Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
How To Become An Internet Millionaire In The Self-Improvement Industry Working From Home
How To Become An Internet Millionaire In The Self-Improvement Industry Working From Home
by: Mark Bellinger
With the challenges and pressures that exist with today’s life style, the self-improvement and self-help industry is booming.
As a result, the demand for self-improvement programs, information and help is skyrocketing and presents a huge opportunity for internet marketers.
The self-improvement market is vast and includes topics such as motivation, success, losing weight, anxiety, depression, positive thinking and the list goes on and on.
Just to demonstrate the demand for information on some of these topics, below is the approximate number of searches conducted, according to Overture.com, covering just a few of the self-improvement and self-help subjects.
• Weight Loss : 1,500,000
• Motivation : 100,000
• Depression : 990,000
• Self-Help : 200,000
• Marriage : 700,000
• Self Esteem : 70,000
• Success & Achievement : 150,000
• Self Confidence : 250,000
So you can see that the demand exists but how do you convert this into an opportunity?
Well because so many people are searching online and spending millions of dollars on self-help and self-improvement information every year, it should be easy to supply and monetize this demand.
In a nutshell, a savvy internet marketer would set up a website or network of websites, each dedicated to a certain topic, attract targeted site visitors and sell them an info-product of their choice.
Of course it is never this easy.
In this industry it is of vital importance to have a professionally designed website and promote only highly credible information and products.
Your products should be either unique and/or not freely available as you do not want to be competing with information that is freely available.
You would therefore require access to credible and informative reports, manuals and content.
Some of this professionally written sales copy needs to get onto your website and entice your visitors into buying your manuals and e-books which should be written by experts in their respective fields.
This may sound pretty complicated, but do not despair, as this can be done.
It is possible to hire the services of university graduates, copy writers and freelance writers to do the job for you.
You could always get the professionals just to write the web content and sales copy for you and then source the appropriate info-products to sell on a commission basis.
Of course, the best option is if you are a professional in your field you could write your own manuals and e-books and sell them for 100% profit.
In conclusion, if you are an entrepreneur looking for a market where there exists a strong and real demand do not neglect this opportunity as it may be the one that really works for you.
Whatever you do, just remember that many people are selling quality motivational and inspirational books and products, making money for themselves and improving the lives of others.
by: Mark Bellinger
With the challenges and pressures that exist with today’s life style, the self-improvement and self-help industry is booming.
As a result, the demand for self-improvement programs, information and help is skyrocketing and presents a huge opportunity for internet marketers.
The self-improvement market is vast and includes topics such as motivation, success, losing weight, anxiety, depression, positive thinking and the list goes on and on.
Just to demonstrate the demand for information on some of these topics, below is the approximate number of searches conducted, according to Overture.com, covering just a few of the self-improvement and self-help subjects.
• Weight Loss : 1,500,000
• Motivation : 100,000
• Depression : 990,000
• Self-Help : 200,000
• Marriage : 700,000
• Self Esteem : 70,000
• Success & Achievement : 150,000
• Self Confidence : 250,000
So you can see that the demand exists but how do you convert this into an opportunity?
Well because so many people are searching online and spending millions of dollars on self-help and self-improvement information every year, it should be easy to supply and monetize this demand.
In a nutshell, a savvy internet marketer would set up a website or network of websites, each dedicated to a certain topic, attract targeted site visitors and sell them an info-product of their choice.
Of course it is never this easy.
In this industry it is of vital importance to have a professionally designed website and promote only highly credible information and products.
Your products should be either unique and/or not freely available as you do not want to be competing with information that is freely available.
You would therefore require access to credible and informative reports, manuals and content.
Some of this professionally written sales copy needs to get onto your website and entice your visitors into buying your manuals and e-books which should be written by experts in their respective fields.
This may sound pretty complicated, but do not despair, as this can be done.
It is possible to hire the services of university graduates, copy writers and freelance writers to do the job for you.
You could always get the professionals just to write the web content and sales copy for you and then source the appropriate info-products to sell on a commission basis.
Of course, the best option is if you are a professional in your field you could write your own manuals and e-books and sell them for 100% profit.
In conclusion, if you are an entrepreneur looking for a market where there exists a strong and real demand do not neglect this opportunity as it may be the one that really works for you.
Whatever you do, just remember that many people are selling quality motivational and inspirational books and products, making money for themselves and improving the lives of others.
Drama: How It Zaps Creativity and Success
Drama: How It Zaps Creativity and Success
by: Catherine Franz
Drama occurs all around us. We don't think of ourselves as a drama queen or king. "isn't that a movie?" isn't that a neighbor, co-worker, friend, or in-law? For artists, drama contributes to their creative production. There is a darker side. One we don't want to admit to. At least not easily.
We add drama in order to make life or situations more interesting. Artists like to do this when their creativity is blocked. Drama adds fizz to imagination. We also create drama when we're bored or need to shelter our feelings.
Drama, thought of as a serious narrative for fiction, can also be serious emotional muck that zaps both creativity and success. Like quicksand, we don't know you're in it until you can't move your legs.
A friend, let’s name her Jane, phones and pulls you in with her BMW (bitch, moan and whine). She curls your ear about life not going according to her plan. You have just become stuck in her drama. You pat your foot and think about what else you could be doing. The critic justifies staying with: "She’s your friend. She listens to your BMW." Afterwards, your energy sags.
Drama is easier to see in other people, it is harder to see the muck we create for ourselves. Here is a process that will assist your awareness and propel you forward:
Step 1: Recognize when the drama is appearing or when it did appear. Do you drag yourself out of bed? That’s drama. Do you moan and groan about something? That’s drama. Our inner critic has a natural ability to ignite drama when you don't want to do something. Did you give an excuse for something? That’s drama. We're you late because you weren't sure you wanted to go? Drama! Excessive emotion is drama.
Step 2: Acknowledge the event as unnecessary. When you acknowledge it as unnecessary and you are in a dramatic moment, the shift begins.
Step 3: Identify what part, or whole, is "just" your part? Weed out the other players. See only your part. Decide: Are you going to continue or change it?
Step 4: Begin the transformation. Write or carefully think through what occurred. If you see the drama unfolding before you, and it includes other players, stop, don't continue just to save face. Once you decide to transform it, declare it out loud three times.
Let me share with you one of my changing events...
My fought my own thoughts as I moved down the isles. "Yes, I need these? No, I don't really need this?" Justifying with the great price. I stared at items without seeing as my thoughts fought. "Should I or shouldn't I." At the checkout counter, I couldn't let go of the items so the cashier could price and bag them. Slowly I let go.
When it came time to pay, I stopped, looked at her, and explained that I changed my mind. I apologized, slightly embarrassed. Not so surprised but delighted from my explanation, she said thank you, she learned something to. I said, "Me too."
I sat on the mall bench in disbelief for quite some time. It was one of those memorable moments. One I still remember very clearly today. It took time to process what occurred but I did see that my spending process changed significantly. It was one of my shifts in seeing my drama.
Step 5: Make a conscious choice to let it go.
Step 6: Take action. Talk with someone about it -- a friend, clergy, or coach. Just do it. If you prefer to write your way through the process, do it. Process it lovingly. For when you see the drama as if it’s a television soap opera "an out of body view" this particular drama behavior ends.
Step 7: Repeat this phrase three times: "And this has passed. I now move forward in joy and success."
Enjoy the less dramatic you and watch your new success unfold.
Your Assignment, If You Choose To Take This On
Make a list, 1-10. Close your eyes and revisit the last 24 hours. See where the drama occurred? What was your contribution? Was the drama getting the kids to go to bed? Did you procrastinate on something and then create drama to get you started? Write down even the smallest memory. Even the appearances you're not sure of. Choose one. Start with Step 1.
(c) Copyright 2005, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.
by: Catherine Franz
Drama occurs all around us. We don't think of ourselves as a drama queen or king. "isn't that a movie?" isn't that a neighbor, co-worker, friend, or in-law? For artists, drama contributes to their creative production. There is a darker side. One we don't want to admit to. At least not easily.
We add drama in order to make life or situations more interesting. Artists like to do this when their creativity is blocked. Drama adds fizz to imagination. We also create drama when we're bored or need to shelter our feelings.
Drama, thought of as a serious narrative for fiction, can also be serious emotional muck that zaps both creativity and success. Like quicksand, we don't know you're in it until you can't move your legs.
A friend, let’s name her Jane, phones and pulls you in with her BMW (bitch, moan and whine). She curls your ear about life not going according to her plan. You have just become stuck in her drama. You pat your foot and think about what else you could be doing. The critic justifies staying with: "She’s your friend. She listens to your BMW." Afterwards, your energy sags.
Drama is easier to see in other people, it is harder to see the muck we create for ourselves. Here is a process that will assist your awareness and propel you forward:
Step 1: Recognize when the drama is appearing or when it did appear. Do you drag yourself out of bed? That’s drama. Do you moan and groan about something? That’s drama. Our inner critic has a natural ability to ignite drama when you don't want to do something. Did you give an excuse for something? That’s drama. We're you late because you weren't sure you wanted to go? Drama! Excessive emotion is drama.
Step 2: Acknowledge the event as unnecessary. When you acknowledge it as unnecessary and you are in a dramatic moment, the shift begins.
Step 3: Identify what part, or whole, is "just" your part? Weed out the other players. See only your part. Decide: Are you going to continue or change it?
Step 4: Begin the transformation. Write or carefully think through what occurred. If you see the drama unfolding before you, and it includes other players, stop, don't continue just to save face. Once you decide to transform it, declare it out loud three times.
Let me share with you one of my changing events...
