Helping those people who want to do better, be better and accomplish more.
We all have labels and they tend to influence our behavior, our reactions to others and events, our self esteem – our life. We are consciously aware of some of the labels but not all of them, but whether we are consciously aware of them or not they are driving forces in our lives.
Some common negative labels are:
Sometimes we need a break from the heavy duty task of self improvement to just enjoy life. (actually that is basically why we’re trying to improve – to enjoy life more). We just had a birthday party for my grandson, Jack, and it was one of those times that you couldn’t be down if you tried. (And some do try).
My baking skills have gotten somewhat out of practice in the years that I’ve taken a vacation from the stove. I haven’t baked anything but pre-made cookies. But Jack had declared some time ago that he wanted a cake about Thomas the Train and I promised that he would have it. Oh, my, the things we promise sometimes. Well, I couldn’t find a cake pan shaped like Thomas and I waited too long to order stuff online. So I went to the Party Store and, sure enough, they had a good stock of Thomas items – except for anything to do with a cake. They had confetti that had large Thomases so I got those and all the other things needed for a party – tablecloth, napkins, paper plates, etc, all with Thomas emblazoned on them. I scotch taped the little trains to toothpicks and we were in business. [Read more...]
Thinking “Out of the Box,” living “out of the box,” getting out of the box – just exactly what do we mean? Actually it means a lot of things and basically refers to those limiting beliefs you hold that keep you from achieving what you want in life.
We are taught to “color inside the lines” in many areas of our lives. In othe words, someone else tells us how to act, how to think, what to know and what to believe. The degree to which we accept these directives and retain them in adulthood without examining whether they work for us or not make up the contents of our box. I’m not saying that we don’t need teachers or to learn to follow instructions – I’m just saying that we need to make decisions based upon what we have learned rather than accept every thing without examination. We also need to be discerning about what instructions we follow. [Read more...]
Many of us were raised to believe there is only one way to God, one keeper of the truth, one church that is right. Oh, my, has this caused problems for us as individuals, groups and communities and countries. Of the over 6.6 billion people on the planet today, 4.7 billion are in three major groups Christianity, Islam and Secular/nonreligious/agnostic/atheist. (I find the list quite interesting and when you realize that the statisticians lumped fundamentalist Christians, liberal Christians, Catholics, Seven Day Adventists, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc; into one group, it is even more interesting and, yes, amusing. [Read more...]
Self improvement includes enjoyment. Today is a day to enjoy: (not particularly in this order)
You
The Rose Parade
The ball games
Your family
You
Your abilities and talents
Your friends
Your amazing mind
Your home
Music
You
Movies
Good conversation
And, did I mention, you?
How do you enjoy yourself? Take a few moments to think it through. Make a list. Enjoy the wondrousness of you.
Happy New Year!
My apologies to those of you who came and nothing was here. My blog visited cyberspace and was lost in the ethers for some mysterious reason. And thanks to those who worked to bring it back, it’s up and running again. We have some strange characters where punctuation is supposed to be but we’ll get that figured out and fixed soon. Stay tuned while I get the writing juices flowing.
Some years ago I was browsing in Barnes and Nobel – one of my favorite pasttimes – and I found a book of poetry titled, I Am Becoming the Woman I Wanted. I took it, together with several other selection (mainly on self-improvement), to the cafe, got a cup of coffee mocha and sat down to enjoy the coffee and the books.
I especially loved the book of poetry and the poem, Finding Her Here was mind grabbing. Past my middle years and certainly no no longer beautiful by contemporary standards, I was deeply moved when I read:
Finding Her Here
by Jayne Relaford Brown
I am becoming the woman I wanted,
Grey at the temples,
soft body, delighted,
cracked up by life [Read more...]
By http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Annette_Colby Annette Colby
Do you love yourself? Or, would it be closer to the truth to say that you are your own worst enemy? Self-love means to regard yourself with respect, to recognize and value yourself, and to appreciate your life.
Self-love is the process of breaking free of the need to gain others approval and instead gaining your own. It involves letting go of the paranoia of what other people think of you, or the desperate need to be liked. You see yourself as worthy of expressing your own preferences and opinions, regardless of what others think. [Read more...]
By http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Chris_King Chris King
“When you affirm your own rightness in the universe, then you co-operate with others easily and automatically as part of your own nature. You, being yourself, help others be themselves. Because you recognize your own uniqueness you will not need to dominate others, nor cringe before them.” – Scott Reed
“As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of ot [Read more...]
By http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michael_Lee Michael Lee
All of us want to experience authentic happiness. But once found, we get confused and we find ourselves troubled in holding on to such happiness. Ever met someone who lives a cheerful and marvelous life all the time? Though some fake it, others experience authentic happiness.
We ask how these people see things so sweetly that, despite of the hectic schedules and stress they experience everyday, they continue to play around and laugh at things. Now why would many people of lower status or lesser wealth be happier than those who have much more than them (in terms of tangible things)? [Read more...]
Daily Quote for Thursday, May 17, 2012 - - "Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies." - Gene Hill
Could wise and wonderful beings contact us from beyond this world and unveil our true potential? Would knowing that we really mattered enable us to uncover the truth behind our reason for living? Italian born, Gaetano Vivo, is one of Europe’s most experienced and sought after Reiki Masters, … [Read More...]
By Irene Conlan - On Friday I received this lovely note from Sibyl English. She has some wonderful things going on for women and I encourage you to visit her sites, read her magazine online, and perhaps enter her poetry contest. (Use the links below to visit her websites.) Be sure to look at her … [Read More...]
By Irene Conlan - Some books are like a wonderful fluffy dessert – they taste great and are fun to eat but offer little in the way of nutrition. The Oneness Gospel is a “meat and potatoes” book offering nourishment for both the mind and the soul. It is a book that needs to be read slowly … [Read More...]
By Irene Conlan - Mal Duane has a story to tell and tells it brilliantly in her recently released book, Alpha Chick: Five Steps for Moving from Pain to Power. Hers is not a story of a struggle from rags to riches. It is a story that reveals the deep suffering each of us can experience regardless … [Read More...]
By Irene Conlan - We had a "garage sale" yesterday. Some people call them "yard sales." We sold neither a garage nor a yard. We don't even have a garage. In some parts of the country they are "Tag sales" and I doubt if tags are sold. But you know what I'm talking about. We put out the … [Read More...]
By Irene Conlan - You've done everything you know to do. You've lost that extra 30 pounds that kept you from your "perfect size." You spent your last bit of savings getting a makeover - new hairdo/haircut, new wardrobe, ripped abs, teeth whitened. You look good and you know you look good. … [Read More...]