Encouraging Words to Improve Family Life and Build Self-Esteem

Never in the history of human procreation has parenting been easy. It comes naturally, to be sure, but juggling the needs of a family is anything but simple. Feeding, cleaning, and clothing can be stressful enough, but when you add the responsibilities of a home, a spouse, and a job, the challenge often seems overwhelming. Fortunately, the juggling act that parenting requires can call forth coping skills and creativity that we didn't know we had.

One hundred thousand years or so ago, a typical mom would be "stirring the soup with one hand and rocking the baby with the other, kicking off the woolly mastodon with one foot and rocking a cradle with the other, watching out for the return of the hunters and determining with the other on which cave wall she would paint a magical bison..." (Jean Houston). That was in the days before ballet lessons, birthday parties, soccer practice-and the demands of a job. No matter how you slice it, parenting is a lot of work.

My German immigrant parents were hard workers. Papa was a sheet metal worker whose hands were as hard as shoe leather. His life reflected his deepest belief: "Arbeit macht das Leben sess." Work makes life sweet.

My mother managed a household of eight people, which required a strict schedule. Monday was washday. She washed the clothes in the basement and then she hung them on the lines in the yard. If it rained, she had to take them down and re-hang them in the basement. Tuesday was ironing day. She could iron a shirt in three minutes flat! On Wednesday she mended clothes. On Thursday she changed bed sheets and cleaned upstairs. On Friday she cleaned the downstairs. Saturday was shopping day. She also baked bread and made soup stock for the week. On Sunday, after church, she cooked a pot roast or chicken for dinner.

But something very important was missing in our home: emotional warmth and appreciation. My parents had not received affirmation and appreciation when they were young, and they didn't know how to give it. Words of criticism slipped out of their mouths more easily than words of gratitude. Yet positive words would have added sweetness to our family life and increased everyone's self-esteem.

I remember returning home as a teacher, eager to show my mother a beautiful maternity dress I had made. Opening the door, she gave me a quick glance saying, "You have a spot on your dress." Her thoughtless criticism hurt me deeply. Sadly, because of her mindset, she missed seeing the beauty of the garment and couldn't sense my feeling of triumph. Another opportunity for mother-daughter closeness and shared joy was lost.

When people suffer "appreciation deprivation," their self-esteem sags. They may feel resentful, or they may complain about how hard they work and how ungrateful everyone is. Everyone suffers as a result of these negative feelings.
Here's the good news: Appreciation and encouragement can change the emotional climate in your home. Here are 10 words and phrases you might use:

1. "Thanks for setting the table."

2. "I'm glad you remembered to brush your teeth."

3. "I like how you share toys with your friend."

4. "I appreciate what you do."

5. "I'm glad you're my son/daughter/partner."

6. "You're fun to play with."

7. "That was a good try."

8. "You are so thoughtful!"

9. "I like the way you listen."

10. "You're terrific!"

When you look for the good stuff and comment on it, you can actually increase it! That's because, what you look for you find, and what you focus on expands. And according to brain research, emotions are contagious. Therefore, while criticism and hurtful words increase negative feelings, gratitude and kindness increase positive feelings, reduce tension, and sweeten relationships.

Instead of giving ourselves critical and unkind messages-"stinkin' thinkin'-we can use positive messages in our self-talk. Tell yourself what you would like to hear. "Good for me!" "The dinner was delicious!" "I'm a good mom/dad." You might even give yourself a pat on the back. It's also okay to ask for what you want: "I worked very hard today and would like a hug, a thank you, or, applause." Don't miss opportunities to give kind, positive messages to others. Relationships are happier when couples frequently give each other appreciation and gratitude for their contributions. Your kids will notice those positive messages and do the same, learning pro-social skills in the process.

Little changes can make a big difference. When we are gracious, we focus on what's right rather than what's wrong. We look at what we do have rather than what we don't have. When you count your blessings and sprinkle your days with appreciation, you will notice joy increasing in your family.

2008 Dr. Louise Hart is Community Psychologist, parent educator, grandmother and author of two books:

On the Wings of Self-Esteem: Jack Canfield (author of Chicken Soup for the Soul) said: "It's a wonderful book! If everyone in America read this book and did the recommended exercises, half of all the pain and suffering we now experience would disappear."

The Winning Family: Increasing Self-Esteem in Your Children and Yourself, a guide to Positive Parenting, praised by Dr. Barry Brazelton.

For more information, or to sign up for her free newsletter, visit http://www.drlouisehart.com

Make Money in Internet Marketing - Your Personal 3 Step System to Success

To make money in internet marketing you need to master a certain set of skills that will help you to succeed. As with any sales position you need to be aware of peoples needs and wants and how you can help them. Once you figure this out then your internet marketing income will grow exponentially.

There are really three things that you must have in order to succeed in internet marketing. Here they are:

1. You need a website. This should include a domain name and web hosting service. You can get this for fairly cheap, and it really is important. If you absolutely do not want to do this, then at least start a free blog at blogger or WordPress.

2. You need products to sell. The best and quickest way to make money online is with a process known as affiliate marketing. This is where you sell other peoples products and collect a commission. You avoid the headaches and expenses associated with product creation, refunds, angry customers, and things of that nature. Some good affiliate networks where you can find products for free are clickbank and commission junction.

3. You need to market these products. Marketing is my specialty, and there are dozens of ways to market your products successfully. One of my favorite methods to make money in internet marketing is with eBay classified ads. These ads are easy to write, and if you know how to do it the right way you can really get ahead of your competition quickly.

These three tips should help you to start making money in internet marketing. Once you master one or two marketing methods, then go ahead and learn some other methods!

See The Exact Methods I Use To Rake In Massive Amounts of Cash From eBay Classified Ads.

Visit http://www.marketingprimetime.com For Instant Access!

Studying Other Religions - Religious Education

I started out as a Christian and lived the first 17 years of my life as one. When I started doing a little research on Christianity, this soon led me to other religions. I started to research other religions, I soon found myself having problems with the religion of my birth, Christianity. I believe that Jesus was special and for some reason, thought that he was an only child. While reading one book, I found out he had 11 brothers and sisters. I don't know if this is true but this is what the book reported.

The stuff I had been taught in Sunday school and going to, what I would like to call adult church. Listening to the sermons and of course never reading the Bible, because my main concerns at the time were playing with my friends, sports and as I entered my teens, became extremely interested in cars. I didn't have time or a desire to verify anything that I had heard about Christianity.

I read one book and that led to others and pretty soon I was confused and chose not to be a Christian anymore, because I couldn't verify if this was a religion made by God or man. Everything I was learning pointed towards man and control and money and power. The more I learned, the more forgiveness I could have towards others who belonged to other religions throughout the world.

We all want the same thing, love, compassion and understanding. Buddhism seems to represent this the most to me and I started to study it a little more diligently. I kind of became fascinated with the Dali Lama and the country of Tibet. We tend to get caught up in stuff that sounds good and makes us feel good but often can't see the problems. This happens in our daily life with work, family and fun.

I never really fell out of favor with Buddhism but soon learned enough to save this religion wasn't exactly for me either. I like some of the principles, especially the principle of compassion which tends to drive this way of life forward.

I have studied quite a few religions and still have plenty of more to educate myself on. I understand that most people don't have the time or interest to pursue this path. That's fine, but at the same time don't make fun of these religions, if you don't know anything about them and don't tell others that your religion is right if it isn't.

If you want to read something funny and get your daily laugh in, you need to read this, it's funny Using Religion Responsibility . It's based on overindulgence.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

The Religion of Love: Love Matters Most in Our Spiritual Practice

Question:

"Is one way of chanting God's name better than another?"

Answer:

"There are not any hard and fast rules. What matters most, is not the way of chanting, nor the words in chanting, but the Love in the chanting."

What I really like about this teaching, is that it cuts out so much of the speculation and vain endeavors that the mind accompanies into spiritual life. It seems a natural tendency in the world to try to "get rich quick", or in other words, to achieve a great result with little or no effort or time. So many gimmicks are on sale in just about every aspect of life, with: cars, dieting, business, school, etc. But in this material world, "what is sold here is of little value, and is paid for at too high a price."

In spiritual life too, we might desire to seek some shortcut to enlightenment. I was myself once asked this of Mother Rytasha, when I first took to the practice, if there was a particular way, or method, or style, or trick to chanting that could help me get more results quicker... anything to help me get closer, faster, to spiritual realization. And she taught me this same answer, "It is not the way, nor the words of chanting, but the Love in the chanting," that is most pleasing to God. Taking to the spiritual practice, we are cleansing the dirt of ignorance which keeps us from experiencing our true state of eternality, bliss, and knowledge. In essence, this process is to become again the devotee, the beloved Lover of God. The goal is not to become a 'perfect chanter' - the goal is to fall 100% in Love with God! And there's no shortcut to achieving this goal, but that we wholeheartedly take to, and do, the practice! We are like gold that is buried in a mountain of dirt, and so if we want to get back to that gold we have to get our hands dirty! We just have to chant, and chant, and keep on chanting! And slowly, our dormant Love of God, and desire to serve Him, will grow and grow.

