The 3 Success Principles That Successful People Practice That You Cannot Miss

If you want to be successful and to produce the outstanding results that you want in life, this will be the right article for you. What you are going to discover here are the 3 success principles that every successful person practices to help them achieve whatever they want in their lives. And if you do the same, you will be able to be successful as well.

However, you have to understand that you must make use of these principles if you want to be successful. If you are not applying what you are going to learn, you will never be able to create the results you want. Knowledge itself is just a form of potential power. The real power is in applying the knowledge. So here are the 3 success principles that can help you...

1. Know what you want and create a plan to achieve it. Do you know specifically what you want to achieve in your life? Do you have a plan of what you need to do each day to achieve it? Successful people are crystal clear about what they want and they have a plan that they can follow through each day. You must do the same. Remember this; you cannot hit a target that you cannot see. And if you do not have a plan, you will be planning to fail.

2. Once you knew what you want, you must play it full out and put in 100% commitment into taking action. The difference between a successful person and an ordinary person is that successful people will take action and make their dreams come true. Most people are living in mediocrity because they did nothing about what they want. They will tell you that they want to be a millionaire, but they are not doing anything about their dreams. So put in 100% commitment into your dreams today.

3. Finally, believe that it is possible for you to achieve what you want and never give up. Most people do not believe that they can be a millionaire, and this is the number one reason they fail. Whenever you fully believe in something, you can tap into your maximum potential and make things happen. Another key is not to give up no matter how tough the situation may get. You can go through the obstacle, break it, smash through it, fly over it but never ever give up.

Top 5 Success Habits That Will Guarantee Your Success

Do you want to be successful? If you do, this will be the right place for you. What you have to do is to adopt these 5 success habits into your life. You have to understand that success is a journey and not a destination. Therefore, what you do everyday will determine the results you create in your life. As a result, your habits will determine your success. So are you ready to discover these 5 success habits?

1. Make sure you have a to-do list with you all the time. If you do not know what you need to do, you will end up wasting your time watching television or playing games. Whenever you know what you need to do and you have a clear direction, you will be able to be more productive and stay focused on your goals. Thus, write down at least 5 things that you need to get down everyday before the next day arrives.

2. Do something each day in order to move yourself toward your destination. If you are not doing anything that will contribute to the results you want, how can you achieve what you want? Most people will tell you that they want to be thin or they want to be rich, but they are not doing anything that will get them there. Do not let this happen to you.

3. Review your goals everyday. This is to help you to create awareness and to program your goals into your subconscious mind. The key to successful goal setting is to constantly reviewing your goals each day. Once you have adopted this habit, you will start to see amazing results in your life very soon.

4. Take 100% responsibility of yourself. Whatever results you created in your life, you have to understand that you hold the responsibility for it. If you are poor right now, it is because you are not doing anything about your wealth 5 years ago. If you are rich right now, it is because your hard work for the last 20 years has paid off for you. You must be responsible to take control of your life.

5. Put in 100% commitment to achieve what you want. Most people want to be rich and successful, but they are not 100% committed to it. It is when you are fully committed, you will do whatever it takes to achieve your goals and make your dreams come true.

How To Shortcut Your Journey To Achieve What You Want In Life

Do you want to learn the secret how you can shortcut your journey to achieve what you want in your life? If you do, this will be the perfect article for you. Read this article to the end to discover how you can do this.

Do you have a dream? Do you have any goal that you want to pursue? Do you want to be successful? And do you know what the fastest way to achieve what you want is? The answer is very simple, learn directly from those who have done it and apply their strategies into your own life. Therefore, you have to commit to constant and never ending improvement if you want to be successful.

Think about it, if you want to learn how to lose weight or how to become great in fishing, what can you do? The easiest and fastest way is to ask people who have successful lost their weight and model their strategies. They have done it and they knew how to do it. Thus, if you can model their strategies and apply what they do, you will be able to create the same amazing results in your life as well.

Just like if you want to be a millionaire in stock investing, how do you do it? For instance, you can read books written by successful stock investors. Or even better, you can attend seminars and workshops held by these experts so that you can learn directly from them. You will learn their strategies and avoid all the mistakes that most people did in the journey.

This is how you can shortcut your journey to accomplish your dreams and your goals. Of course, you may have to commit money, time and energy to learn from them. However, the rewards will be great. If reading a book can save you months of efforts and make you a better investor, how many books will you read? The answer is as much as possible.

In fact, this is the key that makes successful people successful in their lives. People who create amazing results in life are always ready to learn. However, make sure you apply what you have learned into your life and take action.

Self-Improvement Lessons From Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin was truly an amazing human being. He was a statesman, an inventor, an economist, a philosopher and the list goes on. And of course, he was one of our founding fathers.

