Ten Tips for a “Real” Holiday Season

 by: Toni Raiten-D’Antonio

Holidays and the start of a new year inevitably make us think about how we can improve ourselves, and have the life we want in the future. We make resolutions – I must lose weight, I will save more money – and then lose our way. That’s because we aren’t matching our resolutions with who we are inside. We’re more likely to succeed if we work on discovering our inner, Real selves, appreciate who we already are, and then take a chance on custom-made changes, not one-size-fit all resolutions. Here are ten tips for making the new year better in a Real way.

1. Let your values be your guide — There are plenty of people who will tell you what should be important to you, if you let them. Friends, co-workers, family, even the mass media, bombard us with opinions and ideas. Don’t just accept what others say. Decide for yourself what matters most and let those values set your course.

2. Take a long-term view — Bad habits, difficult relationships, and other disappointments don’t develop overnight. Similarly, life doesn’t get better in a moment. Change happens slowly, step-by-step. Have the patience to see it through.

3. Let Go of the “Shoulds” — When you were a kid, you needed grown-ups to tell you what was right and wrong and what you should do in a given situation. As an adult you can make these choices for yourself. “Shoulds” produce resentment and anger. Instead, do what you know in your heart is right, and set your own standards.

4. Define Yourself as Beautiful — Fewer than five percent of us believe we are beautiful, but whenever I meet someone, I can see something beautiful in her right away. You may not fit the mass media image of conventional, external beauty, but there are things that make you attractive. Remember, beauty is an inside job.

5. Let Go of Being Perfect — As much as we hear that “nobody’s perfect” it’s awfully hard to believe. This is because what we constantly see in the media are air-brushed images of people who appear perfect and we come to believe it is a reasonable goal. When we fall short of perfect, then we feel like failures, just for being ourselves. This year, why not just forget that whole concept and replace it with “I don’t have to be perfect.” The truth is, the people who love you know that you have flaws and just don’t care. You don’t have to either…

6. Stop Competing — Life is not a game to be won or lost. It is more like a dance that never ends. People who make life a competition live in fear of losing. But if you understand that there’s no first prize and no finish line, only opportunities to grow and experience things, then that fear is replaced by appreciation and wonder. Try to think about growing rather than winning.

7. Try a Little Self-Empathy — We all hope to be kind and considerate when it comes to others. But have you ever made an effort to think about yourself in the same way? Most of us spend too much time judging ourselves harshly. It’s hard to be happy when you let that little voice inside you endlessly say mean and critical things.

8. Make Friends with Your Flaws — When you stop believing in perfection, it’s a lot easier to adopt a new view of those things people call flaws. In many cases, we can redefine these differences and understand them as gifts. What makes a mole a beauty mark? The answer is in your perspective. Why not adopt a perspective that honors all those things that make you different?

9. Listen to Your Body — Many of us lead lives that are so fast-paced and stressful that we push ourselves to the point of getting sick. In most cases, our bodies send us signals -fatigue, aches, hungers – when it’s time to slow down, rest and examine our emotions. We can avoid a lot of sick days if we pause to listen to our bodies and respond with gentle self-care.

10. Try New Things — In the end, the important things in life are found in relationships and experiences. We feel good when we connect with others and take on challenges that allow us to grow. If you have always wanted to feel closer to someone you know, take the risk. And if you have longed to try something new – in the arts, your work, sports, or anything else — give yourself permission to try. A little courage will bring you great rewards in the coming year.

About The Author

Toni Raiten-D’Antonio is a psychotherapist and author of The Velveteen Principles (Oct 2004), a Guide to Becoming Real. The Velveteen Principles offers advice on reclaiming joy, fulfillment and individuality drawing from the simple wisdom of the children’s classic The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. To Learn more, please visit http://www.velveteenprinciples.com.

Source: High Quality Article Database – 365Articles.com

Five Principals for Prosperity

 by: Michael Levy

Many years ago, forty to be exact, I started my own business at the tender age of nineteen. The street markets in and around Manchester England was my happy hunting ground. Every day was an adventure and despite the weather and difficulties of getting a stall on the street market, life was always fun and enjoyable. There was always some comical incident, even when I had to stand in the pouring rain, with no customers in sight. And if there was no amusing event to focus on I created one and made other people laugh.