My fought my own thoughts as I moved down the isles. "Yes, I need these? No, I don't really need this?" Justifying with the great price. I stared at items without seeing as my thoughts fought. "Should I or shouldn't I." At the checkout counter, I couldn't let go of the items so the cashier could price and bag them. Slowly I let go.
When it came time to pay, I stopped, looked at her, and explained that I changed my mind. I apologized, slightly embarrassed. Not so surprised but delighted from my explanation, she said thank you, she learned something to. I said, "Me too."
I sat on the mall bench in disbelief for quite some time. It was one of those memorable moments. One I still remember very clearly today. It took time to process what occurred but I did see that my spending process changed significantly. It was one of my shifts in seeing my drama.
Step 5: Make a conscious choice to let it go.
Step 6: Take action. Talk with someone about it -- a friend, clergy, or coach. Just do it. If you prefer to write your way through the process, do it. Process it lovingly. For when you see the drama as if it’s a television soap opera "an out of body view" this particular drama behavior ends.
Step 7: Repeat this phrase three times: "And this has passed. I now move forward in joy and success."
Enjoy the less dramatic you and watch your new success unfold.
Your Assignment, If You Choose To Take This On
Make a list, 1-10. Close your eyes and revisit the last 24 hours. See where the drama occurred? What was your contribution? Was the drama getting the kids to go to bed? Did you procrastinate on something and then create drama to get you started? Write down even the smallest memory. Even the appearances you're not sure of. Choose one. Start with Step 1.
(c) Copyright 2005, Catherine Franz. All rights reserved.
Alchemy Of Creating Reality - A to Z
Alchemy Of Creating Reality - A to Z
by: Gabriele Sogka Reign
Creating reality, can you really do it? Of course you can, I know this because you're already doing it. How you ask? Well, you're living what you've been paying attention to. I know it may be a difficult thing to grasp. Think about it; if you have more struggle than ease in your life, you've been putting more attention to thoughts, feelings and looking for the evidence to support the thoughts and feelings that have to do with struggle. Yet, if you pay more attention to ease, everything that has anything to do with the expression of ease is what your attention will draw to you.
The return on the investment of your attention to ease will be greater ease. Over the past 11 years it's been interesting that many have often asked, "I'm not thinking about being sick or being in lack, what do you mean I created this?" Well, if you're fearful about being sick or of going forward in some area of your life or you're paying attention to the absence of what you want, you are placing valuable energy being in the vibration of that very fear. That fear will increase by virtue of your attention activating more of it until you stop feeding it. It only takes little shifts in attention to guide you toward what you really want to begin feeding, what will serve and support a greater reality for you.
Reality (the state of being actual or real) is subjective [taking place within the mind and modified by individual bias]. It is a reality that there are many people who live in poverty and it is a reality that despite economic factors, many people thrive financially. Which is true? Both are true, and everything in between, they are all reality. Creating reality is about attending to preferences that are in alignment with what you desire. You may have heard the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Isn't that what you're doing when you consistently worry and then wonder why you're living what you're worrying about? You create your reality either by unconscious default or by conscious [intentional] choice to where you place your attention. Since your mind cannot hold two thoughts simultaneously, you may as well start choosing the thoughts and feelings that support your wanted reality.
All creation begins at the level of thought and idea. By now you've been observing, to some extent, that what you've living, how you've been thinking and feeling is the magnet that draws to you the physical manifestation of those thoughts and feelings. That energy of the thoughts you think and the emotions you feel have been are your roadmap. With just a few reminders that that by directing your attention, consciously and deliberately, you will know you are in control of your life. Your life is your universe, your world. What you choose to have as part of your world is completely your part, and how it shows up or comes into your physical manifestation is the universe's job. It's a co-creative process.
What you pay attention to grows. Your attention on the absence of what you want, or, the presence of what you have, grows in intensity, it grows in momentum and it grows in density so you draw more of it into your physical experience. To help with expansion, I've created a lexicon, a framework of definitions, to help you with your alchemy (power or process of transmuting) of creating reality. In this series, titled The Alchemy of Creating Reality - A to Z, we will be working with a new alphabet, each letter will be associated with states of being that resonate, or match, the vibration of your desires..
Working with new associations for each letter of the alphabet provides a greater framework with which to create more deliberately. As a discerning, intelligent and very creative adult, wouldn't it be to your advantage to redefine those very basic associations to associations that will help you re-create a life more befitting the life you imagine for yourself? Staying sick will not make someone else well and staying poor will not make someone else richer.
The first in this series is: Alchemy of Creating Realty: A is for Awareness as awareness is a very powerful beginning; then we'll go all the way through Z is for Zenith (the highest point of your possibilities). In the 26 subsequent articles, I'll provide various focus points as a framework to give you ideas, either beyond what you've already thought of, or, a deeper level of what you've started thinking about. You've already begun thinking more deeply about where you're placing your attention, the ball just started rolling, there's so much more ahead.
In the meantime, begin directing your attention to what you want (rather than what you don't want) and start playing with what you think and feel relative to "Awareness." Begin thinking in holographic terms: think and feel each individual element (each letter association) in terms of its relationship with the whole (what you're creating). And as you begin working with your own alphabet, let the line between work and play blur and enjoy; with your senses, the associations you feel are a match to your desired, greater reality. Keep your mind and heart open, Awareness is on its way! Dynamically yours, Gabriele Reign
Copyright 2005 Gabriele Sogka Reign
by: Gabriele Sogka Reign
Creating reality, can you really do it? Of course you can, I know this because you're already doing it. How you ask? Well, you're living what you've been paying attention to. I know it may be a difficult thing to grasp. Think about it; if you have more struggle than ease in your life, you've been putting more attention to thoughts, feelings and looking for the evidence to support the thoughts and feelings that have to do with struggle. Yet, if you pay more attention to ease, everything that has anything to do with the expression of ease is what your attention will draw to you.
The return on the investment of your attention to ease will be greater ease. Over the past 11 years it's been interesting that many have often asked, "I'm not thinking about being sick or being in lack, what do you mean I created this?" Well, if you're fearful about being sick or of going forward in some area of your life or you're paying attention to the absence of what you want, you are placing valuable energy being in the vibration of that very fear. That fear will increase by virtue of your attention activating more of it until you stop feeding it. It only takes little shifts in attention to guide you toward what you really want to begin feeding, what will serve and support a greater reality for you.
Reality (the state of being actual or real) is subjective [taking place within the mind and modified by individual bias]. It is a reality that there are many people who live in poverty and it is a reality that despite economic factors, many people thrive financially. Which is true? Both are true, and everything in between, they are all reality. Creating reality is about attending to preferences that are in alignment with what you desire. You may have heard the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Isn't that what you're doing when you consistently worry and then wonder why you're living what you're worrying about? You create your reality either by unconscious default or by conscious [intentional] choice to where you place your attention. Since your mind cannot hold two thoughts simultaneously, you may as well start choosing the thoughts and feelings that support your wanted reality.
All creation begins at the level of thought and idea. By now you've been observing, to some extent, that what you've living, how you've been thinking and feeling is the magnet that draws to you the physical manifestation of those thoughts and feelings. That energy of the thoughts you think and the emotions you feel have been are your roadmap. With just a few reminders that that by directing your attention, consciously and deliberately, you will know you are in control of your life. Your life is your universe, your world. What you choose to have as part of your world is completely your part, and how it shows up or comes into your physical manifestation is the universe's job. It's a co-creative process.
What you pay attention to grows. Your attention on the absence of what you want, or, the presence of what you have, grows in intensity, it grows in momentum and it grows in density so you draw more of it into your physical experience. To help with expansion, I've created a lexicon, a framework of definitions, to help you with your alchemy (power or process of transmuting) of creating reality. In this series, titled The Alchemy of Creating Reality - A to Z, we will be working with a new alphabet, each letter will be associated with states of being that resonate, or match, the vibration of your desires..
Working with new associations for each letter of the alphabet provides a greater framework with which to create more deliberately. As a discerning, intelligent and very creative adult, wouldn't it be to your advantage to redefine those very basic associations to associations that will help you re-create a life more befitting the life you imagine for yourself? Staying sick will not make someone else well and staying poor will not make someone else richer.
The first in this series is: Alchemy of Creating Realty: A is for Awareness as awareness is a very powerful beginning; then we'll go all the way through Z is for Zenith (the highest point of your possibilities). In the 26 subsequent articles, I'll provide various focus points as a framework to give you ideas, either beyond what you've already thought of, or, a deeper level of what you've started thinking about. You've already begun thinking more deeply about where you're placing your attention, the ball just started rolling, there's so much more ahead.
In the meantime, begin directing your attention to what you want (rather than what you don't want) and start playing with what you think and feel relative to "Awareness." Begin thinking in holographic terms: think and feel each individual element (each letter association) in terms of its relationship with the whole (what you're creating). And as you begin working with your own alphabet, let the line between work and play blur and enjoy; with your senses, the associations you feel are a match to your desired, greater reality. Keep your mind and heart open, Awareness is on its way! Dynamically yours, Gabriele Reign
Copyright 2005 Gabriele Sogka Reign
Examination Strategies
Examination Strategies
by: Colin Ong TS
1) Prepare a realistic time-table for your study preparation. Take into account that you may still have to go back for remedials and tests.
2) Look at you examination time-table. Are there days that you may have sit for 2 papers? Strategise and be prepared.
3) Check the marks allocation. Go through the different ways in which you can get distinctions. There could be some sections that you are confident of scoring well.
4) Do you have any friends or relatives who have set for the same examinations? Maybe they can provide tips like "The last essay is always tricky" or "There is not enough time for the MCQs".
5) Take time to know thyself. Especially your weaknesses. Are you careless in essay-writing or write rather slowly?