Ben Franklin also had a deep desire to make himself a better man than he was the day before. Self-improvement was a lifelong passion for him. We would all do well to emulate him in this regard.

Because he felt he had been irresponsible in his youth, he made four resolutions for being a better person.

1. Live frugally so that he could save enough to repay what he owed to others.

2. Be honest and sincere in every word and action.

3. Be industrious to whatever business he was involved in.

4. To speak ill of no man, "not even in a manner of truth," and to "speak all the good I know of everybody."

From these 4 resolutions, Ben Franklin put together an actionable plan. He developed what he called his 12 virtues:

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

2. Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

3. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

4. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

5. Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

6. Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.

8. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

9. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

10. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

11. Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

12. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation

Supposedly, he showed his list and his plan to live by the list to a friend and his friend replied, drily, that Ben seemed to think much of himself and perhaps Ben should add humility to the list. And the 12 virtues become 13.

13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

He wrote each virtue on a separate page and evaluated his conduct with regard to that virtue on a daily basis. Further, he focused on one virtue each week and practiced at improving his behavior with regard to the virtue for the week.

This is powerful. Hundreds of years ago, Ben Franklin practiced a simple, yet profoundly powerful self-improvement technique that made him a better person, little by little, every day.

And also, his plan for improving himself is a textbook example of planning. His life goal is to live a good life. He began by writing what he wanted to do and be (Stephen Covey's "begin with the end in mind") with his 4 resolutions. Then he developed an actionable plan by writing down his virtues with daily and weekly follow-ups.

Absolutely tremendous.

I would highly recommend looking into his life and emulating this great American.

Awaken to Your Life Purpose With Creative Visualization

"Creativity is a process of transforming the raw energy, information, and material of the universe into something that has never before existed." -Deepak Chopra.

When the prospect of transforming your life using creative visualization seems daunting ponder for a moment how once, eons ago, there was nothing but raw energy. Then came the big bang. And then, over billions of years, the raw energy of the universe transformed itself into the world we see and touch and smell and taste every day.

Think of the magnitude of creativity that would be required to make this entire universe and this gorgeous planet of ours in all its breathtaking beauty and diversity. Think of the finely balanced web of conditions that had to be created so all that exists here on earth can thrive!

At the macrocosmic level there is this awesome creative God force capable of such mind blowing artistry. And at the microcosmic level - there is you - and your creative visualizations. Well actually it's not just you. Its you and a speck of that very same force that exists within you, co-creating your big bright beautiful life!

Thankfully our creating something that has never before existed doesn't need to take untold billions of years. (Of course it might take that long if we never get started!)

There are two ways in which creative visualization can be used in relation to our life purpose:

1) The first is when we are very clear on our intentions - when we know our life purpose!

When we have a clear vision for our lives we can create a mental image that details what form the raw energy of the universe must take to align with our vision.

This mental image depicts our vision as if it already exists.

What we are seeking here is that rush of hot and heavy emotion that calls itself excitement! Nothing less will fire up our awesome magnetizing and creative power. Nothing less will set in motion the shift that we desire. Nothing less will begin to reshape the raw energy of the universe in our favor.

We can add fuel to our visualization fire by making physical vision boards which depict whatever we desire as creatively and with as much passion as possible.

Alternatively we can use vision board software to build a moving pictorial with sound that includes images of what we desire along with motivational and inspirational slides.

2) The second less common way of using creative visualization to create our lives is useful when we are not clear on our intentions - when we DON'T know our life purpose or the direction we want our lives to take

This form of creative visualization begins by acknowledging that we know the question but not the answer. Using this method we create an imaginary sacred space - our very own spiritual powerhouse. There we can access our own personal speck of the God force - the One that knows who we are because it IS who we are. When we spend a little time each day in this sacred space we will gain all the clarity, guidance, insight and enlightenment that we need and eventually awaken to our life purpose.

Attempting to Overcome Suffering

Everyone suffers. It is an indubitable fact of being alive. Every religion and philosophy, every school of psychology has written tomes on the subject. Suffering is the central fact of both Christianity and Buddhism. Indeed, it seems obvious from our perspective that suffering is a central experience to all life, not just ours.

To ask, "How do I end suffering in my life?" is a deceptively simple question that is both straightforward and yet hopelessly contradictory, innocent but at once audacious. The question has the danger of leading one down endless dead ends of fruitless hope but if handled correctly also glimmers with the promise of liberation. In such a fundamental question, in such a possibility, therefore, one should see immediately the trap of the question simply leading to more questions. A simple way to look at it is this: it is while suffering that I wish suffering to end. I seek relief.

If we look to people who have seemed to overcome suffering, we often want to know how they got there and entertain the possibility that if we, too, do what he or she did then over time we might be free of suffering as well. Unfortunately, there couldn't be a greater illusion. Overcoming suffering requires transcendence, and transcendence requires abandonment of all doctrine (formula). Experience, in other words, is created and not repeated. You must go through this your own way: others can merely help you get started.