Within a few years my business progressed and I opened a wholesale textile company. I went on to become a very successful businessman not only making money in my original business, but also in commercial property and the stock market. I retired from the business world forty-six years of age.

After a six year, time-out period, so that I could understand why I was successful with no effort, I reinvented myself and became…… An author, poet, philosopher, motivational/inspirational/financial speaker, radio show host, director, producer and many other labels, within the past five years. How was all this achieved with not a mention of the word “work” in my vocabulary…..Well, you see, I just enjoy everything I am doing and if it is enjoyable, how can a class it as work?

When I read the headlines in the newspapers describing the corruption and scandals in large and small corporations I wonder why the executives had to lie and cheat to earn money? It is far easier and less risky to make money the honest way, so why do people do things the hard way and end up in disgrace?

• What makes some people believe they need a billion dollars to be happy?
• Why has greed become so fashionable?
• Why in many instances do we seem to treat our fellow human worse than a wild dog? Our animal instincts, although contained in a civilized package, can be savage and uncaring, especially in the business world. It has literally become Dog-eat-Dog.

In life there is always an easy way and a hard way to do everything so how about I share with you five principals of business that cannot fail.

As we climb the ladder of success there are many other folks on higher rungs who may try to kick us down. There are also those who have not got on the first rung yet who will try and pull us down. So how do we cope in a modern day world of hungry hounds eager to get their hands on as much money as possible any way they can?

Levy’s Five Principals for Prosperity

Principal Number One.

Enjoyment.

We should understand the world does not owe us a living. We will succeed or fail by the amount of Joy we have for the project we will call our work. The number one ingredient is enthusiasm and commitment for the job in hand. We have to understand that very few things will go in the direction we desire and the more we practice our skills, the luckier we will become. We manufacture our own luck and to recognizing opportunities is the key to success. Every viewpoint, in every business day, has to be explored. Never say no to anything until we have examined every possibility and outcome. Even if we find that it is not what we desire, we leave the door open for future development. If we are only interested in what we can get out of any action of the moment, we are doomed for failure.

Principal Number Two.

Giving

A key ingredient in a successful venture is giving rather than taking. In other words give the best and you will receive the best. If you do not have the ability to give the best, keep on trying different approaches until you can give the best. Whatever you give you will get back in abundance. There are those who have achieved money and status by devious means. They may have all the trappings of the luxury lifestyle, but they do not possess the clear mind to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Therefore, they are not a success to themselves. All the stresses and strains of cheating will one day manifest into an illness. You can mislead other people but you cannot lie to your immune system. So, it pays big dividends to give others a helping hand up the ladder of success.

Principal Number Three.

Overcome Adversity.

Enjoy the failures more than the successes. Understand there is no such thing as failure. Each lesson learnt, is a lesson gained. Just don’t keep making the same mistakes. Everything is a gain, gain situation. Negative people are our stepping stones to wealth. The more they tell us it can’t be done, the more energy they give us to get the job done successfully. Adversities are sent to test our resolve. Become a good hurdler and learn how to jump over them.

If we require an answer to a difficult problem we need to solve this is what we do. We ask any questions we need to solve, a few minutes before we go to sleep and then forget about it. We then go into a sound, deep sleep. The next morning on awakening we may get an idea from out-of-the-blue that solves the issue. If not that morning, then it may take more time to solve. Ask the question every night until the matter resolves itself.

Principal Number Four.

Debt free

It is far better to walk before we can run. We must not pile up too much debt. If we cannot afford something then we work a little harder and longer until we have the funds to expand. I know this is not the modern way of thinking and there are always exceptions to the rule, but being debt free sure makes for ‘Peaceful Sleep.’ Being ‘Under Pressure’ to pay bills is no way to live. Our purpose is to enjoy life and our labor must be a labor of love without demands.

Principal Number Five

Enjoy Endurance.

Remember the three P’s Patients Persistence, Perseverance. If we trust in our ‘True Self’ then we cannot fail. As long as we are enjoying our business activities in the same way as we enjoy our leisure, success is assured. If it takes a few years more than we thought to achieve our goal, then so much the better, because we have more time to gain extra experience…. It will allow for more time for you to exhibit to people that you are trustworthy and reliable. Integrity cannot be bought, therefore once you gain authentic credibility, everything else you do eases into its appropriate space. It will eventually mean other business people will regarded us as an expert in your field of proficiency. You have mastered time and space.