Mother Rytasha does teach that Love is also attention. So if there is anything that we could do to improve the quality of our chanting, it is to give our complete focus and attention to hearing God's Name. What we Love we give a lot of attention to, and what we give a lot of attention to, naturally we will grow to Love.

http://www.thereligionoflove.net
All quotes cited in this article are sourced from the various books of "The Religion of Love - The Teachings of Mother Rytasha."

Is Jesus The Only Way To Heaven

Growing Your Psychic Powers - Spiritual Video

Ahhhhh is the sound of God and can be used for meditation. Listen to this wonderful sound and try to find God in it.

Question Your Religion

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a religious help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Create Your Day

Am I an Emotional Vampire? How Do I Know?

We've all got a smidgen of vampire in us, especially when we're stressed. So, cut yourself a break. It's admirable to admit, "I think I'm emotionally draining people. What can I do?" Can't be free without such honesty. Then you can change. These are some common indications that you're becoming a drainer.

• People avoid you or glaze over during a conversation
• You're self-obsessed
• You're often negative
• You gossip or bad-mouth people
• You're critical, controlling
• You're in an emotional black hole, but won't get help--this strains relationships and won't free you

The solution is always to own up to where you're emotionally stuck and change the related behavior. For instance, one patient in computer graphics kept hammering his wife with a poor-me attitude about how he always got stuck with boring projects at work. Instead of trying to improve the situation, he just kvetched. She started dreading those conversations, diplomatically mentioned it to him. This motivated my patient to address the issue with his supervisor, which got him more stimulating assignments. Similarly, whenever I slip into vampire mode, I try to examine and alter my behavior or else discuss the particulars with a friend or a therapist so I can change. Don't hesitate to seek assistance when you're stumped. Also, review the types of emotional vampires listed below to make sure you're not one of them or that you don't have one in your life. If you do, then I have also given some tips on how to protect yourself from them.

TYPES OF EMOTIONAL VAMPIRES

Vampire #1: The Narcissist

Their motto is "Me first." Everything is all about them. They have a grandiose sense of self-importance and entitlement, hog attention, and crave admiration. They're dangerous because they lack empathy and have a limited capacity for unconditional love. If you don't do things their way, they become punishing, withholding, or cold.

How to Protect Your Emotions: Keep your expectations realistic. These are emotionally limited people. Try not to fall in love with one or expect them to be selfless or love without strings attached. Never make your self-worth dependent on them or confide your deepest feelings to someone who won't cherish them. To successfully communicate, the hard truth is that you must show how something will be to their benefit. Though it's better not to have to contend with this tedious ego stroking, if the relationship is unavoidable use the above strategies to achieved desired results.

Vampire #2: The Victim

These vampires grate on you with their "poor-me' attitude and are allergic to taking responsibility for their actions. The world is always against them, the reason for their unhappiness. When you offer a solution to their problems they always say, "Yes, but." You might end up screening your calls or purposely avoid them. As a friend, you may want to help but their tales of woe overwhelm you.

How to Protect Your Emotions: Set kind but firm limits. Listen briefly and tell a friend or relative, "I love you but I can only listen for a few minutes unless you want to discuss solutions. Then I'd be thrilled to brainstorm with you." With a coworker, listen briefly, sympathize by saying, "I'll keep good thought for things to work out. Then say, I hope you understand, but I'm on deadline and must go back to work. Then use "this isn't a good time" body language such as crossing your arms and breaking eye contact to help set these healthy limits.

Vampire #3: The Controller

These people obsessively try to control you and dictate what you're supposed to be and feel. They have an opinion about everything. They'll control you by invalidating your emotions if they don't fit into their rulebook. They often start sentences with "You know what you need?" and then proceed to tell you. You end up feeling dominated, demeaned, or put down.

How to Protect Your Emotions: The secret to success is never try and control a controller. Be healthily assertive, but don't tell them what to do. You can say, "I value your advice but really need to work through this myself." Be confident but don't play the victim or sweat the small stuff. Focus on high priority issues rather than on putting the cap on the toothpaste.

Vampire #4: The Splitter or Borderline Personality

Splitters see things as either good or bad and have love/hate relationships. One minute they idealize you, the next you're the enemy if you upset them. They have a sixth sense for knowing how to pit people against each another and will retaliate if they feel you have wronged them. They are people who are fundamentally damaged-inwardly they feel as if they don't exist and become alive when they get angry. They'll keep you on an emotional rollercoaster and you may walk on eggshells to avoid their anger.

How to Protect Your Emotions: Stay calm. Don't react when your buttons get pushed. Splitters feed off of anger. They respond best to structure and limit setting. If one goes into a rage, tell the person, "I'm leaving until you get calmer. Then we can talk." Refuse to take sides when he or she tries to turn you against someone else. With family members, it's best to show a united front and not let a splitter's venomous opinions poison your relationships.

Judith Orloff MD is author of the new book Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Ramdon House, 2009). Her other bestsellers are Positive Energy, Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition and energy medicine. She is featured regularly in print, broadcast and online media. Her unique and sought-after guidelines on how to recapture, nurture and affirm our energy, emotional wellness, and intuitive abilities have helped people worldwide to heal themselves. Dr. Orloff's work has been featured in O Magazine, Self, Cosmo, Reader's Digest, The Washington Times, and the New York Post. She has appeared on The Today Show, CBS Early Show, CNN, PBS, and NPR. Dr. Orloff's work is featured on Beliefnet.com, iVillage, and she is a columnist for Feminist.com, Healthy.net, and Happynews.com. Dr. Orloff is a blogger for Psychology Today. For more information go to http://www.judithorloff.com

Scientific Theories to Support Religion

Can you believe in God and scientific theories of how the universe started.

Seek the wisdom and the truth shall set you free.

Hope in Religion

Bhagavad Gita
Magic Of Believing Book

The "Make Money Online" Myth

"What's he talking about? People DO make money online!"

Of course they do. I'm not suggesting in any way that it's not possible to make money online. In fact, I've been making a decent amount of money online myself for the last 4 years, continue to do so today...and hope to continue to do so well into the future.

"So...what's your point?"

Over the past few years, with all the progress in making the internet accessible to the common man (through blogs, cheap web hosting, simple web page creation tools, social networking, etc)...internet marketing gurus have made a ton of money selling a bill-of-goods to the public. It goes something like this:

"Lost your job due to downsizing? Unhappy in your current job? Eager to make more working from home than you can make slaving 40-60 hours for "the man"?? Buy my ebook and I'll unlock the mysteries of "making money online" for you, and you'll be independent and wealthy sooner than you dreamed possible. Then you can retire, drive your new Lexus and spend your days on the beach drinking pina coladas..."

Let's face it...that doesn't sound half bad. But a lot of people have fallen for this hook, line and sinker...and there's now a huge group of people who don't talk about creating or providing products or services that actually help people. Rather, they've fallen in love with the rather generic (and lame) idea of "making money online". But...what does that really mean, anyway? Not much.

Once again, a qualification: SOME people CAN transfer the kind of work they do to an online marketplace and do quite well with that...and in fact, if you don't do it, you might well be at a competitive disadvantage. As a professional voice talent, I work for clients all over the world who find me through my web site. And, for the most part, voiceover work is one of those jobs that doesn't suffer from geographical limitations. You may be in a similar situation, and in such a case, you NEED to seriously consider your need for a web presence, and to educate yourself on issues like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to reach your potential client base.

But, that's not what I'm talking about here. The "make money online" gurus tell you that you don't have to know anything about a certain topic to use it to make money online. They'll teach you to "play the edges" via niche marketing...by creating a web site on some "hot" topic or product, loading it with ads, articles, RSS feeds and affiliate links for related products...and then dragging traffic to your site by hook or by crook: ranking well for long-tail search phrases or buying dirt-cheap ads...making your money back plus more from ad clicks or affiliate payouts once the visitors arrive and either purchase a product or leave in frustration...a system known as "arbitrage".

"Yes, I've heard most of that before. And I still don't know what your point is..."

Well, with that background set...we can finally get down to the point.