However we can also clearly envision a state of being of minimal or no suffering and deem it to be far preferable to our present life. That is fine- as a vision. But it is something that is true here and now or not true. The reality of this path (for it is truly a path and not a process), is that for all of us who live in suffering is the surprisingly frightening yet obvious fact that we must go through and confront suffering directly in order to transcend it. We cannot fear it if we are to let go of it.

I believe that suffering in this life can indeed be conquered. But it cannot be escaped.

Among a plethora of engaging topics, Rand also writes about nitrile gloves.

Personality and Lifestyle Changes - An Introduction

The Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory (MBTI) is a well-established instrument with many uses for personal and professional development. I first made use of the MBTI in counseling with individuals, couples and families. It provided insight to clients and gave them a common focus for addressing concerns. Later, I employed the MBTI in wellness education programs and found it especially helpful in teambuilding and developing communication skills. Recently, it dawned on me that the MBTI may be applied to behavior change and is especially pertinent to change readiness.

In this article I will outline the dimensions of the MBTI in general and will address each of the four major dimensions in detail in subsequent articles. Important reasons for using the MBTI in addressing wellness concerns with clients engaged in personal wellness coaching as well as those participating in company wellness programs are:

· It is a well-known and respected instrument
· It is fairly easily understood
· It provides a vehicle for tailoring behavior change efforts
· It supports each individual's uniqueness by focusing upon strengths

Let's explore the dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory. The primary dimensions of the MBTI are based upon natural preferences. These preferences impact how we live our lives and the choices we make. The four dimensions are:

1. Energizing-how and when you get your energy
2. Attending-what you pay attention to when you gather information
3. Deciding-what system you use when you decide
4. Living-what type of life you adopt

Each of these dimensions is broken down into a continuum with opposite qualities at either end. Here is a brief description of the qualities for each dimension.

1. Extrovert/Introvert

The extrovert is energized by the external world of people, activities and things.

An introvert draws upon their inner world of ideas, impressions and emotions to generate energy.

2. Sensing/Intuitive

Someone who has a preference for sensing attends to their physical environment. They focus upon information they take in via their five senses.

A person who is intuitive by natural preference tends to pay more attention to their sixth sense or gut reaction.

3. Thinking/Feeling

A thinking preference leads to reliance upon logic in decision-making.

A preference for feeling generates decisions based upon personal values.

4. Judging/Perceiving

Judging is a preference for living life in a planned, organized manner.

Perceiving refers to living in a spontaneous, flexible way.

Information about the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory is readily available online, as are free inventories to determine your individual preferences. I do not endorse one site over another but I encourage you to determine your "type" prior to reading the next article in this series. It's a great way to focus upon the lifestyle changes you may be considering. Until next time...

To Achieve Your Personal Dreams You Have to Plant in the Spring to Reap in the Fall

"The World is Full of Educated Derelicts" is a quotation sometimes attributed to Calvin Coolidge, Abraham Lincoln or Herbert Hoover. However, whoever said it was right on the button because education does not always match achievement. In fact, the history of invention and achievement is littered with men and women from the humblest of backgrounds who have gone on to accomplish the greatest of feats and attain some of the highest offices in the land. The achievers of this world have always realized their ambitions and made the most of their talents.

But what of the rest? There are millions out there still looking for the elusive two clicks of a mouse which will bring them a fortune without any worthwhile or sustained effort. Regrettably, they are waiting for the magic bullet, the winning lottery ticket which will give them a fortune for no effort. The sad thing is that without a dramatic adjustment in their lifestyle they will continue to blunder along relying on someone else. James Rohn summed it up quite nicely with his wonderful and succinct observation, "For Things to Change for You, You Have to Change".

However, living in the free world you do have a choice, an opportunity not given to everyone worldwide because there are millions who would grab their chance with both hands. Whatever your age it is still not too late to use all your available talents which are part of the heritage with which you are endowed. All it needs is a healthy dose of self-discipline and a plan. There is absolutely no reason why you cannot motivate yourself to achieve great and wondrous things. If you have motivation it will become apparent very quickly that you have to do something more; and that something is your own personal self-development.

Self-development is a real eye-opener and reveals a rich canvas of possibilities through a healthy body, spiritual growth, business strategy, planned wealth and a higher standard of living. Suddenly the world becomes your oyster and the possibilities that were once restrictive become limitless. Within this area you must change and adapt to circumstances if you want to get on and build a better life for you and your family. For the warning is stark and in these straightened circumstances in which we live it could not be starker. You cannot rely on anyone else for your livelihood; it is your own responsibility to look after yourself and your family.