6) Studying in groups may not be advisable right to the eve of the examinations. You must have sufficient solitude to reflect on your examination strategy.
7) Some students have the tendency to listen to their Walkman during their revision. Be mindful that the examination is held in silence.
8) If you are sitting for an essay-style examination, don't just study in point form. It is crucial that you take a "trial-run" and write complete essays to time yourself. You may be surprised that of not having enough time for completing the essays in the stipulated period.
9) Exercise regularly during this period.
10) It is okay to study during the wee hours of the night but remember that the examinations are held during waking hours! It will be a tragedy if you are able to perform best after your examination schedule.
11) As matters of the heart do play a part in distracting students, have a pact with your partner to give each other space to study and prepare.
12) Lastly, if you feel that you can't manage your examinations preparation, talk to your teacher or course coordinator. There are many reasons why you can't cope and most may not be academic in nature.
by: Colin Ong TS
1) Prepare a realistic time-table for your study preparation. Take into account that you may still have to go back for remedials and tests.
2) Look at you examination time-table. Are there days that you may have sit for 2 papers? Strategise and be prepared.
3) Check the marks allocation. Go through the different ways in which you can get distinctions. There could be some sections that you are confident of scoring well.
4) Do you have any friends or relatives who have set for the same examinations? Maybe they can provide tips like "The last essay is always tricky" or "There is not enough time for the MCQs".
5) Take time to know thyself. Especially your weaknesses. Are you careless in essay-writing or write rather slowly?
6) Studying in groups may not be advisable right to the eve of the examinations. You must have sufficient solitude to reflect on your examination strategy.
7) Some students have the tendency to listen to their Walkman during their revision. Be mindful that the examination is held in silence.
8) If you are sitting for an essay-style examination, don't just study in point form. It is crucial that you take a "trial-run" and write complete essays to time yourself. You may be surprised that of not having enough time for completing the essays in the stipulated period.
9) Exercise regularly during this period.
10) It is okay to study during the wee hours of the night but remember that the examinations are held during waking hours! It will be a tragedy if you are able to perform best after your examination schedule.
11) As matters of the heart do play a part in distracting students, have a pact with your partner to give each other space to study and prepare.
12) Lastly, if you feel that you can't manage your examinations preparation, talk to your teacher or course coordinator. There are many reasons why you can't cope and most may not be academic in nature.
A Way to Inner Peace
A Way to Inner Peace
by: Terje Brooks Ellingsen
We all need to find our inner peace, especially in our fast paced and turbulent every day lives. Outlined below are some steps or tips on how to search for peace of mind and make it a part of your life.
First you should examine your general attitudes toward life and find out which attitudes are right for you. Be honest with yourself. If you find yourself being a person who lives on the surface you should seriously consider to change this lifestyle since such attitudes can only cause disharmony in your life. Try to get below your life's surface to discover its varieties and realities. Meet all your challenges and solve the problems that life sets before you. If you make immediate problem solving a habit you will experience that it contributes to your inner growth and positive self development. Also take a look outside yourself and your ego and try to help solving others or collective problems as well. This will also contribute to your personal growth and peace within your self.
Then examine your beliefs. Are they good or do they seem right for you? When you have identified all the good things you believe, start to practice them. Peace within yourself can never be reached unless your beliefs and practice are in harmony. Like the law of gravity and other laws of nature, there are some universal laws governing human conduct and behavior. If you obey these laws you will be pushed toward harmony; disobedience make us disharmonic. We are able to distinguish between good and bad beliefs.
Then you should search for and find your place in the pattern of life. You can begin by putting into practice all the good things you believe. Life can not be in harmony unless belief and practice are in harmony. You must go in yourself and ask - only you can find it. Use meditation techniques or other methods for searching in receptive silence. When you start to come up with some clues, start to live in accordance with it by doing all the good things you are motivated toward and give them priority in your life.
We all have an inner and outer life. Prioritizing your inner life is not the same as denying your outer. You must bring your inner and outer well-being into harmony by getting rid of unnecessary burdens and meaningless activities. You must find a way to make your wants and your needs to become the same. When you have accomplished this, you will experience a harmony between inner and outer well-being. You will feel clean, pure and un-cluttered and this wonderful and harmonic feeling is what we call inner peace.
by: Terje Brooks Ellingsen
We all need to find our inner peace, especially in our fast paced and turbulent every day lives. Outlined below are some steps or tips on how to search for peace of mind and make it a part of your life.
First you should examine your general attitudes toward life and find out which attitudes are right for you. Be honest with yourself. If you find yourself being a person who lives on the surface you should seriously consider to change this lifestyle since such attitudes can only cause disharmony in your life. Try to get below your life's surface to discover its varieties and realities. Meet all your challenges and solve the problems that life sets before you. If you make immediate problem solving a habit you will experience that it contributes to your inner growth and positive self development. Also take a look outside yourself and your ego and try to help solving others or collective problems as well. This will also contribute to your personal growth and peace within your self.
Then examine your beliefs. Are they good or do they seem right for you? When you have identified all the good things you believe, start to practice them. Peace within yourself can never be reached unless your beliefs and practice are in harmony. Like the law of gravity and other laws of nature, there are some universal laws governing human conduct and behavior. If you obey these laws you will be pushed toward harmony; disobedience make us disharmonic. We are able to distinguish between good and bad beliefs.
Then you should search for and find your place in the pattern of life. You can begin by putting into practice all the good things you believe. Life can not be in harmony unless belief and practice are in harmony. You must go in yourself and ask - only you can find it. Use meditation techniques or other methods for searching in receptive silence. When you start to come up with some clues, start to live in accordance with it by doing all the good things you are motivated toward and give them priority in your life.
We all have an inner and outer life. Prioritizing your inner life is not the same as denying your outer. You must bring your inner and outer well-being into harmony by getting rid of unnecessary burdens and meaningless activities. You must find a way to make your wants and your needs to become the same. When you have accomplished this, you will experience a harmony between inner and outer well-being. You will feel clean, pure and un-cluttered and this wonderful and harmonic feeling is what we call inner peace.
Speed Read Faster Than Ever With These 4 Tips
Speed Read Faster Than Ever With These 4 Tips
by: Kenth Nasstrom
Many people, particularly students, would love to be able to absorb information faster. But before retaining information, they have to go through the first stage of learning, which is reading.
For many individuals who are pressed for time, speed reading has become a necessity. However, it's not just the reading part that is important. Equally essential is for the reader to fully understand the words coming out from the book or paper.
Speed reading can be learned from courses where you Learn the techniques and how to train. It is then important That you keep practicing your speed reading as well as reading comprehention.
Here are some great tips to read and comprehend faster.
1) Relax.
If you're in the stressed mode, it would be much more difficult to concentrate; hence, it would just be a lot harder for the information to sink in.
2) Know what you want.
Focus on the areas that you really need to learn. Some people read all parts of a book, when all they need to know is a specific chapter.
Know your priority. If you need to find out about a certain subject, go to the Table of Contents and search for the heading that best suits your need. If you need to learn more, then adjust accordingly. The important thing is to weed out the stuffs that you don't currently need.
3) Get rid of the structure words.
Did you know that around 60% of the words we read are structure words? Examples are the words "the, or, and." They are essential in the structure of the sentences; but when you ignore them, they basically mean the same thing. They only serve to beautify, yet you can understand what you are reading even without them. Try not to focus too much attention on structure words.
4) Practice, practice, practice.
When I started exercising with weights, I can only lift the lighter ones. As the time goes by, I slowly add more and more weights as my body tends to adjust and become more comfortable carrying heavier ones.
The same concept goes for speed reading. Set a goal. Figure out how fast you can read, then create a plan to increase your ability.
If you can read 200 words per minute, set a goal to read 250 words a minute. After accomplishing this feat, set a goal to read 300 words per minute, and keep increasing the the goal as your speed improve.
by: Kenth Nasstrom
Many people, particularly students, would love to be able to absorb information faster. But before retaining information, they have to go through the first stage of learning, which is reading.
For many individuals who are pressed for time, speed reading has become a necessity. However, it's not just the reading part that is important. Equally essential is for the reader to fully understand the words coming out from the book or paper.
Speed reading can be learned from courses where you Learn the techniques and how to train. It is then important That you keep practicing your speed reading as well as reading comprehention.
Here are some great tips to read and comprehend faster.
1) Relax.
If you're in the stressed mode, it would be much more difficult to concentrate; hence, it would just be a lot harder for the information to sink in.
2) Know what you want.
Focus on the areas that you really need to learn. Some people read all parts of a book, when all they need to know is a specific chapter.
Know your priority. If you need to find out about a certain subject, go to the Table of Contents and search for the heading that best suits your need. If you need to learn more, then adjust accordingly. The important thing is to weed out the stuffs that you don't currently need.
3) Get rid of the structure words.
Did you know that around 60% of the words we read are structure words? Examples are the words "the, or, and." They are essential in the structure of the sentences; but when you ignore them, they basically mean the same thing. They only serve to beautify, yet you can understand what you are reading even without them. Try not to focus too much attention on structure words.
4) Practice, practice, practice.
When I started exercising with weights, I can only lift the lighter ones. As the time goes by, I slowly add more and more weights as my body tends to adjust and become more comfortable carrying heavier ones.
The same concept goes for speed reading. Set a goal. Figure out how fast you can read, then create a plan to increase your ability.
If you can read 200 words per minute, set a goal to read 250 words a minute. After accomplishing this feat, set a goal to read 300 words per minute, and keep increasing the the goal as your speed improve.
The Inconvenient Truth of Success
The Inconvenient Truth of Success
by: Ouida Vincent
I was having a conversation with a new member of my organization the other day. He is in management training and hates it. He got started in my business because he wants out and saw an opportunity for himself. I wanted him to work on his vision statement so that we could meet and map out a business plan to turn that vision into reality.