The idea of embracing hot topics or products that you don't know much about...cobbling together relevant resources, tossing up web sites or blogs and grabbing traffic wherever you can find it CAN work for awhile. But is it any kind of decent long-term strategy? Hardly. Here are the weaknesses of this as a way of "doing business":

• You're going to be chasing hot topics and shifting market trends for the rest of your business life...not building a resource with any shelf life. Translation: High burnout factor.
• The market continues to get more crowded and the sophistication level of the people doing this continues to increase...there are only so many hot topics and products around at any given time...and window for these things can come and go before you can even respond. Very few of these "niches" hang on for long. I've heard that 3 months is fairly standard.
• Google and the other search engines are getting better and better at weeding from their search results sites that offer no real added value (and, as if that's not bad enough...) they are providing faster and easier routes for your competitors to report you for being pretty worthless in a gambit to try to get you penalized.
• For the big commercial entities that already dominate these markets in the real world, there are new tools coming online that they can afford and you can't (try $6500 a pop for absolutely EXHAUSTIVE keyword research!)...and soon enough, they will absolutely OWN all those long-tail keyword breadcrumbs that you're currently using to rake in traffic. They can't afford not to. You can't count on these slumbering giants to stay clueless forever.

I realize that many people don't really care about this kind of appeal. They'll "take what they can get" now...and they figure they'll stay a few steps ahead of the game and can always make a decent living that way. That's fine.

But the point of this article is to challenge those of you who can see the logic of a good long-term strategy in building a business...who can see that there is a certain "scammy" nature to grabbing short-term profits and disappearing into the night. I'd like to propose that there's a better way:

We all have areas of knowledge and interest. We may not be top-shelf experts...but we know enough to discuss certain topics intelligently, and some of us have gifts of communication in terms of writing, speaking, translating complex topics into simpler terms, teaching, illustration, etc.

My challenge is this: Instead of falling into the "make money online" trap, why not try this?

• Sit down with a blank piece of paper and brainstorm. Take an inventory of your interests and your own personal gifting.
• Invest some or all of your energy in building valuable resources that will build an audience because you're providing something that they can't get anywhere else.
• Learn to stay current on industry news in your niche.
• Interview the thought leaders in the field.
• Create a resource directory to make searching for related online resources easier.
• Share your opinions (usually done through articles or blog posts).
• Write articles and advocate for change where needed.
• Build an audience.
• Use your audience's feedback to continually improve your product and presentation.
• Become an authority of sorts on your chosen topic.
• And use your position as a thought leader to gain additional info and bring it back to your audience.

Bottom line: ADD VALUE. STRIVE FOR UNIQUENESS.

And when you've done that...you've got something of actual value for yourself as well. People who care when you speak. A great outlet for info that your visitors will link to naturally and share with their friends. And NOW...FINALLY...you've also got yourself an opportunity to make money. And THAT'S when ads, affiliate links and the rest start to make real sense.

Summary: The "make money online" game isn't immoral or illegal...but it IS short-sighted. Most people who get involved come to that realization once they've been in it for awhile...but their response it to ratchet their efforts to a fever pitch in hopes of "making a killing" and getting out. Some succeed...but most won't. And, it's not in anyone's best interest to tell you this, because so many have a financial interest in your attention and loyalty. Not me...I'm not selling a book, or a monthly subscription service, or trying to get you to my seminar. I don't have a dog in this fight.

I do, however, have a conscience....and I think it's only fair that someone share this with you before you've sunk thousands of dollars and thousands of hours into pursuing a strategy that doesn't bode well for the long term.

Instead, consider doing something of real, long-term value. It's a win-win for you and your web site's visitors!

Chuck Brown is the father of two and husband of one and lives in the Central Ohio area. He makes his living primarily as a male voice talent. He also enjoys developing web sites on topics in which he has a personal interest, including Niagara Falls and production music.

Why Do People Go To Church

What You Can Do to Make Money Online

There are several ways to make money online and millions of people are using various methods to make a nice income from the internet. We are going to show you some methods that you can use to make money online.

Affiliate marketing

There are thousands of different companies that offer an affiliate program. Basically an affiliate is a person that promotes products of other companies and earns a commission every time he makes a sale. Let's say that you are promoting a product that costs $100 with an affiliate program that operates at a 50/50 revenue share. If you make a sale you will earn $50!

PPC companies such as Google AdSense

First of all, PPC means Pay-Per-Click. These companies will put their ads on your site and pay you every time someone clicks on them. A good well known company in this field is Google AdSense. They pay from $.01 to even $10 a click! That's right, if you carry out some good keyword research you can earn that much from just a click.

Website Flipping

If you have some knowledge on how to get traffic and how to make a good website, then website flipping can be easy money for you. Website flipping is the process of buying websites and selling them for a higher price, kind of a reseller. Professional website flippers will visit website auctions to find good websites for sale. They bargain with the current owner for a good price and buy his website.

After that, they make a good design on the website and they start to work on getting some traffic to it (traffic will increase its price). Once the website is ready, they will enlist the site in an auction for a higher price. Website auctions can be found at sedo, sitepoint, etc...

Needless to say all of these methods need traffic. Without traffic you won't generate any sales, get any clicks or sell any websites. To get traffic you can simply start to write articles and submit them to article directories. You can also submit your sites to social bookmarking sites and work on getting back links to increase your rank in search engines. Never give up and keep doing these things everyday until you start getting a nice amount of traffic. When you seize traffic to your site you can just sit back and see the money roll into your bank account.

Kezia Johnson
Now that you've got a basic understanding of how to make money online- visit me at http://www.keziajohnson.info

How Do I Know What The Universe

How To Make Money With Audio Advertising

Google Adsense has been around for a long time and most marketers old or new have used this service at one time or another. Many of us also know that to make money with Adsense you need a website that generates a decent amount of traffic because traffic increases the likelihood of clicks.

Ok, so what if there was a way for you to make money with a website without anyone having to click on anything? Recently I was introduced to a new concept in advertising and I must admit I did feel a little jolt of excitement about the possibilities of this concept.

Here is the general idea. You sign up with the ad company and you give them the URLs of the pages on your site where you intend to place their ads. They give you a snippet of code, which you place in your websites source code; this tracks your site and your ads. Then whenever some one visits your site, the ad will be played and you receive payment for the ad.

The fact that the advertisement will be played, not shown, not popped-up, not peeled away, but played will definitely increase their popularity, because the visitor does not need to take any action what so ever for you to receive payment, all it takes is for some one to visit your site and you get paid for every single visitor. These ads are 5-second audio ads that will play whenever someone visits the page on your site that you have placed the code on.

Another plus about these types of ads is that they work in a similar way to Adsense they are contextual. In other words the adverts that are played on your site will be relevant to your sites content.

A possible downside that is foreseeable is how high will these ads rate on the visitor annoyance scale. It is common knowledge that pop-ups and fly-ins are terribly annoying for most surfers (although I do get a lot of sign-ups from mine) therefore there is a possibility that the 5 second audio ads may become equally annoying over time.

However, the good news for webmasters is that because the ads are audio, they, like the peel-away ads will be far less intrusive, and 5 seconds is a very short time span, even for the most easily annoyed surfer, plus they can always turn the volume off.

It is very likely that these types of ads will become extremely popular in the months to come, the biggest selling point of all is that it is possible to make money with every single visitor to your site, instead of showing text links and hoping and wishing for your visitors to click through.

So really it comes down to a choice, either you can continue to receive money only if some one clicks your text link ads and banners or you can start getting paid for every single visitor to your site. It seems to me there is only one thing to do.

Carol King-The Home Biz Lady is a part time Internet marketer, who is dedicated to helping others and providing the best information on Internet marketing. Visit http://www.homebizblogging.com To Get Information On Pay Per Play Audio Ads.

Meeting Your Partners Parents Ti

Groups Assist the 'Make Money Online' Syndrome

William Shakespeare once wrote; "The world is a stage on which everyone is a player" ... and in Network Marketing, each player must play his/her part. To make money on the internet, working from home, you need to find the players that play their parts.

Making money online is much easier when everyone is part of the performance...

Groups play a large part in forming such an association. A Yahoo group is easy to form and allows communication to flow freely amongst the members. Keeping everyone informed of latest developments and ideas, is easily done through groups.

To truely realise the "make money at home" principle, you have to communicate and allow people to interact with each other. Team players are known to be more likely to make money online, than their individual opposites. Many minds are greater than one.

Groups are a think tank of ideas that can transform an individuals personal performance by injecting new ideas and methods into their flagging marketing strategies. To make money online, you sometimes need the sort of push that a Group can give you.

While some groups live a short life, many have been around for over 6 years or more and still give that sort of unconditional support that a new person needs, to make money on the internet. Failure rates are lower when a group is active and being led by motivational methods. The Group structure produces loyalty and belief to many people.

Anyone who is serious about learning how to make money online, should ask if there is a support group available within the business and then check it out, to see how active the group is, by looking at the mailing figures. Most groups record the number of posts made in any particular month. 78 or more would indicate some moderate activity.

Belonging to a number of groups is also a great way of relationship marketing. Joining groups that are aligned to your own personal interests, often foster a great number of business associates. Those are the sort people who are most likely to play their part.