So, once more to paraphrase James Rohn, "Better Get Used to Planting in the Spring or Starving in the Winter". But here's the good news for all late starters; every year Spring comes around so it's not too late to lay your plans and start sowing the good stuff; just remember, it's never too late to start afresh whatever your age.

Jack spent 25 years in the promotional products business and has been writing articles for the best part of four years. He writes extensively on business gifts, promotional matters and motivation.

Behaviour Analysis

A precisely established thought-pattern of an individual towards someone/something is mindset, while a specifically established work-pattern of an individual towards someone/something is behaviour. An established mindset/behaviour is evolved over a period of time and gives a consistent look to an individual. The very bases of mindset are knowledge, intellect, intuition, and collective wisdom, consequently a change or some shift in bases changes the mindset. On the other hand, the very bases of behaviour are some impulsions or internal human desires and a few compulsions or external social pressures such as physical needs, psychological instincts, mind powers, soul urges, rites & rituals, and social customs. A firmness and flexibility is attached, inevitably, with mindset/behaviour. Firmness maintains the previous achievements of an individual, while flexibility provides room for new achievements to a person. It is risky to mend mindset and behaviour, abruptly. An abrupt change may disturb some positive character-traits, as well.

A parallel presence or coexistence of mindset and behaviour is essential aspect of life phenomena. They are inter-dependant and inter-linked with each other. A mindset denotes the conceptual aspect of an individual, while the behaviour is practical facet of mindset. A human mind has three basic powers or intelligences - Decision Power or Perceptual Intelligences, Emotional Power or Emotional Intelligences, and Will Power or Intentional Intelligences. Behaviour is practical manifestation of mindset; so that it gets strength from mind powers or multiple intelligences. A de-link or independence between mindset and behaviour creates an abnormal personality.

The prominent internal human desires that work as impulsive drives for specific behaviour are multiple survival needs such as food, cloth, shelter, sleep, leisure, health, self-esteem, social-recognition, and financial opulence. An excessive or unjust provision of survival needs leads, ultimately, towards some abnormal behaviour. For example, excessive diet mean excessive fat and countless body problems, excessive sleep mean lethargy and mal-functioning of body systems, excessive dressing of cloth mean excessive burden and distorted body mechanics, excessive sheltered housing mean congested environment and infected living conditions, excessive work pressure mean burnout and physical fatigue, excessive dirt mean pollution and poor health profile, excessive esteem mean conceit and snobbish social environ, concentration of wealth mean poverty and exploitative economic environment, and concentration of power mean corruption and tyrannical political conditions, and so on and so forth. An opposite work-pattern is established due to some shortage provision of survival needs.

The prominent external social pressures that work as compulsive drives on an individual towards some definite work-patterns are multi-dimensional collective systems of a society such as social network of individuals/families, sectoral network of entrepreneurs / firms, political network of statesmen / state institutions. An individual is inseparably linked with multiple social institutions that give him/her strength and recognition at all levels of social interaction. A sustained social interaction shapes a definite interactive behaviour. Moreover, a person is, inescapably, an economic agent; he/she earns as worker / entrepreneur and spends modestly or generously or lavishly. A specific earning and spending behaviour is outcome of economic interaction of individuals. In addition, an individual is, unavoidably, a citizen of a state; he/she follows some state rules and participates in state affairs through ballot and civic responsibilities, consequently, a distinct participatory behaviour is established. In nutshell, the social, economic, and political pressures put infallible imprints on one's behaviour.

Taxonomy of Behaviour

Life is conscious move towards certain goals & objectives. An established mindset and evolved behaviour are vital supportive tools for purposive struggle of life. An activity, either mental or physical, consumes human energy during some conscious effort. Conscious energy is scarce gift of nature. A viable solution to scarcity phenomenon is to delegate some conscious efforts to pre-conscious. At pre-conscious level an activity is done nicely / swiftly, but psychological exhaustion is extremely minute. It happens on countless occasions of life, for example, a car driving is a conscious activity, initially, but it becomes, dominantly, a pre-conscious activity with the passage of time, consequently, it becomes a habitual activity and mental exhaustion is negligible during car driving. We may define, a habit is acquired behaviour-pattern and it is pre-conscious, dominantly. Behaviour based on habits predominantly is habitual behaviour, while behaviour without habits dominantly is non-habitual behaviour. A habitual behaviour enhances the productivity and quality of certain activities, however, a habitual behaviour is acquisitive and time-honored phenomenon; it is evolved slowly, gradually, and painfully. A non-habitual behaviour is conscious behaviour towards certain goals & objectives. It is noteworthy; all human activities are, generally, a blend of habits and non-habits.

A rational analysis of human behaviour manifests, a behaviour pattern, either habitual or non-habitual, has two levels - Normal & Abnormal. Abnormal behaviour is unintelligent and based on ignorance, while a normal behaviour is intelligent and based on knowledge. It is noteworthy that the abnormal is recognized as the terminal term of the normal. On the other hand, a moral examination of human behaviour reveals, a behaviour pattern, either habitual or non-habitual, has two types - Right & Wrong. A right behaviour is judicious, responsible, and fruitful for mankind; while a wrong behaviour is unjust, irresponsible, and harmful for humanity.

Absolute Bases of Human Behaviour

The absolute bases of human behavior are certain physical needs, a few psychological instincts, and some spiritual urges.

1. Physical Needs, The physical needs constantly instigate to an individual towards some specific behaviour-pattern. They remain active until their demand is not met. Physical needs are countless, quantitatively, and recursive, structurally. A just approach towards need satisfaction is essential for normal physical conditions.

2. Psychological Instincts, Instincts are essential aspect of human personality. An instinct is a natural tendency of self towards something. The very satisfaction of instinctual tendencies is necessary for peaceful mind. Human instincts are numerous such as parental instinct, gregarious instinct, learning instinct, and sex instinct. The intensity of instinctual pressures is extremely capricious, so that and instinctual-driven life may shape an unpredictable/volatile behaviour-pattern of an individual.

3. Soul Urges, A soul is vital aspect of human personality. A soul is immaterial energy with multiple urges. We may group them into three broad categories - religious urges, ethical urges, and aesthetic urges. A religious urge guides towards some definite faith and devotional behaviour. An ethical urge encourages some specific values and provides basis to moral behaviour. An aesthetic urge promotes artistic tendencies and provides basis to creative behaviour.

Balanced Human Behaviour

A balance human behaviour is ultimate objective of life. Physical needs or psychological instincts or soul urges are constant personality elements available to everyone; they provide a level playing field to all and sundry. A balance human behaviour is, dominantly, mind phenomenon. It is shaped due to multiple mind-powers/intelligences, distinctively gifted to different individuals. Every individual is endowed, naturally, by multiple intelligences. We may group them into three broad categories - Perceptual Intelligences, Emotional Intelligences, and Intentional Intelligences. The very basis of perceptual intelligences is intellect, while the sentiments and intentions are the foundation stones of emotional and intentional intelligences, respectively. Moreover, perceptual intelligences provide basis to good judgment, emotional intelligences breed better intuition, and intentional/practical intelligences develop wisdom. The stable combination of good judgment or decision power, intuition or emotional power, and wisdom or will power creates balance behaviour-pattern of individuals.

Multiple Intelligences - An Intensive Review

Man is endowed, naturally, by multiple intelligences. We may group these intelligences into three broad categories - Perceptual Intelligences, Emotional Intelligences, and Intentional Intelligences. We take an intensive but brief review of multiple intelligences to develop better understanding of behaviour.

Perceptual Intelligence - It is ability to understand, accurately. It has four aspects:

· Mathematical Intelligence/Logical Intelligence, it is ability to understand exact relations among things or persons or events.

· Linguistic Intelligence, it is ability to understand the correct connotation of language (words, phrases, sentences, etc.) and to use language correctly, both verbally as well as non-verbally.

· Spatial Intelligence, it is ability to understand spatial / geographical importance of something.

· Temporal Intelligence, it is ability to understand the temporal / historical importance of something.

Emotional Intelligence - It is ability to feel, truly. It has four aspects;

· Interpersonal Intelligence, it is ability to feel sentiments of others,

· Intra-personal Intelligence, it is ability to feel sentiments of self,

· Aesthetic Intelligence, it ability to feel beauty of animate and inanimate objects.

· Cultural Intelligence, it ability to feel virtue / vice of customary / non-customary behaviour of an individual or a group.

Intentional Intelligence - It is ability to do, properly. It has four aspects:-

· Leadership Intelligence/Entrepreneurship, it is ability to lead / organize, effectively.

· Imitational Intelligence/Followership, it is ability to follow, efficiently

· Peer Intelligence/Friendship, it is ability to work in a group of peers or team, friendly.

· Institutional Intelligence, it is ability to interact with institutions or to work in institutional setup, productively.

It is noteworthy that a human activity involves, generally, more than one or multiple intelligences. For example, an essay writing activity use logical intelligence for conceptual basis of essay, linguistic intelligence for proper usage of words and sentences, aesthetic intelligence for beautiful idioms and phrases, cultural intelligence to accommodate vice or virtue of ideas, and leadership intelligence to provide an effective shape to essay.

What I Encountered Within - In Search of Global Peace

We are three orphans from Ethiopia. Today we are..." As the presenter read the story starter, my partner and I imagined how we would finish it. "We are three orphans from Ethiopia. Today we are rummaging for food in the streets of our village. We are hungry and scared." As we finished that story starter and others like it, we felt sure that our impressions were an accurate example of the plight of others in the world. The presenters, women involved in conflict resolution and peace education in Denmark, finished the story starters for us after we wrote our drafts. They put pictures up on a screen that in every case totally contradicted our perceptions. The orphans were healthy, smiling and playing in a field of teff, Ethiopia's staple grain.