He asked, "Can I make a million dollars in 2 years with this business." I, frankly, told him no, but he could replace his present income in 2 years or less, get out of the job he hates, and free up enough time to go on to make a million dollars.
Monday was his "day off" so he didn't want to meet on his day off. The first stumbling block. He was treating a potentially wealth-generating business like a job with benefits complete with time off.
To quote Jim Rohn on jobs and business: "I work fulltime on my job and part time on my fortune!" He then goes on to say "profits are better than wages. With wages you can make a living, with profits you can make a fortune!"
It only stands to reason: If your daily work does not place you on the path to success, however you define it, then your time away from work must be devoted to the task of success if you are ever going to achieve it.
We all have goals and dreams, but if we peak under the covers of many of those goals and dreams, we have attached so many conditions to achieving them, that we make our goals and dreams little more than wishes.
I will be a millionaire (as long as it doesn't interfere with nights out with the friends or the new episodes of Survivor and as long as I don't have to change my financial habits). I'll get that advanced degree (as long as I don't have to change my schedule or take out student loans.) I'll set up that savings account (when I have money left over). I'll get in shape (as soon as I can find the time.)
All of these conditions underscore the truth of life…so few people achieve high levels of success because success is simply inconvenient. Earl Nightingale defined success as "the progressive realization of a worthy ideal" and therein lies the rub.
Progressive means to consistently move forward. What of life's circumstances does not have the power to halt forward progress? The illness of a family member or pet, an unexpected life event, like job loss, death disability, fire or flood. A school play, the superbowl, doing the dishes, the plumber, the TV repair man, final exams…the list goes on.
Any circumstance that has the power to halt forward progress can also become the impetus for forward progress. A dear friend of mine continued to build her organization while her child was in the hospital with a cancer diagnosis. My friend moved to the town where her child lay in specialty care and continued to build her organization. Her child is in remission and my friend has created a six-figure residual income.
Harry Chapin embodied the fear I often hear expressed in his song… "Cats in the Cradle" The story of the man who loses the thing most precocious to him, time with his family, in the pursuit of his work. What I hear most often is…I won't do this if this takes me away from my family…I spend so little time with them as it is. But that is often the point. We spend so little time with those we love no matter what we do. More often than not, we are living the "Cat's in the Cradle" without ever doing a thing to change our circumstances.
Which brings us back to the Inconvenient Truth about Success. In order to achieve it, progress toward it must be continuous. In order to achieve it that progress must continue through those "precious moments" away from work.
The successful person has the following characteristics
1) A vision that is rooted in the future. Understanding that success is inconvenient, the successful person is always attached to a vision that pulls him or her forward.
2) A desire to find the shortest path forward. The successful person is more likely to partner with other like-minded people. People who may have needed skill sets to keep progress forward.
3) A sense of justice and fair play. The successful person always knows that success demands her price of admission and is eager to pay it.
4) A hunger for new skills. The successful person understands that new knowledge and new skills lay on the path forward.
5) A love of the game. The successful person understands that they are playing a game and as such he or she seeks to define the rules, learn the strategies and develop a team.
The desire for success is a seductive force in our society. More air and media time is devoted to information about success than perhaps any other subject, yet, the inconvenience of it is never discussed. Leaving people to look instead for the elusive new formula for success whenever they hit a stumbling block. There are signposts along the path for those who understand success's Inconvenient Truth. The trick is to walk the path and keep your toes pointed forward.
by: Ouida Vincent
I was having a conversation with a new member of my organization the other day. He is in management training and hates it. He got started in my business because he wants out and saw an opportunity for himself. I wanted him to work on his vision statement so that we could meet and map out a business plan to turn that vision into reality.
He asked, "Can I make a million dollars in 2 years with this business." I, frankly, told him no, but he could replace his present income in 2 years or less, get out of the job he hates, and free up enough time to go on to make a million dollars.
Monday was his "day off" so he didn't want to meet on his day off. The first stumbling block. He was treating a potentially wealth-generating business like a job with benefits complete with time off.
To quote Jim Rohn on jobs and business: "I work fulltime on my job and part time on my fortune!" He then goes on to say "profits are better than wages. With wages you can make a living, with profits you can make a fortune!"
It only stands to reason: If your daily work does not place you on the path to success, however you define it, then your time away from work must be devoted to the task of success if you are ever going to achieve it.
We all have goals and dreams, but if we peak under the covers of many of those goals and dreams, we have attached so many conditions to achieving them, that we make our goals and dreams little more than wishes.
I will be a millionaire (as long as it doesn't interfere with nights out with the friends or the new episodes of Survivor and as long as I don't have to change my financial habits). I'll get that advanced degree (as long as I don't have to change my schedule or take out student loans.) I'll set up that savings account (when I have money left over). I'll get in shape (as soon as I can find the time.)
All of these conditions underscore the truth of life…so few people achieve high levels of success because success is simply inconvenient. Earl Nightingale defined success as "the progressive realization of a worthy ideal" and therein lies the rub.
Progressive means to consistently move forward. What of life's circumstances does not have the power to halt forward progress? The illness of a family member or pet, an unexpected life event, like job loss, death disability, fire or flood. A school play, the superbowl, doing the dishes, the plumber, the TV repair man, final exams…the list goes on.
Any circumstance that has the power to halt forward progress can also become the impetus for forward progress. A dear friend of mine continued to build her organization while her child was in the hospital with a cancer diagnosis. My friend moved to the town where her child lay in specialty care and continued to build her organization. Her child is in remission and my friend has created a six-figure residual income.
Harry Chapin embodied the fear I often hear expressed in his song… "Cats in the Cradle" The story of the man who loses the thing most precocious to him, time with his family, in the pursuit of his work. What I hear most often is…I won't do this if this takes me away from my family…I spend so little time with them as it is. But that is often the point. We spend so little time with those we love no matter what we do. More often than not, we are living the "Cat's in the Cradle" without ever doing a thing to change our circumstances.
Which brings us back to the Inconvenient Truth about Success. In order to achieve it, progress toward it must be continuous. In order to achieve it that progress must continue through those "precious moments" away from work.
The successful person has the following characteristics
1) A vision that is rooted in the future. Understanding that success is inconvenient, the successful person is always attached to a vision that pulls him or her forward.
2) A desire to find the shortest path forward. The successful person is more likely to partner with other like-minded people. People who may have needed skill sets to keep progress forward.
3) A sense of justice and fair play. The successful person always knows that success demands her price of admission and is eager to pay it.
4) A hunger for new skills. The successful person understands that new knowledge and new skills lay on the path forward.
5) A love of the game. The successful person understands that they are playing a game and as such he or she seeks to define the rules, learn the strategies and develop a team.
The desire for success is a seductive force in our society. More air and media time is devoted to information about success than perhaps any other subject, yet, the inconvenience of it is never discussed. Leaving people to look instead for the elusive new formula for success whenever they hit a stumbling block. There are signposts along the path for those who understand success's Inconvenient Truth. The trick is to walk the path and keep your toes pointed forward.
I'm Late, I'm Late
I'm Late, I'm Late
by: Betty Pichon
FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE
How many times have you heard “I am so sorry I’m late, but…….”? How did this make you feel? Like you were way down the list of priorities? It doesn’t feel very good does it? It’s amazing how many people think that being late is a sign of social awareness. IT IS NOT! Being on time is showing the other person courtesy and respect. It’s telling the other person that you like them and want to be respectful their time as well.
In the business world it is imperative that we be on time. When going for an interview, the person interviewing uses this information as a means to evaluate your reliability. Late, not very reliable. On time, a plus. Arriving 5 minutes early is an A Plus.
GOOD REASONS FOR BEING ON TIME
You show the person you’ve come to see that you appreciate his or her professionalism.
You show respect. Conversely, your being late shows disrespect and is annoying to the busy person you’ve come to see
If you’re late, you may have disrupted that individual’s entire day’s schedule. Even worse, that faux pas is likely to be remembered long after your appointment is over.
You waste valuable time and energy if you must apologize for your tardiness. That’s time you should be using to get your point across.
MEETINGS
Arrive at the meeting on time or a little early. Nobody takes a late-comer seriously. Lateness is an affront to those who troubled to arrived on time. And, no, it doesn’t convey the message that you are very busy, only that you are very disorganized. If the phone rings just as you are ready to leave, let it ring. With voicemail today you can get back in touch with that person in a very short time. Your priority right now is to get to the meeting on time.
SOCIAL SITUATIONS
In the social world, punctuality etiquette changes somewhat. Regional customs vary, the type of occasion and the habits of the host and hostess.
At a dinner party:
Regional customs vary here, from being on time to arriving 15 or even 30 minutes late (and it is considered rude to arrive early – you might surprise the hosts and find them in their bathrobes vacuuming.) I remember when we moved to the South. Having spent many years as a military wife, I learned that 6:00 meant 6:00. Not a minute early and not a minute late. I planned a dinner party that was out of this world. Great food, beautiful centerpiece, and interesting people. I planned on cocktails at 6:00, dinner at 6:45, dessert at 7:30. As the clock struck 6:00 I was ready, waiting for the doorbell to ring. It was 6:35 before anyone came. Now I was in a panic, the dinner was ready and wouldn’t keep well. I couldn’t not offer cocktails. This was the time people would get to know each other. We muddled through, ate a very dry roast beef and I learned a very important lesson. Know the customs of the area. In the South being on time means at least 30 minutes late.