Always remember that to make money on the internet, you have to socialise and be online on a consistent basis. Plugging people into an online group will also help you in your quest to make money online.

Michael A Fowler, M.B.A. is the editor of the Internet's premier work at home resource: Work from Home Journal.
An Online Trainer, Mentor and Coach, Michael has been helping people to succeed online since 1998.
http://www.the-mba-way.com | Goldcard43@aol.com

One Step Away From Success

Creating Your 2009 Affirmations

Remember this summer when there was rumbling of bad economic news? And the bad news noise just started growing louder and louder. The economy went from bad to worse with store closings, outrageous fuel prices and banks tightening their credit lines.

And to make matters worse even Mother Nature got in on the act with that little storm (Hurricane Ike) reeking havoc with downed trees, power outages, fuel / food shortages and massive destruction to the Gulf Coast.

It got REAL PERSONAL for me when suddenly I didn't have power to run my computer and Internet based business.

I could go on and on, and you would probably relate... but here's my point.

Even during this downturn in the economy - guess what? My business has thrived. WHAT? Even with the power off? That can't be true. OH YES!

Since the hurricane in September, my sales have tripled, new business opportunities have opened up and I am busier than ever in all facets of my business. In addition I am spending more time with family and friends as I manage a balance in my life of work, family and play. Even my husband's greeting card business took off. How could this be?

What happened? What caused this shift? How could my business be defying the odds?

I made one of the most important business decisions ever, and it paid off.I decided not to be a frog in a pot. What?

I am sure you have heard the story about if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it jumps out but... if you put a frog in a pot of cool water and turn up the heat, the frog becomes accustomed to the temperature, stays in the pot and COOKS!

So what did I do? I started paying attention to my most important real estate - that area between my ears, yes my noggin.

Using some simple yet powerful techniques I invested minutes each day into turning dreams into my own voice. Using my own voice i have taken action in conscious and unconscious ways to turn my business around. And the cool part is, it just keeps getting better and better.

Do affirmations work? They work for me.

Design2Train, a SBA 8a certified company, was founded by Karen Miller in 2001. Karen is an award-winning instructional designer with over 20+ years of training development experience. Receive a gift from Karen to start your new year off the right way. Visit: http://www.my2009affirmations.com

Learning From The Masters

Business Secret - Why Saying Positive Affirmations Can Be a Business Liability

Ever wonder what's wrong with the touchy-feely advice that's so popular now-a-days telling people to stay positive, say affirmations, and just think good thoughts?

Ever wonder why people aren't seeing much success by doing these things?

Answer: Because they are using positive affirmations incorrectly.

Three Guidelines for using Positive Affirmations Correctly

1. Stop looking for the one thing that will make the difference.

Positive affirmations are like the chocolate chips in a delicious chocolate chip cookie. If I asked you what made your chocolate chips cookies taste so good and you said, "Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips are the key," I would say, "ah-ha" and run right out and purchase those specific chips thinking they would be what I needed to make a delicious chocolate chip cookie.

This is one of the things people are doing wrong with affirmations. They are looking for the one thing that will make the difference to their business success. And by doing so, they focus on the one to the exclusion of the all.

2. Don't be so far out with your affirmations.

The mind does not value what it hasn't invested in. Said another way, the mind does not invest in what it does not know. One of the common mistakes of saying positive affirmations is intending them too far ahead of your current business situation. Repeating, "I own a million-dollar business" isn't likely to create that business for you when you are barely making a profit. The difference between what the mind currently sees and the intended affirmation is just too great.

Instead, focus your intentions no farther than your mind registers as attainable. Next, align your actions with the fulfillment of your vision and add positive affirmations in support of that direction. Then, your mind will register that as attainable and invest in it as known.

3. Be on the look out for hidden hope.

Hope is just a nice way of saying that you're not sure something is going to happen, but you sure wish is would. Affirmations that hold the energy of hope are really negative affirmations in disguise. Hope is not the same as knowing, without a doubt, that what you intend is going to happen. Fervently repeating affirmations that hold the energy of hidden hope will not help bring what you intend any closer, any sooner.

There isn't much margin for hope when planning a business formula for success. Running a business takes a lot of thoughtful, consideration. It involves some very concrete, left-brain thinking. It also requires the ability to envision the kind of success you want for your business. That's where positive affirmations can come in. Done correctly, positive affirmations can be a valuable ingredient for your business success. By following the guidelines, you'll soon be on you way to using affirmations correctly and turning them from a business liability into a business asset.

Interested in learning more about how important passion and conviction are to your business success, and a sure-fire way to discover what your one main passion is? Then get instant access to your own free PDF copy of "Doing What You Love: Multiple Streams of Passion" at http://www.SuccessfulSmallBizOwners.com

Fighting In Gods Name

Psalms For Prosperity

The psalms of the Bible are a literary treasure chest of prayers for prosperity. Below is a list of which psalms to recite for common financial requests. In some Catholic and Santeria traditions, you say the prayer or write the prayer out after lighting a candle. You may also recite the prayer as many times as you want to transform it into a kind of a mantra.

Psalm 1: To disarm office gossips, discourage those who would harm your reputation

Psalm 3: To conquer fear of poverty

Psalm 5: To ask for a special financial favor

Psalm 6: To ask for mercy from creditors

Psalm 7: To ask that blocks to progress be removed

Psalm 8: To improve confidence, to bring customers to a business

Psalm 10: For encouragement, self-confidence and stamina

Psalm 11: For mercy, tenderness and compassion, to triumph over enemies when backed into a tough corner

Psalm 12: To over come gossip, bad rumors or attacks on reputation, to overcome anxiety

Psalm 13: To overcome anxiety, when backed into a corner

Psalm 14: To renew faith that the universe is unfolding as it should

Psalm 18: For protection of the home, deliverance from enemies

Psalm 19: To receive daily blessings, increase faith in the idea that the universe has a supply for every demand

Psalm 20: For a favorable verdict in court

Psalm 21: To increase one's spiritual vibration to invite prosperity into one's life.

Psalm 22: For deliverance from difficult financial situations, when you feel hopeless or backed into a corner

Psalm 23: For serenity, peace of mind and stillness of the spirit, to help access the higher self

Psalm 24: To calm disturbed thoughts, anxiety and still the subconscious and the spirit, relieve fears of the future

Psalm 25: For inspiration, to access the higher self

Psalm 26: For success in financial matters, to gain confidence

Psalm 28: To disarm adversaries, make peace with an enemy, invoke tenderness, mercy and kindness

Psalm 29: To raise your vibration, to purify the home

Psalm 30: For patience and acceptance of divine will, to understand that time brings what we need when appropriate, as a thank you for many blessings

Psalm 33: When feeling fearful

Psalm 35: For victory in a court case

Psalm 36: For when you feel cursed and for protection against the evil eye, to receive divine blessings

Psalm 37: To overcome jealousy, envy, resentment and disappointment, to become serene and still

Psalm 38: For protection in court

Psalm 39: For the courage to confront any problem, to conquer fear

Psalm 40: For the reinforcement of faith in God, to still the mind when you are feeling frustrated

Psalm 41: When feeling depressed or betrayed

Psalm 42: To reinforce the connection between your personality and the higher self; to open channels of opportunity

Psalm 43: For mercy when you find yourself in an unjust situation

Psalm 44: For mercy when you find yourself in an intolerable or unjust situation; to strengthen faith in God

Psalm 45: To increase one's faith in the power of the subconscious to follow your stated words

Psalm 46: To elevate enthusiasm for spiritual matter, increase one's faith in the guidance of the higher self

Psalm 47: To reinforce the four cornerstones of prosperity: health, freedom, happiness and love.