With the five principles for prosperity deposited into your memory banks you are ready to build new bridges. Networks with all the new and innovative companies in your field.

We are constantly entering new areas of Hi-Technology. Business today needs new innovation and leadership to succeed. This is year 2004 and new dimensions of thought are need for success. Therefore, it is more important then ever to project the five principles of prosperity.

You will also need to understand how to overcome and eliminate worry and anxiety. It is essential to find inner peace and harmony to relieve the burdens of stress.

By allow our minds the freedom of silence that transcends to higher dimensions, we will find infinite possibilities. Our potential for success is only limited by what we think we know. That type of limitation can cause great pressure, therefore we require an objective detachments from outside events we cannot control. What we can only execute what we are able to perform and what seems impossible at one moment, we can do at another appropriate moment.

When we open our imagination (image-maker), we open the doorway to success. Every human mind has a wormhole in the deepest section of the brain that can take the minds thoughts into what Einstein called the ‘Creative Mind of God.’ Einstein declared, he wanted to know what God is thinking, everything else is mere details….and so it is.

It is never too late in life to explore your minds links to creativity

Even when we retire from our occupation, we must never retire from life. The secret to retirement is to keep an active mind. I have a friend aged eighty-seven who still enjoys working as a realtor selling apartments. He tells me it makes him feel like a young pup. There are many hobbies we can enjoy and maybe they will make money? Regular exercise will keep us healthy and it also keeps the sex drive in gear. Aging signifies, life is still a joyride to an active mind.

Are you now ready to accept success?

Just one other point……It is important to note that we will never actual own anything. We only possess what we can take on our eternal journey. We are just renting space and time, so our success is not measured by our bank balance. We live in a materialistic world and to become truly prosperous we need to ascertain that, when we reverse our conditioned minds way of thinking, we find ……( in whatever form our image-creation observes creativity) A Universal spirit guiding us on an authentic life course. What a power-force to guide us and establish an easy way to follow to prosperity.

All rights reserved © Michael Levy 2004

About The Author

Michael Levy is the author of four books. The latest is “Invest With A Genius”

Michael’s poetry and essays now grace many web sites, Journals and Magazines. He is a renowned guest speaker on Finance, Wellness and Inspiration. He has appeared on TV in the USA and UK and hundreds of radio stations throughout the world. Please visit his website at http://www.pointoflife.com.

Source: High Quality Article Database – 365Articles.com

How to Gain a Good Self-Esteem – the Easy Way

 by: Carna Zacharias-Miller

Need more self-esteem? – I thought so.

Just about all of us would like to see some degree of improvement in the way we perceive ourselves. If only there was a magic pill that would make us feel bold, smart, rich, beautiful, and cute all at the same time. Yet, this priceless treasure called self-esteem seems to be elusive and volatile.

To make matters worse, everybody else seems to have it in abundance – so why can’t I just grab a big junk of it and hold on to it, at least until I have secured this great job/lover/win?

Well, there is a reason for this: self-esteem is not a single, solid “thing” one can chase down, obtain and possess. It is rather a fluid quality that evolves naturally, when the obstructions that keep it from expanding are dissolved. These obstructions could be: traumatic (childhood) memories, bad habits, fears/phobias, performance anxiety, or a poor body image. In other words, it is usually not a single negative event or circumstance that does the damage: It’s the long-lasting, underlying, often hidden issues that erode our self-worth, often without our awareness.

O.K., there really is no magic pill to get rid of all these problems in a very short time, but there is something that comes pretty close: It is called EFT, and it is designed to take on everything that stands in the way of high self-esteem.

So, what is EFT?

EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), developed by Gary Craig, is an emotional form of acupressure. You tap with your fingertips to stimulate certain meridian energy points on your body while you are “tuned in” to your problem. The cause of every negative emotion lies in the disruption of the body’s energy system. EFT is usually rapid, long-lasting and gentle. No need for drugs or equipment. It is easily learned by anyone, children included.

Let’s say you had a father who told you that you were a failure and that you would never amount to anything. In this case, you could first tune into the pain and the anger surrounding this relationship and tap on these feelings. Most likely, memories will come up. Was there a specific situation when he put you down? What did you feel? Go through every memory and feeling. Often, the emotional intensity decreases immediately.