At a Cocktail Party or Large Reception
A delay of 10 to 15 minutes (sometimes 30 minutes or even more) is fine for fluid gatherings where people are invited to come and go. Open houses are set up for people to drop in between specified hours. It does not mean you arrive at the appointed time and leave at the ending time. Spending 20 to 30 minutes is adequate to show your respects. Be sure to find your host immediately and thank the host when you leave.
At a restaurant
Even if your lunch or dinner mate is easygoing, it’s disrespectful to arrive more than five minutes late. Many restaurants won’t seat you unless everyone in the party is present. You could cause your table to be given to someone else. You will then have to wait till another is available. Your dinner mates will not be happy with you.
Doctors, Dentists, Hairstylists, etc.
Don’t expect to keep your appointment if you don’t arrive on time. Call ahead and reschedule if you think you’ll be more than five minutes late. Accommodating your tardiness could mean throwing off the doctor’s or hairdresser’s other appointment for the rest of the day.
A Wedding Ceremony
Arrive at least 10 –15 minutes early. No one came to see you – a guest – walk down the aisle. If you arrive after the bride’s and groom’s mothers have been seated, keep a low profile by using a side aisle and sitting in the back. If you’re so late that you fear you’ll be elbowing the bride as she prepares to make her entrance, wait outside until her procession is in place at the altar. Then sit in the back so as not to disturb the ceremony.
Betty Pichon
Etiquette Depot
www.Etiquette-depot.com
by: Betty Pichon
FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE
How many times have you heard “I am so sorry I’m late, but…….”? How did this make you feel? Like you were way down the list of priorities? It doesn’t feel very good does it? It’s amazing how many people think that being late is a sign of social awareness. IT IS NOT! Being on time is showing the other person courtesy and respect. It’s telling the other person that you like them and want to be respectful their time as well.
In the business world it is imperative that we be on time. When going for an interview, the person interviewing uses this information as a means to evaluate your reliability. Late, not very reliable. On time, a plus. Arriving 5 minutes early is an A Plus.
GOOD REASONS FOR BEING ON TIME
You show the person you’ve come to see that you appreciate his or her professionalism.
You show respect. Conversely, your being late shows disrespect and is annoying to the busy person you’ve come to see
If you’re late, you may have disrupted that individual’s entire day’s schedule. Even worse, that faux pas is likely to be remembered long after your appointment is over.
You waste valuable time and energy if you must apologize for your tardiness. That’s time you should be using to get your point across.
MEETINGS
Arrive at the meeting on time or a little early. Nobody takes a late-comer seriously. Lateness is an affront to those who troubled to arrived on time. And, no, it doesn’t convey the message that you are very busy, only that you are very disorganized. If the phone rings just as you are ready to leave, let it ring. With voicemail today you can get back in touch with that person in a very short time. Your priority right now is to get to the meeting on time.
SOCIAL SITUATIONS
In the social world, punctuality etiquette changes somewhat. Regional customs vary, the type of occasion and the habits of the host and hostess.
At a dinner party:
Regional customs vary here, from being on time to arriving 15 or even 30 minutes late (and it is considered rude to arrive early – you might surprise the hosts and find them in their bathrobes vacuuming.) I remember when we moved to the South. Having spent many years as a military wife, I learned that 6:00 meant 6:00. Not a minute early and not a minute late. I planned a dinner party that was out of this world. Great food, beautiful centerpiece, and interesting people. I planned on cocktails at 6:00, dinner at 6:45, dessert at 7:30. As the clock struck 6:00 I was ready, waiting for the doorbell to ring. It was 6:35 before anyone came. Now I was in a panic, the dinner was ready and wouldn’t keep well. I couldn’t not offer cocktails. This was the time people would get to know each other. We muddled through, ate a very dry roast beef and I learned a very important lesson. Know the customs of the area. In the South being on time means at least 30 minutes late.
At a Cocktail Party or Large Reception
A delay of 10 to 15 minutes (sometimes 30 minutes or even more) is fine for fluid gatherings where people are invited to come and go. Open houses are set up for people to drop in between specified hours. It does not mean you arrive at the appointed time and leave at the ending time. Spending 20 to 30 minutes is adequate to show your respects. Be sure to find your host immediately and thank the host when you leave.
At a restaurant
Even if your lunch or dinner mate is easygoing, it’s disrespectful to arrive more than five minutes late. Many restaurants won’t seat you unless everyone in the party is present. You could cause your table to be given to someone else. You will then have to wait till another is available. Your dinner mates will not be happy with you.
Doctors, Dentists, Hairstylists, etc.
Don’t expect to keep your appointment if you don’t arrive on time. Call ahead and reschedule if you think you’ll be more than five minutes late. Accommodating your tardiness could mean throwing off the doctor’s or hairdresser’s other appointment for the rest of the day.
A Wedding Ceremony
Arrive at least 10 –15 minutes early. No one came to see you – a guest – walk down the aisle. If you arrive after the bride’s and groom’s mothers have been seated, keep a low profile by using a side aisle and sitting in the back. If you’re so late that you fear you’ll be elbowing the bride as she prepares to make her entrance, wait outside until her procession is in place at the altar. Then sit in the back so as not to disturb the ceremony.
Betty Pichon
Etiquette Depot
www.Etiquette-depot.com
Understanding Celtic Wedding Rings
Understanding Celtic Wedding Rings
by: Marc Choyt
Thousands of years ago, the Celts, a group of independent tribes spread throughout much of current day Europe, were sophisticated artisans, carving knot work patterns that have inspired modern day jewelers to create wedding rings. These motifs have meaning. Yet understanding the knot patterns and why they make such ideal wedding rings can be illusive. The ancient motifs are rooted in mysterious cultures that stretch back well before written history.
Though the earliest written accounts of the Celts were from Roman descriptions, some knot work motifs found in Eastern Europe may be as old as 20,000 years. We know the Celts, similar to Native people of North America, viewed that the earth itself as well as all aspects of life and death as divine. They had a large and varied pantheon, worshipping local gods. The natural world was considered sacred, and every river, mountain and tree had its own spirit of place. Rituals were rooted in a particular oak grove or waterfall. Early Celtic leaders even mocked human-like images of Olympian gods or the wild animals of their vale and forests.
Knot work, which has become synonymous with today’s idea of “Celtic” was undoubtedly a form of sacred, artistic expression. Some of the most famous designs were preserved in highly embellished, illuminated manuscripts, such as the Book of Kells which somehow survived the Viking invasions. It was created in the 9th century at a monastery off the Scottish coast, and depicts wonderfully imaginative images of humans and animals embellished with knot work motifs, linking medieval Christianity with ancient Druidic culture.
In Western culture, there is a long and venerable tradition of artists that have been inspired by knot work motifs. Celtic design was particularly popular in the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael studied and depicted knots in their work. In modern times, some of Picasso’s early art is highly influenced by knot work. And there has always been a group of metal and visual artists that have kept the Celtic fires burning by using the knot work patterns in jewelry and other forms of artistic expression.
For some people, the choice to have a Celtic wedding ring is an expression of their wish to connect deeply into their own ancestry. They feel empathy with a European based tribal tradition that treats the earth as Mother. It’s also easy to fall in love with soulful Celtic music and poetry. Others simply want the one piece of jewelry that they wear every day to have a beautiful design with significance.
Whether one has Celtic heritage or not, a Celtic motif wedding ring is appropriate because it has universal, symbolic meaning. In the most general sense, the knots express two different paths woven together. Life itself can be viewed as a great web of interconnectedness which is expressed in the knot work. Even our own spiritual path, metaphorically, can be viewed as a tapestry of interconnected experiences. The Celtic wedding ring is a talisman which reminds us, in physical form, of our mystic connection with another person and the great web of life.
This weave of particular experiences makes us unique, which is why we are attracted to some knot work patterns on wedding rings more than others. What appeals to you and your fiancé may well bring insight to the nature of your relationship. Some couples are attracted to knot work motifs that are simple and flowing, which perhaps illustrates a partnership based on harmony and ease. Other knot work designs on wedding rings are more dynamic and complicated, suggesting creative elements, or passionate peaks and valleys.
Many Celtic merchants will label a particular design as “Friendship” or “Unity” but often there’s not any real basis for these labels. These facile tags short change the person interested in the ring by giving a concept instead of assisting them to understand the deeper meaning behind the design. It’s also easy enough to say that the ring is about how all things are interconnected, but this is so general that it doesn’t help explain why we may be attracted to the sacred geometry of one ring over another.
To do this, you can contemplate the various components that make up the knot work and try to determine how they are functioning. For example, consider the circle. We speak of a circle of friends and live in circular cycles, such as the day and the season. Native cultures throughout the world hold ceremonies in protective circles. A knot work pattern with circles or variations of circles certainly has some important keys to relationships and community. In the broadest sense, the ring itself is a circle, and putting it on has also always been symbolic of sealing a commitment.
A square knot motif concerns structure, which is why buildings use the shape of a square foundation. Squares certainly have an element of stability. Numbers were a significant part Celtic lore, and the number five represented the four directions and the center point.
Many Celtic rings also deal with vectors that travel in a certain direction. If you look at the shape of an arrow, it’s easy to understand why a triangle might connote movement.
Another common Celtic motif is the knot work depicting a trinity. Many Celtic deities had three forms. The Mother Goddess was understood to the maiden, mother and crone. The universe was viewed as heaven, earth and otherworld. We are born, we live and we die. Certainly the trinity knot also illustrates the One being dividing off into the masculine and feminine, or the mother and son--a mystical truth contemplated in many sacred traditions.
While the above guide for understanding knot work is not necessarily based on any scholarly or anthropological text on the meaning of knots, it does provide a starting point that is based on a universal perspective. Every Celtic ring is going to have some variation of these shapes. Spending some time contemplating the motif may yield some insight.
Though modern jewelry techniques allow a greater range of possibilities than the Celts had during the time of the Romans, finding an exceptional Celtic wedding ring at a local jewelry store may not be possible. The best place to search is on the internet, which has the widest selection. Today you can find rings made with platinum, or white and yellow gold accented with diamonds. Some of the most beautiful rings are bi-metal, where the knots are one color, such as white gold, while the rim of the ring might be yellow gold. There is a wide range of class and price.
Your wedding ring is a once in a life time purchase that you will live with every day. It must be aesthetically beautiful. The knot work on the rings should be well executed. It should have some meaning that makes sense for you which should be explained on the website.
The best jewelry designers offer engagement ring sets, along with the option of having a wider band for the gent and a narrower of the same knot work motif for the lady. You’ll want it comfort fit, which means that the band tapers slightly toward the center, making it easy to wear. Since it is very likely within the course of a marriage that you’ll gain or loose twenty pounds, it is most advantageous to choose a ring with a sizing band.
The company you choose should have a record of creditability backed up by customer service, guaranteeing their product. Give them a call and see if they are worthy of doing business with. A track record of timely delivery is also essential. It’s not uncommon for a ring from outside the US to be held up by Customs, for example.
Finally, the most important thing is to trust your feelings. The rings should be unique and resonate with your own profound, sacred connection and commitment to your beloved.
Marc Choyt
Reflective Images
http://www.artisanweddingrings.com
marek@celticjewelry.com
by: Marc Choyt
Thousands of years ago, the Celts, a group of independent tribes spread throughout much of current day Europe, were sophisticated artisans, carving knot work patterns that have inspired modern day jewelers to create wedding rings. These motifs have meaning. Yet understanding the knot patterns and why they make such ideal wedding rings can be illusive. The ancient motifs are rooted in mysterious cultures that stretch back well before written history.
Though the earliest written accounts of the Celts were from Roman descriptions, some knot work motifs found in Eastern Europe may be as old as 20,000 years. We know the Celts, similar to Native people of North America, viewed that the earth itself as well as all aspects of life and death as divine. They had a large and varied pantheon, worshipping local gods. The natural world was considered sacred, and every river, mountain and tree had its own spirit of place. Rituals were rooted in a particular oak grove or waterfall. Early Celtic leaders even mocked human-like images of Olympian gods or the wild animals of their vale and forests.
Knot work, which has become synonymous with today’s idea of “Celtic” was undoubtedly a form of sacred, artistic expression. Some of the most famous designs were preserved in highly embellished, illuminated manuscripts, such as the Book of Kells which somehow survived the Viking invasions. It was created in the 9th century at a monastery off the Scottish coast, and depicts wonderfully imaginative images of humans and animals embellished with knot work motifs, linking medieval Christianity with ancient Druidic culture.
In Western culture, there is a long and venerable tradition of artists that have been inspired by knot work motifs. Celtic design was particularly popular in the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael studied and depicted knots in their work. In modern times, some of Picasso’s early art is highly influenced by knot work. And there has always been a group of metal and visual artists that have kept the Celtic fires burning by using the knot work patterns in jewelry and other forms of artistic expression.
For some people, the choice to have a Celtic wedding ring is an expression of their wish to connect deeply into their own ancestry. They feel empathy with a European based tribal tradition that treats the earth as Mother. It’s also easy to fall in love with soulful Celtic music and poetry. Others simply want the one piece of jewelry that they wear every day to have a beautiful design with significance.
Whether one has Celtic heritage or not, a Celtic motif wedding ring is appropriate because it has universal, symbolic meaning. In the most general sense, the knots express two different paths woven together. Life itself can be viewed as a great web of interconnectedness which is expressed in the knot work. Even our own spiritual path, metaphorically, can be viewed as a tapestry of interconnected experiences. The Celtic wedding ring is a talisman which reminds us, in physical form, of our mystic connection with another person and the great web of life.
This weave of particular experiences makes us unique, which is why we are attracted to some knot work patterns on wedding rings more than others. What appeals to you and your fiancé may well bring insight to the nature of your relationship. Some couples are attracted to knot work motifs that are simple and flowing, which perhaps illustrates a partnership based on harmony and ease. Other knot work designs on wedding rings are more dynamic and complicated, suggesting creative elements, or passionate peaks and valleys.
Many Celtic merchants will label a particular design as “Friendship” or “Unity” but often there’s not any real basis for these labels. These facile tags short change the person interested in the ring by giving a concept instead of assisting them to understand the deeper meaning behind the design. It’s also easy enough to say that the ring is about how all things are interconnected, but this is so general that it doesn’t help explain why we may be attracted to the sacred geometry of one ring over another.
To do this, you can contemplate the various components that make up the knot work and try to determine how they are functioning. For example, consider the circle. We speak of a circle of friends and live in circular cycles, such as the day and the season. Native cultures throughout the world hold ceremonies in protective circles. A knot work pattern with circles or variations of circles certainly has some important keys to relationships and community. In the broadest sense, the ring itself is a circle, and putting it on has also always been symbolic of sealing a commitment.
A square knot motif concerns structure, which is why buildings use the shape of a square foundation. Squares certainly have an element of stability. Numbers were a significant part Celtic lore, and the number five represented the four directions and the center point.
Many Celtic rings also deal with vectors that travel in a certain direction. If you look at the shape of an arrow, it’s easy to understand why a triangle might connote movement.
Another common Celtic motif is the knot work depicting a trinity. Many Celtic deities had three forms. The Mother Goddess was understood to the maiden, mother and crone. The universe was viewed as heaven, earth and otherworld. We are born, we live and we die. Certainly the trinity knot also illustrates the One being dividing off into the masculine and feminine, or the mother and son--a mystical truth contemplated in many sacred traditions.
While the above guide for understanding knot work is not necessarily based on any scholarly or anthropological text on the meaning of knots, it does provide a starting point that is based on a universal perspective. Every Celtic ring is going to have some variation of these shapes. Spending some time contemplating the motif may yield some insight.
Though modern jewelry techniques allow a greater range of possibilities than the Celts had during the time of the Romans, finding an exceptional Celtic wedding ring at a local jewelry store may not be possible. The best place to search is on the internet, which has the widest selection. Today you can find rings made with platinum, or white and yellow gold accented with diamonds. Some of the most beautiful rings are bi-metal, where the knots are one color, such as white gold, while the rim of the ring might be yellow gold. There is a wide range of class and price.
Your wedding ring is a once in a life time purchase that you will live with every day. It must be aesthetically beautiful. The knot work on the rings should be well executed. It should have some meaning that makes sense for you which should be explained on the website.
The best jewelry designers offer engagement ring sets, along with the option of having a wider band for the gent and a narrower of the same knot work motif for the lady. You’ll want it comfort fit, which means that the band tapers slightly toward the center, making it easy to wear. Since it is very likely within the course of a marriage that you’ll gain or loose twenty pounds, it is most advantageous to choose a ring with a sizing band.
The company you choose should have a record of creditability backed up by customer service, guaranteeing their product. Give them a call and see if they are worthy of doing business with. A track record of timely delivery is also essential. It’s not uncommon for a ring from outside the US to be held up by Customs, for example.
Finally, the most important thing is to trust your feelings. The rings should be unique and resonate with your own profound, sacred connection and commitment to your beloved.
Marc Choyt
Reflective Images
http://www.artisanweddingrings.com
marek@celticjewelry.com
Of Courage and Greatness
Of Courage and Greatness
by: Tushar Jain
Courage is something that is reflected and reciprocated, and is by no means, inherent. When we are ordinary, we are morally ample and when we are surreal, we are audacious. The need for temerity is amplified when we’re bound to be representing it and it is lessened when it can be done without. Succinctly, it is material.
Courage is the only haven where vanity can cower in its utter dependence. A man’s individuality can only suffer a present, without therefore yielding to a past, through a hard, conscientious and well mannered proportion of ‘courage’ in its vigor. It is convincing because it is worldly. It is innocuous because it provides merely. It is courage because there is no surrogate. It is perfect.
If, peradventure, a man is subtracted of this corporeal courage, if his amorphous vanity is evicted, if his surrealism is crushed, and then, we unleash the world on him – he would be lost. He would also eventually die, encumbered by the knowledge of an ethical nudity; but more significantly, he would be lost.
There is a righteous inner bearing that essentially, every man as a human being, lacks and every man as a man, is brilliantly deficient of. This is true courage. And it is imperfect. No one can acquire too much from a soul who has a simple estimate to bestow. Similarly, no one can acquire too much of courage when it, itself, is rudimentary. There is neither more to situate nor to say.
In time, when consequences surface, there is a moment, a burgeoning tear in existence, when our shoddy humanness and the truest test of valor is argued of. It impugns courage. When a man can simply say ‘yes’, without levying the condemnation and yet denoting ‘yes’ in the respect of the veracity and not of motive; when a being can be altruistic not for benevolence or benignity but just for not being selfish; when a man can be trivial and demand nothing more in its uniqueness; when a supreme being wavers adamantly in confrontation and has scarcely more to render; when the sport is gentle pleasure and no pleasure is a gentle sport; when nothing, absolutely nothing is beyond today and the capability of the succeeding second; when terms suffuse, saturate and are conclusively, abandoned at the hilt, to abet a man to deal with realism in its coarse primitiveness; when the challenge is not to vanquish the native soul but to subjugate the person; when good and bad are uttered from an unbiased lip that comprises no inequity – it incites the only portents of true courage. The garnered rhythm of imperfection.