Psalm 48: To become a "smile millionaire", reinforce happiness and faith

Psalm 49: To overcome envy of the prosperity of others

Psalm 50: To reinforce the idea that the universe is benevolent and that all is unfolding as it should

Psalm 51: To quell feelings of guilt or self-criticism

Psalm 52: To correct an unjust situation

Psalms 53: To conquer skepticism and restore faith in the higher self and God

Psalm 54: To master doubts and negative thoughts

Psalm 55: To conquer anxiety and fear

Psalm 57: For when justice, compassion, kindness, tenderness or mercy is needed

Psalm 60: To put the past behind you, for a clean slate in the subconscious

Psalm 61: For help in finding a new home, when in trouble with creditors

Psalm 62: To reinforce faith in the higher self and strengthen spiritual values

Psalm 63: For anxiety, fear and discouragement

Psalm 64: To increase confidence, decrease fears of hidden enemies, to ask to be in the right place at the right time

Psalm 65: To give thanks for blessings that have been received

Psalm 66: To give thanks for an answered prayer and display an attitude of gratitude

Psalm 67: To give thanks for what one has, to eliminate discontent

Psalm 69: For deliverance in times of suffering

Psalm 70: To repel negative thoughts and attitudes of others

Psalm 71: For liberation from limiting thoughts or situations that seem like a trap, for confidence and persistence

Psalm 72: To improve financial conditions in general

Psalm 73: To eliminate those feelings and emotions such as anger, jealousy and resentment that take away our opportunities for our own enrichment and good

Psalm 74: To attract good fortune and repel enemies

Psalm 75: To encourage a job promotion or a hiring

Psalm 76: Traditionally, for luck winning the lottery or luck at gambling

Psalm 77: To restore lost faith in yourself and God

Psalm 78: To tune into the higher self and the resources of the Divine Imagination'

Psalm 81: To increase faith in the goodness of God, faith in the higher self and that we live in a universe filled with endless supply

Psalm 82: To eliminate fear of poverty and injustice; to help get organized and make a "to do" list

Psalm 84: To develop a more optimistic view of the future and attract prosperity

Psalm 85: To find inner stillness, serenity and peace with God

Psalm 86: When feeling despair or discouraged

Psalm 87: To promote chances for success in the arts; to be read out loud before an audition, interview, exhibition or a pitching session

Psalm 89: To ease all pain and suffering, including that of a financial nature

Psalm 90: To express thanks for the blessings received each day, for justice

Psalm 95: To remove prosperity blocks, to be inspired to follow the path that is for your highest good

Psalm 96: To strengthen wavering faith in the face of opposition to your plans

Psalm 97: To resolve problems with creditors

Psalm 98: To keep a joyful heart and an attitude of gratitude for what you do have

Psalm 99: For mercy in legal proceedings

Psalm 100: To repel negative energy and harmful influences

Psalm 101: To get off a treadmill or break bad habits such as overspending

Psalm 102: To receive an answer to a specific problem

Psalm 103: To engage one's willingness to change for the better, for stillness and serenity and grace

Psalm 105: For forgetting and forgiving oneself for the mistakes of the past, for clearing the subconscious so you can have a clean slate

Psalm 106: For trust in the higher self and renewed optimism for the future

Psalm 107: As thanks for receiving deliverance from a hopeless situation, to break bad personal habits that affect prosperity (laziness, drunkenness, overspending)

Psalm 108: For success in business.

Psalm 111: To find the right job or career path

Psalm 112: To enlarge one's perspective, see the big picture and to allow one to grasp the significance of all their options

Psalm 113: To receive honors, applause, awards, rewards or accolades

Psalm 115: To resist naysayers and uncooperative people, for success in business

Psalm 116: To maintain a daily attitude of gratitude

Psalm 117: To conquer self-pity

Psalm 118: When problems are overwhelming, as a prayer of thanksgiving for blessings received

Psalm 119: (Gambol: Verses 17 to 24) To attract money

Psalm 122: To prosper in business

Psalm 123: To assure the free circulation of kindness as energy in your life

Psalm 126: To understand that problems are temporary and that this too shall pass

Psalm 128: To have a happy and peaceful home

Psalm 129: For deliverance against financial oppression

Psalm 131: To cast off pride, which is thought to attract the evil eye, jealousy and misfortune

Psalm 132: To acquire material goods and property

Psalm 135: To strengthen the heart and will so that one is led to their highest aspirations in life

Psalm 138: For confidence in times when you feel overwhelmed, to lose fear and anxiety about the future

Psalm 139: To instill confidence in God and the Divine Plan that is in store for you, when feeling lost confused or sad

Psalm 141: To receive answers for specific financial requests, for confidence and peace of mind

Psalm 143: To restore faith in your path and renew confidence that there will be a joyful, hopeful tomorrow

Psalm 144: To express gratitude and thanks for blessings

Psalm 145: For when you feel overwhelmed by financial problems and need answers

Psalm 147: For a peaceful heart and serenity during times of conflict and turmoil

Psalm 149: To help understand the timing of divine providence and to understand that there is a supply for every demand

Psalm 150: To obtain blessings and express gratitude for blessings

A simple prayer:

"Dear Lord guide me to honor you with my talents and treasures. Amen."

Samantha Steven's articles have been published in many high-standing newspapers and she has published several books. If you wish to buy Samantha's books about metaphysics click here http://www.insomniacpress.com/author.php?id=110 You can meet Samantha Stevens at http://www.psychicrealm.com where she works as a professional psychic. You can also read more of her articles at http://www.newagenotebook.com

Choices We Make In Life

Response - Ability Divine Source

The time has come for the mass population on Earth to respond with each of your Divine ability to connect to your Higher Self, God, Holy Spirit, or whatever name you may give to your Highest and purest Spiritual connection to All That Is in the universe.

This is the I AM Presence within you. This is your time to utilize your abilities to seek answers for yourself, and learn how to receive Divine Truth in your life on every level of your life.

There are many guides and teachers both in this world of physical form, as well as in the Higher realms that are all here to assist you to reach the state of personal awakening to the point where you experience this wisdom as a part of your everyday experience, rather than an occasional glimpse of knowing or higher understanding gained from connection to Divine Source so that you may experience this connection during every waking moment of your life.

Divine Truth will always be given to you, and yet it may be difficult to follow as you shed old patterns that no longer serve your highest good in order to embrace new ones that will take you far above what many of you have experienced in this lifetime in your own personal awakening.

Each of you has the same ability that others who have a clear and pure connection to Divine Source has, it is only a matter of practice.

Your sixth sense is your highest sense of all, and it is time in your evolutionary growth that you fully activated it.

Some of you are the way showers. Some of you have become awakened and illuminate the path for others who are first beginning to glimpse their grand spiritual awakening on the personal level.

Some of you may look at these words and wonder what all of this means. That is all right. Each of you knows your place, each of you knows that you are a far greater part of the tapestry of humanity than you may realize.

Remain humble, regardless of where you are on this path to personal awakening.

Have patience for others when they do not understand for this is what God has for you pure unconditional love and patience. So please activate your God-nature so that you can also have pure unconditional love and patience for yourself.

Your time is precious. Your deeds can be turned to the Light once you decide to act out of love, rather than any negative emotions.

The only motive that will ever serve you is love and when this is carried out in your actions, this will return to you multiplied many times more than you can count. Please release all judgment. Please see that each spiritual being is growing at his or her own rate, and please seek to communicate with me when you wish to receive clarity and understanding, guidance and direction. That is what I am here for God is in you working through you living as you, so I ask you only one thing to do unto others as you would have them do unto you and to please release all blame.

Each being is blameless. Your responsibility is a response to your abilities that some of you are just beginning to tap and that is your ability to connect to and receive the guidance of Divine Source at any moment you wish to. All you ever need to do is ask and my response will be to show you that you, just like many ascended masters, carry this same ability within the depths of your being.

Enjoy this journey of awakening. You are as rare as an individual star in the heavens, and your light is needed as much as light is needed upon the Earth.

Be Well.

Barbara Rose, most widely known as Born To Inspire is an internationally recognized expert in the field of personal transformation and spiritual/human potential. A pioneering force in incorporating Higher Self Communication the study and integration of humanitys God-Nature into modern personal growth and spiritual evolution. A #1 relationship best-selling author of Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE, Barbaras other highly acclaimed books include, If God Was Like Man, and Individual Power: Reclaiming Your Core, Your Truth and Your Life. Her public speaking events, tele-seminars, webcasts, articles and private intensives have transformed the lives of thousands across the globe. Barbara is known for providing life-changing answers, practical coaching and deep spiritual wisdom to people worldwide. She is the founder of Institute of Higher Self Communication, inspire! Magazine, Rose Humanitarian Alliance, and The Rose Group. Barbara works with spiritual leaders to uplift the spiritual consciousness of humanity. http://www.borntoinspire.com

Dale Carnegie

Finding Your Optimum Spiritual Self in Recovery

How can we find our optimum spiritual self in recovery?

The answer to that is a process that unfolds before us over a period of years or even decades. Why is it like this? Because everything in recovery is essentially a process. Take, for example, the process of surrender when an addict or alcoholic is first coming to terms with their problem and decides to ask for help. For most people, this moment of surrender is not an event, but instead it takes years and years of fighting and struggling with addiction--desperately trying to control their drinking and drug use--before they can finally admit to their problem and take steps towards a healthier life.

Finding our best spiritual self in recovery is no different. This journey is a process just like everything else, and it can take quite a long time for us to seek out our highest spiritual self. The reason for this is mostly because we block ourselves from achieving such a state of spirituality. All of the great spiritual teachers and leaders have essentially said as much--that the answers are within us all if we just take the time to seek them out and practice some simple gratitude in the stillness and quietness of our lives.