"Wow, were we wrong in our perceptions!" I exclaimed to my partner who is also from the USA. He was as embarrassed as I was at our obvious stereotypes. As I listened to the presenters, I realized that people from all over the world made the same mistakes and shared similar perceptions. This moment was life changing for me. For the next few years, I would explore perceptions and help others to see what I saw by doing this exercise repeatedly in my workshops. The stereotypes exist everywhere I go. This incident was just one that touched my heart and soul during a hot summer week in 1995. I was scheduled to speak at the Fifth World Congress International Educators for Peace Conference in Vermont, U.S.A. At the time, I was "new" to public speaking and a beginner on my path to seeking insights and solutions to peace: peace in the world, peace in schools and most importantly, peace within myself. The greatest challenge and joy would not come from speaking, but rather would come from what I encountered within myself. The experience with the story starters was only the beginning.

At lunch, I sat at a table with people from France, Egypt, Canada, U.S.A., Africa, India, and Denmark. Lunch discussion brought out issues around the definition of violence. A woman from Canada looked at me and claimed, "You Americans define violence as a physical act, however, violence can be verbal and sometimes that is a far greater violence than fists and knives." I was taken aback at her cutting accusation, naïve to the ways of the world. "Yes," I agreed, "words can leave scars that last a lifetime." Schools here, however, rarely address verbal violence. So, we rarely think in terms of words as violence. The raw vulnerability that I felt sitting at that table was uncomfortable. The discussion turned to the workshop I had participated in earlier in the day. "'Save the Children' advertisements are one of the worst reinforcers of African stereotypes in the media. The ads infuriate me!" An elder African woman explained. "Why?" I asked, "Don't those ads bring in money that helps African people?" Her answer was an emphatic, "Yes, but imagine if we focused on one of your American ghettos and put ads all over our country depicting it as representative all of America. How would you feel? Those ads promote the stereotypes that you saw this morning. We have beautiful places in Africa. Not all our children have distended bellies." I listened humbled. Once again, feeling ignorant, but, at the same time immensely grateful for the opportunity to grow and learn.

Peace through open expression became delightful during the conference's international dance. People gathered together with instruments and voices, people from all different cultures and world experiences. In this moment, their voices sang in unison the words of folk songs of all nations. Music filled the air with a joyful intensity that I had never experienced. Later, a world music-drumming group played several rhythms in the background. The sound of the beat vibrating through the air touched the souls of all in the room. So many of us danced together in the room, as one people, not knowing whose hand we took to swing and twirl, not caring what their ideology, politics or beliefs. In that moment, we were simply human beings dancing together to the beat of the music, some of us African, Indian, French, Danish, American, Egyptian, German, English, Spanish; human. The joy in my heart seemed to lift me off the floor. I was overcome with the experience and sought out Glen Hawkes, the conference organizer. When I found him, words burst from my heart, "Glen, thank you so much for organizing this conference. What a beautiful thing out there! People from all over the world dancing are together as one and it does NOT matter where they are from! At this moment in time, we are all simply human dancing to one beat." Glen looked at me smiling, "Your eyes are sparkling from deep within your soul. That is what this day is about."

My greatest challenge, then joy, came from what I encountered within myself during open expressions with people of other lands. This experience has touched my life continually reminding me of who we are at our core: humans capable of love and peace if we can carefully understand each other's experiences and create harmony through our cooperation.

Copyright (c) 2010 AIMHI Educational Programs

Susan Fitzell is a nationally recognized speaker and author of several educational resource books. She has over two decades of experience with differentiated instruction, teaching youth with special needs, students with behavioral and anger management issues, and students who experience bullying. Susan's company, AIMHI Educational Programs, focuses on building caring school communities.

Is Ignorance Bliss - Are You Ignore-ant?

I used to live my life in a perpetual state of ignorance. Last week while meditating, a light came on that helped me remind myself when I am moving in that direction. It was as if a tiny voice inside me said, "Sandra, do not ignore what you see, feel and listen to. Be aware and listen to the sights, sounds, and be with your senses." As I began to understand that many of my problems, in fact, most of them, stem from being, ignore-ant, I felt revelation. We really cannot ignore or tune out what we dislike. Do you find yourself in a state of ignore-ance where you are being, ignore-ant?

The television news program is announcing another disaster, and you try to overlook the negativity in the world. The neighbor's dog is incessantly barking, and you strive to shut out his voice. The children have created a disaster in the bedroom, and you try not to become bothered. As I thought about this, I came to realize that life, the world, and I deserve my full attention. I have become resolved to allowing myself to admit when I am trying to shut out negativity. I welcome the chance to grow and expand the childlike wonder that carries me beyond, my ignore-ant attitude and me. I understand now that my defense mechanism is simply a method of ignore-ance.

Is this how the world has become dispassionate? Has our compassion gone into hiding behind a veil of ignore-ance? Instead of ignoring the barking dog, I can choose to wonder what he is saying. When negative things come across the television, I can choose to wonder. When someone is complaining, I can choose to wonder what I might do to help and even ask. If only I listen and care, I am not listening with ignore-ance, but being attentive and compassionate. Must I surround myself with positive people and avoid negative ones? Is this a form of ignore-ance or a simple matter of avoidance?

I will not ignore or attempt to overlook what is happening in the world, I am alive! If I ignore the power struggles, I see does it all go away? If I give it my full attention, does that make me accountable? I think we ignore things because we feel helpless and hopeless if we look too closely. We may even think that someone's negativity has an adverse effect on us. If we ignore negativity, how will we look beyond it and recognize the goodness, behind the ignore-ance we witness? Life is too precious to ignore! Children cannot ignore anything until they reach a certain age. We even advise them to ignore, "Oh just ignore that mean kid, and he will leave you alone." Do we really believe that a cultivated ignore-ance is mature? Is Ignorance Bliss?

No More Circles

I don't think anyone like to go around in circles; I know I don't. If that is the case, why do we go in circles, go around the mountain, or jump through hoops? Break the circle going, mountain circling and hoop jumping today!

Bruce Springsteen said it best; "we spend half our life just a covering up, just like a dog that's been beat too much." I have been there, unfortunately on both ends of the beatings. Today is a new day though. If you are still covering up or going nowhere; then today is the first day of your destiny. Today is the day that you begin to break the vicious cycle. This is a brand new day and it has greatest written all over it. This is going to be the most awesome day of your life and tomorrow is looking even better. Does that mean we won't face that addiction today, that abusive partner, that rebellious child, that hateful co-worker or classmate? Well, sorry to say but yeah, you will still see them. However, our perspective and our mindset are changing. We don't see them the same way anymore. We see them for who they really are and can be. We see the hurt that is causing them to lash out at the world. We see the wounds they protecting. Just like that dog that has been beat too much; they too are just covering up. Today we will reach out in love, in compassion, in forgiveness. "What if they don't respond nicely"? "What if they bite"? Then tomorrow we will do the same thing again. Don't stop reaching out in love. Remember, hurting folk; hurt folk. There is healing just waiting for you to reach out.

If you want to talk more about destiny, hope, encouragement then go to http://www.scottwimberly.com and get in touch with us. We would love to hear from you today!

Scott Wimberly is a Life Coach/Writer. He writes and coaches about your destiny and purpose. How to take your personal gifts and talents and use them to fulfill and reach your destiny. He is an encourager to all and will assist you in your destiny quest in your life.

Are You Flowing Effortlessly Through Life?

Have you ever had a day when everything just went right? When everything you needed showed up when you needed it and you felt great about your life?

Guess what? EVERY day should be just like that! So why doesn't it always happen? There are 2 reasons:

* You haven't found your true purpose yet
* You are fighting against your purpose

Many people haven't found their purpose, or perhaps have only discovered part of it. For example, I have loved to write since I was young but didn't know for a long time what I was intended to write about.

When you are working on your true purpose, you will be so happy and fulfilled that it will not feel like work at all. You will not dread getting up in the morning; in fact, you won't need an alarm clock because you will be so excited to start each day! This just makes sense, because it is human nature to avoid what we don't like doing. So why would the Universe pick a purpose for you that doesn't resonate?

Once you find your purpose, you need to follow the flow that the Universe creates. This requires that you:

1. Are living in the present and actively seeking direction
2. Do not fight what is presented; surrender to it

Too many of us are living in the past or the future instead of in the present. You will totally miss the cues the Universe is trying to send if you aren't looking for them, in fact even asking for them.

We are often presented with ideas that seem foreign, or not on the right path. But if you have asked the Universe for direction, and an idea arrives as a sudden inspiration, you can be sure you need to follow it.

In his book "The Power of Intention" Dr. Wayne W. Dyer talks about being disconnected from your purpose. He says that Ego has six primary ingredients that cause us to become disconnected (and he recommends his book "Your Sacred Self" for more on this subject):

1. I am what I have
2. I am what I do
3. I am what others think of me
4. I am separate from everyone
5. I am separate from all that is missing in my life
6. I am separate from God (or the Universe)

Dr. Dyer goes on to say that you can never access the power of intention through ego. In order to access the power you need to achieve your purpose, you must recognize and change these beliefs. Your full potential will only be realized when you remove Ego from your life.

Your personal growth journey will gradually find you experiencing more and more of those days when you are truly "in flow" until finally, every day will be like that. Even when seemingly bad things happen, it will all be a part of the bigger picture and you will learn to accept what comes.

What is Compassion?

Have a little compassion. We've all heard that expression. But what does it really mean? When I ask that question at my presentations, I get answers that you would expect: empathy, feeling for others, kindness and understanding. Though these answers are all correct, let me tell you what compassion means to me.

One evening when I was giving a talk in my local library, I was telling a story about a woman on my block who would never acknowledge me when our paths crossed. I would always give a friendly wave hello as I passed her during my walks or if she came by my house as I was doing yard work. Each time she would look away or put her head down, averting her eyes from mine. I couldn't understand why in the world this woman always ignored my friendly hellos. After all, I was being friendly. "What is the matter with her?" I asked, sounding somewhat annoyed. And then a woman in the second row raised her hand and quietly offered, "Maybe she's shy."

It was at that moment that I got a lesson in the real meaning of compassion. Here I was, giving a talk on happiness and exhibiting a total lack of compassion. Sure, I was being friendly to my neighbor, but I also was holding an expectation in that friendliness. That evening, I learned that compassion is allowing others to be who they want to be. Compassion is not judging the actions of others according to our standards and values. Compassion is cutting others some slack instead of criticizing them. Compassion is not a feeling of superiority. It is the realization and acknowledgment of the dignity that each one of us possesses as a human being. It is a basic understanding that every one of us is doing his best to figure things out. We are all on our own path through life. Compassion is the conscious decision to send out love to all those who cross our path.

What a load off the shoulders! We don't have to get upset when people do things differently than the way we would like them to. It is extremely liberating to allow others to be who they want to be. When we are compassionate to others, we bring "simple Happiness" to ourselves.

Motivational speaker and author, Jim Ryan, shares his simple happiness message across the country encouraging everyone to live their best life now. His relaxed style and unique ability to turn profound, life-changing concepts into easily understood solutions is what reaches the heart of his audiences. His book, Simple Happiness, 52 Easy Ways to Lighten Up, has inspired thousands of readers to live happier more fulfilled lives.

Awareness Before Change

If I asked you whether you are satisfied with these few areas of your life, what would be your honest answers?

1. Is your health better today than it was 3 months ago?

2. Are you enjoying better relationships with your loved ones and friends now than you were 6 months ago?

3. Are you satisfied with your job or career path right now? Do you see it improving in the next 6 months?

4. Are you financially where you want to be now?

If you are not satisfied with your level of health, relationships, career and finance right now, chances are you have enormous rooms for improvement and growth. The question is - why are you not doing it? Why are you still where you are now?

The truth is that most people stay where they are now 6 months from now or even years from now. A certain percentage may even deteriorate in status, and only a handful actually improve their lives.

For most people, there is no urge or motivation for change simply because they are not aware of the great possibilities ahead. They do not realize the kind of opportunities and possibilities that life holds for them. Nobody has told them that their lives are in their hands, and that if they wish to change it for the better, they can. They have never been taught how.

There are several awareness or realizations that can facilitate change. These awareness opens up new possibilities for you.

Awareness #1: The universe we live in is mind-made. By virtue of the fact that we are mind-beings, we are actively participating in the creation of this universe. In fact, we are creating our lives every moment. Unfortunately for most of us, we are doing this unconsciously. That is why it seems as if we are not in control of what comes into our lives. To become the master of your own destiny, you must create your life consciously.

Awareness #2: Our external experience is a mirror reflection of our inner state of mind. In other words, our external experience can be our feedback for us to know our own inner mind state. Once we know this, we have a potent tool to look into the inner content of our mind. From there, we can recognize limiting beliefs, false assumptions and unrealistic expectations. This gives us the opportunity to transform our mind.

Awareness #3: Our beliefs are merely that - beliefs. There are our perceptions of reality. They are not reality itself. Beliefs are not real and therefore they can change. This means that it is possible for us to change our own beliefs, and particularly our limiting beliefs.

Awareness #4: Our emotions and our happiness are determined by our thoughts. More specifically, the state of our emotion is dependent on the types of thoughts we hold to be true. Change those thoughts and you literally change your emotional state.

Awareness #5: We are, ultimately, spiritual beings. We are complete unto ourselves. That means that we can find everything we need within us - peace, joy, abundance. Our limiting beliefs in lack and scarcity are obstacles we placed on ourselves, and therefore we have the ability to remove these obstacles so that the light of realization shines once again upon our true nature.

These awareness can be very liberating. They open up tremendous possibilities for us to live the lives we want. They put us in charge of our lives but we must first agree to take full responsibility for our own life.

Reflect on these awareness and see if they make sense to you.

Dr. Tim Ong is a medical doctor who runs his own thriving medical practice. In his free time, he enjoys giving public talks, teaching meditation and offering his service to hospice work in the community.

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