The road that leads us and simultaneously possesses us of our virtues, also scurries past our crimes. When we’re adamant to pursue our principality in the guise of our severe element, we challenge the attitude of nature, that condemns us in prospect and we’re penitent of not our animosity but our innocence. Our propensity to be secured to just the morals and ethnic etiquette is what sees us to our peril, for severity asserts no kings, just brutes. When we’re self-righteous, we’re invisible for it is a desultory world; and when we’re invisible, by time and act, slowly and subtly, we part into a crowded handful of idealists that are meant to be churned and crushed in a grating dynamism. Either serves as a consequence for just being in the organ of one’s virtues.
The sin is not to be human but to act human. To be human is to have virtues that exalt and distinguish man. To act human is to present these virtues to the on-looking world and be at the mercy of their contemplation. They decide whether you befit the standard of what they think is ideal or not. And eternally, a man who contains virtues that exploit his realism against the ordinary is not considered for the rigid society that is condemned in the hearts and souls of men with stolid mindsets and hard, onerous determinations. The man is seen to moral death with the blame on his forehead of endeavoring to be self-reliant and a philosopher in ever-scared times when the need is to prevent a culture and a mannerism. The virtuous man is slaughtered keenly by the hands of these lesser humans, these men. His ego is deteriorated and throttled until he, himself, surrenders to being ordinary, to being man.
We need a subjective hero for the humankind, a simple savior posed against a perpetual question: Who is the enemy, exactly? A man, who would neither fail nor succeed, instead be content and fulfilled to the extent of his requirements. Alas, a man, who would neither do penance for his virtues nor let them be used as the tools of his destruction.
by: Tushar Jain
Courage is something that is reflected and reciprocated, and is by no means, inherent. When we are ordinary, we are morally ample and when we are surreal, we are audacious. The need for temerity is amplified when we’re bound to be representing it and it is lessened when it can be done without. Succinctly, it is material.
Courage is the only haven where vanity can cower in its utter dependence. A man’s individuality can only suffer a present, without therefore yielding to a past, through a hard, conscientious and well mannered proportion of ‘courage’ in its vigor. It is convincing because it is worldly. It is innocuous because it provides merely. It is courage because there is no surrogate. It is perfect.
If, peradventure, a man is subtracted of this corporeal courage, if his amorphous vanity is evicted, if his surrealism is crushed, and then, we unleash the world on him – he would be lost. He would also eventually die, encumbered by the knowledge of an ethical nudity; but more significantly, he would be lost.
There is a righteous inner bearing that essentially, every man as a human being, lacks and every man as a man, is brilliantly deficient of. This is true courage. And it is imperfect. No one can acquire too much from a soul who has a simple estimate to bestow. Similarly, no one can acquire too much of courage when it, itself, is rudimentary. There is neither more to situate nor to say.
In time, when consequences surface, there is a moment, a burgeoning tear in existence, when our shoddy humanness and the truest test of valor is argued of. It impugns courage. When a man can simply say ‘yes’, without levying the condemnation and yet denoting ‘yes’ in the respect of the veracity and not of motive; when a being can be altruistic not for benevolence or benignity but just for not being selfish; when a man can be trivial and demand nothing more in its uniqueness; when a supreme being wavers adamantly in confrontation and has scarcely more to render; when the sport is gentle pleasure and no pleasure is a gentle sport; when nothing, absolutely nothing is beyond today and the capability of the succeeding second; when terms suffuse, saturate and are conclusively, abandoned at the hilt, to abet a man to deal with realism in its coarse primitiveness; when the challenge is not to vanquish the native soul but to subjugate the person; when good and bad are uttered from an unbiased lip that comprises no inequity – it incites the only portents of true courage. The garnered rhythm of imperfection.
The road that leads us and simultaneously possesses us of our virtues, also scurries past our crimes. When we’re adamant to pursue our principality in the guise of our severe element, we challenge the attitude of nature, that condemns us in prospect and we’re penitent of not our animosity but our innocence. Our propensity to be secured to just the morals and ethnic etiquette is what sees us to our peril, for severity asserts no kings, just brutes. When we’re self-righteous, we’re invisible for it is a desultory world; and when we’re invisible, by time and act, slowly and subtly, we part into a crowded handful of idealists that are meant to be churned and crushed in a grating dynamism. Either serves as a consequence for just being in the organ of one’s virtues.
The sin is not to be human but to act human. To be human is to have virtues that exalt and distinguish man. To act human is to present these virtues to the on-looking world and be at the mercy of their contemplation. They decide whether you befit the standard of what they think is ideal or not. And eternally, a man who contains virtues that exploit his realism against the ordinary is not considered for the rigid society that is condemned in the hearts and souls of men with stolid mindsets and hard, onerous determinations. The man is seen to moral death with the blame on his forehead of endeavoring to be self-reliant and a philosopher in ever-scared times when the need is to prevent a culture and a mannerism. The virtuous man is slaughtered keenly by the hands of these lesser humans, these men. His ego is deteriorated and throttled until he, himself, surrenders to being ordinary, to being man.
We need a subjective hero for the humankind, a simple savior posed against a perpetual question: Who is the enemy, exactly? A man, who would neither fail nor succeed, instead be content and fulfilled to the extent of his requirements. Alas, a man, who would neither do penance for his virtues nor let them be used as the tools of his destruction.
Personal Accountability
Personal Accountability
by: Kathy Paauw
Just after graduating from college, the first full-time job I got was as an administrative assistant for a higher education institution. Although I was not passionate about the work itself, I gave it my best effort. It paid the bills during our first four years of marriage while my husband was in medical school.
Several support staff in the organization perpetually played the victim role; they frequently held a “pity party” to air their grievances about work conditions and to pontificate about how unfair life was. A few co-workers invested a lot of their energy in trying to “look” busy so they could deflect as much work as possible. Because my desk was generally orderly and was not piled high with papers, the woman I shared an office used to advise me: “You should pull files from the drawers and stack them on your desk so you’ll look busy. Then they won’t keep giving you more work!” My reply to her: “But that’s why I am here, is to work! Why would I want to deflect work if I am all caught up?” She really thought I was an odd one! I think she also felt a little threatened by ability to be so productive…as if my productivity would make her look bad. I wasn’t there to compete with her. I was simply there to work.
Some of my co-workers carried a sense of entitlement, and they frequently asked really lousy “victim” questions like these: Why does this always happen to me? When is someone going to give me a break? When are they going to fix this problem? My co-workers never stopped to ask how they might be part of the problem...or part of the solution.
John Miller, author of The Question Behind the Question (QBQ), suggests that this victim mentality comes as a result of asking poor questions. If you have not read this short book, I highly recommend it. I’ll share a story to illustrate some of the powerful points the author makes about QBQ.
A few years ago I received a phone call from an administrative assistant (I’ll call her Carol) who had found my website while doing some online research about how to increase personal productivity. She was calling with questions about some productivity tools she had read about on my website. By the end of our conversation, she was very eager to get the Paper Tiger and a tickler file system – both were productivity tools I’d recommended. The next step was to get purchase approval from her employer, a non-profit organization.
A few days later I got an email from Carol, informing me that there was a budget freeze in her organization. Not only was she unable to make any purchases, but she was also told that she could not implement the Paper Tiger system during work hours. Her organization had been forced to lay off support staff during a recent budget crunch and Carol’s responsibilities had increased, so her boss did not want her taking time away from her “work” to learn and set up a new system.
To my surprise, Carol was determined to forge ahead, despite these challenges. I could tell that she was passionate about her organization’s mission. She knew how important it was to be more productive so she could handle the additional responsibilities she had recently inherited. I was amazed to learn that Carol had decided to spend her own money to purchase the necessary tools and to work after hours to get everything set up.
As I thought back to my years working as an administrative assistant, I couldn’t help thinking of the support staff I’d worked with 20+ years ago. Put in Carol’s circumstances, they would have asked questions like these: Why do I have to do everything? When are they going to provide me with more help? Why can’t they at least pay for products that would help make my work easier?
It’s understandable why someone would think this way, especially when feeling frustrated, unsupported and overwhelmed. Still, these are lousy questions to be asking. Our society is full of victim thinking. How can we possibly make progress when we’re so busy playing the victim? These negative questions don’t solve any problems! Nothing positive or productive comes from asking them. These questions also imply that someone else is responsible for the problems and the solutions. What ever happened to personal accountability?
Carol generated additional choices by asking better, more personally accountable “I” questions rather than victim-like “they” questions: What can I do to increase my personal productivity? What can I do to develop myself? What can I do to support our organization’s mission?
Curious about what happened with Carol? After she implemented the Paper Tiger software and the tickler file system with her own funds and on her own time, her productivity went way up. Her supervisor could not believe how quickly she could retrieve information and how consistently she was meeting deadlines, despite her additional responsibilities.
Three months after Carol’s initial purchase of these tools, I received a request for multiple network copies of the Paper Tiger software and several more tickler file systems, as well as a request for some of my time to help with implementation of these tools. This time it was paid for by her organization, despite the budget freeze.
About a year after Carol’s employer implemented the software and tickler files, I called to ask how things were going. Someone else answered Carol’s direct line, and I was told she no longer worked at that extension; Carol had been promoted to a management position! When we connected, Carol told me about some incredible transformations that had taken place in her organization since they had implemented the productivity tools that she had started out with on her own.
Instead of blaming, complaining and spending energy trying to deflect additional work, Carol had asked the QBQ: What can I do? Then she designed her own solutions and took action. She took personal accountability rather than becoming a victim. And Carol did what she did because she chose to, not because she had to. Remember to check your self-talk: I should…, I gotta…, and I have to… represent victim language; I choose to… is empowering and builds on personal accountability.
Copyright 2005 Kathy Paauw
by: Kathy Paauw
Just after graduating from college, the first full-time job I got was as an administrative assistant for a higher education institution. Although I was not passionate about the work itself, I gave it my best effort. It paid the bills during our first four years of marriage while my husband was in medical school.
Several support staff in the organization perpetually played the victim role; they frequently held a “pity party” to air their grievances about work conditions and to pontificate about how unfair life was. A few co-workers invested a lot of their energy in trying to “look” busy so they could deflect as much work as possible. Because my desk was generally orderly and was not piled high with papers, the woman I shared an office used to advise me: “You should pull files from the drawers and stack them on your desk so you’ll look busy. Then they won’t keep giving you more work!” My reply to her: “But that’s why I am here, is to work! Why would I want to deflect work if I am all caught up?” She really thought I was an odd one! I think she also felt a little threatened by ability to be so productive…as if my productivity would make her look bad. I wasn’t there to compete with her. I was simply there to work.
Some of my co-workers carried a sense of entitlement, and they frequently asked really lousy “victim” questions like these: Why does this always happen to me? When is someone going to give me a break? When are they going to fix this problem? My co-workers never stopped to ask how they might be part of the problem...or part of the solution.
John Miller, author of The Question Behind the Question (QBQ), suggests that this victim mentality comes as a result of asking poor questions. If you have not read this short book, I highly recommend it. I’ll share a story to illustrate some of the powerful points the author makes about QBQ.
A few years ago I received a phone call from an administrative assistant (I’ll call her Carol) who had found my website while doing some online research about how to increase personal productivity. She was calling with questions about some productivity tools she had read about on my website. By the end of our conversation, she was very eager to get the Paper Tiger and a tickler file system – both were productivity tools I’d recommended. The next step was to get purchase approval from her employer, a non-profit organization.
A few days later I got an email from Carol, informing me that there was a budget freeze in her organization. Not only was she unable to make any purchases, but she was also told that she could not implement the Paper Tiger system during work hours. Her organization had been forced to lay off support staff during a recent budget crunch and Carol’s responsibilities had increased, so her boss did not want her taking time away from her “work” to learn and set up a new system.
To my surprise, Carol was determined to forge ahead, despite these challenges. I could tell that she was passionate about her organization’s mission. She knew how important it was to be more productive so she could handle the additional responsibilities she had recently inherited. I was amazed to learn that Carol had decided to spend her own money to purchase the necessary tools and to work after hours to get everything set up.
As I thought back to my years working as an administrative assistant, I couldn’t help thinking of the support staff I’d worked with 20+ years ago. Put in Carol’s circumstances, they would have asked questions like these: Why do I have to do everything? When are they going to provide me with more help? Why can’t they at least pay for products that would help make my work easier?
It’s understandable why someone would think this way, especially when feeling frustrated, unsupported and overwhelmed. Still, these are lousy questions to be asking. Our society is full of victim thinking. How can we possibly make progress when we’re so busy playing the victim? These negative questions don’t solve any problems! Nothing positive or productive comes from asking them. These questions also imply that someone else is responsible for the problems and the solutions. What ever happened to personal accountability?
Carol generated additional choices by asking better, more personally accountable “I” questions rather than victim-like “they” questions: What can I do to increase my personal productivity? What can I do to develop myself? What can I do to support our organization’s mission?
Curious about what happened with Carol? After she implemented the Paper Tiger software and the tickler file system with her own funds and on her own time, her productivity went way up. Her supervisor could not believe how quickly she could retrieve information and how consistently she was meeting deadlines, despite her additional responsibilities.
Three months after Carol’s initial purchase of these tools, I received a request for multiple network copies of the Paper Tiger software and several more tickler file systems, as well as a request for some of my time to help with implementation of these tools. This time it was paid for by her organization, despite the budget freeze.
About a year after Carol’s employer implemented the software and tickler files, I called to ask how things were going. Someone else answered Carol’s direct line, and I was told she no longer worked at that extension; Carol had been promoted to a management position! When we connected, Carol told me about some incredible transformations that had taken place in her organization since they had implemented the productivity tools that she had started out with on her own.
Instead of blaming, complaining and spending energy trying to deflect additional work, Carol had asked the QBQ: What can I do? Then she designed her own solutions and took action. She took personal accountability rather than becoming a victim. And Carol did what she did because she chose to, not because she had to. Remember to check your self-talk: I should…, I gotta…, and I have to… represent victim language; I choose to… is empowering and builds on personal accountability.
Copyright 2005 Kathy Paauw
Don't Waste Your Time - Use it Wisely
Don't Waste Your Time - Use it Wisely
by: Andrew Grant
Do you waste time? Are you lazy and indolent or are you continuously on the go, using every minute to the maximum?
If you are in the first category, there are a lot of very obvious things you can do to improve, but in this article I want to concentrate on those of us who are already using our time constructively and examine how you can squeeze even more from your day.
You may think that your life is so full that this is impossible, but I recently ran an inventory of how I used my time and realised that there was still some room for improvement. Here's what I discovered.
Timespace #1 – For years I avoided doing any kind of exercise. It was pretty easy for me, I had been skinny all my life and even though I wasn't too fit, I was still the right weight. As I got older, though I realised that I had to take my body a bit more seriously.
Since then I have become a moderate, regular exerciser; I now go running for half an hour every second day and visit the gym three times a week. No problem there; I get satisfaction from using my time well and I appreciate the results.
However, I calculated that I am spending about five hours per week doing great things for my body, but nothing for my mind. So now when I'm pounding the streets or straining at the weights, I use the opportunity to listen to self development programs on my I-Pod, to concentrate on goal visualization, to practice affirmations or just focus on being grateful for all the good things in my life. And there's a bonus too; because the blood is racing through my veins, my brain is more alert and better prepared to learn and grow.
Timespace #2 – I drive a lot. My business requires a good deal of travel and most of it is done in the car. I used to listen to music on the radio or go into an almost trance-like ‘auto pilot' mode, usually to escape the tedium of long distance driving.
Now, though, I put a self development CD in the player, or a language course, or again, I use the time to practice visualizations and affirmations. The privacy of your little tin box allows you to shout, sing, laugh or mumble. Who cares? You are on your own. It's your space.
Timespace #3 – Finally, this one is not so much about finding extra time as making better use of the time I thought I was using wisely. My personal time audit showed me that I was wasting a whole hour, sometimes more, at the beginning of the day catching up on the overnight e-mail load and then planning what I was going to do for the rest of the day.
I prided myself on being an efficient time warrior, but I now realise, that I was missing one of the biggest mistakes of all.
So how did I fix that? Simple. I changed two things. Firstly, I now do my planning, the night before, by taking ten minutes, near to the end of the evening and writing down everything I want to achieve the next day. The bonus here is that overnight, my mind works on the issues even while I sleep, so by the time I get started next day, I am far better prepared.
Secondly, I leave my e-mail inbox until lunchtime. I spend the morning getting through the goals I assigned the night before and then just before I take a break for lunch, I race through my inbox. That way, I find I already feel good about what I've done so far in the day, my mind is much more focused and I don't get distracted.
So no matter how efficient you think you are, take a look again at your day and I'll bet you can find some extra layers of time, you never knew you had. Good hunting.
by: Andrew Grant
Do you waste time? Are you lazy and indolent or are you continuously on the go, using every minute to the maximum?
If you are in the first category, there are a lot of very obvious things you can do to improve, but in this article I want to concentrate on those of us who are already using our time constructively and examine how you can squeeze even more from your day.
You may think that your life is so full that this is impossible, but I recently ran an inventory of how I used my time and realised that there was still some room for improvement. Here's what I discovered.
Timespace #1 – For years I avoided doing any kind of exercise. It was pretty easy for me, I had been skinny all my life and even though I wasn't too fit, I was still the right weight. As I got older, though I realised that I had to take my body a bit more seriously.
Since then I have become a moderate, regular exerciser; I now go running for half an hour every second day and visit the gym three times a week. No problem there; I get satisfaction from using my time well and I appreciate the results.
However, I calculated that I am spending about five hours per week doing great things for my body, but nothing for my mind. So now when I'm pounding the streets or straining at the weights, I use the opportunity to listen to self development programs on my I-Pod, to concentrate on goal visualization, to practice affirmations or just focus on being grateful for all the good things in my life. And there's a bonus too; because the blood is racing through my veins, my brain is more alert and better prepared to learn and grow.
Timespace #2 – I drive a lot. My business requires a good deal of travel and most of it is done in the car. I used to listen to music on the radio or go into an almost trance-like ‘auto pilot' mode, usually to escape the tedium of long distance driving.
Now, though, I put a self development CD in the player, or a language course, or again, I use the time to practice visualizations and affirmations. The privacy of your little tin box allows you to shout, sing, laugh or mumble. Who cares? You are on your own. It's your space.
Timespace #3 – Finally, this one is not so much about finding extra time as making better use of the time I thought I was using wisely. My personal time audit showed me that I was wasting a whole hour, sometimes more, at the beginning of the day catching up on the overnight e-mail load and then planning what I was going to do for the rest of the day.
I prided myself on being an efficient time warrior, but I now realise, that I was missing one of the biggest mistakes of all.
So how did I fix that? Simple. I changed two things. Firstly, I now do my planning, the night before, by taking ten minutes, near to the end of the evening and writing down everything I want to achieve the next day. The bonus here is that overnight, my mind works on the issues even while I sleep, so by the time I get started next day, I am far better prepared.
Secondly, I leave my e-mail inbox until lunchtime. I spend the morning getting through the goals I assigned the night before and then just before I take a break for lunch, I race through my inbox. That way, I find I already feel good about what I've done so far in the day, my mind is much more focused and I don't get distracted.
So no matter how efficient you think you are, take a look again at your day and I'll bet you can find some extra layers of time, you never knew you had. Good hunting.
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