One big problem that many recovering addicts and alcoholics have is that their minds are filled with dogma and limiting beliefs that have possibly carried over from their childhood. These might be mental blocks, such as believing that only religious people are spiritual, or that the only way to connect with a higher power is in church. Spirituality is much broader than that and goes outside the boundaries of what other people think and believe. True spirituality is derived from your own personal quest for knowledge and inner peace; it has little to do with what is in books or what a religious figure might tell you.

Another major problem that people have is that they do not give themselves enough credit for their own spiritual progress. We have hectic lives and do the best that we can in recovery, so why beat ourselves up for not meditating for 8 hours each day? Sometimes we have to take peace and serenity when we get it, and be grateful for it as it comes to us. This is the secret of gratitude and in finding your optimum inner self. Celebrate those inspiring spiritual moments and focus on them and recognize them for the gifts that they are. Do not disregard your own spiritual growth just because you are not walking on water or claiming complete peace and serenity during every waking moment. Finding our optimum spiritual self in recovery is about finding peace among the chaos that will inevitably come with your normal, everyday life.

Finding your spiritual self is a natural function of living the creative theory of recovery, as spirituality is the "glue" that holds the creative life together. Pursue the creative life in recovery and your spiritual self will naturally fall into place as you practice the spiritual principles that drive a successful recovery.

And now I invite you to learn more about finding your spiritual self Visit http://www.spiritualriver.com/

Crisis In Christianity

Three Popular Meditation Techniques

In this world we live in, chaos and disorder are parts of our daily lives. All of us are so very busy that we seldom find time for ourselves, let alone for our spiritual enlightenment. Meditation is like a breath of fresh air in this world of ours.

Day by day, people are realizing the benefits of this activity which are enormous, to say the least. There are millions of individuals in the Western world who have received a new lease of life after meditation came into their lives. The different techniques for it have helped individuals get in touch with their inner beings and attain spiritual peace.

The actual art goes back to Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The long and rich history will tell you that thousands of years ago, this was a technique practiced by nearly everyone in order to attain spiritual and psychological well being. Although the activity has definite religious or ritualistic roots, it has evolved into something that can be practiced by anyone, irrespective of religious affiliations. In fact, one can even say that meditation has attained the status of a secular practice with the object of ensuring general well being of individuals.

There are numerous meditation techniques that can be used in combination or independently in order to ensure your overall well being. And while there are many, some of the most popular ones are:

1. The first technique is that of mindfulness. In this technique, you have to keep your mind open. However, the present circumstances and thoughts have to serve as the anchor in your meditation. Things or thoughts, in this state of meditation, have to merely fleet in and fleet out of your mind, regardless of any kind of analysis.

2. Another kind of meditation that is very popular is the concentrative form. This technique is more popular in various kinds of religious practices. In this kind of meditation, you have to erase all kinds of thoughts from your mind. The focus must be on a specific object during this meditation. You have to concentrate on the one thing, and forget about the existence of all else around you.

3. The third technique is combined where you merge the two techniques mentioned above. This technique requires practice and it helps you be more aware of the energies in your own body.

One of the basic things about all kinds of meditation is introspection. You have to meditate amidst quiet surroundings with your inner being at peace with everything. The action brings inner peace and relaxation for everyone. That is one reason why it is being used in relaxation training or for treating stress related disorders. More and more psychologists are learning the new wonders of meditation in the field of healing. Thus, more doctors nowadays are falling back on meditative techniques to ensure the well being of their patients.

Meditation also helps in curing many diseases, including heart diseases. Since meditation makes your mind relaxed and fills your body with a sense of well being from deep within, it has certain healing powers.

Go for meditation and get a new lease of life. Experience life at its fullest and learn about the wonders of meditation through these meditative techniques.

Here's an excellent way to start enjoying the benefits of meditation today. The Deep Zen audio program is easy for anyone wanting to learn how to meditate - offering a free demo, and helps advanced meditators achieve deeper levels of meditation too. Try another free demo here: Totally Tranquil

Use Religion Responsibly - Spiritual Humor

Well you probably heard of the problems that some people get into when they drink a little too much and start to drive their cars. This is known as drinking and driving irresponsibly and can be hazardous to your health but more hazardous to your pocketbook. Overdosing on drugs, spending too much money shopping, gambling excessively and last but not least, spending too much time at your place of worship can be hazardous to others. Over time, our loved ones seem to suffer the most from our excesses.

I suggest most people use religion responsibly and try not to overindulge in the excesses of your spiritual practice. Like an alcoholic drinking until they feel good, only to wake up feeling bad the next morning. And then starting the process all over the next day.

Now for the big question, "Are You a Religiousoholic?" Do you spend too much time at church? Do you surround yourself exclusively with people that share your same religious beliefs?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, there's a good chance you're a religiousoholic. Like alcoholics and drug addicts, there is help for you, once you've identified your problem, we can help. We call it our 5 step program. Alcoholics Anonymous has a 12 step program for recovery but we have eliminated a couple and rearranged others in hopes for a faster recovery.

Religionolism is no laughing matter and should be handled with the utmost delicacy. Start with the first step and work your way down the list and within a short period of time you should find yourself free from the religious tyranny of your institutionalized religion.

Step 1. The biggest problem you're going to happen during your recovery will be the temptation from religious followers, wanting you to come back. Like a drug addict, saying no to drugs,it's hard, you're going to have to be strong here. Learn to say no to organized religion and yes to religious freedom.

Step 2. Instead of reading Scripture, start reading about other religions around the world. You will find some weird things and new ideas, but the bottom line here is that you'll be able to see some similarities, and silliness between the religions.

Step 3. You can still spend time praying, just spend more time praying about how grateful you are, instead of praying for something you want, start spending a little more time thanking God for the things in your lives that you already have. I have spent a lot of time praying for things I never got. When I stopped praying for the things, I thought I needed, I started getting the things I really needed.

Step 4. Start spending a little more time believing in yourself, some religions seem to give all the glory and credit to their gods and very little to the people that are actually making the sacrifices. I have also noticed that when something goes wrong, some religious followers tend to punish themselves and it just doesn't seem fair. God gets all the credit when things are good and you blame yourself when things go wrong.

Step 5. Start showing a little more compassion towards people who don't think the same as you do or believe in your religion. Love and compassion are the true acts of a religious believer. I believe you'll find that in every religious scripture... somewhere.

Sometimes we get a little carried away in our beliefs and tend to beat up other people who don't share them with us. If you're part of a religion who discriminates, shows intolerance, bigotry or prejudice to other nonbelievers, maybe this isn't the religion you think it should be.

Dalai Lama - "All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness, the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives."

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. If we could communicate better and understand different religious philosophy and cultures.

Just how big of a deal is Money Organized Religion. Your money is used for various things and some of them, you might not really want to spend the money on. Something to think about.

If you want to read something funny and get your daily laugh in, you need to read this, it's funny Using Religion Responsibility. It's based on overindulgence.

3 Steps to Make Your Dreams a Reality - Make Your Dreams Come True

I am in the process of looking for a house. How exciting, how exhilarating, how exasperating-depending on what I choose it to be. Making such a large purchase and significant decision in my life brings up an old story-the one I tell myself about not deserving or being able to afford what I really want. When I found myself saying to a stranger in the grocery store, "This is where I want to live, but I can't really afford it," I realized I needed to change my story.

The story you choose to tell, whether it is about buying a house, starting a new relationship, having a child-or whatever dreams or goals you're working toward-is true, because you make it true at some level of consciousness. We initially create our stories because we think they will protect us, but in the end they merely limit us, keeping us stuck. How empowering it is to know that our thoughts (stories) create our reality and we get to choose them!

Here are three steps to help you choose your new story:

Visualize it.
In your mind's eye, see exactly what you want and be very specific about what it looks like, feels like, even smells like. My perfect house is a bright, open, historically restored bungalow centrally located with a fenced backyard and walking distance to a park and coffee shop.

Tell it.
You anchor your new story by telling as many people as possible, with at least one new person every day. With each person I tell about my perfect house, I get clearer, so I will recognize it when I see it.

Act on it.
The first two steps are lost if you don't take action. I look for homes in neighborhoods I want to live in. I preview homes that meet my specifications and price range.

Keep visualizing your new story, telling it as many times as possible in a day, and then take action-even just a small step-to start making it a real part of you, ingrained at your very cellular level.

What do you want to change your current story about? Is it a relationship, your financial situation, job, or health and fitness? Follow these steps and let me know how it changes your life when you change your story. And I'll let you know when I move into my perfect house.

Diane Sieg is a sought after keynote speaker and wellness author, who has spoken to thousands of men and women in health care, sales, and education. Diane empowers people to breakthrough and take care of themselves before they break down.