Another example: You have low self-esteem, because you are overweight. There are several approaches possible. Do you have any cravings? Tap on each and every one of them. Do you dislike your body? Tap on your specific feeling. Emotional pain? Get specific and tap on it.

Sometimes, especially with complex problems, it is more effective to do the tapping under the guidance of an EFT practitioner. However, any tapping on a specific issue and the pain, anger, or sadness that surrounds it, helps. Dissolve the negative emotions that control your life, and high self-esteem emerges – naturally.

About The Author

Carna Zacharias-Miller, EFT-CC, EFT-ADV, is a practitioner in Central Florida who uses Gary Craig’s original method. She offers live and telephone EFT sessions. To get more information, participate in a Forum, and to download the Basic EFT Tapping Sequence, visit her web site www.taptoheal.com

info@taptoheal.com

Source: High Quality Article Database – 365Articles.com

My next discovery/conclusion was that, if I’m ever to succeed
in accomplishing my income goals online (or off line, for that matter),
I need to first of all decide EXACTLY what I want out of life and
what kind of income I’m trying to establish to fulfill those dreams,
so that I can conjure up a concrete mental picture of it.

You know, there is a story in one of my very favorite books that I
mentioned a couple of issues back. (For those of you who missed
my list of favorite books and would like to have it, just visit the
archives at http://www.elfexpressionsezine.com)

In “Riches Within Your Reach,” Robert Collier tells about a certain
woman who had lost her job through no fault of her own. A widow,
she was the sole support of her three children and herself, and try as
she might, she’d found it impossible to obtain gainful employment.
She was nearing the end of her rope, her money was about to run out,
and the landlord was threatening eviction.

One day as she set out to look for a job, she happened to stop by a
magazine stand, and her eye was caught by a title about “treasure-mapping”
for success and supply. She was led to buy the magazine, but instead of
looking for work that day, she went home (something totally illogical,
which we’ll talk about another time) and devoured the entire magazine
—that attracting article in particular.

Then she dug out a bunch of old papers and set to work to put together
a treasure map—so many things came to her mind to put on it—first,
the little cottage at the edge of town, then the little dress shop she’d
always longed for, then a car—and in that cottage would be a piano
for the girls—and a yard in the back where she could grow flowers—
she worked all day and cut pictures and words and sentences out of
papers and magazines—all connected with the idea of success and
abundance.

She worked and worked on her treasure map, carefully placing in the
middle of it a picture of a little storeroom, underneath which she
pasted the words “Betty’s Style Shop” and pictures of fashionable clothing.
Throughout the treasure map she inserted little mottoes and sayings, all
carrying out the idea of success, abundance, happiness, and harmony, and
she was getting more excited all the while.

She pasted everything onto a large sheet of posterboard and began to
FEEL herself living in the cottage and working in the little dress shop.
She became completely enthralled with her project and tacked the poster
on the wall of her bedroom right in front of the bed, so that it was the
first thing she saw in the morning and the last thing at night.

She vividly SAW herself living her dream: she and the children
laughing and talking in the cottage, arranging the furniture and putting
up curtains; she’d PICTURE her daughters at the piano singing and
playing; she would SEE her son sitting in the little library with books
and papers all around him; she would SEE herself walking around her
shop as people came and went, buying her merchandise, paying her for
it, and leaving happy.

Bottom line, folks, she really GOT INTO IT!!!!

Gradually, she began to understand that the treasure map was but the
means of impressing upon her subconscious mind the pattern from
which to build the conditions of success and harmony into her life.

And she did something else—something most of us fail to do—she began
praising and thanking God that her dreams were ALREADY REALITY!
Whoa!

Stop right there, you say—isn’t this just living in some sort of fantasy world?

NO! Because that’s how faith and prayer work! Otherwise, where would
faith be? There would be no need for it. You have ABSOLUTELY GOT
TO BELIEVE that your dreams have already been accomplished in the
spiritual dimension. Then HOLD ONTO THAT BELIEF like a guy who’s
just slipped over the side of a cliff and has grabbed onto a tree root. Sure
it’s painful; sure it’s scary; sure there’s no VISIBLE help in sight. But would
you rather opt for the alternative? As long as you hold on, you still have hope!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR