This agreement is part of our spiritual growth and we can understand this agreement once again when we unite and become one with the source of our existence. It is a very individual journey that allows this spiritual growth to happen.

You might ask why we don\’t get this information from our religious institutions and that would be a very good question.

Religions perform an important function as a beacon of light that humans can use in their quest to understand their relationship with God. Unfortunately, religions have resorted to using fear as the tool that unites the parishioner with the parish. Religions have strayed from the teachings of the masters on whom the religions were founded. The spiritual masters who founded the major religions of the world all told us the same message.

The message is that we are one with God. Jesus, Mohammed, Krishna, Buddha, Moses, Abraham, and all the other masters told us this one universal message. We are not separate from God, we are one with God. It is the ultimate message of love. It is a message that unites us with God and with everything that exists. Most religions have found it necessary to deliver a message, or a doctrine, that keeps us separate from God, and this separation mentality is a fear based paradigm from which to live your life.

This does not change the actuality of our beingness, which is that each and every one of us is a spirit child of God possessing the same essence of God. That is who we are. That is who we really are. Always have been and always will be for eternity. Just like God.

Just as God is eternal and all knowing and creative, so are we. God created us in the image and likeness of God as part of God\’s master plan when God created the physical universe and the concept of relativity.

Remember, God created the physical universe in order to know experientially all that she knows conceptually. There is only one way for God to accomplish that. God had to create us, her spirit children, to occupy this physical plane in order to experience something that God cannot experience herself. You see, in order to experience herself as God, God has to experience herself as not God.

You see, God is God. God cannot not be God. God is the absolute and that is what God is. So, in order for God to experience herself as not God, she would have to somehow forget that she is God. There is no way for God to do that, except through God\’s surrogates, through God\’s spirit children, through us.

So, are you ready for a huge Ah-haaaaa? Here it comes.

We, as God\’s spirit children, are all made from the same stuff that God is. We all possess the same powers and abilities as God. We are all part of God. That is who we are. That is who we really are.

God\’s purpose in creating us, her spirit children, was so that we could experience in the realm of the physical universe all that God knows as concepts in the realm of the absolute. That is our purpose here in the physical relative world. We are in a giant collaboration with God. Our mission is to experience life in all of its different perspectives in order for God to know, through our experiences, all that she knows as concepts in the realm of the absolute.

How do we have these experiences? We create them. God gave us free will to create our lives as we choose. There is no agenda set out for us except what we choose as an agenda. We are free to be whomever we choose to be.

That\’s why we were created with the same powers of creation as God. We are creating machines. If this is so, then why don\’t we create a more peaceful loving world and why don\’t we create our own lives to be abundant and full of love? God would say to us, “Yes, why don\’t you? You have the absolute power to do so.”

I agree with God. If we have total choice to create our lives in any manner that we choose, and we do, then why don\’t we create our own lives to be in alignment with the highest visions that we hold for ourselves? Why don\’t we create a world society that is peaceful and loving and honors the planet that is our home instead of destroying it for short-term profits?

Once again the answers to these and all the questions that confound us lies in this beautiful concept called relativity. We know that in order for God to experience all that he knows conceptually, he would have to be able to compare God to something that God is not. God is an absolute. God cannot be what God is not, but God could make an agreement with her spirit children to forget that they are a part of God, made up of the same essence as God.

Okay, all together now, Ah-haaaaa!

Richard Blackstone is an award winning author and international speaker on Love, Oneness & Creation. Journey into discovery of Self by reading this FREE report; “The 3 Simple Immutable Laws of the Universe” at: http://www.NutsandBoltsSpirituality.com

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

Don\’t you just love the word “tranquil.” Certain words seem to resonate with a feeling of pure contentment. Other words that come to mind are serene, calm, silence, reflective, and peaceful. It makes sense that when we think and say these words that the tranquil feeling will become a part of who we are.

Try this:
For the whole day today, concentrate only on words or phrases that bring this sense of tranquility. Make your own list. Put the list in a word file so that you can refer to it. Write it down on a plain piece of white paper with a bright blue sharpie (or a color that you like). Tape it on your refrigerator, or put it in your wallet. Or write out a couple of lists and scatter them all over-your bathroom mirror, your car, and your coffee table.

Once your mind is filled with thoughts of tranquility, begin to associate these thoughts with real world situations. What kind of images come up when you you think of the word tranquil? Here are a few that come up for me:

* A beautiful lake with two swans quietly enjoying their surroundings.

* A mother holding her baby as he coos and giggles.

* Having a picnic in the country, just you and your sweetie, under a big beautiful shade tree.

While you are practicing your tranquil thoughts come up with your own tranquil images. Do not stop at ordinary situations. Use your imagination to take you to the extraordinary.

For example:

* You are are on a path in an enchanted forest. The branches of the trees surrounding you sweep down to create a welcoming gesture. As you walk along, there is a gentle wind with the scent of lavender that creates a wonderful healing effect.

* You have the ability to fly. As you glide over valleys, rolling hills, rivers, and communities you feel one with the power of the universe. Your loving essence moves around and through you on your travels, dispensing inspirational energy wherever you go.

* You are magically brought to a large castle in a mysterious place. You are taken to an overstuffed chair in front of a roaring fire. Your host looks strangely familiar. She has a calm and sweet demeanor which instantly puts you at ease. Then one by one she leads your loved ones in (those passed). Your host sits them down opposite you in an equally comfy chair, and you commence to share your deepest feelings with each other.

This type of exercise requires that you take time for yourself. It is easy to keep to busy schedules without pausing to give thought to silly games like this. And if rushing around has worked for you, and you can honestly say you are supremely content with your high paced life - by all means, rush away.

But if you could use a little more calm or an extra dose of serenity to round out your day - stop, breathe, and reflect. Think tranquil-inducing thoughts. Exercise your imagination and dream. Allow yourself to be swept away. Your activities will still be there when you return to the material world.

Most likely you will return to them with a renewed spirit. You will tackle them with the intention of a positive spirit spreading love rather than the anxious intensity that would otherwise accompany your tasks.

Life is meant to be fun. Reflect on this. Go inside yourself (our inner source) where your high frequency energies conspire to supply you with all the creativity you need. Inspired, tranquil action is yours if you simply take the time to access your guidance.

Copyright 2007/Avenstar Enterprises, Inc

Kim McGinnis is a freelance writer and entrepreneur. Visit her at her most recent blog, Be Like Nature: http://www.belikenature.com

If you are looking for inspirational items to create a sense of serenity in your home (inside and out) visit Kim at her beautiful website, A Zen Gift http://azengift.com

To find out about Magical Fireflies, an absolutely unique & magical product, go to Kim\’s very popular site http://www.magicalfireflies.com

The subjects of personal development and self-improvement are very popular these days. The concept of improving one\’s life and developing as a person may seem self-explanatory. However, most people don\’t really understand the life altering paradigm shift that happens as a result of pursuing personal development.

We all recognize the far-reaching benefits of improving our communication skills. Striving to live up to a higher standard always creates value in our personal lives and the lives of those around us. And the ability to set and achieve goals is widely accepted as a fundamental requirement for improving the quality of one\’s life.

But what results do these things bring to the quality of a person\’s life at the deepest levels? What effects do goal-setting, higher personal standards and better communication skills have on our attitude toward our day-to-day life?

Personal development has a profound effect on every single aspect of our life. As we grow on a personal level, we begin to feel more passionate about life in general. We are naturally more motivated because learning and growing add a sense of excitement and zeal.

Personal development provides an incentive to become the best person you possibly can. Instead of causing you to become more self-focused, personal development expands your frame of reference to include the people around you. As your world expands so does your awareness of the possibilities before you. A sense of Increased possibility generates more motivation along with eager anticipation.

Contrast this with a lifestyle that seems endlessly repetitive. A mere existence, made up of a mundane routine with nothing much to look forward to except getting through the day, the week, the year. Learning gets replaced with mindless entertainment as a person\’s world grows smaller and smaller. We have all heard the terms rat race, and stuck in a rut. Have you ever applied these terms to your life?

We would all like to believe that a better life is possible. At some point in our lives, we all dreamed of accomplishing great things and living a life of value and purpose. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to allow the demands and frustrations of daily living to destroy our hopes and dreams. When this happens we begin to settle for just getting by. Life can be so demanding that it can leave you feeling trapped on an endless merry-go-round that never leads anywhere.

The truth is we all have the capacity to take charge of our lives and to make our dreams come true. Yes, this requires that we learn new skills and change our beliefs about what is possible, but what could be more exciting than that?

Personal development is a doorway to a life that is both exciting and fulfilling. A life that is full of endless opportunities and amazing possibilities. Life should be an adventure not an endurance contest. Personal development is an opportunity to reclaim your dreams, transform your life and make a valuable contribution to the world around you.

Jonathan Wells is deeply involved in the area of personal growth and development. His upcoming book “The 7 Steps to Personal Excellence” examines in detail the powerful yet simple steps to creating the life you dream of.

“The simplest way to a life of personal success and prosperity is to learn what the core principles of success are and how to apply them in your life. I call these key principles Advanced Life Skills and I want to make them available to as many people as possible. These skills have the potential to literally transform and enrich the quality of every aspect of your life.”

To learn practical steps that you can begin taking immediately to reach your goals and improve the quality of your life, please visit his blog at http://AdvancedLifeSkills.com/blog

Whether you fear failure or whether you acknowledge that it\’s simply part of the process of succeeding will be one of the major determinants of how far you\’ll get in life. Those who have a “wealth mindset” know that failure is not the opposite of success, but, instead, it\’s a stepping stone toward great achievement. They treat failure as feedback and as a chance to learn, adjust their actions, and try again.

There are countless stories of people who have been beaten over the head, knocked over several times, and have failed miserably; yet they\’ve gone on to become highly successful. Professional baseball players fail more than they succeed in hitting the ball. However, they keep walking up to the plate and they keep swinging at that ball. Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times on his way to the Hall of Fame.

Below are three examples of now-famous people who have demonstrated the ability to fall and get back up again:

• Elvis Presley is an example of someone who faced rejection and went on to prove his critics wrong. After his debut performance at the Grand Ole Opry he received only a polite response from the audience and was told: “You ain\’t goin\’ nowhere, son.” Of course, he became a celebrated musician who won three Grammies and was inducted into four music Halls of Fame.

• Oprah Winfrey-the multiple-Emmy Award winning host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest-rated talk show in television history–was fired from her television reporter\’s job and told: “You\’re not fit for TV”.

• In 1985 Steve Jobs was fired from Apple Computer, the company he helped start. During his 2005 Commencement speech at Stanford University he said the following: “I didn\’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods in my life.”

If you\’re not failing now and then, it\’s very likely that you\’re not taking enough chances. According to the Law of Probabilities if you have a lot of ideas, many of them will probably be wrong, but your chances of finding one really good idea are much higher than for the person who has only a few ideas or no ideas at all. And all you need is one really good idea.

There are three things you can do right away when you fail at something so that you can move forward as fast as possible:

One. You should ask yourself questions that will put you in the right frame of mind and will direct your focus so that you can think of the best way to bounce back from the situation, learn what you can from it, and apply your newly acquired experience to your advantage. Below are some of the questions you should be asking yourself:

• What can I learn from this?

• What will get me what I want?

• What is good about this?

• What can I be grateful for in this situation?

• Who can give me good advice as to how to best proceed?

• What can I do to improve?

• What do I need to get through this?

• What would I do from a position of power?

• What one thing can I do tomorrow?

• What do I need to do differently the next time?

Two. You should apply a method of release that will help you to let go of the emotional charge that accompanies failure so that you can analyze the situation from a cool headed perspective that will allow you to act in your best interest. The Sedona Method is a simple, effective program you can use that provides quick results. By asking yourself three simple questions you\’ll be able to release any negative emotions you may be feeling as a result of your setback so that you can get yourself back in the game.

Three. Think of the outcome that you\’re seeking, create a clear mental picture of that outcome, and see yourself achieving the intended result. By relaxing and slowing down your thoughts through meditation you will be better able to focus on what you want. At the same time, using creative visualization will help you to create a detailed image of your goal so that it\’s easier to achieve. The Silva Life System is a great way to learn how to meditate in 60 seconds flat and learn how to use creative visualization to reach your goals.

To quote the Greek philosopher Epictetus: “So when the crisis is upon you, remember that God, like a trainer of wrestlers, has matched you with a tough and stalwart antagonist . . . that you may prove a victor at the Great Games.”

For more information on The Sedona Method, The Silva Life System, and other tips, articles, and resources on how to become wealthy, visit http://www.marelisa-online.com

From Marelisa Fabrega, founder and CEO of http://www.marelisa-online.com

I want to display in this short article how the power of prayer can profoundly affect our lives. Here are few practices we can integrate into our prayer transforming it from superficial worrying and doubt to actually working for us in real and amazing ways. I have personally found these principles to be absolutely true and able to work miracles.

Praying for Others: For one full day try and pray for each person you come across in the day. Say a silent prayer when greeting another person. This may sound strange and mystical, but if you practice, you will notice yourself almost “shooting” a prayer that the other person feels. With DILIGENCE you will become an expert and actually be able to turn a person around on the street to give you a warm look. The key is to become detached from yourself and your own worries and completely concentrate on the other person your are contacting. You will be refreshed and empowered by this exercise while simultaneously helping others.

Pray with Faith: Faith emotionalizes our prayers with unshaken BELIEF in ourselves and our infinite nature. Ask and BELIEVE and you will be the recipient of your demand. This step is the most difficult. Even when we think we BELIEVE something whole-heartedly, one of our chief enemies: DOUBT, seeps into the cracks of our mind. Faith is not something that will come overnight, but must be continually built. The good news is that Faith builds upon itself. Take time to repeatedly build your Faith until it has been etched on your subconscious. With great Faith, the power of prayer is limitless in working miracles in our lives.

Pray for Big Things and all things: There is no limit to what prayer can do. Emotionalize your prayers with unshaken belief and do not limit yourself. The great miracles of the ages have been accomplished using these exact formulas, and the principle is universal. On the other-side of the coin there is no task or object too small for the infinite spiritual realm to completely satisfy.

When it happens you will know. Never GIVE up. Follow these steps and you will work miracles.

Jesse Sherer is an entrepreneur and specializes in helping others achieve their goals and dreams. Read other articles about entrepreneurism, cell phones, and self-improvement at http://www.laverne-wireless.com - http://www.jmsherer.blogspot.com

Much has been written about the mind-body connection. Studies have shown that people can learn to control involuntary body functions consciously, using the power of their minds. But so much of the research has been challenged on the one side, and exaggerated on the other, that many of us are justifiably skeptical of claims for this kind of “mind power.”

Just how much can we control our bodies using the power of our minds? Let’s find out. There are simple and safe ways to experiment in this area.

Mind Power Over Autonomic Body Functions

When I was a child, my mother was studying yoga, and she taught me and my brothers how to relax and enter a meditative state. While in this state, we also found that we could “order” the blood to flow to one arm or the other, causing a noticeable increase in the warmth of that arm. These little experiments were the first time that I realized how much control our minds really can have.

We normally assume that things like where our blood flows and how our hearts beat are outside of our conscious control. This is certainly true, in part. A person can’t necessarily choose right now to change their heart rate or blood flow, or brain wave frequency. However, with the right techniques and some practice, all of these involuntary body functions can be consciously controlled.

For example, your pupils get bigger automatically when it is dark. Interestingly, they also get larger when you see something you like, or just vividly imagine something you like. Once you understand this, you can quickly learn to control your pupil size with just your mind. Go watch your eyes in a mirror right now, and see what happens when you imagine someone you like, a favorite food, or anything you would like to see.

If the desire is strong and the imagined scene vivid, your pupils quickly grow in size. Try different scenes to see which work best. After an hour of practice, you should be able to consciously change your pupil size at will. Larger pupils, by the way, are a sign of receptivity that is picked up unconsciously by the person in front of you. The sense that you like that person will often make him or her feel similarly towards you. There are other uses for this trick that are beyond the scope of this article.

Using Feedback To Develop Control

Biofeedback machines, which monitor perspiration, heart rate, and breathing, can be used to learn how to control many normally involuntary body functions. Without one of these expensive machines, we have to find other ways to get feedback. Notice that in the pupil experiment above you have instant feedback by way of the mirror.

To measure heart rate, you can simply take your pulse, or have someone else do it. To speed up imagine stepping on a nail that goes through your foot. The more you develop your ability to imagine things vividly, the better this will work. Take your pulse immediately before and then during this exercise in imagination. Some use this trick to beat polygraph machines (lie detector tests), by consciously increasing both heart rate and perspiration during the “control” questions.

Meditators can eventually learn how to slow their heart and relax at will. Practice is needed, the feedback you get is what keeps you on the right path. You may not know exactly what you are doing to slow down your heart or relax your muscles, or increase your body temperature. That’s okay. It is like learning to ride a bicycle. You learn how by trying and practicing, but in the end you’re still not able to explain to someone how you use your muscles to balance. In a similar way you can learn to control many body functions it if you have proper feedback.

Need physical energy? You could use caffeine or other drugs, but this is area is also susceptible to mind power. Ever notice how talking about something you are passionate about “wakes” you up? There are real chemical changes that happen. With a vivid enough imagination, you can get some of the same effect by imagining such a conversation. In a more extreme example, you can create a flow of adrenaline - normally an involuntary body function - by imagining a fight with a bear, or whatever gets you going.

Clearly there are many ways to control the autonomic nervous system, or “involuntary body functions” using mind power.

Copyright Steve Gillman. For more on How To Increase Brain Power, and to get the Brain Power Newsletter and other free gifts, visit:
http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com