Creating and Using a Victory Journal

During an interview with Sandi Givens, the discussion lead to how women sometimes have a difficult time disassociating themselves from the things that they do. In other words, when a woman presents an idea to someone, and the idea is rejected or she's told it's not a very good idea; many women find it difficult to remember that it was the idea itself that was rejected and not the "woman". In other words, women become so closely attached to their ideas and the work that they do, that if something they've brought up is put down, it's often seen by the woman as a put down or reflection of themselves.

In order to help encourage "disassociation" between yourself and your work; or between yourself and your ideas; Sandi recommends creating and using a victory journal. You should purchase a nice notebook or blank journal - the nicer the better because you want to look forward to holding it in your hands and writing and reading from it!

On the very front page of your journal, the "cover page", you'll want to nicely write "Victory Journal". You could handwrite it, or you could make it fancier and use scrapbooking supplies or stickers. Whatever makes you feel good when you look at it.

In this "Victory Journal", you are going to write down your victories, wins, successes of each day. Do not ever write something and belittle it; in other words- don't say "I just had a good meeting today". The word "just" dismisses the victory and that is what we are attempting to overcome with a victory journal.

The other important thing to remember when writing in your victory journal, is your victories do not have to be earth shattering. In fact, it's about all the little things that make up your day that are considered successful. You could write that you met a deadline. You could include that you got your little ones off to school on time and without complications or arguments.

If you're not a big writer, there is no reason to write long winded explanations or anything. A victory journal is actually just as effective if you write your successes and wins for each day in a bulleted list - just short phrases that tell you what the success was.

When someone rejects a proposal or idea that you have come up with, you will immediately pull out your victory journal and read some of the successes you've had. You'll be able to see that you are not your idea; that the idea is not you - and that you have so many victories and successes that having one rejection cannot dismiss all of that goodness about you.

Janet Beckers is the host and founder of Wonderful Web Women
An award winning on-line community recognized for generous and honest marketing advice for women on the internet
To learn from the most successful women on the internet through live webinars, masterminds and forums absolutely free, visit http://www.WonderfulWebWomen.com and join today

Growing Up Around Christians - Rethinking Organized Religion

I was born in the 1960s and raised in Southern California, United States of America. During that period of time, and in the area I was raised, there was basically one religion that dominated every aspect of mine and my friends lives. That religion was Christianity. When I was in elementary school, I knew one Jewish boy and he looked different than the Christians and even talk different. He was very smart and spent a lot of his time reading, instead of playing at recess.

There were no Muslims or Hindus and it was a predominantly white environment. The first black students I seen was when I entered the eighth grade and by the time I finished high school, I could count all of the black students I had met on both of my hands. So now you have a pretty good idea of my life, living in a white neighborhood that was 90% Christian.

As you can guessed it, I was raised a Christian, but not a regular Christian, I was a Methodist and proud of it, until my parents got tired of the church elders asking for money or if my father could help build the new church. My father explained to them, that he needed to work to support his family and could only contribute, what ever he could to the church and no more. They were very unhappy and made it uncomfortable for us to go to the church anymore.

Hard to imagine, isn't it. Christians asking for money and then when they don't receive it, getting mad at one of their brethren.

Well it was time to switch churches and we are now going to the Crystal Cathedral Church in Garden Grove California. These people had everything and it was a large church. This was before they built the massive glass structure that is presently the church sanctuary. I enjoy going to this church, because we didn't have to go to Sunday school and got to sit with the adults to worship.

By the time I was 15, neither one of my parents were going to church anymore and my life didn't seem to change that much, even though I prayed every night with my brother. Maybe that was it, I didn't have to go to church as long as I prayed every night... By the time I was 18 years old, I was more confused about organized religion than ever before and this included Christianity.

How can someone kill in the name of God? The Muslims were doing it, the Christians were doing it, the Muslims were fighting the Hindus in India and it all seemed normal. It didn't seem normal to me, when I was supposed to love my neighbor and live a life like Christ who never seemed to start fights or even get mad. Maybe a couple of times, over some money, in the Temple.

I have chosen not to be a part of organized religion. I'd figured out that most of our religious beliefs came from our upbringing. This seems to have brainwashed us into believing we are better because were right and know for a fact, that we have chosen to belong to the right religion. What if were not right?

I want to ask you a question, do you think that other religions are wrong and yours is right? If you really spend some time and think about this, you will see, that your religion is not that different than someone else's and neither was their upbringing. Most religious followers, belonged to the religion of their childhood.

Who Is Jesus?

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Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a spiritual videos filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

Create Through the Imagination

I invite you to come on a journey into your imagination to create a positive dream for your life.

I would like to take you on a creative journey into the imagination. Let your awareness settle down and become quite. Think of your favourite place, where you feel safe and secure. I am going to use the example of a log cabin, which I have visited on many occasions.

In your minds eye start to create the image of this friendly place, which can be either real or imaginary, it does not matter for this exercise. Use all your senses to create the image; smell the damp woods that surround the log cabin, hear the lapping of the waves on the lake outside the front door. Feel the warmth from the wood burning stove and taste the saliva in your mouth in anticipation of the lovely meal, which is cooking on the stove. See the lovely scene in front of you: a log cabin full of your favourite things, the lake surrounded by forests with snow-capped mountains in the distance.

This is a very peaceful place, a place that you come to create and plan. Sit down in the rocking chair on the porch and take your awareness within.

Allow your awareness to dream of anything that feels it will bring great joy and happiness to you. This is a place where everything is possible, there is truly no restrictions, use your powers of visualisation to create a picture in your mind of you following your dream.

This may be a new dream or one you have had all your life. Give yourself the freedom to dream it now in this safe place; it will be different for each one of you. This is a very personal create experience.

Use all your senses and run the creative process like watching a movie, see yourself in the movie playing the lead role. If you like, close your eyes for a few minutes and watch your dream unfold enjoy the experience and bring in all the resources and friends you need to help you with this project. Experience it on all the levels of your feeling.

If at any time you feel a lack or a feeling of fear, allow your awareness to rest on your breathing and take a few seconds just being conscious of the breath as it enters and leaves your body.

Know that you can come to this place whenever you like. You can create in perfect freedom without restriction or limitation. Just give yourself the freedom to dream consciously using the imagination and visualisation.

Then when you are happy with your creation, allow it to melt into the silence of this place, release the dream completely and rest in the rocking chair. After a little while slowly open your eyes and become aware of the log cabin again and the beautiful seen in front of you. Slowly rise out of the rocking chair and start to walk back to the here and now.

Become aware of your normal surroundings and reconnect with your daily activity.

You can return to this place and dream whenever you want just by using your imagination. Have awareness in your daily activity of any opportunities that may come up to help you come nearer to realising your dream.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me into the realms of imagination and the creative process of visualisation.

Message channelled by George Lockett (C) Copyright 2006, All Rights Reserved.

* New book * "A Journey into the Self -- the multi-dimensional nature of being human": HealerGeorge Web Site and New Book

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Read HealerGeorges Blog: Curezone Blog or ask at question at: Ask HealerGeorge

Stress Management and the Ego

Here's how to do it. We can observe ourselves. There are ancient meditation practices based on simple self observation.

We take a moment and just notice ourselves. This can be done by noticing the feelings in our bodies. Notice our breathing. Notice the inhale and exhale. You can do this as a regular practice as a powerful stress management technique. You can get fast relief when you find yourself in stressful situations.

If you wish, you can listen to a free audio meditation on self observation. This will help you get started. After you've used the audio for a while, you can practice self observation on your own.

What does this have to do with the ego? When we observe "our self" we are usually observing the ego. This observation tends to help us realize that we are not really the ego. This is a very powerful step in stress management. It skyrockets the way we experience life.

You can practice this throughout the day. You might decide to walk very slowly and observing yourself when you're walking. This greatly increases your awareness and brings you into the Now.

Over time this can be amazingly relaxing practice of stress management. It brings amazing relief. You'll get more insights about life. You can step out of life's challenges. You can return to the challenges with a refreshed and relaxed state of mind.

Copyright 2006 by Jim Kitzmiller

Jim Kitzmiller is the author of Rocket Fuel for the Soul -- Blissercise Self-Help Manual. The book's bliss exercises (blissercises) surpass usual positive thinking approaches by bypassing the logical mind. The blissercises cover 46 different areas of life.

Jim leads self-help workshops and does spiritual coaching.

Mark Twain's View on Christianity - Changing Christian Thinking

There is a popular saying from Mark Twain about Christianity. Mark Twain - "If Christ Were Here Now, There Is One Thing He Would Not Be, a Christian."

Giving this some thought and looking around at the people that view themselves as Christians got me to thinking. Do you think, if Mark Twain were alive today, he would have the same view towards Christians and Christianity as a whole? I wonder if Christ's vision of a better world or society is what's going on today. I read somewhere, where this over 33,000 different types of Christian religions, is this what Jesus had in mind over 2000 years ago.

I don't think Mark Twain was referring to Jesus as being a bad person and Christians not wanting to associate with him. I believe it's the other way around, Jesus was an exceptional person and believed in living a life as an example towards others with kindness, forgiveness and love.

Sometimes Christians get a little carried away when they start talking about loving their neighbors like they would themselves or asking for forgiveness while choosing not to forgive others. It's hard to imagine what Jesus would actually think of modern day Christians or even what he would think about Christianity over a hundred years ago.

I wonder what Jesus would have thought a thousand years ago about Christians. Mark Twain brings up a very good point, if Christ was here today, would he be happy. If you're living a life as a Christian and following in the footsteps of Jesus, you should be proud of yourself. If not, maybe you should start thinking about changing your ways.

If you are following the path of Christ, are you following a path that has been changed and manipulated to benefit organized religion and the advancement of Christianity, or are you following the true path of Jesus. Something to think about if you're planning on spending the rest of your life in the Christian religion.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing, marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his latest articles, What Is The Secret Of Life

Greg is currently working on a self help video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

What is Releasing?

A lot of people are getting into the concept of releasing negative emotions and thoughts. Various techniques and concepts have been created to explain better ways of releasing.

More and more modern ideas are pointing to the need to heal from within, and that we need to learn how to look deeper inside of ourselves and let the answers generate from within.

But how? Many ask.

Here is what I strongly believe is the best way.

The most important piece is to have a belief that you have the ability within you to heal yourself, and this belief need not be a complete belief or knowing. If you have even a little belief or even a desire to believe then you will be able to heal yourself faster and with more permanent results than anything else you have tried in the past. An important question to ask yourself is have the things you have tried in the past truly healed you the way you want. If so, you probably don't need to continue with this stuff, and please give me your ideas to try for myself.

Any way, start where you are and begin practicing being present. I won't go into too many specific aspects of presence or acceptance in this article, and if you want more info try reading The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle or Your Sacred Self by Dr. Wayne Dyer. And if you do not agree with everything you read, try gleaning what does make sense to you.

There are three basic parts of living that we all experience throughout our lives, and they are being in Present Moment Awareness, Acceptance and Releasing or Letting Go.
The problem with us now and throughout out history is that we have developed too many negative conditioned responses due to the controlling nature of the mind or ego.

We have learned to trust and rely on the mind or ego more than the intuitive knowing that is already within all of us.

So we automatically set up our lives to being Aware of what has been taught to us or what our mind has told us is best for us. We Accept what makes us fit in, or feel a part of, and we Release many of the things that we need to learn to accept before letting them go. We do this constantly and automatically throughout our lives. Don't get me wrong, there are many things our minds tell us that do align with our Truer Selves. The problem with this is that by relying on the ego to lead, we only heal in part, and when disturbed the ego will retaliate. The ego will at times do this through excessive questioning or out and out sabotage.

As we learn how to recondition ourselves to learn how to let our truer selves lead, then we will heal quicker and with more permanent results. Not that we should focus on the results, but instead learn to stand in the process. Also the process for true change will be less painful, and you will see material things in your world change for the better. The process of Present Moment Awareness, Acceptance and Letting Go may seem a bit uncomfortable in the beginning, but if we follow the simple process, it gets easier over a very short period of time. Please don't believe the lie from yours or anyone's ego. Healing does not have to take a long time. You have the opportunity to make dramatic and lasting change in your life in a very short period of time. As we live the simple process of Present Moment Awareness Acceptance and Releasing/Letting Go, we heal with less on going pain, there is more peace and happiness in our lives, and more importantly we begin more and more helping others.

This next part will focus more on the specifics of releasing.

By practicing being aware of or looking at the dominant emotions sensations and thoughts, we begin to get clearer pictures of what is truly going on inside. While practicing looking or being the observer, you become more comfortable with accepting whatever you are thinking or feeling, and it becomes easier to let those feelings or thoughts go.

An example might go like this:

As much as you can in this moment let yourself relax. You might want to close your eyes to not have too many outside distractions, but that's not necessary. Now in this moment what is the dominant feeling, perception or thought? It's better to focus on the emotion instead of the thought because emotions are more specific. Now allow whatever emotion or dominant thought to arise. Try not to judge it or yourself or anyone and just let yourself dwell in the emotion. This alone may be helping you to feel a sense of peace. If so, you have just Released. What can often happen here is that the questioning mind will say things like this is not working, or I need to understand what is happening. Just come back to this moment and be as aware of the emotion or dominant thought as you possible can.

Accept/Embrace the emotion behind the thought in this moment as much as you can. A good sign you are releasing may be a deeper sense of peace, a deep breath, or even bigger
questioning by the mind. Try as best as you can in this moment to be aware or observe the questioning without judging it or yourself. As you become more in touch with these negative emotions and thoughts you will feel more of a knowing when you need to release or accept or to just stand in the awareness.

The more you live the process, the easier it becomes and the more natural you are able to be at any part of your process. You will find at times the process is happening automatically in a good way. Try not to let the ego tell you that you are not doing it right, or you must understand what is happening. You will be learning more and more to trust in yourself and as you see the continued growth and healing and acts of synchronicity, you will have more knowing, confidence and motivation to stay in this place where your life is.

And remember this. The most important aspect of living is to practice being in Present Moment Awareness/In the Presence of God/Being in the Now. And what all of these terms express is your connection to your Source. And when you are here you have a knowing that you are going in a right direction. Sometimes you may not feel you are with your source. Try to stay in this spaciousness and not let the selfish ego tell you that you are not here. A good way of knowing that you are here is by having your attention focused within and without at the same time. You can practice this as an intention, and over a period of time this beingness will become a more natural reality. Try not to question whether it is coming from your ego or Spirit, instead you may want to if questioning occurs, go through the releasing process to find the answers from within. If you feel you are getting close, try not to force yourself to go deeper, instead stay in acceptance until you answers come more peacefully and naturally. There will be evidence over a short period of time. Give yourself as least three months or so, and you will see dramatic results. Learn to let your Truer Self guide you toward when you need to Release, Accept or stand in Present Moment Awareness.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't let the selfish ego fool you into going back on the merry-go-round of the conditioning of the world or cause you to excessively analyze and intellectualize from the outside in. You can get answers this way, but it will take you a very long time, and most likely you will either stop using mind based helps, or go to another technique or method that the latest guru is saying is the way to go.

Other techniques that can give you an idea of releasing are The Sedona Method and The Releasing Technique or Lester Levinson's ideas.

I do not agree in full with others' processes, methods or techniques. I have been able to glean for myself what works best. Try not too judge them negatively, and instead be open to the solutions they have for you, and let go of the rest.

Peace and Love,

Ron Figueroa has a masters degree in community and counseling psychology, and is a self employed businessman.

Ron has helped many individuals over the years overcome the effects of stress due to emotional as well as financial problems. Look at the recommendations Ron presents in order to see if his ideas are right for you.

Five Things You Should Know About Your Religion - Ask Yourself Some Simple Questions

Most of us are raised from children into adulthood, to believe in someone else's religion. Most of us never even got the chance to choose a religion or spiritual beliefs to follow on our own. I came up with a simple list of five things that you should know about your religion, or you shouldn't be allowed to practice it.

1. Where did your religion or spiritual beliefs originate from? You should find out who started your religion and why they started it. Some of the worlds major religions were started by intelligent people. Do you think it's possible that your religion was created by an intelligent person, instead of a supreme being or multiple gods. Someone's just trying to trick you into believing.

2. How did you get involved in your religion or spiritual beliefs? Was it part of your upbringing, did your parents suggest this religion to you, how long has your family been involved in your current religious beliefs. Was your great, great, great, great, great grandfather or grandmother part of this religion or spiritual belief. How far back does it go in your family?

3. Do you believe in your religious doctrine or scripture? Is there any parts of your religious scriptures, writings or communication from other fellow believers that doesn't sit right with you? Does every part of your religion makes sense and can it be explained sensibly to someone outside of your religion?

4. Do you practice what you believe on a daily basis? If you're supposed to read your scriptures or pray daily, do you? If your religion teaches love and compassion, how do you treat people less fortunate than yourselves? Are you one of those people who can justify your wrong doings, to yourself and others, to give them the illusion, that you are a religious or spiritual person.

5. Do you know where you are going after you die? Are you going to someplace wonderful and extraordinary, like heaven? If you had to earn enough credits or points, do you think you have acquired enough, to enter the next level of existence? If you're bad, are you going to a bad place, with all the other bad people?

Try to always keep one thing in mind do you use, religion and responsibly.

These are just some of the answers, that I sincerely believe most people should know about their religion or beliefs. You should be able to answer at least one of these questions if asked by a nonbeliever.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development

Greg is currently working on a spiritual religious articles filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion